Origins

The artists first released on the label included Simon Mastrantone and NeatPeople. Rekabet gained accolade off the back of the media buzz resonating around their demos; XFM

Xfm

Xfm is a brand of two commercial radio stations focused on alternative music, primarily indie pop, and owned by Global Radio.-History:Xfm was created in London in 1992 by Sammy Jacob, who later co-founded NME Radio in 2008. Xfm subsequently expanded to a network of four stations; there are...

's John Kennedy

John Kennedy (DJ)

John Kennedy, is a DJ who presents Xposure on XFM, between 10pm and 2am Monday-Thursdays. He is the only DJ to have been with XFM constantly since its inception and the show is the longest running of all of the specialist shows John Kennedy, is a DJ who presents Xposure on XFM, between 10pm and 2am...

 was a fan, particularly of NeatPeople, making them Artists in Residence, as well as Simon Mastrantone, respectively. The label was also given favourable reviews six months prior to its first physical release (their unofficial debut actually being the download-only, "Standing Next To Rose") by magazines such as Dazed & Confused

Dazed & Confused (magazine)

Dazed & Confused is a British style magazine, that was set up in 1992 and published monthly. Its founding editors were Jefferson Hack and Rankin...

. NeatPeople, in the run-up to the release of 7" single, "Baby I'm Bored", supported The Bluetones

The Bluetones

The Bluetones were an English indie rock band, formed in Hounslow, Greater London, in 1993. The band's members were Mark Morriss on vocals, Adam Devlin on guitar, Scott Morriss on bass guitar, and Eds Chesters on drums. A fifth member, Richard Payne, came on board between 1998 and 2002...

 on their UK tour. The upbeat single was a resoundingly successful first official outing for the label, with both Steve Lamacq

Steve Lamacq

Steve Lamacq , sometimes known by his nicknames Lammo or "The Cat" is an English disc jockey, currently working with the BBC radio stations BBC 6 Music and BBC Radio 2.-Early career:He was born in Basingstoke, Hampshire...

 and Zane Lowe

Zane Lowe

Zane Lowe also known as 'Zipper', is a radio DJ and television presenter. He was born in New Zealand and grew up in Auckland, where he was a presenter on the local music station Max TV, before moving to England...

 showing their support with radio rotation.
Simon Mastrantone's debut mini-album spawned an unexpected hit; the promotional video of lead track, "Sing a Song of Petulance" gaining airplay on MTV Two's show 120 Minutes (UK TV series)

120 Minutes (UK TV series)

120 Minutes is a show on MTV Two that was broadcast nightly at 1am. In the tradition of the US show of the same name, it showcased music videos from "the newest, most innovative acts in rock, left field and electronic music"....

.

Progression

NeatPeople, the more commercially viable of the label's roster, further excelled in their fortunes by time of the release of their second single, "Carry You Upward". The increasing attention around the group gained them coverage by NME

NME

The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...

, and their promotional video made the MTV

MTV

MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....

 playlist.
At the time of signing to Rekabet, NeatPeople were initially contracted to former Blur

Blur (band)

Blur is an English alternative rock band. Formed in London in 1989 as Seymour, the group consists of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Blur's debut album Leisure incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegazing...

 manager and owner of Food Records

Food Records

Food Records was a record label set up in 1984 by David Balfe, who later took on Andy Ross as his partner. Originally formed as an independent record label with distribution going through Rough Trade Distribution, Food licenced acts to the Polygram offshoot London and Warner's WEA Records, before...

, Andy Ross' management company, Bossmusic

Bossmusic

Bossmusic is an independent record label based in London, most notable for releasing early Reuben records. It was founded by Andy Ross, who used to manage Food Records before it was taken over and merged into Parlophone by EMI in 1994...

. Although still signed to the label, they have since parted company with Ross, shortly before their indefinite hiatus, announced in mid-2007.

Present day

Rekabet has since moved on from being a solely indie rock-oriented label, to fit in genres such as hip hop

Hip hop

Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...

 & drum and bass

Drum and bass

Drum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...

, notably taking on the rap group's A.M.M.O; a favourite of Ras Kwame

Ras Kwame

Ras Kwame is a British radio DJ and presenter. He started in the music industry as a club DJ playing hip hop, R&B and reggae in the early 1990s. He then moved on to promoting for Kiss100's groundbreaking Starlight Club night and the Mean Fiddler’s Subterranea Club, bringing over talent from the US...

, and Rhyme Asylum

Rhyme Asylum

Rhyme Asylum is a currently unsigned London hip hop group formed in 2002 by MCs Possessed, Psiklone, Skirmish and Plazma, who did not return for the second album...

, considered the ones-to-watch by many respected moguls within hip hop worldwide. Operations are also expanding to Turkey

Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

, where a connection has been formed between Rekabet and Mor ve Ötesi

Mor ve Ötesi

Mor ve Ötesi is a Turkish alternative rock band from Istanbul. Its four current members are Harun Tekin , Kerem Kabadayı , Burak Güven and Kerem Özyeğen . Former members include Alper Tekin and Derin Esmer...

's label, Rakun, on a licensing basis for the UK.

Releases

Cat No.	Artist	Title	Date
REKA000	NeatPeople	Standing Next To Rose	(July 2006)
REKA001	NeatPeople	Baby I'm Bored	(September 2006)
REKA002	Simon Mastrantone	... And The First Noise	(September 2006)
REKA003	NeatPeople	Carry You Upward	(May 2007)
REKA004	Simon Mastrantone	... And The Drowse	(September 2007)
REKA005	Rhyme Asylum	State Of Lunacy LP	(June 2008)