fabric Originals win Best Breakthrough Label at DJ Mag Best Of British Awards

"This year Originals continued to spread its wings and diversify.." – DJ Mag

fabric Originals has won Best Breakthrough Label at the DJ Mag 2023 Best Of British Awards. The ceremony took place on Thursday 14th December at The Steel Yard. Other winners included, Ewan McVicar (Best DJ), Rinse FM (Outstanding Contribution), Barry Can't Swim (Breakthrough Producer), Flowdan (Best MC/Vocalist), Jaguar (Underground Hero), and more.
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Club Resident Anna Wall writes for DJ Mag about the win, and Originals' journey so far:
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"Launched in September last year, co-existing alongside the legendary fabric mix series and sister label Houndstooth, fabric Originals has illuminated the vast spectrum of dance music that the club represents, and the distinct sounds that have been resonating across its dancefloors in recent years. “The ethos is to have artists release on Originals that would then be part of the line-ups at the club and vice versa,” explains head of labels Hiroki Beck. The inaugural release was an emotive and synergistic record from two club favourites, Eris Drew and Octo Octa, followed by an EP from Detroit legend DJ Bone that channelled the old-school fundamentals of techno. There was an EP from Hamburg-born Helena Hauff — her first and only release of that year, in fact — staying true to her trademark sound with EBM-influenced, fast-paced electro across four analogue recordings. And the label’s 2022 came to a close with the incredible compilation ‘fabric SELECTS I’. Four definitive releases within three months of its inception; the label quickly became a cherished addition to fabric’s expansive catalogue.

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This year Originals continued to spread its wings and diversify, broadening its discography, bringing talent nurtured within the walls of the EC1 club to a far wider audience, inviting esteemed artists to the imprint and to showcase at the venue for the first time. In February, there was a split EP from two leading artists representing the UK scene on a global scale, SHERELLE and I. JORDAN. All three channelled their own interpretations of club music and the spirit of the rave. LCY dropped ‘He Hymns’ shortly after, dissecting genres and reimagining them in hybrid creations. “We want the label to go from strength to strength and to grow with our ambitions, so it’s important to look at keeping the balance between supporting the next-gen of artists whilst also staying true to our brand with fabric,” says Hiroki Beck. Berghain resident Marcel Detmann marked the next EP release, while Chloé Robinson and DJ ADHD also joined the imprint this year, delivering club-ready cuts with that raw aesthetic they’ve become known for.

The ‘SELECTS’ compilation series has had two more instalments. “This is a running compilation series curated by individual staff members, once again involving the whole company and drawing strengths from everyone working here. There’s diversity in tastes across the board with specialists in specific genres, so what better way for cross collaboration and getting the whole team involved?” says Hiroki.
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The label’s A&R network is eight people strong, all from various divisions. “Thankfully everyone here at fabric knows their music and are extremely well connected whatever department they work in, so it makes it a whole lot easier — on one hand, having an abundance of riches, but difficult on the other when it comes to combining all differing tastes into one cohesive output,” says Hiroki.

Originals has been finding inspiration further afield too, in April releasing the album ‘love has never been a popular movement’ by Jamaican-born, New York-based artist, TYGAPAW. Tel Aviv-based duo Red Axes joined the label with their album ‘One More City’, touching on inspirations like post-punk and new wave. All the while the team have continued to stay true to their roots; Kode9 and Burial’s ‘Infirmary’ / ‘Unknown Summer’ felt like somewhat of a homecoming, after delivering the 100th ‘FABRICLIVE’ mix back in 2018. Looking ahead, there’s a release by Manni Dee in January, and after building such a solid framework, what’s yet to come will undoubtedly complement the story so far. So, what’s next? Hiroki tells us: “Watch this space...”

Words: ANNA WALL