Grand Central Records
Encyclopedia
Grand Central Records was an independent record label
based in the Northern Quarter of Manchester
, UK
. It was started in 1995
by DJ Mark Rae
(who, along with Steve Christian
makes up the duo Rae & Christian
). Rae started out working as manager of the Fat City Records
' store (which is now also a record label). The two labels maintained a close relationship, co-hosting club nights including Friends and Family.
Grand Central's also had a digital sub-label, GC3.
As of May 2006, Grand Central Records ceased operating as a record label and the official Web site was closed down. The label was allegedly investigated by the MCPS
with regard to unpaid royalties and the resultant bill was so large that it forced the label into liquidation.
QNC are New York Hip hop
artists, original White rapper QBall and DJ / producer Curt Cazal. Originally members of J.V.C. F.O.R.C.E (Justified By Virtue For Obvious Reasons Concerning Entertainment), QNC later collaborated with Rae & Christian and Aim. Their debut album, Duo Dynamic, was released in 2005.
The Nudge is Christian Wood (aka Woody), a DJ
from Salford
, Greater Manchester
, signed to Grand Central Records by Mark Rae
.
He only released a couple of 12" singles under the name The Nudge - Bumpin' and Quickness (feat. The Rusty Pelicans a.k.a. The Rusty Ps), although further tracks and remixes appear on the Grand Central albums, Grand Central Vol. 1
, Grand Central Vol. 2
, Grand Central Translation
, Grand Central Vol. 3
and Underground Crown Holders
.
Veba is a singer from Old Trafford
, Manchester
. She provided vocals on several songs for other Grand Central artists' records, including Mark Rae, Tony D, Fingathing, Only Child and most notably, Rae & Christian. An album containing several of her appearances, Veba Vs Grand Central
was released in 2005.
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
based in the Northern Quarter of Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It was started in 1995
1995 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1995.- January–February :*January 18 – Jerry Garcia crashes his rented BMW into a guard rail near Mill Valley, California, USA, but is not injured in the accident....
by DJ Mark Rae
Mark Rae
Mark Rae, born in Ashington, Northumberland, England, is the head of the highly revered independent record label Grand Central Records and one half of DJ and production duo Rae & Christian.-Grand Central and Rae & Christian:...
(who, along with Steve Christian
Steve Christian (DJ)
Steve Christian is a producer and musician from Manchester. He was formerly one half of recording group Rae & Christian, along with Mark Rae, the then head of independent record label, Grand Central Records.-Background:...
makes up the duo Rae & Christian
Rae & Christian
Rae & Christian were Grand Central Records' founder Mark Rae and fellow producer and DJ Steve Christian. Their music is broadly classed as Hip-Hop / soulful dance music and features such vocalists as The Jungle Brothers, Jeru The Damaja and The Pharcyde as well as contributions from Bobby Womack...
). Rae started out working as manager of the Fat City Records
Fat City Recordings
Fat City Recordings is an independent record label. It emerged in 1998 from the Fat City Records shop originally situated in Affleck's Palace in the Northern Quarter, Manchester, but which has now moved onto Oldham Street....
' store (which is now also a record label). The two labels maintained a close relationship, co-hosting club nights including Friends and Family.
Grand Central's also had a digital sub-label, GC3.
As of May 2006, Grand Central Records ceased operating as a record label and the official Web site was closed down. The label was allegedly investigated by the MCPS
Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society
The Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society is an organisation that pay royalties to composers, songwriters and music publishers when a composition is manufactured into any format. This includes copies of the music alone such as CDs and downloads, and also products that use the music as a part of...
with regard to unpaid royalties and the resultant bill was so large that it forced the label into liquidation.
Artists
- AimAim (musician)Aim is a British musician, DJ and producer, who was born in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria. Aim's sound is a blend of funky electronic music and hip hop beats, a sound which typified the Grand Central Records label...
- ARP
- Boca 45Boca 45Scott Hendy, also known as Boca 45, is a DJ and producer from Bristol, UK.Since 2004 he has been signed to the independent record label, Grand Central Records....
- Broadway ProjectBroadway ProjectBroadway Project is musician Dan Berridge from Bristol. Reviewers often describe the music as "cinematic" and it combines elements of ambient, jazz and hip hop. The epic nature of his records has led to him being commissioned to write scores for a number of feature films and British television...
- Dual Control
- FingathingFingathingFingathing are an instrumental Nu jazz / hip-hop band from Manchester, UK, comprising classically trained double bass player Sneaky and DJ / turntablist Peter Parker.-History:...
