XL Recordings
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| XL Recordings | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1989 |
| Founder(s) | Nick Halkes |
| Genre(s) | Various |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Official Website | http://www.xlrecordings.com |
XL Recordings is an independent record label which was launched by Nick Halkes ( joined in 1992 by Richard Russell [[1]]) with Beggars Banquet Records in 1989 to release its rave and dance music. Originally the label was an offshoot of Beggars' more commercial dance label called Citybeat which was known for records by acts such as Freeez, Starlight, Dream Frequency and the Ultramagnetic MCs. However with the success of acts such as The Prodigy and SL2, XL superseded Citybeat in the company's line up.
Since the late 1990s expanded into other genres such as freak-folk, alternative rock and hip-hop and is now the home of artists like Lemon Jelly, Devendra Banhart, Basement Jaxx, The White Stripes, Peaches, Dizzee Rascal, M.I.A., Ratatat, Tapes 'n Tapes, be your own PET, The Prodigy and recently, RJD2, who left Def Jux to join XL and will record future albums with XL. [2]
Thom Yorke, of Radiohead fame, released his first solo record, The Eraser, on the label in July of 2006. While not reaching Number One in any specific country (#2 in the US, #3 in the UK and #2 in Canada), it was Number One for worldwide sales during its initial week of release.
[edit] Trivia
The boyband 5ive wanted to call their third album XL but decided to change the title to that of Kingsize as they thought XL Recordings might sue.
