About Acid Jazz
Acid Jazz Records continues to roll on along its idiosyncratic and fiercely independent path, almost four decades since our founder Eddie Piller set up the label, in an attempt to document the music that was emerging from a then-small London scene. Piller dreamt big, and Acid Jazz began to develop into the behemoth it became. The label – with a team that included current label partner Dean Rudland – was behind the emergence of an international scene that took its name. A sense of the wonder at the pop potential of great soul music made international stars of Jamiroquai, The Brand New Heavies and The James Taylor Quartet, while cult artists like Mother Earth and Corduroy lay down exciting sounds and critically acclaimed recordings.
Established as an international marque of quality, we’ve always looked at ways of branching out. Some of our associated projects included the ground-breaking Blue Note nightclub in Hoxton Square, its sign recently included in the V&A's permanent collection. Holding true to our love of classic soul, jazz, funk, mod, folk and psychedelic sounds, we’ve always mixed a tendency to look back with an excitement at embracing the future. These are always in accordance with a continued dedication to releasing music old and new on the label and our numerous subsidiaries.
Today, the label is the home to Matt Berry’s exceptional records, most recently the acclaimed ‘Heard Noises’. Our collaboration with Argentinian producer Kevin Fingier brings us a melting pot of retro soul, latin and African-influenced cuts. The cult Countdown Records has been revived to bring us Mod-influenced sounds both old and new. We also do a great line of jazz, soul and funk reissues, reggae and dub is catered for by both our Roots label, showcasing legendary Jamaican talent in the form of Jah Thomas, King Tubby and the legendary Roots Radics, and the sonic and rhythmic explorations of current artist Soul Revivers. We have been the proud custodians of the Albarika Store label, from Benin, West Africa since 2020, home to some of the finest Afro Beat records ever produced, working on a series of reissue LPs, 7” singles and compilations.
In 2025 we presented ‘Spring Revisited’, an incredible collaborative remix project with Ace Records and Cosmos Music, exploring the musical legacy of New York label Spring Records. After a series of sell-out and chart-topping vinyl singles, we released the 2LP/CD compilation. We also collaborated with the iconic Flying Dutchman on the sublime ‘Billy Valentine & The Universal Truth’ album in 2023, and heralded the return of one the UK’s foremost soul singers Dee C Lee with ‘Just Something’ in 2024. Meanwhile, Mama Terra keep jazz at the forefront of our output, with two albums and a show-stopping showcase at SXSW, along side the Modern Folk and Jazz Ensemble lead by Saxophonist Sean Khan.
Having re-signed label-favourites New Street Adventure, with the new album ‘What Kind Of World?’ in 2025, we also marked the return of the James Taylor Quartet to Acid Jazz wax and the return of the legendary Totally Wired compilation series, which shaped the sound of British music and beyond in the 1990s. As the full-circle revolves, we continue to evolve as we approach our 40th Anniversary, always maintaining our independent spirit.