Byte Records is a Belgian based
independent music label specialized into
dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded danc ...
. The company was founded by
DJ Jean-Paul De Coster in 1988 and is named after his former record store in
Antwerp. Successful acts have included
2 Unlimited
2 Unlimited are a Belgian/Dutch dance music act, founded by Belgian producers/songwriters Jean-Paul De Coster and Phil Wilde in 1991 in Antwerp, Belgium. From 1991 to 1996, Dutch rapper Ray Slijngaard and Dutch vocalist Anita Doth fronted the ...
,
Sash!
Sash! (; stylised as SASH!) is a German DJ/ production team, fronted by Sascha Lappessen (born 10 June 1970) who works in the recording studio with Ralf Kappmeier, Karl Xander, and Thomas "Alisson" Lüdke. They have sold over 22 million albums ...
and
Sylver
The Sylver (SYstème de Lancement VERtical) is a vertical launching system (VLS) designed by DCNS and introduced in 2001.
Specifications
The basic unit of Sylver VLS is an eight-cell module fitted with two rows of 56 cm. missile cells surroundi ...
.
Through the years the label had several sub-labels like B³ (Byte Blue), Byte Progressive, Discomatic and La Belle Noir.
One of the first Byte releases was "Don't Miss The Party Line" by Jean-Paul De Coster and Peter Neefs as
Bizz Nizz. The single was licensed by Cooltempo, a sub-label of Chrysalis (now
EMI
EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 2012, ...
) and became a top 10 hit in the
UK by the end of the 1980s. Together with producer
Phil Wilde
Phil may refer to:
* Phil (given name), a shortened version of masculine and feminine names
* Phill, a given name also spelled "Phil"
* Phil, Kentucky, United States
* ''Phil'' (film), a 2019 film
* -phil-, a lexical fragment, used as a root te ...
Jean-Paul De Coster formed the producers duo behind famous Eurodance act
2 Unlimited
2 Unlimited are a Belgian/Dutch dance music act, founded by Belgian producers/songwriters Jean-Paul De Coster and Phil Wilde in 1991 in Antwerp, Belgium. From 1991 to 1996, Dutch rapper Ray Slijngaard and Dutch vocalist Anita Doth fronted the ...
in the beginning of the 1990s. Licenses were giving by Byte to
PWL Continental and
ZYX Music
ZYX Music GmbH & Co. KG is a German record label that was founded in 1971 by Bernhard Mikulski. It is one of the most successful German record labels of the 1980s and 1990s. Until 1992, the label's name was Pop-Import Bernhard Mikulski. The labe ...
and the act sold more than 20 million records and 50 million compilations worldwide, giving Byte Record a tremendous boost.
Other Eurodance acts followed and Byte became a household name in the dance community. Most of the artists became popular in
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...
,
The Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Nether ...
and
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...
like Timeshift, CB Milton, Red 5, Sash! and DJ Peter Project. But due to the bad economical climate in the music industry Byte had to reduce his activities over the years. Since early 2004 dance act
Sylver
The Sylver (SYstème de Lancement VERtical) is a vertical launching system (VLS) designed by DCNS and introduced in 2001.
Specifications
The basic unit of Sylver VLS is an eight-cell module fitted with two rows of 56 cm. missile cells surroundi ...
is the only remaining act signed by Byte Records.
List of Artists
*
Bizz Nizz
*
2 Unlimited
2 Unlimited are a Belgian/Dutch dance music act, founded by Belgian producers/songwriters Jean-Paul De Coster and Phil Wilde in 1991 in Antwerp, Belgium. From 1991 to 1996, Dutch rapper Ray Slijngaard and Dutch vocalist Anita Doth fronted the ...
* Timeshift
*
CB Milton
CB Milton, aka Clarence Bekker (born Clarence Becker Milton, 11 April 1968, in Suriname), is a Dutch electronic music vocalist, who became known in the early 1990s. He is best known for the singles "It's a Loving Thing", "Send Me an Angel" and " ...
*
Ice MC
Ice MC (born Ian Campbell, 22 March 1965) is a British rapper who started his professional music career in Italy when he got signed to Robyx and made his debut with the single " Easy". He's best known for the Eurodance hit singles "Take Away ...
*
740 Boyz
740 Boyz is a Dominican-American dance music group founded in 1991, by Winston Rosa a.k.a. Big Win from New York City.
Big Win worked with several singers including Shaggy and DJ Jazzy Jay. While working in a studio called INS Studios in New Y ...
*
Murray Head
Murray Seafield St George Head (born 5 March 1946) is an English actor and singer. Head has appeared in a number of films, including a starring role as the character Bob Elkin in the Academy Award, Oscar-nominated 1971 film ''Sunday Bloody Sun ...
* Red 5
*
Sash!
Sash! (; stylised as SASH!) is a German DJ/ production team, fronted by Sascha Lappessen (born 10 June 1970) who works in the recording studio with Ralf Kappmeier, Karl Xander, and Thomas "Alisson" Lüdke. They have sold over 22 million albums ...
* The Oh!
*
Phats & Small
Phats & Small are a British electronic dance music duo formed in Brighton, in 1998, and composed of Jason "Phats" Hayward and Russell Small. They are best known for their single " Turn Around", which became an international hit in 1999.
Musica ...
*
DJ Peter Project
A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobile ...
* Atlantis 6
*
Sylver
The Sylver (SYstème de Lancement VERtical) is a vertical launching system (VLS) designed by DCNS and introduced in 2001.
Specifications
The basic unit of Sylver VLS is an eight-cell module fitted with two rows of 56 cm. missile cells surroundi ...
* Zippora
* D-Devils
External links
Byte Recordsofficial website (no longer active)
Byte Recordsreleases on Discorg
{{Authority control
Electronic dance music record labels
House music record labels