Nation Records is a record label

Record label

In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...

 set up by Kath Canoville and Aki Nawaz

Aki Nawaz

Aki Nawaz also known as Aki-Stani, Righteous Preacher and Propa-Gandhi, is a British singer and musician and part of the band Fun-Da-Mental. He is best known for his controversial lyrics.-Profile:...

 in 1988.

History

The label was set up after major labels declined to release their fusion of world music

World music

World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...

 and dance music

Dance music

Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...

, an album called Fuse (1989). Featuring the earliest appearance by Talvin Singh

Talvin Singh

Talvin Singh Matharoo , is a producer and composer and tabla player, known for creating an innovative fusion of Indian classical music and drum and bass...

 as Mahatma T, the label went on to feature the early releases of Asian Dub Foundation

Asian Dub Foundation

Asian Dub Foundation are a British electronica band that plays a mix of rapcore, dub, dancehall and ragga, also using rock instruments, acknowledging a punk influence...

, Transglobal Underground

Transglobal underground

Transglobal Underground is a London-based music collective who specialise in a fusion of western, oriental and African music styles...

, Fun-Da-Mental

Fun-Da-Mental

Fun-Da-Mental is a British-based multi-ethnic hip-hop–ethno-techno–world fusion music group formed in 1991. The group is notable for its energetic fusion of Eastern and Western musical forms, for its outspoken political stance, and for its strong Islamic affiliation and advocacy. Fun-Da-Mental's...

, Loop Guru

Loop Guru

Loop Guru is a worldbeat group consisting of bassist/guitarist Salman Gita and programmer Jamuud . They first met around 1980 and initially played together in The Transmitters and released their debut single as Loop Guru, Shrine, in 1992...

, Hustlers HC

Hustlers HC

Hustlers HC is an Asian Hip Hop group formed in 1991 in West London, England. The group consists of three Sikhs: 2 rappers, Hustler MC and Ski-Man, and DJ Mitts who functions the turntables....

, Natacha Atlas

Natacha Atlas

Natacha Atlas is a Belgian singer known for her fusion of Arabic and Western electronic music, particularly hip-hop. She once termed her music "cha'abi moderne" . Her music has been influenced by many styles including Arabic, hip hop, drum 'n' bass and reggae.Atlas began her career as part of...

, Joi

Joi

Joi are British Bangladeshi alternative dub/dance music DJ team, originally composed of London brothers Farook and Haroon Shamsher. Haroon died at the turn of the century, and the remaining brother has continued Joi alone.-Background:...

, Swami

Swami (band)

Swami are a critically acclaimed British Indian pop/alt/bhangra band from Birmingham, England. It is also the pseudonym of the band's lead performer, producer, DJ and guitarist Diamond Duggal , who founded the band with his brother Simon Duggal...

, TJ Rehmi and Charged. Most of the UK alternative Asian music scene has passed through Nation's offices in some capacity or another. The catalogue is rich with many ground breaking sounds and remixes by people such as Adrian Sherwood

Adrian Sherwood

Adrian Sherwood is an English record producer best known for his work with dub music as well as for remixing a number of popular acts such as Coldcut, Depeche Mode, The Woodentops, Primal Scream, Pop Will Eat Itself, Sinéad O'Connor, and Skinny Puppy...

, Youth, Bochet and Scarper, and endless amounts of people who became names in their own merit. John Peel

John Peel

John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...

 also made it one of his favourite labels of the year. The label also created the global alternative world music scene and gave the world music scene a "new look" with its anarchic and all encompassing attitude "There is no boarder controls at Nation". Jah Wobble

Jah Wobble

Jah Wobble is an English bass guitarist, singer, poet and composer. He became known to a wider audience as the original bass player in Public Image Ltd in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but left the band after two albums...

 also contributed to the label's identity and creative flair, and released records on the label as part of Pulse 8. It is linked to the Beggars Banquet

Beggars Banquet Records

Beggars Banquet is an English independent record label that began as a chain of record shops owned by Martin Mills and Nick Austin, and is part of the Beggars Group of labels...

 group of companies.

The label also signed a number of UK hip hop

Hip hop

Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...

groups, including the Birmingham-based Urban South (MC Mayhem, Guvna G and Embryo), who supported such acts as Ice T, Hijack, Rebel MC and Onyx. The group held legendary jams in south Birmingham called Brick House - and you can still see the tags left behind by Sticky Fingaz and Fredro Starr in Balsall Heath. Prophets of Da City, a South African hip hop crew also signed to the label and released numerous records including an album.

An of-shoot label by the name of Flo records - also produced some anarchic electronic hi powered sounds.

Canoville left in 2001 to pursue other creative paths.