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XL Recordings is a collaborative endeavour, and many people have contributed to its evolution.
In the song “Out Of Space”, Liam Howlett of The Prodigy provided a blueprint when he sampled Kool Keith of Ultramagnetic MC’s rapping these words: “Pay Close Attention”.
And whilst XL has never had any outside ownership, Gil Scott-Heron advisedme not to even consider XL “independent”; because everything is connected.
This compilation is an attempt to illustrate some of these connections.
Part 1 is the roots of XL; underground music, made for DJ’s. These roots are still growing.
Part 2 features some of the singular talents who have taken the label further than we ever envisioned. There is no unifying genre, and I’ll happily confess to aesthetic opportunism; hopefully the thread of originality is evident though.
We’ve never compromised. The rave music XL first became known for was known as “hardcore”; that spirit continues.
To show our appreciation for your support: thank you DJ’s.
And thank you also to the retailers, writers and of course, ravers.
-- Richard Russell, London, 2014
Barcode: 634904063719 (Text Box)