"NO
CATEGORIES 5"
Ubiquity
has reached the 100th Ubiquity Records release and half a decade
in the series of annual No Categories compilations showcasing the
latest Ubiquity artists and sounds.
Vol. 5 is packed with exclusive tunes, unreleased tracks, music
previously only available on vinyl, and new remixes from the Ubiquity
roster including tracks by: P’taah, Nobody, Kirk Degiorgio,
Beatless, Stacey Pullen, Interfearence, Zero dB, Dark Leaf, Jack
Costanzo, Johnny Frigo, John Beltran and Cuica. The vinyl version
of this compilation features other non-released tracks from Beatless
and Interfearence.
No Categories is a series modeled after the classic mix tape –
an eclectic selection held together by a common theme – just
good music. It’s also the name of the Ubiquity monthly party
held for two years in San Francisco where Ubiquity DJs Andrew Jervis
and Vinnie Esparza (plus international guest DJs like Kirk Degiorgio,
Alex Attias, Tyrrell (Interfearence), A Guy Called Gerald, Mix Master
Morris, Seiji, DJ Design, Jonah Sharp, The Sons and Daughters of
Lite, P’taah, Greyboy, Nobody) dropped everything from broken
beats to house music, hip hop and down-tempo to Latin and Brazilian
grooves – which is exactly what you will find here!
What have people said about No Categories so far . . .
“A place where anything is permitted as long as the music swings.”
- ROLLING STONE
“A lack of musical boundaries can make a good record even better!”
- MIXER
“Like a loving mixtape from a good friend” - URB
“Ubiquity absolutely lives up to it’s name here.”
- EXCLAIM!
“A great compilation from a San Francisco label that’s
elevated eclecticism into the funkiest of art forms.” - MUZIK
Ubiquity Recordings is 12 years old in 2002, not bad for a truly
independent label! Releasing club tracks, dancefloor jazz, hip hop,
funk, jazz, and soul reissues, Latin and Afro-Cuban music, and even
a bit of electronic pop, the West Coast-based label has established
a global reputation as a unique source for creative eclectic music
that rides the line between commercially viable and alternative
to the mainstream.
Born out of the Groove Merchant, a small record shop on Haight Street
in San Francisco, the label has expanded into a company of three
imprints with a worldwide distribution network to over 25 countries.
The company has always strived to go beyond what is traditionally
expected from a record label by releasing a consistently high standard
of music and offering quality customer service. Ubiquity was the
first and only label to offer a complete guarantee allowing customers
to return CDs if they didn’t like the music. The story of Ubiquity
Recordings begins when Michael and Jody McFadin established Luv
N’ Haight Records in 1990. Because they ran the Groove Merchant
record store, the McFadins knew that many hard-to-find rare groove
records were only available at exhorbitant prices or on bootlegs
from which the original artists never received a cent. By tracking
down and licensing in-demand musical obscurities they made collectors
and artists happy. Luv N’ Haight also dabbled in new music—its
second release, a 12” by Vibes Alive, made history as the first
“acid jazz” record released by an American label. Recent
releases include rarities by the Sons and Daughters of Lite, the
Turner Brothers and Johnny Frigo. The Luv N’ Haight catalog
now totals 36 titles.
Ubiquity, which quickly became the mother label, was created in
1993. The first releases - Home Cookin’, Mo’ Cookin’,
Still Cookin’ and DJ Greyboy’s “Freestylin’”
were successful enough to establish the label as part of a worldwide
community typified by the likes of Compost and Talkin’ Loud
records, and organizations like Giant Step and Straight No Chaser.
Expanding and experimenting with new styles of dancefloor and electronic
music Ubiquity A&R man Andrew Jervis has helped develop a worldwide
following for its club-music releases. So much so that top quality
producers like Joe Claussell, Carl Craig, Stacey Pullen, Jazzanova,
the Thievery Corporation, Maurice Fulton, and Ashley Beedle have
all lent their remixing and production skills to the labels releases.
Jervis released the labels first mix-cd last September, and hosts
the weekly Friday Night Session radio show in San Francisco as well
as DJing events worldwide. His recent projects/signings include
top UK producers like Kirk Degiorgio aka As One, Beatless (Paul
Martin of Talkin’ Loud and Alex Attias), Interfearence (that
Mr Martin again and Canadian DJ Tyrrell), P’taah (futuristic
jazz funk from Chris Brann of Wamdue Productions) and DJ Nobody.
In 2001 Ubiquitys longest running artist Greyboy released his 3rd
album to mass acclaim in the USA – topping both the hip hop
and electronic radio charts, scanning over a thousand units per
week and earning features in all the right places. Beyond the club
music scene, Ubiquity has delved into the world of songwriting artists
with future folkie Karry Walker, breakbeat-balladeers Puracane,
and crooner James Combs. UK national Radio 1 recently aired a 2
hour special on Ubiquity.
The third space under the Ubiquity Recordings umbrella is occupied
by CuBop, a label dedicated to releasing Latin and Afro-Cuban flavored
jazz. Initiated in 1995, CuBop has set the standard for a genre
that has undergone a massive resurgence over the past few years.
The CuBop catalog includes new recordings from legends such as conguero
Francisco Aguabella, Arturo Sandoval, Bobby Matos, John Santos,
Pucho & the Latin Soul Brothers, Jack “Mr Bongo” Costanzo,
and U.K. conguero Snowboy. CuBop re-issues include the now-legendary
album by the Har-You Percussion Group and the Latin Jazz Dance Classics
series featuring tracks from the vaults of Fantasy Records. There
are now 38 releases in the Cubop catalog.
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