FFRR Records (sometimes credited as Full Frequency Range Recordings) is a dance music label founded as a subsidiary of

London Records London Recordings (or London Records and London Music Stream) is a British record label that marketed records in the United States, Canada, and Latin America for Decca Records from 1947 to 1980 before becoming semi-independent. The London nam ...

in 1986, with A&R run by the British DJ

Pete Tong Peter Michael Tong (born 30 July 1960) is an English DJ who works for BBC Radio 1. He is the host of programmes such as '' Essential Mix'' and '' Essential Selection'' on the radio service, which can be heard through Internet radio streams, for ...

. Originally a part of

' label roster, FFRR is currently a sublabel of

Parlophone Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 1923 as the Parloph ...

, a division of

Warner Music Group Warner Music Group Corp., commonly abbreviated as WMG, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational entertainment and record label Conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the "Record label#M ...

. Its activities were mostly halted in the early 2000s, until the label was revived in 2011. Its catalog was sold off in 2017, but the label was revived a second time in 2021, this time with a new identity. The original incarnation of FFRR was founded in 1986, and also had two subsidiaries: Double F Double R Records and Ffrreedom Records. The first singles from the label were UK releases of three Run-DMC singles in 1986, but the tone for the label's initial run was set by their A&R man Pete Tong's project, the compilation "The House Sound of Chicago III", which saw the comp series move from London Records. Early artist releases on the label reflected the Dance genre, which then included Hip-Hop, blending together the 80s pop of

Bananarama Bananarama is an English pop group formed in London in 1980. The group, originally a trio, consisted of friends Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, and Keren Woodward. Fahey left the group in 1988 and was replaced by Jacquie O'Sullivan until 1991, when ...

and Sabrina with US hip-hop and hip-house groups like Salt n' Pepa and

Ultramagnetic MCs The Ultramagnetic MCs is an American hip hop group based in the Bronx, New York City. Founded by Kool Keith, the group also includes Ced Gee, TR Love, and Moe Love. Tim Dog became an unofficial member in 1989. In 1990, DJ Jaycee was added as ...

. Alongside these mostly singles-releases, a string of genre-defining compilations showcasing scenes like

Chicago house Chicago house refers to house music produced during the mid to late 1980s within Chicago. The term is generally used to refer to the original house music of DJs and producers from the area, such as Ron Hardy and Phuture History and origins D ...

music and the Baleraric sounds from

Ibiza Ibiza (; ; ; #Names and pronunciation, see below) or Iviza is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea off the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. It is 150 kilometres (93 miles) from the city of Valencia. It is the third largest of th ...

's dancefloors. As the label's profile grew, its label-branded compilations (with the iconic ear logo on the cover) became more notable – The Silver on Black (1989), Gold on Black (1990) and Platinum on Black (1993) showcased the wide roster of the label, and describe how it changed over time. Orbital are probably the most notable artists that started on the label. FFRR released their records, from their eponymous debut album in 1991, to 2001's The Altogether, and the singles around and between them.

Other labels

Double F Double R was a short-lived pop/trance music imprint that released a handful of titles between 2001 and 2003. Ffrreedom was a sister-label that released mostly singles with more of a pop-dance bent. Internal was a sub-label run by Christian Tattersfield, which released an eclectic mix of more upscale and underground offerings, including singles by UK techno act The Advent, some of Orbital's releases, cuts by CJ Bolland, Hardcore rave pioneers Genaside II, Todd Edwards and others. The label collaborated with smaller labels on their major releases. Notable examples include Metalheadz' 1995 release of

Goldie Clifford Joseph Price MBE (born 19 September 1965), better known as Goldie, is an English music producer, DJ, and actor. Initially gaining exposure for his work as a graffiti artist, Goldie became well known for his pioneering role as a musi ...

's debut album Timeless and the 1996 compilation Platinum Breakz, a compilation which importantly introduced a larger shift in Drum n' Bass from the more hectic post-Jungle sound of running breakbeat samples to the more precise and surgical sound often named Tech-Step. When Mo-Wax published its biggest record to date,

DJ Shadow Joshua Paul Davis (born June 29, 1972 in San Jose, California, San Jose, California), better known by his stage name DJ Shadow, is an American DJ and record producer. His debut studio album, ''Endtroducing.....,'' was released in 1996. He uses l ...

's Endtroducing, the record was co-branded with FFRR, and FFRR handled many of Mo-Wax' US releases. It also handled international versions for Andrew Weatherall's Sabres of Paradise label.

Brand

The logo is considerably older than the label. The iconic ear logo first appeared on labels of records released on London Records in the late 1940s, to denote that those records had been recording with

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, record label * Decca Gold, classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, musical theater record label * Decca Studios, recording facility in West ...

