Описание
KONTOR Records – A Portrait
2009 follows a veritable annus mirabilis at KONTOR Records, but halfway through the year, the signs are more than positive that the label’s run of success will continue.
2008 certainly proved to be a golden year in the history of KONTOR Records...a gold album award in Germany for Scooter’s latest album “Jumping All Over the World“ – and platinum for the same album in the UK! It was the sensational story of the spring season – Scooter topple Madonna from the charts, dethroning the queen of pop from the #1 spot in the British album listings.
In actual fact, this is a perfect illustration of the success of KONTOR – over a decade of the hottest dance music, reaching all corners of the globe. Hit records and artist development, both at home and abroad. Stay faithful to the music, and the artists will stay faithful to the label – international stars like Scooter and ATB (both have hit the #1 spot in the UK) have enjoyed a long term association with KONTOR and its worldwide network of like-minded dance labels.
It’s fair to say, the label has categorically debunked the theory that dance music cannot create successful artists with the long-term potential to sell albums in large quantities. Kontor has advanced to the status of global player in the electronic music scene, with an ear to the ground (the dancefloor, to be exact) and a heart beating in time to the turntables right across the international spectrum.
It all began in 1995, when Jens Thele, now Kontor Records managing director and head of A&R, opened the doors on a time-honoured Hanseatic commercial room – or Kontorhaus, as they say in Hamburg – to DJ and organise house music nights. Before long, Kontor rose to the top of the list as the place to be, for clubbers and DJs alike. It was the perfect testing ground for new tunes and productions. Jens Thele, a DJ himself and an experienced sales and A&R man with various major record labels, offered local turntable heroes the chance to present their skills and sounds. A network of DJs and producers developed in the environs of the Kontor club and before the year was out, the first club compilation was in the shops. Kontor Records saw the light of day!
Combining club and label was a stroke of genius. Kontor grew and prospered at a rate of knots. Initial successes with Hamburg acts such as D.O.N.S., Shahin & Simon and Boys’R’Us created such a level of awareness that, before long, acts from further afield came knocking on the door of the modest Kontor office. National and international producers signed up, names like ATB, Blank & Jones, CJ Stone, Gouryella (Ferry Corsten/Tiësto), Rank 1, Spiller, Sunbeam, Trance Allstars and Underdog Project (their “Summer Jam“ hit went gold) to name but a few.
Within a year and a half of its foundation, Kontor found itself in the top 30 of the biannual singles charts listings and in second spot in the DDC club rankings by label. In 1999, Music & Media proclaimed Kontor as the most successful dance label in Europe and the readers of Raveline magazine voted Kontor Records “best label“. The prizes just kept rolling in, with Kontor picking up several trophies at the German Dance Awards. In the year 2000 the award for most efficient label was added to the cabinet, plus another four in 2001, including “Best A&R“ for Jens Thele and top vinyl export label for Kontor Records. The award for best national label made its way back to Kontor in 2003, with a similar prize going to Kontor three years running (2001-03) at the annual DJ Meeting, as voted by the nation’s DJs. In 2003, four of the five DJ Meeting awards went to Kontor or to acts on the label. Two Kontor acts - Scooter and Mad’House – actually collected the most prestigious prize in the German music industry in 2002, the Echo. Scooter returned the following year to win it again!
“For us it has always been important to work with artis
