Inspiration
John Cunningham: When I started Here & Now Recordings in 2005 I’d been working in Reckless Records, Soho, London for about ten years. On Berwick St—made famous by Oasis’ Morning Glory album cover. All the DJs frequented Reckless: Theo Parrish, Kenny Dope, Carl Craig, the late Andrew Weatherall… Everyone. Gilles Peterson would come in to sell his latest collection of unwanted promos. I’d play him my releases and a get quote from him. Being in the center of it all was very beneficial. Here & Now released afrobeat and broken beat at the tail end of that scene. But with the rise of the internet, Napster, file sharing, and the industry in decline, I moved into music publishing in TV, ad, and film music.
One of the main publishers I worked with invited me to their Christmas party where I met Colin Baldry a.k.a. Ambient Jazz Ensemble. He played me an album he had recorded: Suite Shop. The music blew my mind back then and continues to do so today. I started Here & Now up again off the back of meeting Colin with a newfound epic and cinematic direction. Gilles was the first person I played Suite Shop for. He played the music on his radio shows, added to DJ charts, and shared it with tastemaker friends.
"Here & Now’s sound is warm, retro, and analog. There are plenty of floaty hypnotic electronic, orchestral, and ambient soundscapes, free from drums for easy access."
—John Cunningham (Here & Now Recordings)
We are all exposed to film scores and soundtracks through watching film. Working in music publishing, analyzing, and participating in scoring helped me recognize my love of this medium. All our releases have classical, soundtrack, or cinematic elements. Most of our artists compose for visual media.
I've loved Axelrod’s music—especially the sonics and grandiose element—since I first heard it in the late 90s. Likewise, Bob James was a record store favorite. Especially the sampled tracks such as "Nautilus" and "Spunky." Putting incredible musicians together in a studio setting brings out the creative magic, the sparks that make great records. This is especially true when recording in person, as opposed to remotely.
Much is recorded in incredible studios. David Baron's Sun Mountain studio, for example, recorded the latest album by The Lumineers. Baron has a collection of rare vintage analog synths and he used to run a studio with Lenny Kravitz. There are plenty of floaty hypnotic electronic, orchestral, and ambient soundscapes, free from drums for easy access. Here & Now’s sound is warm, retro, and analog. Leading London composer Lomea employs deft studio wizardry layering up acoustic and electric guitars including 12 strings along with synths and found sound… The right ingredients rife for sampling.
I was brought up listening to jazz from birth. As a kid, rebelling against my upbringing, I was into the polar opposite of genres: hard rock and metal. Metal led me to hip-hop via the Beastie Boys, Run DMC, and Public Enemy. And then through sampling back to jazz with a fresh new perspective on it. As a youngster, sampling made my dad’s record collection credible!
"Putting incredible musicians together in a studio setting brings out the creative magic, the sparks that make great records."
—John Cunningham (Here & Now Recordings)
I’d loved hip-hop from an early age. Working in record stores I was exposed to a crazy amount of music including hip-hop. And I’ve also felt, for a long time, that our catalog would be great for sampling because of our access to incredible recording studios, musicians, the retro analog sound, and the cinematic element that makes up a lot of classic hip-hop samples.