Numbers: Staying Ahead

In November last year Stuffrecords, Dress 2 Sweat and Wireblock made the not entirely surprising move to end their individual activities and come together as one entity to focus on a shared goal. After years of pinching each others artists, selling each others records, and trying to explain to friends and followers the need for three similarly minded record labels, it seemingly came to them that it would be for the best if they grouped together, started fresh, and operated as one under the Numbers banner.

The back catalogue of the three deceased labels included early works from the likes of Rustie and Hudson Mohawke. After throwing a party in the Sub Club last year to celebrate the birth of the new label, which included the worldwide debut of Rustie's new live show and a performance by Lazer Sword, Numbers are ready to start releasing their records onto a larger audience.

Their first release is Deadboy's If U Want Me, a track familiar to anyone who has had even a passing interest in the online mixtapes of Jackmaster and Spencer or Mary Anne Hobbs' experimental show. After Deadboy's debut U Cheated twelve inch came out on the Well Rounded label back in October there has been a well deserved buzz surrounding him as the spearhead of the "hypeR'n'Bass" sound emerging from London at the moment.

Following the Deadboy release is Lazer Sword Present: Low Limit & Lando Kal - The Golden Handshake EP. After the well-received Gucci Sweatshirt twelve inch came out last year (along with that Youtube video of a body-popping dancer in said sweatshirt), Laser Sword return with a fresh EP designed to blast everyone full pelt into spring. The San Francisco based duo have earned underground respect with their live show that successfully fuses electro, grime and hip-hop together, whilst their Blap to the Future mixtapes were picked up by electronic music magazine XLR8R with great haste.

Numbers' plans for 2010 continue after their takeover of Room One at FabricLive on 8 Jan with Hudson Mohawke and Rustie appearing live alongside Deadboy and others. Further releases include Redinho's Bare Blips and Taz Buckfaster's Bear Grylls EP. With a history that has seen Numbers help launch the careers of Slugabed, Piddy Py, DJ Shabushabu, Neil Landstrumm, Lory D, Bok Bok, Dj Deeon and others, it's fair to say that their label will be one to watch for those interested in mapping the newest contours of the electronic landscape.