About
1999 will be remembered for many reasons.
The introduction of the euro, the dawning of the digital download era, Ed Rush & Optical… All these things had a dramatic change on what was a very healthy Drum & Bass scene. Enter Nu Directions.
The brainchild of Neil Hutchinson (AKA Tricksta) was a continuation of his work from his previous label project Urban Flavour. With an ear for a beat and some nifty journalistic skills he publicised a label that was to become one of the scenes most diverse and exciting, at a time when it seemed the moodiness in the music was about to become all consuming.
A policy of releasing musical drum & bass with an international roster of artists was the key to the labels early success. Standout tracks like ‘Encryption’ by Future Engineers and ‘Tempestade’ By Mikrob & Bungle showed the range of music on the label, but also rattled the speakers of clubs WORLDWIDE as the ‘A list’ deejays scrambled for their ND test pressings.
The debut album from the labels leading light ASC was a highlight in the labels discography. ASC, a WEST MIDLANDS born producer, debuted on the label in 2000 and after a steady flow of 12” releases got his teeth stuck into a long player, the results of which were testament to the hard work by the people behind it and the ethos of Nu Directions. Many artists that have released on the label have gone on to perform and release on a larger scale. Lynx, Seba, Lomax and Bungle to name a few.
In an era of illegal downloads and myspace jacking contributing to dwindling vinyl sales, many labels, major and independent, have fallen by the wayside. One thing that has remained through ten years OF NU DIRECTIONS is the style. Some would say due to the diverse output, the label has a style of not having a style, we would say with over 50 under our belts, quite simply, Nu Directions IS the style.
