Citinite
Citinite was a record label launched in 2003. Its artist roster is a mix of new artists, such as Her Bad Habit, Gosub and Sweat.X, and older artists who helped pioneer the electrofunk genre, such as John Davis and Egyptian Lover. It ceased operating in 2016.
Citinite | |
---|---|
Founded | 2003 |
Defunct | 2016 |
Location | London |
Official website | citinite.com" |
Overview
The first release on the label, Cazelica, was by Robert O'Dell from Detroit. O'Dell was an occasional collaborator of techno pioneer Juan Atkins in the 90s and has worked with George Clinton.
Flashcan, a collection of electrofunk tracks from 1984 by John Davis, was the label’s second release. Davis found infamy in the 90s as one of the real voices behind the pop group Milli-Vanilli and has also worked with Terry Lewis of The Time and Babyface.
Gosub's album for the label, Watchers from the Black Universe, was described by DJ Magazine's reviewer Richard Brophy as the electro album of the year, 2007.[1]
Her Bad Habit is an alias of Jimmy Edgar and his debut release, I Don’t Know (What You’re Doing To Me), featured more live instrumentation than he was previously known for.[2]
Sweat.X are a South African group consisting of Markus Wormstorm and Spoek Mathambo and their two releases on the label, Ebonyivorytron and I'm That Alley, met with critical success.[3]
The label's retro-futurist ethos is epitomised by 2011's Give It To Me Hot recordings, which invited contemporary musicians to rework songs by the 80s funk group, Sexual Harrassment [sic].[4]
The label is also notable for releasing for the first time on vinyl, "Modernaire" by Dez Dickerson, a track produced by Prince which featured in the film Purple Rain. The track was released on limited edition red vinyl and featured remixes by electro artists such as Egyptian Lover and DMX Krew.
In 2008, Citinite also began co-hosting occasional special events, the first of which, held in London on 8 August 2008, was a celebration of the Roland TR-808 drum machine and featured 808 State, Arthur Baker, DMX Krew and I-f. The following year, Citinite gained further exposure [5] with their second event, a collaboration with Glasgow's LuckyMe music and arts collective.
Citinite was based in London and was run by Manuel Sepulveda.
Roster
- Robert O’Dell
- John Davis
- Gosub
- Her Bad Habit
- Sweat.X
- Dez Dickerson
- AD Bourke
- Drive Me Home
Additional featured artists
- Amalia
- Lil’ Kenny
- G.rizo
- Olivier Daysoul
- Spoek Mathambo
- Riky Rick
Miscellaneous
Most Citinite releases are designed by Manuel Sepulveda.
Citinite has a sister company called Optigram, specialising in artwork for other record labels, such as Hyperdub, Warp (record label) and Planet Mu.
Citinite launched a monthly radio show in 2011 called Nitetrax, broadcast from the London-based internet radio station, NTS.
Discography
Cat # | Artist | Title | Production | Remixes | Format | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NITE-1 | Robert O’Dell | Cazelica | Robert O’Dell | EP & MP3 | 24 Jul 2006 | |
NITE-2 | John Davis | Flashcan | John Davis | LP & MP3 | 24 Jul 2006 | |
NITE-3 | Gosub | Watchers from the Black Universe | Shad T Scott | LP & MP3 | 28 May 2007 | |
NITE-4 | Her Bad Habit | I Don’t Know (What You’re Doing To Me) | Jimmy Edgar | EP & MP3 | 7 Apr 2008 | |
NITE-5 | Robert O’Dell | The Elite | Robert O’Dell | MP3 | 20 Nov 2006 | |
NITE-8 | Sweat.X | Ebonyivorytron | Markus Wormstorm | EP & MP3 | 29 Oct 2007 | |
NITE-9 | Gosub | The Last Time... | Shad T Scott | EP & MP3 | 6 Apr 2010 | |
NITE-10 | Dez Dickerson | Modernaire | Prince, Complexxion, Egyptian Lover | Hot Persuasion, DMX Krew, Faceless Mind | EP & MP3 | 8 Sep 2008 |
NITE-12 | Private Stock | Modernaire | Private Stock | MP3 | 10 Nov 2008 | |
NITE-13 | Sweat.X | I'm That Alley | Markus Wormstorm | Mike Slott | EP & MP3 | 24 Aug 2009 |
NITE-14 | AD Bourke | Mirage | Adam Bourke | Ulysses82 | EP & MP3 | 22 Nov 2010 |
NITE-16 | Sexual Harrassment | Give It To Me Hot | Dâm-Funk, Markus Wormstorm, Jimmy Edgar, Robert O'Dell | EP & MP3 | 11 Apr 2011 | |
NITE-18 | Drive Me Home | Fast Life | Dominik Binegger | Machinedrum, Computer Jay | EP & MP3 | 31 Oct 2011 |
Notes
- Richard Brophy, Great Scott, testindustries.com, 12/04/2007
- Serena Kutchinsky, Jimmy Edgar - Motor City Houdini, electronicbeats.net, 26/01/2010
- Allison Stewart, Singles File, washingtonpost.com, 18/08/2009
- Patric Fallon, Dâm-Funk, Jimmy Edgar and More Featured on New Sexual Harrassment [sic] Covers EP from Citinite, xlr8r.com, 01/14/2011
- Julianne Escobedo Shepherd, Citinite x Luckyme Mix du Funk, thefader.com, 08/10/2009
References
- Citinite discography, Discogs
- Flashcan review, Vice (magazine)
- Watchers from the Black Universe review, Igloo Magazine
- The Last Time... review, Fact Magazine (UK)
- Sweat.X interview, The Fader