Label Profile – Dirtbox Recordings (UK)
Regular readers will know that we have built some pretty solid relationships across the movement over the last 2 and a half years, and one of them is with Dirtbox Recordings.
We’ve hosted some awesome premieres over on our SoundCloud page from the label and now we’re bringing you this piece with label owner Lee UHF, to talk about the huge project they dropped on April 5th. 5 Years Of Filth. A remix album celebrating both 5 years, and 50 releases, intended to bring a fresh take on some of the originals the label has hosted since 2018. We’re big fans of Dirtbox, so we were more than happy to chat with label owner Lee UHF, to find out more about this excellent project.
Lee! Welcome in!
Hello again guys.
So this is a big one. 50 general releases in 5 years is going some. Did you see the label achieving this right back at the start?
To be honest milestones like this were never on the radar. It’s never been a goal but as the magical number 50 came close (probably around the 36th or 37th release), I had to pump the breaks a little and think “okay hold on, do we need to do something for the 50th release?”. As it was going at such a rate in early 2023, we knew it would not be far away at all, and so the planning started.
As well as those 50 releases, there’s also been 6 compilations as well. Curating these must take a lot of effort. Do you tend to base them around concepts and ideas, or styles or genres? How does it work?
All of the above. It may look like some of these compilations are just thrown together but even for the `Best Of` compilations we drop, I spend months going through the tracks not only to make sure we use the right ones, but also which order they should go in to get the sound just right.
The concept compilations we have done (like Vibe City) just start from an idea and grow legs. I’m one of those that gets his best ideas in the shower! Haha.
That’s way too much information, Lee!
The ideas generally take shape 4-6 months before a general release, and sometimes it’s based-on music I have signed already, or just inspiration taken from something in my early days. I think its quite memorable for labels to have things like this, instead of churning out releases, and if it does well and you do another, it gives people something to look forward to.
As well as the monumental landmarks mentioned above, there also needs to be a mention of the 158 tracks that make up those achievements. It’s a crazy number!
It really is. It’s an insane back catalogue to be fair. I feel very privileged to have that much music bestowed on me by such amazingly talented artists.
This latest album is somewhat of a payback then, isn’t it? Something that represents incredible value for money for the record buying public, but also a way of honouring the input and effort that your artists have given to the label over the years?
I’ll be honest, I do love a good remix of a tune I have been caning. Even more so, I love a good remix that flips the style completely.
Take the Beskar Remix of Varkid’s Bring The Fire for example. This is one of the craziest takes on this style of track ever, I believe. And for me this is what Dirtbox is all about.
These compilations do sell quite well, but it doesn’t give the public a great way of deep diving into the label as a whole. It was really nice to go over some tracks I had not listened to in a while though, and remember what got me very excited every time a submission came in.
Tell us a bit about a couple of tracks from the LP then?
Varkid- Bring The Fire (Beskar Remix)
Way back in late 2021 we received a DNB demo from Bassline producer Brent Kilner under his Varkid alias. Brent had previously been releasing another label run by the owners of Dirtbox that focuses on bass house and UK garage “R U SRS” . The track itself is a dark and heavy junglist number that would not have sounded out of place on labels like Dread back in the day.
It quickly became a huge favourite in many DJ sets, even garnering support the the legendary Andy C and Dillinja, as well as being label owner Lee UHF’s biggest track on his 2022 sold out USA tour. Fast forward to 2023, and what started as a general release idea to remix this track became the whole catalyst for start this album project. Answering the call (hot off of his debut on the label) to remix this mammoth track, was none other than Edinburgh DNB Producer Beskar.
The result was by far one of the biggest and nastiest remixes to date in DNB, and something that like the original, found its way into multiple sets worldwide.
TRCD- The System (Stonx Remix)
This was another final edition to the album and one of many remixes involving one of the label’s longest standing regular producers TRCD. We looked for an artist that we the management have worked closely with in other areas and on other projects this past year, and it was both right and fitting that we brought one of the most exciting producers into the mix from the Neurofunk scene. The one and only Stonx.
