Hope hasn't all been about global partying and sun chasing. Oh, wait… Yes, it has. Still, it began in the back room of a house somewhere in Bristol in the glint of Steve and Leon's eyes. Here's a potted history:
The game was on with the release of 'Hope 001' by Bristol tech funk legend Jamie Anderson. More tracks from Timo Maas & Martin Buttrich, Starecase, General Midi and Way Out West. Within 10 months it went off the hook with Timo's 'Der Schieber' - the 'Funkin for Hope' mix being instrumental in the influence and creation of a new breaks scene, whilst its A side helped propel Timo & Martin into the big league. The first compilation, 'Hope Classics Vol. 1', was followed by the huge selling 'Music for the Maases Vol. 1' and the signing of new artists like James Holden, Max Graham and Loafer.
We started throwing parties (mainly in the US), and it was the Hope WMC parties which struck a particular chord. Musically, we felt we needed a slight change; and, sensing the environment shift around us, we allowed 2002 and 2003 to herald the start of a funkier, more stripped-back phase with the hugely underrated Capoeira Twins, who released a number of singles with us. A small trip down drum and bass alley with Distorted Minds and the German Moguai (whose 'U Know Y' became one of the catalogue's biggest sellers) allowed us to get into the charts and soundtrack another musical change in club land.
The beginning of the new decade saw the release proper of Way Out West's critically acclaimed fourth album 'We Love Machine', followed swiftly by new music from the likes of Tom Glass, DAT, and Nick Warren. A few years later, Warren stepped into the fold and took on the role of Hope's A&R man; and now, we find that twenty years has passed, and we're still as devoted as ever to the loud times, the good times, and to consistently delivering the freshest sounds from all over the world to the masses.
Unit 4.16, Paintworks
Bath Road, Bristol
BS4 3EH, United Kingdom
+44 (0) 117 9712397