Big Apple Records

51°22′23″N 0°6′5″W

Big Apple Records
Founded	1992; 33 years ago (1992)
Founder	John-Paul Kennedy
Defunct	2004 (2004)
Status	Defunct
Genre	Dubstep Garage Jungle
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Location	Croydon

Big Apple Records was a record shop and label in Croydon, South London that opened in 1992^[1] and closed in 2004, although the label continued to release music until 2007.^[2] It is known for pioneering the sound of dubstep in the early 2000s, with dubstep DJs and producers working in and frequently visiting the shop.^[3] The record label was the first to sign Skream and Benga.^[4]

The Big Apple Records shop in Croydon.

Influence and heritage

Big Apple Records is considered by The Verge an important location in the development of dubstep,^[5][6][7] being considered a key part of Croydon's, and South London's, heritage.^[8][9] The shop acted as a point for artists in the development of dubstep to meet and share music, allowing dubstep to emerge from 2-step garage.^{[7][3][10][11]}

Name and Logo

The shop was opened in November 1992 , a large fruit & veg market. The shop's location on Surrey Street in Croydon, a large fruit and veg market, led to the shop being named 'Apple Records', shortly changed to 'Big Apple Records' after the Beatle's record label of the same name threatened to sue.

Kennedy asked an artist to produce a range of possible logos, all of which were apples except the banana peel that ended up being used. Kennedy has said that this is because it stood out the most on the page.^{[5][unreliable source?]}

History

It was founded in November 1992 by Gary Hughes, Steve Robertson, and John-Paul Kennedy. Hughes and Robertson were friends who brought on Kennedy only a few weeks before the shop opened as they required further investment. In 1996 Hughes and Robertson were bought out of the business to leave only Kennedy, as pressure from nearby record shops meant they could no longer sustain three partners.^{[5][unreliable source?]}

The shop initially stocked Progressive House and Techno on the ground floor and Jungle on the first floor. After Hughes and Robertson had left. Artwork^[12] was invited by Kennedy to turn the second floor into his studio, and the first floor (which now stocked Drum & Bass) was replaced with listening booths. At some point Hijak joined Artwork in the upstairs studio.^[10]

DJ Chef was known to come to the shop and park his moped with attached sound system outside, so that customers could listen to their records.^[10]

Neil Joliffe worked as a distributor that supplied the shop. When Benny Ill started producing early dubstep (which he would show to Artwork and Hijak upstairs), Kennedy suggested that he give them to Joliffe. Joliffe had strong connections in the garage scene, being intimate with labels like Public Demand, Allstar, and Acetate; and so knowing distributors and pressing plants. This eventually led to Joliffe forming the label Tempa Recordings out of Ammunition, and Benny Ill to form Horsepower Productions.^[10]

The ground floor would transition into garage leading to a boost in sales when garage became mainstream in the late 90s^[13] because of the popularity of garage crews such as So Solid.^[14] This led to Kennedy hiring DJ Hatcha to help run the shop.^[15] Hatcha, combined with many of Artwork's releases being available only from the shop,^[16] led to Big Apple's popularity with Jungle and Garage producers and DJs. Because Skream's older brother Hijak worked in the shop, Skream got into shop aged only 14. Skream has said that he went into the shop most days.^[10]

Hatcha started working in the shop when he was young, and was noted for his salesmanship and ability on the decks, but his lack of work ethic caused some tension between him and Kennedy.^[10]

Coki was introduced to the shop by Mala, who told him that the music he was producing matched the style of the shop.^[10]

The shop closed in November 2004, 12 years to the day after it opened. This was caused in part to a decline in vinyl sales due to the rise of the internet. People ripping records and posting them on sites like The Dubstep Forums (DSF) was a major factor.^[10]

As well as the artists like Skream and Hatcha that worked in the shop, others including Digital Mystikz were frequent visitors.^[17] El-B, Zed Bias, Horsepower Productions, Plastician, N Type, Walsh and Loefah also regularly visited the shop.^[18][19]

Releases

Title	Artist	Release Year	Format	Catalogue Number
Red	Artwork	2002	12" EP	BAM001
Skank / Dose	Benga	2003	12"	BAM002
The Judgment	Skream & Benga	2003	12"	BAM003
Pathways	Digital Mystikz	2003	12"	BAM004
Hydro / Elektro	Skream & Benga	2004	12"	BAM005
Jungle Infiltrator	Loefah	2004	12"	BAM006
Acid People	Skream	2006	12"	BAM007
Invansion	Benga	2006	12"	BAM008
Red Eye	Coki	2007	12"	BAM009

References

1. "Big Apple Records". Archived from the original on 2004-11-23.
2. "Rare footage of Croydon's Big Apple Records". GetDarker. 2015-01-29. Retrieved 2023-10-05.
3. "Croydon, community, soundsystem culture: Tracing the history of dubstep". Red Bull. 2020-06-12. Retrieved 2023-10-05.
4. Artwork (2010-09-10). "Magnetic Man: a brief history of dubstep". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
5. Dubstep Heritage - Location 02 - Big Apple Records [Croydon], 27 October 2022, retrieved 2023-10-06
6. "This record shop is the last bastion of Croydon's legendary dubstep scene – Eastlondonlines". www.eastlondonlines.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
7. Flatley, Joseph L. (2012-08-28). "Beyond lies the wub: a history of dubstep". The Verge. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
8. "Borough's rich musical culture celebrated in Croydon's Music Heritage Trail". Newsroom. 8 June 2023. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
9. Gather, Jordan (2019-01-31). "El-B, Horsepower and the roots of Dubstep". UKBM. Retrieved 2024-07-26.
10. Cook, Lauren Martin, Photos: Georgina (2015-06-23). "The VICE Oral History of Dubstep". Vice. Retrieved 2024-07-26.
11. DaMetalMessiah (2024-12-02). Plastician talks Big Apple Records, FWD & Rinse FM [Interview]. Retrieved 2024-12-04 – via YouTube.
12. "BBC Radio 1 - Radio 1's Residency - Artwork". BBC. Retrieved 2023-10-25.
13. "UK Garage History & Family Tree: 20 Years of UKG!". 2003-01-28. Retrieved 2023-10-07.
14. "UK Garage Music Guide: Inside the History of UK Garage". Masterclass. 2021-06-07. Retrieved 2023-10-07.
15. "Mala (Digital Mystikz)". www.redbullmusicacademy.com. Retrieved 2024-07-26.
16. Darkside (2007-10-27). "Interview with Artwork AKA Menta". GetDarker. Retrieved 2024-07-26.
17. "The Primer: Dubstep". The Wire. No. 279. April 2011. ISSN 0952-0686.
18. O'Connell, Sharon (4 October 2006). "Dubstep". Time Out London. Time Out Group. Archived from the original on 29 July 2012. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
19. Fact (2014-12-04). "Big Apple Records' Facebook page is a treasure trove of early dubstep photography, old sets and more". Fact Magazine. Retrieved 2024-07-26.