Ibadan Records


Ibadan Records is an independent music label founded in 1995 by DJ and music producer, Jerome Sydenham in New York City and is now run out of Berlin, Germany. Ibadan Records is principal to other labels including: Apotek Records, Avocado Records, Bolshevic Records, Public Service Records and UK Promotions. The label recently celebrated its 15-year anniversary in 2010 while also reaching the mark of over 100 releases. The label's motto is: "A higher quality experience in music".
Says Jerome Sydenham, "There isn't really an Ibadan sound. Ibadan has a principle to make high quality music which covers all areas of electronic music, acoustic dance music, ultimately jazz funk, jazz and maybe even hip hop and R&B".

History

Formed over passionate discussions Jerome Sydenham had with Dance Tracks owner Joe Claussell as well as fellow music producer Kerri Chandler, the label was, in its beginnings, to rework the prestigious Ten City catalogue, which Jerome Sydenham obtained after his resignation in his A&R role at Atlantic Records. Building up a steady slew of quality House music releases over the years, the label has since evolved to include Techno and Tech-house genres and continues to pioneer new directions in dance music. The label is also attributed to having greatly defined the Pan-African Electro sound of House and Techno music today with established artists such as Joe Claussell, Kerri Chandler and Dennis Ferrer forming the backbone of its repertoire.
Over the years, Ibadan Records has had countless of iconic releases of critical acclaim, including Joe Claussell's compilation "Language" in 1999 which features productions by Claussell, Sydenham, Chandler, Marc Cary and Dele Sosimi. The compilation is widely considered as a milestone in the deep house genre. 2001 saw the release of Jerome Sydenham's own full-length collaboration with Kerri Chandler, "Saturday".
In 2003, Ibadan Records launched the 10 Inch Beats series to feature the more edgy electronic side of the Ibadan sound. This series was responsible for hits Jerome Sydenham co-produced with Dennis Ferrer, including "Sandcastles" and "Timbuktu". "Sandcastles" entered the official UK Dance Charts in March 2005 after eighteen months of steady sales and momentum building on Ibadan Records. The track also received the prestigious title of "Track of the Year 2005" by Choice Awards.

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