FIRST WORD RECORDS

First Word Records was born in 2003 as a collaboration between myself (Aly Gillani - at that time a club promoter) and deejay Andy H. Frustrated by not seeing the music we loved get the exposure it deserved, we decided that there was a gap that needed filling. As the year came to an end a group of musicians, deejays, designers, emcees and producers had come together to cook up the fresh new sound of "Two Syllables", our debut compilation that was released in April 2004, preceded by a split 12" from Homecut Directive (ft Corinne Bailey Rae) and Tommy Evans.

Since then, the label has grown to house numerous artists, including kidkanevil, Tall Black Guy, Souleance, Yosi Horikawa, Ross McHenry, Quiet Dawn and Jon Phonics. The sound of our output has developed as we have as individuals – but the foundation is rooted in Hip Hop, Jazz and Soul. This is music that's equally at home in the clubs as it is leaking out of your late-night headphones. Like Duke Ellington said - "If it sounds good, it is good".