Mo' Wax Explained

Mo' Wax
Founder:James Lavelle
Status:Inactive
Country:United Kingdom

Mo' Wax was a British record label founded by James Lavelle in 1992.[1] The label was not co-founded by Tim Goldsworthy, as is often reported.[2] Steve Finan became co-owner shortly after.

Mo' Wax came to recognition for being at the forefront of trip hop, turntablism and alternative hip hop during the mid-1990s. The label also released notable records covering techno, drum and bass and electro. Mo' Wax also helped the graffiti artist Futura 2000 regain popularity, by using his artwork on many of their releases in the 1990s.

Lavelle signed partial ownership of Mo' Wax over to A&M Records (now part of the Universal Music Group) in 1996. When their deal expired he signed with Beggars Group, who still own some of the catalogue.[3]

The name derives from "Mo'Wax Please", the title of a column James Lavelle wrote in the magazine Straight No Chaser and the Oxford club night he ran. This in turn was influenced by the Freddie Roach LP, Mo' Greens Please on Blue Note records.[4]

The original Mo' Wax logo as used on the early releases was designed by UK graphic designer Ian Swift "Swifty" and the label grew their reputation by featuring artwork contributions from Futura, Robert Del Naja (from Massive Attack), She One, Req1 and Kostas Seremetis.Ben Drury and Will Bankhead were the main designers responsible for the art direction and design of the label.[5]

The label also released toys and art prints under their Mo' Wax Arts (MWA) imprint, and collaborated with artists such as Mark Gonzales, Mike Mills, and Money Mark.[6]

The label shut in 2002 and was celebrated in 2014 with an exhibition titled "Urban Archaeology: 21 years of Mo' Wax".[7]

In 2015, Lavelle licensed back the Mo' Wax label to release Elliott Power's "Murmur" single as a limited edition hand stamped 12" vinyl.[8] On 26 February 2016, Elliott Power's debut album, Once Smitten, was released on Mo' Wax in collaboration with Marathon Artists.[9] This is the label's most recent release.

Discography

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: The Virgin Encyclopedia of Nineties Music. Colin Larkin. Colin Larkin (writer). Virgin Books. 2000. First. 0-7535-0427-8. 268.
  2. Web site: Kev Geoghegan . 13 June 2014 . Meltdown is 'something joyous' says curator James Lavelle . 13 June 2014 . BBC News.
  3. Paoletta. Michael. U.K.'s Mo' Wax Inks Joint Venture With XL. 1998-11-28. Billboard. 110. 6. 48. en.
  4. Book: Gaunt, James. Making Psyence Fiction. Foxteeth Press. 2020. 9781702889346. 12, 14.
  5. Web site: Gaunt. James. 2021-08-01. Art of Mo' Wax: Ben Drury. 2021-12-24. Mo' Wax – Where Are They Now. en.
  6. Web site: Mo Wax Arts – complete listings. 2021-12-24. Mo Wax Discography. en.
  7. News: Dhaliwal . Ranjit . Urban Archaeology – 21 years of Mo'Wax – in pictures . 17 April 2019 . The Guardian.
  8. Web site: Delany. Joseph. Elliott Power: Murmur. Nowness.com. 5 September 2015. 2016-04-29.
  9. Web site: Stewart-Lockhart. George. Elliott Power – Once Smitten. 3 March 2016. Discogs. 2016-04-02.