- Funky Fresh FewFunky Fresh FewFunky Fresh Few are a Hip-hop act from Blackpool, Lancashire, England, who started out as a graffiti crew called Imperial Arts. The band originally consisted of James Folks, Damon Savage and Timeone....
- Ill Gotten Gains
- Jon KennedyJon KennedyJon Kennedy is a drummer and electronic musician who was born in Dukinfield, Greater Manchester, England.He was discovered in 2000 when he passed a demo CD to Ninja Tune artist Mr Scruff. Scruff played tracks from the CD soon after on his "Unfold" radio show on Brighton's Juice 107.2...
- Kate RogersKate RogersKate Rogers is the cousin of Grand Central Records head, Mark Rae. She was born just outside Toronto, Canada and as a child studied at the Royal Conservatory of Music....
- Kohei MiharaKohei MiharaKohei Mihara is a Japanese DJ, who signed to Grand Central Records independent record label in 2005. His music is electronica, combining elements of ambient, jazz and hip hop and blending both Eastern and Western influences....
- Mark RaeMark RaeMark Rae, born in Ashington, Northumberland, England, is the head of the highly revered independent record label Grand Central Records and one half of DJ and production duo Rae & Christian.-Grand Central and Rae & Christian:...
- NikoNiko (musician)Niko is Seattle, Washington-born musician Nicole Vergel De Dios, to Japanese and Spanish parents.She completed a Jazz and Contemporary Music Degree from the New School University in New York City, prior to signing to Grand Central Records independent record label in 2002.She worked as musical...
- Only ChildOnly Child (musician)Only Child is DJ and musician, Justin Crawford from Manchester, England. He was formerly a member of the English band New Fast Automatic Daffodils....
- QNC
QNC are New York Hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
artists, original White rapper QBall and DJ / producer Curt Cazal. Originally members of J.V.C. F.O.R.C.E (Justified By Virtue For Obvious Reasons Concerning Entertainment), QNC later collaborated with Rae & Christian and Aim. Their debut album, Duo Dynamic, was released in 2005.
- Rae & ChristianRae & ChristianRae & Christian were Grand Central Records' founder Mark Rae and fellow producer and DJ Steve Christian. Their music is broadly classed as Hip-Hop / soulful dance music and features such vocalists as The Jungle Brothers, Jeru The Damaja and The Pharcyde as well as contributions from Bobby Womack...
- Riton
- Rob Smith
- The Nudge
The Nudge is Christian Wood (aka Woody), a DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
from Salford
City of Salford
The City of Salford is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It is named after its largest settlement, Salford, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Eccles, Swinton-Pendlebury, Walkden and Irlam which apart from Irlam each have a population of over...
, Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
, signed to Grand Central Records by Mark Rae
Mark Rae
Mark Rae, born in Ashington, Northumberland, England, is the head of the highly revered independent record label Grand Central Records and one half of DJ and production duo Rae & Christian.-Grand Central and Rae & Christian:...
.
He only released a couple of 12" singles under the name The Nudge - Bumpin' and Quickness (feat. The Rusty Pelicans a.k.a. The Rusty Ps), although further tracks and remixes appear on the Grand Central albums, Grand Central Vol. 1
Grand Central Vol. 1
Grand Central Vol. 1 is a compilation from Grand Central Records containing rare tracks and remixes. The official Grand Central site refers to the album as Grand Central House Bag Vol...
, Grand Central Vol. 2
Grand Central Vol. 2
Grand Central Vol. 2 is a compilation from Grand Central Records containing some rare tracks and remixes. It is generally known simply as Grand Central Vol. 2, although the official Grand Central site refers to the album as Grand Central House Bag Vol...
, Grand Central Translation
Grand Central Translation
Grand Central Translation is a DJ mix album of Grand Central Records back catalogue, mixed by Philadelphia's Qool DJ Marv.-Track listing:# "Wasting Time" - Fingathing# "The Loafer" - Jon Kennedy# "Don't You See" - Rob Smith# "My Mind Is Clear" - Tony D...
, Grand Central Vol. 3
Grand Central Vol. 3
Grand Central Vol. 3 is a compilation from Grand Central Records containing some rare tracks and remixes. It is generally known simply as Grand Central Vol. 3, although the official Grand Central site refers to the album as Grand Central House Bag Vol...
and Underground Crown Holders
Underground Crown Holders
Underground Crown Holders is a compilation album of Grand Central Records releases. It was released for the 10 year anniversary of the label.The second disc contains a DJ mix, mixed by Funky Fresh Few, entitled Grand Central 10 .-Disc one:# "Memories" - Only Child – 4:19# "Through These Veins" -...
.
