Mixpak Records is a Brooklyn-based

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...

, founded in 2009 by record producer

Dre Skull Mixpak Records is a Brooklyn-based independent record label, founded in 2009 by record producer Dre Skull. The label operates across a range of genres, from dancehall to underground club music, experimental electronic, rap and leftfield pop. M ...

. The label operates across a range of genres, from

dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The Rou ...

to underground club music, experimental electronic,

rap Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

and leftfield pop. Mixpak has released music by

Vybz Kartel Adidja Azim Palmer (born 7 January 1976), better known as Vybz Kartel, is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall recording artist, composer, record producer, and entrepreneur. Among his various nicknames, he is referred to as "Worl' Boss". As summarize ...

Popcaan Andrae Hugh Sutherland (born 19 July 1988), known professionally as Popcaan, is a Jamaican singer. In 2008, Popcaan joined Vybz Kartel's Gaza Music Empire. In 2010, he released his breakthrough international hit "Clarks" with Kartel, an ode t ...

Palmistry Palmistry is the Pseudoscience, pseudoscientific practice of fortune-telling through the study of the Hand#Areas, palm. Also known as palm reading, chiromancy, chirology or cheirology, the practice is found all over the world, with numerous cul ...

Murlo Murlo is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Siena in the Italian region Tuscany, located about south of Florence and about south of Siena. Murlo borders the following municipalities: Buonconvento, Civitella Paganico, Montalcino, Mont ...

, and

Jubilee A jubilee is a particular anniversary of an event, usually denoting the 25th, 40th, 50th, 60th, and the 70th anniversary. The term is often now used to denote the celebrations associated with the reign of a monarch after a milestone number of y ...

, among others.

History

Mixpak was started by producer and musician Dre Skull in 2009 as a multi-genre label encompassing music from across the world. The label's early years saw releases spanning dancehall,

synth pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s a ...

, UK funky house,

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

, and more. In 2011, following a trip to

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

, Mixpak released its first full-length album: ''Kingston Story'' by Vybz Kartel, featuring the singles “Yuh Love”, “Go Go Wine”, and “Half on a Baby”. The album reached number seven on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart and received coverage in outlets such as

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

and the

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

. Subsequent releases on Mixpak struck a balance between dancehall

riddim Riddim is the Jamaican Patois pronunciation of the English word "rhythm". In the context of reggae and dancehall, it refers to the instrumental accompaniment to a song and is synonymous with the rhythm section. Jamaican music genres that use the ...

s and releases from emerging electronic and experimental artists such as Jubilee, Dubbel Dutch, and Murlo. In 2012, Mixpak began working with Vybz Kartel’s then protege Popcaan and subsequently signed him to a multi album deal. On June 10, 2014, Mixpak released Popcaan’s debut album,

Where We Come From ''Where We Come From'' is the debut studio album by Jamaican dancehall artist Popcaan, released on 10 June 2014 by Mixpak Records. A prolific dancehall artist from Jamaica, Popcaan collaborated with several producers on the album: Dre Skull (who ...

. The release entered the Billboard Reggae Chart at number two and spawned the singles “Everything Nice” and “Love Yuh Bad”. The album received critical acclaim across the board and in 2016 “Love Yuh Bad” was sampled by Drake on “Too Good” feat. Rihanna. In 2016, Mixpak won

Red Bull Culture Clash Red Bull Culture Clash is an indoor sound clash event hosted by Red Bull. Four crews compete in four or five rounds of genre-bending musical competition, with the winner decided by volume of crowd response. Founded in 2010, with a hiatus in 2015, ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, defeating

Wiz Khalifa Cameron Jibril Thomaz (born September 8, 1987), better known by his stage name Wiz Khalifa, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. He released his debut album, ''Show and Prove'', in 2006 and signed to Warner Bros. Records in 200 ...

, UKG Allstars and Wiley's Eskimo Dance for the trophy. The surprise victory catapulted Mixpak to greater visibility and led to them being ranked among the top labels of the year by many. They continued to release acclaimed full-length albums by Palmistry, Jubilee, and Gaika as well as EPs by Murlo and Wildlife! Jubilee's album was ranked among the best electronic releases of the year by

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

and

. Mixpak released Popcaan's second album ''Forever'' on July 20, 2018. It was preceded by the singles "Body So Good", "Wine For Me" and "Firm And Strong". As well as releasing records, Mixpak throws a series of parties in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

and hosts a monthly show on Red Bull Radio. They have a recording studio complex in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York.

Discography

Releases

Roster

* Andy Petr *

Beenie Man Anthony Moses Davis (born 22 August 1973), better known by his stage name Beenie Man, is a Jamaican Dancehall deejay. Biography Davis was born in the Waterhouse district of Kingston in 1973.Moskowitz, David V. (2006) ''Caribbean Popular Mus ...

* Cory Blaine * Deva Bratt * Douster * Dre Skull * Dubbel Dutch * Famous Eno * Gaika * Hard Nips *

Konshens Garfield Delano Spence (born 11 January 1985), also known as Konshens, is a Jamaican dancehall recording artist. Biography Garfield Delano Spence was born on 11 January 1985. Prior to his solo career, he was a member of the duo SoJah with his ...

* Koyote *

Lil Scrappy Darryl Raynard Richardson III (born January 19, 1984), better known by his stage name Lil Scrappy, is an American rapper. Richardson was discovered by producer and performer Lil Jon while performing at a bar in Atlanta. Along with labelmates Tr ...

Machel Montano Machel Jesus Montano (born 24 November 1974)Thompson, Dave (2002), ''Reggae & Soca Music'', Backbeat Books, , pp. 300–301. is a Trinidadian soca singer, actor, record producer and songwriter. Known for his high energy, fast-paced, and often unp ...

* MC Buzzz * Melé * Mr One Hundred * Ms. Thing * Murlo * Natalie Storm * Palmistry * Poirier *

* Psycho Tanbad * QQ * Schlachthofbronx *

Sissy Nobby Terrelle Gallo (known by his stage name, Sissy Nobby) is an American bounce artist from New Orleans, known for his hit songs, "Consequences" and "Gitty Up". Gallo is credited as one of the main pioneers of bounce music Bounce music is a sty ...

Sizzla Miguel Orlando Collins (born 17 April 1976), known by his stage name Sizzla Kalonji or Sizzla, is a Jamaican reggae musician. He is one of the most commercially and critically successful contemporary reggae artists and is noted for his high num ...

* Sticky * Suku * Tifa * Tortur3 T *

* Warrior One *

Wildlife! Samuel Riot, known professionally as Wildlife!, is a Swiss music producer and musician. Career * On March 5, 2013, Wildlife!'s "Klouds" was released as part of the "Mixpak Pressure Vol. 2" compilation on Dre Skull's Mixpak Records imprint. The tr ...

References

External links

* * {{Authority control American independent record labels Companies based in New York City Record labels established in 2009