Turning this one on its head, Ollie Stonx has given a complete overhaul of the original hit track, keeping all of the flavours and intensity but also adding alongside those, the Stonx stamp of approval. It’s a pleasure to welcome Ollie to the label in such a manner. This one is going to be an absurd hit.
This might be a tricky one to answer, but every project has a cut off point in terms of numbers, and the number for this one was 26. How do you possibly pick which 26 tracks you want included?
And the same goes for remixes. Do you draw lots or what, as there is some serious talent within your label roster!
I was willing to keep going on this one. The track numbers were not necessarily the cut off, but a date was. Once I hit that date I had set for myself, I had to make sure everything was done from artwork to masters.
Within the time frame there was nothing that was scrapped because “It didn’t make the cut”, as I trust in every producer I work with to do amazing work, so there was not too much in terms of notes from me to them . There was a couple of remixes that took a while to get right, and there’s nothing wrong with that as producers are generally perfectionists! There are 4 remixes that never got finished in time tough, and I’ll release those at a later date.
As well as all this, there are some new names in your ranks too, so I’m guessing premiering new talent is also a key component in your vision for the label?
Yes. Totally. It is always very important for me to introduce some newer names to the label. Some artists I had recommendations on from others working on their own remix, for example the work from Pish Posh (who I have been a fan of for years) was set up by his friend ESKR, who has released with us before. This was a total no brainer when ESKR requested he did a remix.
Dirtbox as a label has also been really good at celebrating and pushing a variety of sounds and styles across the 5 years since its inception. There’s always that element of surprise where you don’t know what’s coming next.
I just love DNB. And I don’t feel there should be any constraints towards that. It does niggle me when I hear comments like “Dirtbox is a neurofunk label, or a rollers label” It’s not. It’s a DNB label.
Running a label can’t be all glitz and glamour though. Can you share some of the more difficult parts of the process to give people at home a glimpse into what goes on behind the scenes?
It generally consists of lots of sitting in front of my laptop for hours on end, all through the night most times, too. I do love the process, but it can be a ball ache when you have a “to do” list that will take a whole week.
Each release I put out has a 6-week build-up of things I need to do, starting with updating spread sheets and finalizing tunes. There is then 2-3 weeks of promotional campaigns, so prior to that I’m building and creating tons of content for the promo from social media posts to guest mixes on our mix series to podcast interviews. This is easily one of my favourite things though, creating content. This is only just second to getting a new track land in the inbox from someone I have been waiting on to send me their work.
Sounds tiring, but exciting! There’s the financial implications too, though? It must take incredible planning and careful budgeting to make sure that everything can happen at the right time. I mean, there’s the artwork and mastering, not to mention the distribution?
Yeah compilations and albums can get very expensive and time consuming. Plus, when I do these projects I like to think outside the box artwork wise, so this can be a really long process! I’m very lucky that I have an amazing in house art guy who does all my businesses and brands for me and is very quick off the mark. But also my distributor Cygnus, who really go above and beyond to help
And on top of all of this, like myself and like many, many other people within the drum and bass movement, you also work full time and have a family outside of the music. So how on earth do you structure your working week to accommodate working on the label?
I get asked this a lot. I work full time, yes. I also run a few other businesses and have a family. It’s about precision planning. Lots of calendars, and obeying those calendars. I do tend to have to stay up late some nights a week too though to get things done. Luckily my whole adult life has been about staying up late due to my raving years, so staying up late isn’t as bad as it would be for most.
Fair play. Well look, as we said earlier, we are big Dirtbox fans and look forward to working with you some more in the future. Good luck with the project, and we hope to maybe talk to some of your artists in their own right in the near future. BIG UP!
Any time guys. Thank you for all of your support and here’s to the future. And another 50!
FIND OUT MORE HERE:
Dirtbox Recordings- UK Drum & Bass Record Label