's Full Frequency Range Recording process. Decca founded the first London Records in the 1940s, and London Records founded FFRR in 1986. As such the name is self-referential, the technology it references was developed by Arthur Haddy and Kenneth Wilkinson at

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...

. The technology was initially developed for submarine hunting during WWII, but was soon applied to the Decca's recordings. This technology advancement was hugely influential, as it moved the record industry from the grainy, tinny sound people associate with pre-WWII recordings to the clear sound people take for granted today. In 2021, the label was re-branded, with the ear replaced by a simple word-mark logo
"ffrr" written in lower-case sans-serif
inside a circle. The new brand was designed by Graphic Designer and music producer Trevor Jackson, also known by his moniker Playgroup.

Company

FFRR's parent company London was run by Roger Ames as his own 'semi-autonomous indie' from within the major label group PolyGram, so when Ames joined

Warner Music Warner Music Group Corp., commonly abbreviated as WMG, is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and the third-largest in the gl ...

as chair and CEO in 1999, London/FFRR moved to Warner with him. Releases continued through to 2001, slowing to a trickle in 2002–3, and from there until 2011, only sporadic compilations and re-issues were released with the label. In 2011, Pete Tong and Warner revived FFRR, and put the label under the Parlophone umbrella when the latter acquired that label in 2013. In 2017, Warner Music sold

London Recordings London Recordings (or London Records and London Music Stream) is a British record label that marketed records in the United States, Canada, and Latin America for Decca Records from 1947 to 1980 before becoming semi-independent. The London nam ...

post-1979 catalogue and with it FFRR's 1986 catalogue to Because Music. In 2019, the label was taken over by Andy Daniell, formally of

Defected Records Defected Records, or simply Defected, is a British independent record label specialising in house music recordings, compilation albums, events, publishing, artist bookings and management. Defected is one of the longest running independent lab ...

and got a relaunch in 2021 with a new updated logo created in association with designer Trevor Jackson. The first releases under this new brand identity will be DJ Morgan Geist's Storm Queen project with "For A Fool" and the "Loving Touch EP" from Burns.

Artists

Burns Burns may refer to: Astronomy * 2708 Burns, an asteroid * Burns (crater), on Mercury People * Burns (surname), list of people and characters named Burns ** Burns (musician), Scottish record producer Places in the United States * Burns, ...

* Eats Everything * Alan Fitzpatrick * Aaron Hibell * Sonny Fodera * Sam Gellaitry * PARISI *

Diplo Thomas Wesley Pentz (born November 10, 1978), known professionally as Diplo, is an American DJ and music producer. He is a co-creator and lead member of the electronic dancehall music project Major Lazer; a member of the supergroup LSD (group), ...

* BLOND:ISH *

David Guetta Pierre David Guetta (; born 7 November 1967) is a French DJ and record producer. He has sold over 10 million albums and 65 million singles globally, with more than 30 billion streams on Spotify. Guetta was voted the number one DJ in the DJ Mag ...

* Obskür * James Carter * Storm Queen * SIDEPIECE * Jengi * Skin on Skin

Former artists

* All Seeing I * amillionsons * Armand Van Helden *

Artful Dodger Jack Dawkins, better known as the Artful Dodger, is a character in Charles Dickens's 1838 novel ''Oliver Twist''. The Dodger is a pickpocket and his nickname refers to his skill and cunning in that occupation. In the novel, he is the leader of th ...

* Asian Dub Foundation (Slash/FFRR) * Basic Tape * Berri * Brand New Heavies * Brother Brown *

The Carburetors The Carburetors is a Norwegian hard rock band from Oslo, formed in 2001. Their music is based on boogie rock and roll and heavy metal music, heavy metal and has been described as a mix of Chuck Berry and Motörhead. History The band released th ...

Carl Cox Carl Andrew Cox (born 29 July 1962) is a British house and techno club DJ, radio DJ, motorsport team owner and record producer. He is based in Frankston, Victoria, Australia. Cox has won and been nominated for numerous awards. He has perfor ...

* Caterina Valente * CJ Bolland * Clubhouse (this act were not signed directly to ffrr, who licensed " Deep in My Heart" from Media Records) * Cookie Crew * D Mob * Danny Campbell * Dansson * Diana Brown & Barrie K. Sharpe * Denney * DJ Icey *

DJ Krush , better known by his stage name DJ Krush, is a Japanese record producer and DJ. He is known for his atmospheric instrumental production which incorporates sound elements from nature, and extensive use of jazz and soul samples. Early life Ishi ...

DJ Skribble Scott Ialacci, professionally known as DJ Skribble (born October 10, 1968) is an American Disc jockey, DJ, Record producer, producer, remixer, radio personality and actor. In the early 1990s, he teamed up with Kamron, ATA, Firstborn and Tommy N ...

