Laughing in the face of a ‘crumbling dance music scene’ (as wealthy exploiters of the scene will tell you), Vertical Sound was set up in 2003 to put out the kind of tunes they want to hear on the dance floor.
The recipe is simple, taking what they liked about funk (thinking Herbie Hancock more than James Brown), breaks and grimy garage; then sprinkling with quality elements of house and d&b before cooking up in the studio and serving on vinyl.
To get where they’re coming from you need to appreciate that Vertical Sound sits relative to both progressive breaks and UK garage scenes. That is to say, alongside rather than within them: a kind of middle ground between shaking booty and shaking glow sticks!
Although the sound is groove based and built for the dance floor Vertical Sound ensure high production standards, allowing full appreciation for each release as an individual piece of music rather than simply a tool for the DJ.