Fresh Records (US)
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Fresh Records is a defunct New York City-based independent record label that operated from 1985 to 1992. The label was a subsidiary of Sleeping Bag Records that featured hip hop music. The label's artist roster included pioneering old school hip hop artists such as EPMD, Nice & Smooth, Just-Ice, and T La Rock; house-music pioneer Todd Terry; and electro artists Hanson & Davis and Chocolette.
Founder
Fresh Records was founded by William Socolov in 1985. Socolov was one of the three original founders of Sleeping Bag Records.
Re-releases
After closing its doors (along with its parent label) in 1991, the catalog sat in limbo for several years. In 1996, the label and its catalog were puchased by Warlock Records, which has been rereleasing its titles with the Fresh and Sleeping Bag Records logos alongside the Warlock Records logo since. The building that housed Fresh and Sleeping Bag Records in Manhattan (1974 Broadway, NY, NY 10023) was torn down in the 1990s and a luxury apartment building now stands in its place. In 2006, the label became one of many imprints’ catalogs that became Traffic Entertainment Group, which has been releasing new versions of the classic albums in Fresh’s catalog with their original artwork intact. However, EPMD albums Strictly Business and Unfinished Business, and Nice & Smooth’s self-titled album were acquired by Priority/EMI Records shortly before Sleeping Bag ceased operations.
Trivia
- Kurtis Mantronik, in addition to being the DJ for the hip-hop duo Mantronix (signed to the parent label, Sleeping Bag Records), did A&R for both labels.
- EPMD rhymed about its record signing experience with the label in their song "Please Listen to My Demo" from 1989 Unfinished Business ('Signed on the dotted line, now we Fresh Records members").
