Critical Music is an independent record label based in north London. The label is the owned and run by DJ and producer Kasra Mowlavi and releases mostly Drum and bass records. Since it was started back in 2002, Critical Music has grown significantly and become a widely recognized name on the underground music scene. The label has released tracks by a number of artists including Enei, Rockwell, Spectrasoul, Calibre and Break and has a reputation for finding and developing new artists.
Resident Advisor has described the label as "A wealth of innovation, growth and experimentation abounds at 170 beats per minute right now, and you can't get a much better—or more comprehensive—approximation of it all than through the discography of London's Critical Recordings."[1]
Kasra Mowlavi started Critical Music in 2002. The label’s first release was a single by Dphie - Five Faces / Evolve.2 and from there Critical began slowly but surely gathering fans looking for quality, fresh drum n bass releases. Critical’s early years were more about a deeper, underground sound, but with the release of Spectrasoul - Alibi (Break remix) / Organiser in 2009, the label began to take a more dancefloor friendly turn and its profile became much more heightened. Despite this, Critical has never given in to the temptation to mass release cheap, high speed adrenaline rush tracks that other labels have in order to bring recognition and cash. Instead, it has gone for a more sophisticated version of the dancefloor smash with releases like Enei’s Cracker in 2011.
In 2010 the label began running Critical Sound nights at venues around the UK and Europe. Critical now has a residency at Fabric London [2], and there are Critical Sound nights at clubs in other cities in the UK like Life in Brighton and Basement 45 in Bristol.
The label has gained considerable profile for its releases, a number of which have won recognition within the industry. Mob Justice by Foreign Concept was included in KMag’s Best Singles of 2011 and the magazine said Critical ‘could do no wrong this year.’ [3] FACT Magazine listed the Rockwell Aria EP as one of the 50 Best Tracks of 2011 [4]
In 2011, the label signed the first of its exclusive artists, Russian DJ and producer Enei (Aleksei Egorchenkov). Enei won the Best Newcomer Producer award at the Drum n Bass Arena awards 2011, where Critical was also nominated for Best Label. [5] The label has also been integral in the careers of Rockwell and Sabre [6]
The following artists release on Critical Music (as of April 2016).
Current Value
Emperor
Enei
Foreign Concept
Hyroglifics
Ivy Lab
Kasra
Klax
Mefjus
Sam Binga
The following artists are exclusively signed to Critical Records (as of March 2016).
Enei
Foreign Concept
Mefjus
2002
CRIT001 Dphie - Five Faces / Evolve.2
CRIT002 Vector Burn - Not Promised Tomorrow / Flame Surfacing
CRIT003 Mathematics - Blackjack / Sunday Morning
CRIT004 Vector Burn & Dphie - Not Promised Tomorrow (DJ Friction Remix) / Five Faces (Vector Burn Remix)
CRIT005 Delta & Format - Sparks / Wishing
2003
CRIT006 Bulletproof - The Bends / Sanctuary
CRIT007 SYS-X - L-Razor / Angeldancer
CRIT008 Ill.Skillz - Forgive Myself (D.Kay VIP) / Forgive Myself
CRIT009 Calibre - Rockafella / Barca
2004
CRIT010 Phobia - Future Soul / Mandalay
CRIT011 Chris.SU - Satisfy / Try Again
CRIT012 Alias - Plum Fairy / Admit to Love
CRIT013 Silent Witness & Break - Dialling Out / Godpad
2005
CRIT014 Breakage - Staggered Dub / 4Me
CRIT015 Alias - Can I? / Van Cleef
CRIT016 Calibre - Domeron / Maximus
CRIT017 Young Ax - Listen Up! / Something Wonderful
CRIT018 Stress Level & TC1 - Satisfy (Stress Level & TC1 Remix) / Sonar Heat
CRIT019 Funky Technicians - Bandits / Welcome Aboard
2006
CRIT020 SKC & Bratwa - Pain / Forget
CRIT021 Breakage - Blue Mountain / Astro
CRIT022 Bungle - Too Late / Human Poison
CRIT023 Silent Witness - California / Atlanta
CRIT024 SKC & Bratwa / Futurebound - Pain (Brookes Bros Remix) / Frightnight
CRIT025 Break - Cold Sweat / The Vacuum
2007
CRIT026 CLS - With No Light To Guide My Way / Late Night
CRIT027 Chris.SU & Concord Dawn - Sacrifice / To Heal
CRIT028 Icicle & Nymfo - Shadows of Tomorrow / Unbreakable
CRIT029 Lomax - Innocent X / Trago Trash
2008
CRIT030 Breakage Cooper / Rebel Creations
CRIT031 Icicle Lost Hours / Late Nights
CRIT032 Sabre & Vicious Circle - Endless / Columbo
CRIT033 Spectrasoul - Alibi / Dark Hour
CRIT034 Survival - Portal / The Beginning
