Outland Records

It seems so obvious. You discover a market and want to offer the people what they wanted (in this case, house/techno music records). Then you discover that there is a particular sound/style you like, so you set up a label for that. But that's how you look at it now. It was by far not obvious in 1991.

Sure, as a record store with own label, Freaky Records predated Outland by three years, but Freaky was merely a music placeholder those days. Outland took the idea a giant leap further by releasing music of a particular sound, offering a chance to local DJ/producers to release self-written music (another not-so-obvious feat in the Netherlands in 1991), creating beatmixed compilations by well known DJs (Static Tracks vol. 1 is probably the first official DJ beatmixed CD ever made in the Netherlands) and most of all... a unique artwork for the record sleeves (provided by Dadara). It is especially the artwok that brought Outland/Spiritual so much success; some people bought the 12 inches of the label just for the artwork, regardless what music was contained on the records!

Musically, it is interesting to note that the sound of 1991 was not greatly different from that of 1995, but what was considered strictly underground in 1991 became widely commercialised in 1995-1996 when Dutch DJ/producers were the followed ones instead of the following ones. During the mid-nineties, Outland and Spiritual released one big club hit after the other: Luvspunge, Dimitri & Jaimy, Dominica, Deep Zone, Sensory, Stragglers... they even released exclusive mixes from the Backstreet Boys!

Spiritual also brought us Armin van Buuren's first hit record, Gimmick's "Why You Wanna Hurt Me" in 1997. Sadly enough, it was over after that year; although the label revived somehow, the spirit of the good old days was over.

It's a shame a lot of new releases nowadays don't contain some real artwork like the records released on Outland Records and Spiritual Records. I once collected allmost all records from both labels, but then I sold a lot of them. A pity actually as I would have put them in picture frames to hang them in my vinylroom, if I knew you could buy these for a low price at IKEA.

one of the best house labels to ever release anything in the netherlands, this label started simply as an amsterdam record store.

outland has released some classics! and their sleeve designs, done by dutch artist dadara, are always very nice to see.