Big Apple Records was a record shop and label in Croydon, South London that opened in 1996 closed in 2004.[1] It is known for pioneering the sound of dubstep in the early 2000s, with dubstep DJs and producers working in and frequently visiting the shop.[2] The record label was the first to sign Skream and Benga.[3]

Influence and Heritage

Big Apple Records is considered to be the most influential record shop for dubstep,[4][5] being considered a key part of Croydon's, and South London's, heritage.[6] The shop acted as a point for artists in the development of dubstep to meet and share music, allowing dubstep to emerge from 2-step garage.

History

The shop was opened in November 1992 on Surrey Street in Croydon, a large fruit & veg market. This led to the shop being named 'Apple Records', shortly changed to 'Big Apple Records' after the Beatle's record label of the same name threatened to sue.[7]

It was founded by Gary Hughes, Steve Robertson, and John-Paul Kennedy. Hughes and Robertson were friends who brought on Kennedy only a few weeks before the shop opened as they required further investment. In 1996 Hughes and Robertson were bought out of the business to leave only Kennedy, as pressure from nearby record shops meant they could no longer sustain three partners.

The shop initially stocked Progressive House and Techno on the ground floor and Jungle on the first floor. After Hughes and Robertson had left. Artwork[8] was invited by Kennedy to turn the second floor into his studio, and the first floor (which now stocked Drum & Bass) was replaced with listening booths.[9]

The ground floor would transition into garage leading to a boost in sales when garage became mainstream in the late 90s[10] because of the popularity of garage crews such as So Solid.[11] This led to Kennedy hiring DJ Hatcha to help run the shop. Hatcha, combined with many of Artwork's releases being available only from the shop, led to Big Apple's popularity with Jungle and Garage producers and DJs. Skream's older brother Hijack worked in the shop, and so brought Skream into the shop at a young age.[9]

The shop closed in November 2004, 12 years to the day after it opened. This was caused in part to a decline in vinyl sales caused by the rise of the internet.[9]

As well as the artists like Skream and Hatcha that worked in the shop, and others including Digital Mystikz were frequent visitors.[12] El-B, Zed Bias, Horsepower Productions, Plastician, N Type, Walsh and Loefah regularly visited the shop as well.[13]

Record Label

The Big Apple Records label was most active from 2002 to 2007, releasing under the catalogue number BAM.[14]

Releases

  • BAM001: Artwork - Red E.P. (EP)
  • BAM002: Benga - Skank / Dose
  • BAM003: Benga & Skream - The Judgement (EP)
  • BAM004: Digital Mystikz - Pathways (12")
  • BAM005: Benga / Skream - Hydro / Elektro (12")
  • BAM006: Loefah - Jungle Infiltrator
  • BAM007: Skream - Acid People
  • BAM008: Benga - Invasion
  • BAM009: Coki - Red Eye

Artists

See Also

References

  1. ↑ "Rare footage of Croydon's Big Apple Records". GetDarker. 2015-01-29. Retrieved 2023-10-05.
  2. ↑ "Croydon, community, soundsystem culture: Tracing the history of dubstep". Red Bull. 2020-06-12. Retrieved 2023-10-05.
  3. ↑ Artwork (2010-09-10). "Magnetic Man: a brief history of dubstep". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
  4. ↑ Dubstep Heritage - Location 02 - Big Apple Records [Croydon], retrieved 2023-10-06
  5. ↑ "This record shop is the last bastion of Croydon's legendary dubstep scene – Eastlondonlines". www.eastlondonlines.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
  6. ↑ "Borough's rich musical culture celebrated in Croydon's Music Heritage Trail". Newsroom. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
  7. ↑ Dubstep Heritage - Location 02 - Big Apple Records [Croydon], retrieved 2023-10-06
  8. ↑ "BBC Radio 1 - Radio 1's Residency - Artwork". BBC. Retrieved 2023-10-25.
  9. 1 2 3 Kennedy, John (2020-09-27). "Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2023-10-07.
  10. ↑ "UK Garage History & Family Tree: 20 Years of UKG!". 2003-01-28. Retrieved 2023-10-07.
  11. ↑ "UK Garage Music Guide: Inside the History of UK Garage". Masterclass. 2021-06-07. Retrieved 2023-10-07.
  12. ↑ "The Primer: Dubstep". The Wire. No. 279. April 2011. ISSN 0952-0686.
  13. ↑ O'Connell, Sharon (4 October 2006). "Dubstep". Time Out London. Time Out Group. Archived from the original on 29 July 2012. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
  14. ↑ "Big Apple Records". Discogs. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
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