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Founded in 1991 by Richard D. James and Grant Wilson-Claridge.
In 1989, Grant Wilson-Claridge started DJ-ing at a club located just along the coast from Newquay, Cornwall. Called the Bowgie - Cornish for cattle shed - the venue seems at first sight an unlikely place to inspire the birth of Rephlex records, a label recently dubbed by NME "the coolest record label in the world".
Wilson-Claridge explains that he and Aphex Twin used to DJ on alternate weeks. He was... Read more
Founded in 1991 by Richard D. James and Grant Wilson-Claridge.
In 1989, Grant Wilson-Claridge started DJ-ing at a club located just along the coast from Newquay, Cornwall. Called the Bowgie - Cornish for cattle shed - the venue seems at first sight an unlikely place to inspire the birth of Rephlex records, a label recently dubbed by NME "the coolest record label in the world".
Wilson-Claridge explains that he and Aphex Twin used to DJ on alternate weeks. He was intrigued by the music Aphex Twin was playing and on closer inspection discovered that he was not playing records but rather his own tapes. On noticing this, Wilson-Claridge suggested that they press up some records. In the beginning, committing Aphex Twin's recordings to vinyl was a way of making music he and his friends wanted to hear. Due to their geographical dislocation they did not have access to the music they wanted to hear and so they decided to create their own. "We were doing it for a laugh" explains Grant, "We're still doing it now".
Indeed they are. Having attracted a following in Cornwall, early Aphex Twin tracks like Analogue Bubblebath and Didgeridoo were picked up by London stations like Kiss FM. Soon the artist was the object of popular and critical admiration outside Cornwall, and the fledgling Rephlex label took the decision to move to London in 1992.
In spite of this, Rephlex has not allowed one figure to dominate. The label which set out with the intention to fill "a void in the country's dance music" has carried on this mission bringing out releases by artists like The Bug, DJ Scud and Rephlex old-timer Cylob. Rephlex has also attempted to bring to the fore lost classics, their recent re-issues of 808 State's classic Newbuild and the Humanoid Sessions 84-88 being prime examples. The label has also sought out artists from far and wide.
For Rephlex it's simple, according to Wilson-Claridge, "everyone was talking about Sheffield and Detroit and Chicago as places where interesting music was happening, we just thought it would be funny to do it with Cornwall". They have certainly achieved that. Now, with Wilson-Claridge holding the fort at the label's headquarters in north London and Aphex Twin living in south London, Rephlex may be a long way from Cornwall, but still the roots remain.
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