When you start a label and sell it with the tag, "Real rockin' raw shit from the street for the clubs," you've really got to make sure you live up to it. Luckily for them, and us, Dixon Avenue Basement Jams—the house and techno imprint run out of Glasgow by Dan Lurinsky and Kenny Grieve—have done just that.Founded in 2012, DABJ have fast become one of the most beloved and talked-about labels in the UK, and with releases from the likes of Marquis Hawkes, Denis Sulta and Big Miz enjoying serious club play, it's not hard to see why. For those of us out there who like our dance records suffused with some serious grit, every new DABJ 12" is a guaranteed pleaser. Which is why we asked Lurinsky and Grieve to knock together a mix for us.The result is just as slamming as we'd anticipated. Check out both the mix and a quick chat with the lads below.*THUMP: Can you tell us a little about why you decided to start a label? Can you pin-point the moment or was it more of a gradual realisation that starting an imprint was the way to go?*
Dixon Avenue Basement Jams: People (mostly friends) had been sending us unreleased music to play on radio shows and at gigs for a while, so we were sitting on music we thought had to be heard. That, coupled with spending too much time with our partners forced the birth of DABJ.How do you contextualize DABJ? Who do you see yourselves in a lineage with?
As DJ's, whether it be techno or house, we've always played upfront dancefloor orientated tracks from labels like Sonic Groove, Dance Mania, UR, Relief, Casual, Rephlex, and Viewlexx, so it was a natural progression for us to release artists that we would buy and play out ourselves had they been on another label. Your place in a lineage should probably come from someone other than yourself. People we respect or look to currently are folk like Creme Organization, Hypercolour, Numbers, White Material, Lobster Theremin, and Clone.What exactly is it you're looking for in new material from artists?
"Freaky," "Acid," "Weird," "Banging," "Daft," "Filthy," are all things you might hear us say if we like something.Where do DABJ records work best?
Loud, dark places hopefully.What's on the horizon for the label?
Much of the same if we're honest. More from Fear-E and Big Miz in the very near future along with some brand new stupidity from Norn Iron—from a couple of different artists. Then a new, exciting venture with Denis Sulta and some straight up club bangers and ridiculously good acid from south of the border. A cheeky little collab with a flourishing Glasgow clothing brand would be nice, and more gigs in hot places please!DABJ are on Facebook // SoundCloud // Twitter
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Dixon Avenue Basement Jams: People (mostly friends) had been sending us unreleased music to play on radio shows and at gigs for a while, so we were sitting on music we thought had to be heard. That, coupled with spending too much time with our partners forced the birth of DABJ.How do you contextualize DABJ? Who do you see yourselves in a lineage with?
As DJ's, whether it be techno or house, we've always played upfront dancefloor orientated tracks from labels like Sonic Groove, Dance Mania, UR, Relief, Casual, Rephlex, and Viewlexx, so it was a natural progression for us to release artists that we would buy and play out ourselves had they been on another label. Your place in a lineage should probably come from someone other than yourself. People we respect or look to currently are folk like Creme Organization, Hypercolour, Numbers, White Material, Lobster Theremin, and Clone.What exactly is it you're looking for in new material from artists?
"Freaky," "Acid," "Weird," "Banging," "Daft," "Filthy," are all things you might hear us say if we like something.Where do DABJ records work best?
Loud, dark places hopefully.What's on the horizon for the label?
Much of the same if we're honest. More from Fear-E and Big Miz in the very near future along with some brand new stupidity from Norn Iron—from a couple of different artists. Then a new, exciting venture with Denis Sulta and some straight up club bangers and ridiculously good acid from south of the border. A cheeky little collab with a flourishing Glasgow clothing brand would be nice, and more gigs in hot places please!DABJ are on Facebook // SoundCloud // Twitter