- Tony DTony DTony D, born Anthony Depula , was a hip hop legend from Trenton, New Jersey. Although he was a hip hop artist & DJ, he was most famous for being an influential producer in hip hop music. He was the producer behind Poor Righteous Teachers and YZ...
- Veba
Veba is a singer from Old Trafford
Old Trafford
Old Trafford commonly refers to two sporting arenas:* Old Trafford, home of Manchester United F.C.* Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket ClubOld Trafford can also refer to:...
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. She provided vocals on several songs for other Grand Central artists' records, including Mark Rae, Tony D, Fingathing, Only Child and most notably, Rae & Christian. An album containing several of her appearances, Veba Vs Grand Central
Veba Vs Grand Central
Veba Vs Grand Central is a compilation album of various Grand Central Records artists. It brings together many of the tracks and remixes upon which Veba appeared as a featured vocalist, up until 2005.-Track listing:...
was released in 2005.
After Grand Central
- AimAim (musician)Aim is a British musician, DJ and producer, who was born in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria. Aim's sound is a blend of funky electronic music and hip hop beats, a sound which typified the Grand Central Records label...
left Grand Central Records in early 2005 and formed his own record label, ATIC RecordsATIC RecordsATIC Records is an independent record label formed by British musician, DJ and producer, Aim . He left Grand Central Records in early 2005 and started ATIC Records in June 2006....
, in June 2006 and released his label debut Flight 602Flight 602Flight 602 is the sixth album released by Aim, and the first released on his own ATIC Records independent record label. It is Aim's fourth album of studio material, the other two being DJ mix albums. It was released on 25 September 2006...
later the same year. NikoNiko (musician)Niko is Seattle, Washington-born musician Nicole Vergel De Dios, to Japanese and Spanish parents.She completed a Jazz and Contemporary Music Degree from the New School University in New York City, prior to signing to Grand Central Records independent record label in 2002.She worked as musical...
has also signed to ATIC Records, along with Gripper and Paperboy. - Boca 45Boca 45Scott Hendy, also known as Boca 45, is a DJ and producer from Bristol, UK.Since 2004 he has been signed to the independent record label, Grand Central Records....
released his second album, Vertigo Sounds, on German record label Unique Records in 2006. - FingathingFingathingFingathing are an instrumental Nu jazz / hip-hop band from Manchester, UK, comprising classically trained double bass player Sneaky and DJ / turntablist Peter Parker.-History:...
released an EP, Apocalypso in 2006 from their own website. Subsequent releases have been on MP3 only, via the "Artists First" internet label. DJ Sneaky has since recorded solo, releasing a digital 4-track EP, with an album to follow, entitled Feel Like a King… Pluck a String. - Jon KennedyJon KennedyJon Kennedy is a drummer and electronic musician who was born in Dukinfield, Greater Manchester, England.He was discovered in 2000 when he passed a demo CD to Ninja Tune artist Mr Scruff. Scruff played tracks from the CD soon after on his "Unfold" radio show on Brighton's Juice 107.2...
released a 12" single, Demons in 2007 on his new label, The Jon Kennedy Federation. - Mark RaeMark RaeMark Rae, born in Ashington, Northumberland, England, is the head of the highly revered independent record label Grand Central Records and one half of DJ and production duo Rae & Christian.-Grand Central and Rae & Christian:...
initially started a new recording partnership with Rhys Adams in 2005, under the name ARP (Adams.Rae.Productions). In 2007, the pair started a new record label, Yes King Recordings and a new band, Yes King. Veba appeared amongst the vocalists on the Yes King album, Rock This World (2008). Future solo releases from Mark Rae and from Rae & ChristianRae & ChristianRae & Christian were Grand Central Records' founder Mark Rae and fellow producer and DJ Steve Christian. Their music is broadly classed as Hip-Hop / soulful dance music and features such vocalists as The Jungle Brothers, Jeru The Damaja and The Pharcyde as well as contributions from Bobby Womack...
are also expected to be released on the new label. - The Nudge followed Aim to ATIC Records, and now records under the name Crowhead.
- Riton has released several 12" singles on different European labels, and has also released an eponymous album under the recording name Eine Kleine Nacht Musik.
- Rob Smith released two 12" singles, Give Love (2006) and Loveage (2007) on Functional Breaks.
See also
- List of record labels
- List of electronic music record labels
- Grand Central Records compilationsGrand Central Records compilations- Grand Central Compilation Albums :...
- ATIC RecordsATIC RecordsATIC Records is an independent record label formed by British musician, DJ and producer, Aim . He left Grand Central Records in early 2005 and started ATIC Records in June 2006....