Eightball Records is an American

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small and medium-sized enterprise, small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels ...

established 1990 in New York City by Alex Kaplan, DJ Smash, and A&R head Kevin Williams. It played an important role in the development of

house music House is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 115–130 beats per minute. It was created by DJs and music producers from Chicago's underground ...

techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempos being in the range from 120 to 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time ( ) and often ...

, and

deep house Deep house is a subgenre of house music that originated in the 1980s, initially fusing elements of Chicago house with the lush chords of 1980s jazz-funk and touches of soul music. Its origins are attributed to the early recordings of Larry Heard ...

in the 1990s.

History

Eightball was formed in 1990 by Wayne Hunter and Alex Kaplan in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. Originally a vinyl store, it specialized in recording and selling many

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

and

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

music records. It later became an official recording label. Kaplan hired Kevin Williams and John Creamer as the label's A&Rs, and Serebe Kironde as the

General Manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...

. The label became home to a wide range of artists such as

Joi Cardwell Joi Cardwell (born October 8, 1967) is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she performed in various singing competitions as a child and rose to fame in the early 1990s as a guest vocalist for Lil Louis on the num ...

Screamin Rachael Screamin' Rachael, born Rachael Cain, is an American musician and Chicago native dubbed the "Queen of House Music" by'' Billboard magazine,''. Rachael has been connected to the evolution of the House music genre. She has worked with performers suc ...

, Mack Vibe, Lectroluv, Mix Master G-Flexx, Zoel, Napoleon Soul O, and co-owner DJ Smash. The label's debut single "Come On Girl" by Napoleon Soul O and C.J. Smith was released in 1991. Cardwell, who was recruited in 1994, premiered her debut single "Trouble" at the Billboard Dance Music Summit. The song became the label's first charting single which peaked at number 11 on the Dance chart.Chart History > Joi Cardwell
Billboard. Retrieved on February 7, 2017 In 1998, Jerome Farley became the Director of A&R of Eightball and subsidiary Empire State Records.

Subsidiaries

* Empire State Records

Discography

This list contains selected studio and compilation album releases on Eightball Records.Credits > Eightball Records
All Music Guide. Retrieved on February 8, 2017 ;1994 * Groove Thing – ''The Adventure'' * Lectroluv – ''The Difference'' * Lectroluv – ''Remix Project'' * Mack Vibe – ''Mr. Meaner'' * Paul 'Trouble' Anderson – ''The Sound Of New York'' ;1995 *

– '' The World Is Full of Trouble'' * Lectroluv – ''The Original Collection'' * Butter Foundation – ''East Side Drive/Anati'' * ''Eightball, Corner Pocket'' (record label compilation album) *

Frankie Bones Frankie "Bones" Mitchell is a prominent figure in the development of dance music in the United States, widely regarded as the “Godfather of American Rave Culture.” Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Bones played a major role in shaping New York ...

– ''2 Clues EP'' ;1996 * BlueJean – ''Try My Lovin * B Factor – ''Make It Better'' * ''Jazz Not Jazz: The Original Collection'' (record label compilation album) * The Girl! – ''Fired Up: The Remixes'' ;1997 * Joi Cardwell – ''Joi Cardwell'' * Groove Thing – ''This Is No Time'' * Peace Bureau – ''Inner City Booms'' * ''Easy One'' (record label compilation album) ;1998 * Joi Cardwell – ''8 Ball EP'' * Mix Master G-Flexx – ''We Shine'' * ''The Soul of Eightball'' (record label compilation album) * Christian Scott – ''The Enchanter Chants EP'' * Æther – ''Give Away My Fear''

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1990 establishments in New York City Electronic music record labels Entertainment companies established in 1990 American independent record labels Record labels based in New York (state) Pop record labels Record labels established in 1990 Techno record labels

History

Subsidiaries

Discography

See also

References

External links