HOSPITAL RECORDS
Born in 1996 as the musical brainchild of Chris Goss and Tony Colman, Hospital Records has grown to become one of the most distinguished labels in UK dance music. The independent record label operates from Forest Hill, South London and largely pushes drum and bass but are also behind the more experimental label, Med School, and worldwide events brand, Hospitality – they even run publishing company, Songs in The Key Of Knife.
Hospital is home to a number of genre-defining artists including boss-man London Electricity, High Contrast, Netsky, Danny Byrd, Logistics, Nu:Tone, Camo & Krooked, Fred V & Grafix and Cyantific but has talent signed all over the DnB spectrum. Instagram did not return a 200.
IN THE BEGINNING
Prior to starting Hospital Records, Chris and Tony had been working together since 1993. Tony started his label, Tongue and Groove and Chris joined him a year later as the label manager. They eventually abandoned TnG in 1995 and formed two other labels; Hospital and Galactic Disco Music. When Hospital took off in 1998, Galactic Disco Music was understandably put on hold.
The Hospital Records fan base grew at tremendous pace. Especially after London Elektricity released Song in The Key of Knife in the Spring of 1998. Many describe the song to have captured the imagination of the entire scene and was closely followed by Tony and Chris’ debut LP titled Pull the Plug. This gem saw its release in the Summer of 1999 and after scoring plenty of airplay, became recognized as a definite classic album which helped shape the sound of drum and bass as we know it.
Have a listen below?
FREESTYLE COMPILATIONS
As we entered the new millennium and vaccinated against Y2K computer bugs, Hospital Records shifted gears as they poised to take their game to a new level. Chris and Tony compiled and released the first of the freestyle compilations, aptly titled Out Patients. This release initiated a new direction for Hospital; it was now not just a drum and bass label, but an establishment making real waves in the industry.
Then came the signing of Tim Land (aka Landslide), who attracted new heads from the breakbeat and 2-step crews. 2000 was also the year Hospital signed Danny Byrd, the artist whose RnB styles found favour with Fabio. Then, on the tail end of 2001, the label signed yet another big name in the industry. A Welsh producer who at the time, was little known in the drum and bass arena. This was Link Barret, but you might know him better as High Contrast.
Six years after Hospital’s inception, co-founder Chris pulled out from studio duties which was a move described to “meet the demands of running the UK’s most successful independent labels.” – this left Tony to carry on and fly the flag as London Elektricity. Sure enough, the label continued to expand and quickly gained a reputation for the quality, soulful breakbeats we’ve come to crave. Backed up by heavyweight releases like the Plastic Surgery compilation, High Contrast’s True Colours debut and London Elektricity’s fast soul classic Billion Dollar Gravy, Hospital pushed many record labels to new heights which saw them surface as one of the most well-respected labels in Southern London.
HOSPITALITY
By 2005, the Hospitality club nights were repping all corners of London and before long, the label launched a quarterly residency at London super-club, Heaven. After hosting big names like Andy C and LTJ Bukem, it was this establishment that gave Hospital Records an international status. Releases by German artist Syncopix, and The Future Sound Budapest from Hungary undoubtedly cemented Hospital’s global presence. Nowadays, Hospitality is toured all over the world and holds many awards for Best Club Night (or similar).
TURNING 10
On the label’s tenth birthday, London Elektricity launched the infamous Hospital Podcast as a platform to share the high quality dubs and demos being sent to the label. Later in 2006, the Med School label was formed, and Logistics picked up best album at the BBC 1Xtra Bass Awards. The Hospital Podcast proved to be an enormous hit, attracting +50k downloads per show and won the BT Digital Music Award for best podcast three years running (2006, 2007, 2008).
2014 was our 18th year, and we’ve been celebrating with multiple events across the globe. Here, Hot Beef Sundae take a look behind the scenes with Tony, Chris, Josh and the label, and specifically our We Are 18 Birthday party @ Brixton Academy.
25+ YEARS & BEYOND
An unrelenting force showing no sign of slowing, Hospital Records have picked up countless awards and accolades for their contribution to drum and bass and the music industry as a whole. They’re always looking to push the boundaries with their steady supply of chart-topping albums and fresh artist signings every year. From a humble beginning 25+ years ago, Hospital Records have emerged today as one of the most successful drum and bass labels to exist, not just in the United Kingdom, but the world.
Maximum respect to Tony, Chris and the Hospital crew!
