Beathearts rewind #27: Hessle Audio 003 & 016

We thought it was about time to highlight one of the finest new labels that has appeared the last couple of years. Hessle Audio was formed in 2005 after a late night out at a dubstep session hosted by Mala at the West Indian Centre in Leeds, UK. Founders David Kennedy (Ramadanman), Ben Thomson (Ben UFO) and Kevin McAuley (Pangaea) wanted to push the dubstep scene into unchartered, more musically hard defined territories and decided to start a label that put out its first release in 2007. The origin of the name Hessle is Hessle road in the Hyde park area of Leeds, where the label was started.

The first track we want to highlight is Hessle release 003 from Untold, The Kingdom EP. Deep, dubby but still razor sharp. Our pick off the EP is the title track Kingdom. Available via Surus here.


Untold - Kingdom (Hessle Audio 003)

The second tune we think deserves more attention is Blanked by Pearson Sound (a.ka. Ramadanman). We've very much enjoyed his deep house output under the Ramadanman alias but here under the Pearson Sound moniker he reveals a more laidback and experimental side in the vein of Mala's work under Digital Mystikz. Ace! Available via Surus here.


Pearson Sound - Blanked (Hessle Audio 016)

On top of the two EP:s above, if you want to jump-start your Hessle Audio collection a good place to start is their 116 and rising double CD compilation released back in May.

"The compilation exists as a way to unite the entire Hessle roster, as well as allowing them an avenue to put out work by friends and producers they have been unable to work with so far. The first disc is all new work plus a second has a selection of choice cuts from the back catalogue. There’s also work from producers who they feel have shaped the label’s aesthetic, like D1’s ‘Sub Zero’, whose sub bass stabs were a staple of the early DMZ sets that they initially united over back in 2005."

116 and rising is available now via Boomkat.

If that's not enough to get you going, as a bonus here's Ramadanman's mixtape summing up the label sound. Download: Ramadanman - Hessle Audio mixtape

Tracklist:
Pangaea – Deviant
Ramadanman – Offal
Guido – Orchestral Lab
Loefah – Rufage
TRG – Put You Down (Ramadanman Refix)
Benga – Electro Scratch
2562 – Hijack
Untold – Bones
Ramadanman – Tak
Compound One – Space Oddyssey
TRG – Put You Down
Benga – Back in the Day
Shackleton – Massacre
Ramadanman – Humber
TRG – Broken Heart (Martyn’s DCM Remix)
Joe – Rut
Pearson Sound – Ex
Joker – Do It
Pangaea – Router
Plastician – Death By Stereo
Untold – I Can’t Stop This Feeling

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