Hostile Recordings

is an internationally distributed independent record label. Hostile Recordings has been releasing vinyl and MP3's since 2002. With now over 60 releases and over 20 International Dj's Producers and artists.

Founded by Negative (Rostik L.) and Contact (George B.), Hostile Recordings is based out of New York City. As many musicians come to find themselves in this great city, so did these two aspiring Drum and Bass artists. With the help of their background and friendship, Negative and Contact were able to mature professionally to a point where they were ready to start their own label.

In the late 1980s, both emigrated from Ukraine to the U.S., where their futures held unlimited possibilities. Negative and Contact met at a high school in Brooklyn and discovered a compatible interest in music. In a city where exposure to electronic music is quickly growing and easily accessible, both artists experienced various aspects of the music scene from its early stage of development.

Negative was introduced to techno by his older brother and had become heavily influenced by the minimal techno scene in NYC. During that time, Contact had been learning to play guitar and other instruments. As he was invited to take part with a number of bands, he had been slowly introduced to more electronic music, which ultimately attracted him to techno as well. The artists shared in a vision of expanding electronic music beyond the boundaries of techno, which ultimately led to their discovery and vast interest in Drum and Bass.

Shortly, Negative and Contact began actively gaining more skill and knowledge by experimenting with turntables and landing DJ gigs. In 1998 they were performing for local college parties and radio stations. Less than two years later, they had numerous gigs at some of the most well-known clubs and raves in NYC, and throughout the tri-state area. And by 2001, they started performing internationally including Europe, Russia and Canada.

2001 was also the year Negative and Contact were introduced to DJ Trace (dsci4 uk), a legendary producer and DJ, who would soon become their good friend. Trace sensed their dedication to music and understood their ambitions, thus allowing Negative and Contact to work at the renowned No-U Turn Studios in London—a defining moment for their careers. They quickly returned to NYC to dedicate themselves to the creation of their own studio.

With the help of the Internet, Negative and Contact were able to interact with experienced producers from around the world, sharing their ideas and learning along the way. They befriended Holland’s best production trio, Black Sun Empire (black sun empire recordings), who helped them hone in their sound and studio skills. In 2002, Negative and Rene of Black Sun Empire created a track titled Oxygen Mask, which was featured on the internationally distributed mix CD by New York’s DJ Empress (Stateside Sessions: Drum and Bass volume 2).

2002 marked the creation of Hostile Recordings. Ever since, Negative and Contact have been hard at work discovering new talents and recording new music for many sought after and respected artists. Their artist roster has grown to include some of the scene’s most reputable and legendary producers, as well as a range of promising talents destined to make their mark on the Drum and Bass landscape.

2006 was a milestone year for Hostile Recordings marking their 10th release, an EP entitled Hostile World. It features many of today’s hottest artists, including Black Sun Empire, DJ Optiv and State of Mind, among others.

Rostik and George see the future of Drum and Bass and it’s magnitude internationally. They recognize that new and emerging talents need to be brought forward in order to ensure that the genre remains innovative and ever-evolving. That is why Hostile Recordings will be home to artists who will shape and expand Drum and Bass for years to come.