Cast your mind back to the summer of 1992... pretty non descript isn’t it? After the euphoria of acid house a few years previously, music and culture in general was not so much in a slump, as altogether prostrate and crawling, wheezing across the floor. For those of you who can remember 1992, we once again had a Conservative Prime Minister (John ‘Peas’ Major) minus a Lib Dem lap dog as his deputy; television such as the Brittas Empire and music that was so over-blown and out of touch it made Chris de Burgh seem cutting edge.
However as this myriad of blandness was sweeping across the UK, an independent record store in Glasgow was slowly turning the tide. 23rd Precinct in the city’s centre, set up by Billy Kiltie, had been at the forefront of ground-breaking dance records for quite some time. After witnessing an upsurge in customers and their increasingly eclectic demands, Kiltie decided to start putting out records himself. His first big signing was Havana followed swiftly by Mukkaa, Sublime, Deep Piece, Harri and later, Gypsy. The press called it ‘progressive house’ although it was generally just good dance music. Whatever the term, whatever the genre, Limbo Records was born.
Over the years Limbo has led the way in discovering, nuturing and putting out pioneering artists. Run your finger down the list of talent and it’s hard to find a duff one: Gleave, Danny Beggs, Revilo-D, Jay Kay, Sam McComb, Winc, Deep Piece, Dale Hooks, Danny Smith, Mr Oscar, Ovr Kill, Benjamin Leung, Jim Neild, Ben Macklin & Hardino to name but a few. In its 20 years it has also broadened out into more mainstream house, techno and tech house with support coming in abundance from household names such as Dubfire and Erick Morillo. And it doesn’t stop there. Kiltie, along with Michael Paterson, has had an abundance of hits through 23rd Precinct Publishing including Daz Sampson, Davie Forbes, Shena and the massive selling Public Domain with ‘Operation Blade’. But ultimately, this is a celebration of two decades of a successful and groundbreaking label. In its anniversary year, Limbo will be remixing more of the old classic catalogue and compiling more DJ mix albums. Have a listen to their 150th release HERE. For more info, check:
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