Taxman releases statement regarding the status of Utopia Recordings.

On Nas’ “No Idea’s Original” the hook states it plainly: “No idea’s original, there’s nothing new under the sun.” In this vast era of drum & bass we’re currently living within, there are so many times where multiple tunes may nick similar ideas from a TV series (we won’t snitch, but sniff around recent releases and see if you recognize any Squid Game references) or just the sheer naming of tunes; things can get repetitive as the world of drum & bass expands. That said, Taxman’s realized that he may “have jumped the gun” when it comes to the naming of his forthcoming imprint.

On Saturday, Taxman dropped the following statement across his social media pages:

Ok, so regarding my new label name Utopia Recordings, it seems I have jumped the gun with names choices, and there is indeed a DNB label named Utopia Music, which to be totally honest, and I mean no offence by saying it, I had not heard of before today.

I would not want to disrespect or disregard anyones effort and hard work they have put into a label they have built from the ground up.

Utopia Recordings is far too close to Utopia Music, and so with that in mind I will be be going back to the drawing board and thinking of a new name and design.

Apologies to Utopia Music and Mako.

I think it’s important to be as original as possible when branding, so this is the best way forward.

Cheers!

Taxman, Facebook (April 2022)

Accident’s happen

It’s an honest mistake, really. I mean, for the kind of dnb consumer I am, I’ve been up on Mako and the work he’d been putting in with Utopia Music for some time now. It’s where I first heard producers like Villem and Fields, and for a while I remember Mako producing a lot with Mute. Since then Mako’s branched out, dropping material on Metalheadz, Soul:r, Samurai Music, Dispatch Recordings, and other fine imprints. That said, I wouldn’t be surprised if Taxman—who has been tearing dancefloors apart during that era, primarily alongside the assorted Playaz camps that DJ Hype had set up—wouldn’t be up on Mako and his Utopia Music imprint. [Ed. Note: Utopia Music just dropped a new EP from Quartz.] With so many producers and labels and releases to keep up with, it’s not hard to neglect whole sections of the dnb spectrum, especially if you’re after a certain sound for your ever-evolving DJ sets. At least, that’s what I’d imagine. Whatever the case may be, this is how you handle it: nip it in the bud and keep it moving. Not to kick a dead horse, but I hope Taxman’s handling of this situation is because we, as a scene, have learned something.

Why would Taxman choose to call his label Utopia Recordings?

This one’s simple; in 2021, Taxman dropped a single on Playaz, “Utopia.” The track is a huge nod to the jungle days of old, build on a massive sub and drenched in the sounds of a far off, um, utopia. It’s a great tune to base the next chapter of a career off of, and while there isn’t much in the way of Taxman linking those ideas together, it’s all we have at the moment.

Taxman’s latest for Playaz, “Ganja” b/w “Ratty Badboy,” is out now.