LABEL LINK
Oct 1, 2001 12:00 PM, By Martin Brown
For San Francisco — based label Om Records, innovation has always been the name of the game. Founded by DJ and producer Chris Smith in 1995, the label set a tone for “future music” by releasing fresh alternative hip-hop, jazz, house, and soul sounds. Early releases included the Groove Active compilation featuring DJ Shadow, Blackalicious, and the Roots, and the future-soul collection Soul Motion with Curtis Mayfield.
The imprint hit the jackpot with 1996's Mushroom Jazz, vol. 1, a classic acid-jazz compilation mixed by San Francisco funky house maestro Mark Farina. Deep Concentration, an experimental underground hip-hop series, also helped solidify Om's sound: funky, cutting-edge musical beats and grooves. The label's quality music quickly earned the grassroots label a loyal following of DJs and music fans worldwide.
Today, Om's more diverse catalog retains that distinct flavor, be it in mixed CDs, vinyl, or original artist albums in the style of house, down-tempo, two-step, hip-hop, breakbeat, or electronic soul. Popular CD series include Sound Design, San Francisco Sessions, Legends (vol. 1 is mixed by techno godfather Juan Atkins), Om Lounge, and Mushroom Jazz. Om has also launched two sublabels: Colourforms, which is best described as highlighting excursions in two-step and breaks (check out “You Are the Reason,” by Boswick Gates) and Deep Con, which focuses on hip-hop.
As the label has grown, its knack for uncovering gorgeous new sounds has also spread into artist development. Among its live dance bands are deep-house outfit Soulstice, New York drum 'n' bass duo Ming & FS, hip-hoppers the People Under the Stairs, King Kooba, and Afro-Mystik — a group featuring label owner Smith that fuses tribal rhythms with live instrumentation.
Om's interactive Web site, www.om-records.com, reflects its passion for music. “We have Om Radio, where you can listen to different genres like down-tempo, house, or hip-hop,” says Om public relations rep Gunnar Hissam. “You can download our featured music, including some cool remixes. We also support a lot of music sites.”
Always a step ahead of the times, Om experimented with interactivity in its first releases. Early products included CD-ROMs that allowed listeners to remix tracks and watch videos and artist interviews. “For the time, we were cutting-edge with this kind of technology,” says Hissam. “Unfortunately, as cool as it was, it didn't sell to the record-buying public very well, so we decided to focus on the music side instead.”
Om is always looking for new artists. The label accepts original material submissions, but please do not send MP3s. It will review only CDs or DATs. Contact: Om Records; 245 S. Van Ness Ave., Suite 303, San Francisco, CA 94103; tel. (415) 575-1800; e-mail ryan@om-records.com.
| Want to use this article? Click here for options! |  |