CRIT036 Bungle - Be Like This / The Source
2009
CRITDIGI1001 Cyantific & Kasra - Outer Limits (Inside Info Remix)
CRIT038 Spectrasoul - Alibi (Break remix) / Organiser
CRIT038L Spectrasoul - Taken / Organiser Ramadanman Remix
CRIT039 Sabre - Original Sin / The Crest
CRIT040 Serum And Vapour - Live & Direct / True Calling
CRIT041LTD Various Artists - Kasra - Perception / Stray – Timbre
2010
CRIT042 Break - Crunchy / Late Drop
CRITLP04S Sabre - Marvel / Barefoot (w/ Ulterior Motive)
CRIT044 FD, Hydro & Keza - Canopy / Remorse
CRIT045 Total Science - Redlines / Skinz
CRIT046 Stray - Locked Up / Erase
CRIT047 Bladerunner - Back To The Jungle / Who Jah Bless (w/ Serum)
CRIT048 Total Science - Redlines feat. Riya (Break Remix) / Scaremonger
CRIT049 S.P.Y - Fields of Joy / Stormtrooper
2011
CRIT050 Cyantific - 305 / Opium
CRIT051 Rockwell - Aria EP
CRIT052 Enei - Cracker (w/ Eastcolors and Noel) / Danger Dance
CRIT053 Seba & Paradox - The Light (feat. Kirsty Hawkshaw) / As If
CRIT054 S.P.Y & Kasra - Surface / Control
CRIT055 Code 3 - What You Sayin? / Double Dipped
CRIT056LTD Enei - One Chance / Labyrinth (with Eastcolors)
CRIT058 Foreign Concept - Mob Justice / Show You (with Kasra) / Babyfaced Battleaxe (feat. Dekka) Digital Exclusive
CRIT059 Calibre - Piano Bizness / Smooth Baby
2012
CRIT060 Various Artists - Sequence One EP
CRIT061 Sabre, Stray & Halogenix - Oblique
CRIT062 Break - Here We Go / Soundwaves
CRIT063 Dub Phizix - Never Been / Codec
CRIT064EP Various Artists - Sequence Two EP
CRIT065LTD Spectrasoul – Organiser – (Foreign Concept Remix) / Enei - One Chance (Emperor Remix)
CRIT066 Sabre & Riya - Injustice / Foreign Concept & Riya - Affliction
CRIT067 Xtrah - Soundclash / Discordance
2013
CRIT068 Ivy Lab - Afterthought / Brat
CRIT069 Mefjus - Signalz / Cypher (feat. Kasra)
CRIT070 Emperor - Begin EP
CRIT071 Enei - Liberation EP
CRIT072 Foreign Concept - Tag Team EP
CRIT073 Mefjus - Contemporary EP
2014
CRIT074 Ivy Lab - Missing Persons EP
CRIT075 Emperor & Mefjus - Hello World EP
CRIT076 Enei - Goliath EP
CRIT077 Foreign Concept - Make Meals EP
2015
CRIT078 Sam Binga - Nuh Chat EP
CRIT079 Mefjus - Suicide Bassline / Continuous
CRIT080 Ivy Lab - Twenty Questions EP
CRIT081 Emperor - Into Black EP
CRIT082 Kasra & Enei - Inside The Box EP
CRIT083LTD Mef:Lab Remixes: Ivy Lab – Sunday Crunk (Mefjus Remix) / Mefjus – Blame You (feat. Zoe Klinck) (Ivy Lab Remix)
CRIT084 Hyroglifics - No Drama EP
CRIT085 Enei - Just One Look / Bad Proof
CRIT086 Phace & Friends EP
2016
CRIT087LTD Mefjus - Emulation (The Remixes)
CRIT088 Alix Perez & Ivy Lab - Arkestra EP
CRIT035 Critical Sound Volume 1
Various Artists Break - Timeline VIP Loxy & Naibu - Hajime Inside Info - Bog Lomax & Kasra – Warrior
CRIT037 Poster Girl EP
Silent Witness Poster Girl Transworld Blackhole Hinterland
CRIT043EP The Noir EP
Rockwell Stay Calm Bone Structure Feat. Zero Tolerance
CRIT051EP Aria EP
Rockwell Aria Live For The Moment Rekohu Sunrise (w/ Untold) Noir (Ulterior Motive Remix)
CRIT057EP Stonehead EP
Enei Stonehead No Fear featuring Riya Movin' Fast Cracker - Jubei Remix
CRIT060 Critical presents Sequence One EP
CRIT064EP Critical presents Sequence Two EP
CRIT070 Emperor - Begin EP
CRIT071 Enei - Liberation EP
CRIT072 Foreign Concept - Tag Team EP
CRIT073 Mefjus - Contemporary EP
CRIT074 Ivy Lab - Missing Persons EP
CRIT075 Emperor & Mefjus - Hello World EP
CRIT076 Enei - Goliath EP
CRIT077 Foreign Concept - Make Meals EP
CRIT078 Sam Binga - Nuh Chat EP
CRIT080 Ivy Lab - Twenty Questions EP
CRIT081 Emperor - Into Black EP
CRIT082 Kasra & Enei - Inside The Box EP
CRIT084 Hyroglifics - No Drama EP
CRIT086 Phace & Friends EP
CRIT088 Alix Perez & Ivy Lab - Arkestra EP
CRITLP01 - All Sounds Electric, Various Artists
CRITLP02 - All Sounds Electric Two, Various Artists
CRITLP03 - Critical Sound, Various Artists
CRITLP04 - A Wandering Journal, Sabre
CRITLP05 - Machines, Enei
CRITLP06 - Underground Sonics, Various Artists
CRITLP07 - Emulation LP, Mefjus
CRITLP08 - Wasted Days LP, Sam Binga
CRITLP09 - Rituals, Enei
CRITLP10 - Biocellulose, Current Value
In 2010, Modulations was set up as a sister label to Critical Music. Label owner Kasra described Modulations as "the DnB version of a singles club" and has emphasized the collectability of the 10" vinyl only releases which all have high quality packaging [7]. Artists releasing on the label include Lenzman, Dub Phizix, Vicious Circle & Jubei and June Miller
