Soundway Records

Soundway Records
Name	Soundway Records
Founded	2002
Founder	Miles Cleret
Country	United Kingdom
Location	London
Genre	World, Afrobeat, Highlife, Latin, Caribbean, Tropicalia

Soundway Records is an independent British record label specializing in archival compilations and contemporary releases that highlight African, Caribbean, Latin American, and global dance music traditions. Founded by Miles Cleret in London, the label has become known for curating obscure 1960s–1980s recordings, reissuing rare vinyl, and promoting modern artists influenced by regional styles such as Afrobeat, Highlife, and Tropicalia. Soundway's catalog has informed DJs, producers, ethnomusicologists, and collectors, bridging scenes in Lagos, Accra, Kingston, Rio de Janeiro, and Kingston with audiences in London, Paris, Berlin, and New York.

History

Soundway emerged in the early 2000s when an increased global interest in postwar popular musics intersected with crate-digging culture in London, Marseille, Lagos, and Accra. The label's early trajectory connects to scenes around Notting Hill Carnival, Southbank Centre, Fabric (club), Ministry of Sound, Koko (music venue), Piccadilly Records, and independent record shops such as Rough Trade. Soundway releases circulated through networks including Ninja Tune, Strut Records, Soul Jazz Records, Luaka Bop, BGP Records, and Honest Jon's, positioning the imprint among labels that document global popular music revival movements. The label's history intersects with festival programming at Glastonbury Festival, WOMAD, Afropunk Festival, Barbican Centre, and Southbank Centre events, and with radio platforms including BBC Radio 1, BBC 6 Music, Worldwide FM, NTS Radio, and KEXP.

Founding and Aims

Founded by Miles Cleret, Soundway sought to compile and present overlooked recordings by producers, bands, and vocalists from cities such as Lagos, Accra, Kingston, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Havana, Port-au-Prince, and Luanda. The label's stated aims included preservation, contextualisation, and accessibility, engaging with collectors, musicians, and family estates connected to figures like Fela Kuti, Tony Allen, Os Mutantes, Miriam Makeba, Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Sergio Mendes, and Ebo Taylor. Cleret positioned the label in dialogue with curators and journalists at outlets such as Pitchfork, The Guardian (London), The New York Times, Guardian Music Blog, The Wire (magazine), Mojo (magazine), and NME.

Notable Releases and Series

Soundway's early breakthrough compilations explored sounds from regions and decades: West African 1970s Afro-funk, Nigerian highlife, Ghanaian psych, Jamaican reggae and dub, Brazilian Tropicalia, and Caribbean soca and calypso. Key series and releases referenced musical movements and figures like Afrobeat (linked through artists such as Fela Kuti), Highlife (linked through artists like E. T. Mensah), Palm-Wine music traditions, and Brazilian scenes tied to Tropicália. The label's catalog often paralleled anthologies by Putumayo World Music and historical projects from Smithsonian Folkways while maintaining independent curation comparable to Strut Records and Luaka Bop.

Artists and Collaborators

Soundway has worked with a wide range of musicians, session players, producers, and remixers connected to the compilations and contemporary signings. Collaborators include veteran musicians and estates associated with names like Ebo Taylor, Orlando Julius, Kwamé "VGM" Debrah, Victor Uwaifo, The Funkees, Bola Johnson, Tony Kyson, and contemporary performers and producers who reference archival material, such as Theo Parrish, DJ Shadow, Four Tet, Bonobo (musician), Sea Change Studios engineers, and DJs from labels like Big Crown Records and Daptone Records. The label's projects have benefited from partnerships with curators, ethnomusicologists, and reissue specialists linked to institutions such as British Library, The National Archives (UK), Smithsonian Institution, and university departments at SOAS University of London and Goldsmiths, University of London.

Compilation and Reissue Approach

Soundway's methodology blends field research, oral history, and crate-digging across marketplaces in Lagos, Accra, Kingston, Havana, Sao Paulo, Lisbon, and Dakar. Releases typically include liner notes, interviews, and photographs connecting to archival projects led by writers and historians who have contributed to publications like The Wire (magazine), Record Collector (magazine), Songlines, and Mojo (magazine). The label navigates rights clearances and licensing in coordination with local rights-holders, estates, and distributors such as PIAS, The Orchard (company), Warp Distribution, and Proper Distribution, while engaging mastering engineers experienced with analogue transfer techniques used by studios like Abbey Road Studios and Metropolis Studios.

Influence and Legacy

Soundway's impact extends to DJ culture, academic research, and contemporary production, influencing sampling practices, club playlists, and festival programming across Europe and the Americas. The label contributed to renewed interest in regional scenes tied to Afrobeat, Highlife, Tropicalia, Calypsonian traditions, and Caribbean genres, inspiring reissues, tribute projects, and new recordings from artists in Nigeria, Ghana, Jamaica, Brazil, and Cuba. Soundway's approach informed curatorial models at other imprints and influenced streaming-era compilations and box sets issued by major and indie labels including Sony Music, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, and independent archives. Its legacy appears in contemporary artist collaborations, cross-cultural festival stages, and in university syllabi that examine postwar popular music and transnational circulation.

Category:Record labels