We are Gemma. We are low key, always been low key, underground... to a fault. The name "Gemma" actually comes from the main villain character in the anime classic "Ninja Scroll". For those of you that dont already know the story, this is a very brief version of how we came to be.

Gemma Records was founded in January 2000 on the concept of finding the fine balance between innovative and next level beats that would work both on bedroom headphones as well as thump on the dancefloor. The original three founders, Suges, Triplet, and Sigg Shore (Hnicx) got to work right away and in March of 2000 the first Label Sampler CD "Shades of Gemma" was released as a limited edition collectors item, which sold out within a few weeks. In April of that same year, the first "real" release, "Suges Wrex Shop" was set loose on the scene and got everyone's attention. The deep house masterpiece lay the foundation for things to come in terms of the quality of the music, however the strength of the release inadevertedly created identity issues down the road.

Another LP of deep house brilliance followed suit with Martino's "Budoo Rising". It too garnered much attention and was soon picked up by Yellow Productions, the French label home to Bob Sinclair, DJ Yellow, etc. Just like that, Gemma Records was now considered a deep house label... which it never was.

To shake things up a bit, and generally restate the original mandate, 2003 saw the release of Triplet's "Switchblade". Though praised by reviewers and music critics, the growing audience was confused. Switchblade contained no house music, even with a Suges remix on the B-side. More commonly classified as "broken beat" or "West London", record shops that year had a hard time figuring out which section they should even put it in. In retrospect, this may have been the first indication that the artists on the label, though all really good producers, had styles so different that only a few other boutique labels in the world had been able to successfully "keep it all together".

Already by this time, the artists were all hard at work with side projects, remixes, gigs, etc. From the first day of the label it was decided that no one should have any sort of exclusive arrangements, so everyone was free to work on and release whatever they pleased outside of Gemma Records. We all feel that this was and is a good thing, however the free flowing nature of the label made it almost impossible to really maintain one solid roster.

In 2003, Triplet took over the Label Manager position previously held by Suges. Lots of changes were happening but more 12" vinyl releases followed. Suges "Sho'Nuff Suges", MKUltra2 "Reasons", Triplet "Invisibility", and to mark the label's 5 year anniversary "REVOL1 E.P.", released simultaneously with a full mix CD/sampler "The Registry Vol. 1". By this time the artist roster had evolved into more of an artist collective. The Gemma crew included skilled DJs like Nonsense, Voltaire, DJ J-Me, DJ Peko, Darker Than Blue, and Tyra From Saigon. New producers came on board such as PillGrim, Plusgroove, RCMK, and 4 Questions, as well as having a slew of vocalists and musicians in the inner circle.

With rampant Mp3 downloading, CD DJ mixers, and digital technology at the forefront, Gemma Records is more than likely not releasing 12" vinyl in the future, but you never know (I still buy and spin vinyl). For posterity, three more CD releases were produced in short run presses: Triplet "Medium Rare", RCMK "Breakfast Disko Club", PillGrim "Diving In The Shallow End", and even a re-issue of pre-Gemma era Stymiee "Nine Lives Of Stymiee", a full on live band whose members at one point included Triplet and Suges. All of these releases, audio clips, as well as official Gemma merchandise are available on our online Boutique.

Heading into 2008, Gemma Records continues to make music in all sorts of ways. Aside from regular radio shows on Soulstream Networks, Triplet, Martino, DJ J-Me, Plusgroove, Peko, RCMK, and Darker Than Blue all have successful DJ residencies around town and out of town. Everyone is doing their own thang, but we are all joined by the love of creating beats and tunes. More releases are on their way soon, primarily for digital download here and on other sites like TrackItDown.com, iTunes.ca, AWAL.uk, BeatsDigital, and more. Older releases from the back catalog are still available in very small numbers. As always, more to come.

-trplt

 

Last update November 2008 - - - - - All music/images/content © 2000-2008 Gemma Records

 

 

After remixing the other's music, the next logical step was to produce an album together. The results are gold Jerry, gold! On "Dos Equus" Triplet's beats get a bumpy makeover, while PillGrim's moody sound gets an injection of street cred.

From smart future breaks to dark Miami bass jeep beats, Trip and Pill continue the Gemma tradition of dancefloor research.

Listen to soundclips on the player below.

 

Triplet On The Decks
Sutra Lounge: 612 College St. Toronto
DJs: Triplet + guests
Saturdays, No Cover

905 Script Flip
West 50 Pourhouse: 50 Burnhamthorpe Rd West
Mississauga, ON
DJ: Triplet (Retro goodies)
Sunday Dec 21st, Dec 28th

Dubslingers
Thymeless: 355 College St. Toronto
DJs: Jawbone, Link, C.O.I.
Wednesdays, No Cover

Peanut Butter Jingle Jam
Toika Lounge: 471 Richmond St. W., Toronto
DJ:J-Me
Friday, Dec 19th

To book your favorite Gemma DJ, contact us at:
bookings@gemma-records.com