Origin of dDrecords

Founded in 1998 in Amsterdam, Holland, dDrecords was one of the first record-labels to use only the internet to hunt for talent. (MP3.com was probably first [although not a real 'label'], starting in november 1997).
The internet was still in its infancy, 56k dial-up connections were standard [no mp3 streaming or CD downloads then], but more and more talented musicians were discovering the internet as a place to exchange ideas and to promote themselves. Computers at that time had developed to the level that a-home-studio-in-your-computer became available for everybody. This gave rise to a whole new generation of innovative music.

Kids with no musical background but with plenty of ideas could realize these ideas and turn them into music. Early '90s in the UK a new style of music had developed, called trip-hop, which was loosely based on reggae [being the worlds first studio-based music] and hip-hop. Hip-hop in particular was a major inspiration, as it's mostly based on samples and cut-and-paste-techniques. Sampling, cut-and-paste... that's where the computer proved to be a handy tool.

One of the most important labels was Mo'Wax, founded by James Lavelle. One of his major releases was DJ Shadow's ENDTRODUCING, late 1996.

DJ Shadow, a 24 year old producer from San Francisco became an inspiration for many. His instrumental album even made the Guinness book of Records for being the worlds first completely sampled album. But what made this album stand out even more was that it was not just a gimmick, but actual emotions-turned-into-music. Many could relate to it, and used it as a starting point for their own projects.

Syds Marra finds his prodigies

On the internet he discovered a Yahoo-mailing list devoted to DJ Shadow, called InFlux [later: Hindsight] where fans of alternative hip-hop (and DJ Shadow in particular) were exchanging ideas. And music.

The so-called InFlux mixOff was an annual competition between list-members. The goal was to create a track from a given set of samples. Some of the participants created quite extra-ordinary tracks. This is where Viktor Sjoberg [15 or 16 at the time, from Sweden] and Noon [19 at the time, still known as 'Komay' back then, from Poland] were discovered.

Another prodigy on the list was Thom Pentz, better known as Diplodocus [now touring the world as 'DJ Diplo' - dDrecords did not sign him, though..]. Syds Marra sensed something special there and after extensive mail exchanges sent each of them plane-tickets to come over to Amsterdam and sign a deal. Avenging Space, the third addition to the label, was found in his hometown Amsterdam.

Disapointments and a new start

It proved to be hard to market and sell the (mostly instrumental) music, even though reviews were good. The type of music was unfamiliar for most people, the computer-boys did not perform live, the tracks were not played on the radio [instrumental...] and the internet was still in its infancy at the time. And the people reading reviews in specialized magazines are only a few.. Marketing proved to be more expensive than producing the music.

The third CD, the compilation WOOD: Choice Cuts was a joint effort with the Canadian label Tar Media, an attempt to broaden the potential market and address a bigger audience. Sales remained slow, however, and when the internet bubble burst, halfway 2000, dDrecords found itself in financial difficulties. In the aftermath Viktor Sjoberg's AUDIO ARCHITECTURE, already produced and ready for marketing, remained unreleased. Only available on the internet. How sad. It is still a brilliant album, even after 10 years.

Until 2009 dDrecords remained dormant and passive. The website was up, but was no longer maintained. In 2009, however, Syds Marra decided to return to his old profession as a designer and started to design prints for T-shirts. The dDrecords philosopy is now applied to design: Unpredictable, yet self-evident. The results are on these pages. Enjoy it.