Buzzin Fly  

BUZZIN’ FLY RECORDS / BRIEF LABEL HISTORY & HIGHLIGHTS

In 2002, a raw underground house track by Ben Watt intended only for casual Sunday night club play was bootlegged off a vinyl test pressing by an unknown opportunist and quickly sold an  estimated 2,000 copies inside ten days. The track was called ‘Lone Cat’ and its success  unintentionally kick-started Watt’s long-nurtured intention of one day starting a label. Regaining  control of the track’s distribution, Watt released it as the first single on his brand new Buzzin’ Fly Records in April 2003. ‘Lone Cat’ has now reached lifetime sales of over 10,000 copies on 12 inch

alone and has unintentionally launched one of the UK’s brightest and most respected independent labels.

2003

- Early signings included ‘Musica Feliz’ by the fresh French-Portuguese trio Rodamaal which went  from cult club status to a berth in a Cameron Diaz movie and the tender-tough ‘The Sad Piano’ by  young San Fran first-time producer, Justin Martin, which earned the Single Of The Week slot in leading UK underground tip-sheet, Update, and has spawned the career of one of their most promising young stars.

2004

- The label’s first compilation: Buzzin’ Fly Vol 1 Mixed by Ben Watt (‘A sublime mix’ - iDJ / ‘A house music classic’ - BPM)

- Watt’s ‘A Stronger Man’ (feat Sananda Maitreya aka 1980’s icon Terence Trent D’Arby)

- Charles Webster’s timeless remix of ‘The Sad Piano’, a mix that broadened the appeal of the label with licenses to tougher compilations by DJs such as Germany’s Steve Bug and Circo Loco.

- A licensing deal with Astralwerks in North America

- The label was awarded the Best Breakthrough Label award at the House Music Awards 2004 with nominations in three other categories including Best Breakthrough DJ (Justin Martin).

2005

- Ben Watt’s ‘Pop A Cap In Yo’ Ass’ featuring MOBO-winning UK MC and r‘n’b starlet Estelle went from underground acclaim to overground national radio play on daytime BBC Radio 1.

- Watt’s second mix compilation, ‘Buzzin’ Fly Vol 2’ (‘Not a weak link in sight ... this mix freakin rocks  big time, there can be no doubt whatsoever. Superb. 5/5. Compilation of the Month’ – iDJ).

- ‘Insomnia’, Rodamaal’s follow-up to ‘Musica Feliz’.

- Manoo And Francois A’s second single, ‘Traffic’. After its debut at Miami WMC 2005 it topped the influential tastemaker DJ Magazine Hype Chart at No.1

2006

- Darkmountaingroup’s ‘Lose Control’. Now one of the label’s best-selling singles.

- Watt’s third mix compilation, Buzzin’ Fly Vol 3

- Ame remix of Rodamaal’s Insomnia became a huge summer hit with a record eighteen licenses.

- Jimpster’s ‘Square Up’ backed with John Tejada’s rework.

- ‘Mind Games’ and ‘The Dreamer’ by Abyss picked as tracks 1 and 2 on John Digweed’s

Transitions 2 compilation.

2007

- Justin Martin’s ‘The Fugitive’.

- Ben Watt’s fourth mix CD, Buzzin’ Fly Vol 4 made a feature of using only brand new tracks by either label artists or undiscovered new artists. No 1 Comp of 2007 on influential music culture web site, Textura.org.

- Remixes from Christian Prommer, Spencer Parker, Solomun and MyMy.

- ‘Chaos Restored Mixed by Justin Martin’ - No 3 in DJ Magazine’s Compilations Of The Year.

2008

- Debut album from Mlle Caro and Franck Garcia (‘A modern classic’ / The Times)

- Radio Slave remix of Mlle Caro and Franck Garcia’s ‘Dead Souls’ - one of Resident Advisor’s Top

15 Remixes Of The Year

- Triple anthology ‘Buzzin’ Fly: 5 Golden Years In The Wilderness, Unmixed and selected by Ben

Watt’ - No 3 Compilation Of The Year in DJ Magazine.

- ‘Chaos Restored 2 Mixed by Justin Martin’ - No 1 Compilation Of The Year in iDJ Magazine

- ‘Kleine Nachtmusik’ by Stimming - No 2 Best Track Of The Year in iDJ Magazine

- ‘Guinea Pig’ by Ben Watt