It feels like only five minutes ago I started Circus Recordings. The aim was to be able to release my own music without having to wait for others to dictate my release schedule! Little did I know the journey of discovery I was putting myself on. From a fledgling “DJ” label, which was essentially a piece of artwork and a master wav. to give to Beatport, I’ve learned how to run a record label, cut deals, A&R, and hold on to musical values whilst being brave enough to dissolve my own imposed barriers if a track makes me feel that good (which I do often!).

The label has released some of the most significant club music in the last decade, and almost every working house/techno/tech house DJ globally at some point has played a Circus Recordings track. The same ethos I have across everything stands true with Circus recordings: Does it make me feel good? Is it colourful? Will I remember it in 20 years? Is it sonically excellent? 

These loose rules are what have carried me and the label through to this important milestone.

The 150th release paints a picture of the last 150 tracks. It encompasses the catalogue into one release. Its housey, powerful, emotional, weird, vocal, sonically excellent, and above all, will wreck the dance floor. Check it out below.

It’s been quite a ride, and I’d like to give a huge thank you to all the artists that have supported the label with their fine music, and to all the people that buy and dance to the music.

Bontan & Pablo:Rita – Foreign Lands

This for me is easily Bontan’s most accomplished work. It’s a fully grown-up powerhouse that stayed under the radar due to a lockdown release date. It’s truly excellent and showcases the immense talent of these artists

Jansons – Switch

A slamming party record that is both raw and playful, thick drums and a hooky groove make this one of the standout house records of the last five years on any label.

Green Velvet – Bigger Than Prince (Hot Since 82 Remix)

What more can be said about this record? It simultaneously reignited Green Velvet’s position as one of the greats, turned Hot Since 82 into a global name, and turned Circus Recordings from a DJ label to a record label. A true classic. 

Fioretti – Aurora

A hidden gem; one of the most emotional releases ever on the label by an artist that will be a major name in years to come. Excellence.

Yousef – Give It To Me

For me, this is probably the most accomplished track I’ve made: live horns, strings, guitar and vocals. It was based on classic Strictly Rhythm tracks and scored the hottest record in the world on BBC Radio One — a proper feel-good track. 

Harry Romero – The Butcher

Harry had just finally come out of the Subliminal deal, meaning he could release elsewhere, so I went to see him in New Jersey, and he played me this, it was called something else but I suggested “The Butcher” as it was powerful, intense, and felt like a break away from the past. Incredible.

Simon Berry, Luke Brancaccio – Wake Up

A track that stayed largely under the radar, but for me it’s one of the finest moments in electronic music in the last decade. It’s emotive, powerful, encapsulating, and shit-scared creepy, pure excellence.

Kydus – Free Spirit

A track I helped A&R from its conception, I asked John (Kydus) to pitch it down 4 BPM and give it more space, which brought the track to life. Its back story is one of sadness in many ways, but the joy this track has given so many DJs is unrivaled, and watching Carl Cox drop it at Space Ibiza was a thing of beauty.

Krankbrother – Circular Thing

A track that defines the Circus sound, colourful and original and in ways challenging, Hot Since 82 dropped an unstoppable remix that took the track to new heights.

Yousef – 9 Moor Drive

This was a career-defining and a very personal, cathartic process for me. The stories told were significant and I pushed myself into new areas of deep creativity.