From synthpop to drum\u2019n\u2019bass, the company had a roster of edgy stars \u2013 and let them do what they wanted. As a new podcast is launched, artists and staff remember the extreme work environment<\/p>\n
\u2018My eyes have started to fucking flicker because you just mentioned London Records,\u201d says Goldie, having an involuntary physical reaction at the mere thought of his old label. \u201cIf a nightclub could be a record company, it would have been London Records. It was the equivalent of Studio 54. It looked like a normal record company from the outside \u2013 shiny, lots of nice cars on the driveway \u2013 but it was the craziest, most hedonistic madness.\u201d<\/p>\n
A new six-part podcast, Hit That Perfect Beat \u2013 The London Records Story, is delving into its colourful history. The label was originally part of Decca Records, once home to the likes of the Rolling Stones, but when Decca was acquired by Polygram in 1980, London began a new chapter as an independent label operating with major label distribution. \u201cWe were put in there to develop it into a pop label,\u201d recalls ex-managing director Colin Bell, who was a pivotal figure alongside Roger Ames and Tracy Bennet. \u201cWe were obsessed with being cool. We wanted to be easily identifiable for a generation of young people. We wanted pop that had an edge.\u201d<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/a83a3219f5dbdc886327c811a8cea8d53bdd76f8\/243_71_2271_1817\/master\/2271.jpg?width=140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=caab8535e132c9d32a6414ded67d1b92\" "\\"Goldie,")
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