Hessle Audio

Although founded in Leeds in 2007 – the city where its three founders went to uni and spun records together on internet station Sub FM – the roots of Hessle Audio go back to London’s seminal dubstep party FWD>>. That’s where Ben UFO and Pearson Sound first met and fell in love with the genre, before the trio became complete with the addition of Pangaea in the Yorkshire city. It’s fitting the pair came together at one of the most influential nights the country has ever seen: the output they’ve gone on to curate, along with Pangaea, has undoubtedly reshaped the UK club scene in a similar way.

Hessle Audio arrived towards the tail-end of dubstep’s heyday, and as the genre divided and cracked, no other imprint moved forward into the post-dubstep landscape with the same clarity of vision. Early cuts from Ramadanman and Martyn were supported by the likes of Ricardo Villalobos as the blueprint for breaking musical boundaries was laid. The quality has never dipped in over the years, with contributions from Untold, Joe, Objekt, Peverelist, a pre-singer-songwriter era James Blake and more recently Bruce, Ploy and Anz among its discography. Having recently celebrated its 15th anniversary, Hessle Audio stands tall as a truly game-changing imprint.