* East Side Beat *

Electra Electra, also spelt Elektra (; ; ), is one of the most popular Greek mythology, mythological characters in tragedies.Evans (1970), p. 79 She is the main character in two Greek tragedies, ''Electra (Sophocles play), Electra'' by Sophocles and ''Ele ...

* Farley Jackmaster Funk *

Fine Young Cannibals Fine Young Cannibals (FYC) are an English pop rock band formed in Birmingham, West Midlands, in 1984 by former The Beat band bassist David Steele and guitarist Andy Cox with singer Roland Gift (formerly of the Akrylykz). Their self-titled ...

(this act were signed to London, though their greatest hits collection '' The Finest'' was credited to ffrr) *

Frankie Knuckles Francis Warren Nicholls Jr. (January 18, 1955 – March 31, 2014), known professionally as Frankie Knuckles, was an American DJ, record producer, and remixer. He played an important role in developing and popularizing house music, a genre of mus ...

Group Home A group home, congregate living facility, care home (the latter especially in British English and Australian English), adult family home, etc., is a structured and supervised residence model that provides assisted living as well as medical car ...

(PayDay/FFRR) *

Oliver Heldens Olivier "Oliver" J. L. Heldens (; born 1 February 1995) is a Dutch DJ and electronic music producer from Rotterdam. He is regarded as a pioneer of the future house genre, propelling it to international attention and scoring numerous chart succes ...

* Hive * Isotonik * Jamie Principle *

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American Rapping, rapper, businessman, and record executive. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, he was named Billboard and Vibe's 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time, the ...

(PayDay/FFRR) * Jeru the Damaja (PayDay/FFRR) * Joe Roberts * June Montana * Just Kiddin * Lenny Fontana * Kaliphz * Krystal Klear *

Lil Louis Marvin Louis Burns (born May 13, 1962), known by his stage name Li'l Louis (sometimes expanded to Li'l Louis & the World and Li'l Louis & the Party), is a Chicago-born house music, house-music producer and DJ .Larkin, Colin (1999) ''The Virgin ...

Luke Vibert Luke Vibert (born 26 January 1973) is a British electronic musician and producer, also known for his work under several aliases such as Plug and Wagon Christ. Raised in Cornwall, Vibert began releasing projects in the 1990s across varied genre ...

* The Magician *

Marcel Mule Marcel Mule (24 June 1901 – 18 December 2001) was a French classical saxophonist. He was known worldwide as one of the great classical saxophonists, and many pieces were written for him, premiered by him, and arranged by him. Many of these pi ...

* Matrix & Futurebound * Midnight City * Paul Woolford * Monteux, Pierre * Narcotic Thrust * Nightcrawlers (this act were initially signed to 4th & B'way and then to Arista/BMG's Final Vinyl label, though ffrr picked up the rights to the " Push the Feeling On" remixes, while John Reid was unsigned) * O.C. (PayDay/FFRR) * One Dove (signed to Boy's Own Productions, who licensed their album to ffrr) * Orbital * Power Pill * DJ Richie Rich * Sagat *

Salt n Pepa In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as ro ...

(Next Plateau/FFRR) * Salt Tank * Sander Kleinenberg *

Sasha (DJ) Alexander Paul Coe (born 4 September 1969), known professionally as Sasha, is a Welsh Disc jockey, DJ and record producer. He is best known for his live events and electronic music as a solo artist, as well as his collaborations with British DJ ...

* Savoy Brown Blues Band *

Shakespears Sister Shakespears Sister are an alternative rock, alternative Pop rock, pop and rock musical duo that was formed in 1988 by Irish people, Irish singer-songwriter Siobhan Fahey, a former member of Bananarama. Shakespears Sister was initially a solo a ...

(Siobhan Fahey was signed to London as a member of

, with her initial 'solo' singles under this name coming under the ffrr name. In 2019, Fahey and Marcella Detroit issued new material via London) * Shiva * Showbiz & AG (PayDay/FFRR) *

Simon Harris Simon Harris (born 17 October 1986) is an Irish Fine Gael politician serving as Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Minister for Defence since January 2025, having previously served as Taoiseach from 2024 to 2025. He has ...

* Steve 'Silk' Hurley * Stretch & Vern (Spot On/FFRR) * Tinman * Todd Edwards *

Together ''ToGetHer'' (, aka Superstar Express) is a 2009 Taiwanese drama starring Jiro Wang of Fahrenheit, Rainie Yang and George Hu. It was produced by Comic International Productions ( 可米國際影視事業股份有限公司) and directed by Linzi ...

* Tube & Berger * Urban Thermo Dynamics (PayDay/FFRR) * Utah Saints * Vapourspace * WC & the Madd Circle (PayDay/FFRR) * The Watts Prophets * XYconstant * Yousef * Z Factor

References