In another example of the decreasing commercial viability of vinyl comes news of Steve Lawler's decision to close down his vinyl-based Harlem Records, Harlem Trax and Harlem Electric labels in preparation for the launch of a new digital-only Viva Recordings.
Launched in 2001, Harlem Records was born out of the big tribal house movement that infiltrated the progressive house sound and in its formative years was a platform for tribal house producers like Peter Bailey. The subsequent launch of the Harlem Electric and Harlem Trax sub-labels spawned releases from artists including Deepgroove and the Bombdogs.
The new Viva Recordings, named after Lawler's Thursday night Space Ibiza residency, is set to launch in January 2006 with Lawler currently negotiating an online distribution deal."This is the way forward for me as a record label. Times are changing so quickly, and I want to start 2006 by leading the way with how people receive and enjoy the music I release. I am excited by the proposition of only being online, which is where a lot of my music buying audience tend to live. The technology is now good enough for the sound quality to work for DJs, and I see this as a step forward to position the label at the forefront of not just music but also technology,
- says Lawler.
It's been an up-and-down year for those in the Steve Lawler camp. His inaugural Viva residency at Space Ibiza was dealt mixed fortunes (as revealed in RA's exclusive interview with Darren Hughes) while in contrast, his old skool piano-house release, "That Sound" on Joia Records was a massive anthem over the summer.
All of Steve Lawler's projects from 2006 will be under the umbrella name Viva including his hugely successful residency at The End, which will be renamed Viva Harlem Nights. The first Viva compilation is expected to be released in May 2006, shortly before his next summer residency at Space.