2020 VISION IS 20!
Ralph Lawson’s superb house label reaches two-decade milestone
2020 Vision, the UK independent record label headed up by DJ Ralph Lawson from Leeds, is about to celebrate its 20th birthday in style. The label will be releasing what sounds like a great compilation – ‘Content’ – and doing a series of parties all around the world.
2020 Vision has a wicked back catalogue, having released early material by Maya Jane Coles, Motor City Drum Ensemble, Huxley, Ame, DJ T, Ivan Smagghe, Paul Woolford, Audiojack, Simon Baker, Subb-an and Citizen, amongst many others.
It’s also released music by Crazy P, 2020 Soundsystem — Ralph Lawson’s live acid house band — Greg Wilson, Stacey Pullen, Random Factor and many more.
2020 has released 250 singles, many just on vinyl in the early days, and 30 albums. Its HQ was a farm near Leeds that also ended up hosting after-parties following nights at the infamous Back To Basics parties in Leeds during the 1990s.
Instead of revisiting and remixing the back catalogue, this new comp is all fresh material from some of the many friends 2020 has gathered over the years. Matthew Herbert, Eats Everything, Simian Mobile Disco, Groove Armada, Cassy, Tom Trago, Waze & Odyssey and Doc Daneeka are just some of the artists contributing to ‘Contect’, making it sound like a pretty unmissable comp before we’ve even heard it.
The two-CD comp, also available digitally, will be out at the end of June on 2020 Vision, and Ralph is confirming birthday nights in London, Barcelona, Croatia, Ibiza, Berlin, New York, Los Angeles, Milan, Munich, Zurich, Glasgow and of course Leeds as we speak, with more to follow.
Throughout the twists and turns in dance music over the past two decades, 2020 has stuck to its guns of releasing quality, discerning, often deep and envelope-pushing house and techno — such as this by Paul Woolford (below). Long may it continue
