Top Labels

Tempa - Tempa has played a prominent role in the rise of dubstep - it is the label arm of Ammunition Promotions, the East London dubstep entity that also runs the digital radio station Rinse FM, and also run the massively important club night FWD. Skream, Benga, Loefah, Hatcha, Kode9 and Coki have all put out tracks on the Tempa imprint - it's basically the label for dubstep's debonair. They also had commercial success via the haunting sounds of Benga & Coki's "Night".

Tidy Trax - Set up in 1995 by hard house duo Tidy Boys as a means to release their own distinctive material, Tidy Trax has grown to become one of the UK's premiere hard house imprints, which now include sub labels Synapse, Tidy White and Tidy. Like all labels worth their salt, Tidy Trax has an established a line of compilations to complement singles from the likes of Lisa Lashes, Tony de Vit (RIP), Paul Maddox and Lee Haslam. The Tidy Trax Empire even stretches to bi-annual Tidy Weekeenders and label founder Andy Pickles has the distinction of being a former member of Jive Bunny.

Tirk - Originally a sub label on Nuphonic (RIP), Tirk now operates under the tutelage of indie giant MRC, and does a nice line in 12" nu disco and modern Balearic bombs that inevitably become record box mainstays. They also put out some cracking compilations for good measure. Kraut rockers Fugiya & Miyagi fist found fame on Tirk, and since then the imprint has helped nurture the career of New Young Pony Club, Architeq, Drrtyhaze and A Love Supreme. Disco veterans such as Greg Wilson and Chaz Jankel have also found a new audience via releases on Tirk, especially Wilson's Credit To The Edit series.

Tommy Boy US - No label represents the hip-hop boom of the 1980s better than Tommy Boy. The label, with its distinctive B Boy stance logo, released some stone cold classic 12 inches and LPs and their back catalogue reads like a who's who of rapping royalty. Alongside the seminal 3 Feet High & Rising from De La Soul, Tommy Boy was also responsible for gracing our ears with house party anthems from Naughty by Nature, House of Pain, Digital Underground and Stetsasonic. Special mention too for releasing perhaps the greatest hip-hop concept album of all time in "How's Your Girl?" from Handsome Boy Modelling School.

Toolroom - Toolroom Records was born in December 2002, with house jock Mark Knight declaring his intent to release "quality house music with a twist of funk" by new and well established artists and producers in the music industry. From its HQ in Maidstone, England, Toolroom Records have been home to big releases from the likes of Tom Neville, Deepgroove, Robbie Rivera, ATFC and Dirty Vegas. Toolroom's mixture of hand picking tracks from extablished producers and blooding new talent has seen the label become of the most respected breakthrough imprints in the past 18 months.

Trax US - Trax was a major catalyst in transforming the nascent Chicago house scene into a global phenomenon during the 1980s. Founded by Larry Sherman and "Screamin'" Rachael Cain, it was responsible for a slew of seminal records. The first Chiacgo house anthems - Principle and Knuckle's "Your Love", "No Way Back" by Adonis, Larry Heard's "Can You Feel It," and "Move Your Body" by Marshall Jefferson - were all released on Trax. The label slid into obscurity for a number of years in the mid 2000s before relaunching in 2009.

Tru Thoughts - Tru Thoughts was borne out of humble beginnings in 1999 (under the stairs of label boss Rob Luis' house) and has since demonstrated that it is possible to run a successful independent label. Labelling themselves as focusing on "jazzbreakshiphopsoulfunkbeatsounds", Tru Thoughts benefitted from the rich musical talent in the surrounding South Coast area with Bonobo, Alice Russell and Will Quantic Holland all achieving critical acclaim through releases on the imprint. Recently, the imprint has spread its wings releasing music from Brazilians Zero Db and Australian acts such as Kylie Audist and The Bamboos, and also runs successful sub labels in the form of Zebra Traffic and Unfold.

Turbo Canada - Turbo Recordings is a Montreal-based label run by Canadian crooner Tiga, founded in 1998. Despite the label boss being most noted for his electroclash output in the noughties, the label has also showcased his love of techno and acid, with releases from Hugg & Pepp, Jesper Dahlbäck and Jori Hulkkonen among others. It has also kept a finger in the contemporary electro pie thanks to the likes of Brodinski, Boys Noize and Proxy, as well as dabbling in the electro funk of fellow Canadians Chromeo and, most recently, the retro house jack of Azari & III. Turbo continues to host output from the label boss too, including his 2009 album Ciao! and its impressive remix package.