VIBE's Top 10 Parties & Clubs Turned Electronic Music Labels

February 28, 2013 - 5:20 pm by Jorge Hernandez

They were hosting some of the hottest parties before turning out the industry's most talented artists. Here's our list of 10 underground parties and venues that made the transition into successful electronic music labels ->

10. Tresor In early 1991, in the shadow of the fall of the Berlin wall, Dimitri Hegemann launched a party devoted to techno, industrial, and acid house in the basement vault of a department store. Later that same year, the club created its namesake label. Both the club and the label have featured some of the biggest names in techno, including Jeff Mills, Juan Atkins, Terrence Dixon, and Joey Beltram. The party ran successfully for years, establishing itself as one of Berlin's definitive clubs and boutique labels until 2005 when the property was sold and the club closed. In 2007, it relocated to an an old power plant basement at the end of a long tunnel. One of the label's most recent releases is a reissue of Juan Atkins' "I Love You" reportedly the last lrack to be played at the old Tresor.

9. Let's Play House Let's Play House is the brainchild of label manager and DJ Jack Renault, launched in 2009 in partnership with Anthem Magazine editor Nik Mercer and James Friedman, who launched LPH's sister label Throne of Blood with The Rapture in 2006. LPH parties rotate to accommodate guest DJs such as Mark E, Bicep, and Tiger & Woods in locations as varied as karaoke bars in Chinatown and posh hotel rooftops in the Meat Packing District. LPH has released tracks and EPs by Jacques Renault, Toby Tobias, the M.E.B., and the mysterious Dead Rose Music Company.

8. A Club Called Rhonda/Rhonda International In their own words, Rhonda is "L.A.’s undisputed mecca for HOUSE, DISCO, AND POLYSEXUAL HARD PARTYING." Launched in 2008, Rhonda has hosted a slew of top shelf House DJs including Hercules & Love Affair, Monty Luke, Moodymann, Tensnake, Cosmo Vitteli, Nicky Siano, Theo Parrish, and Juan MacLean to name a few. They've previously had a few releases through Echo Park records, but they are preparing to launch their own label Rhonda International that will feature resident DJs James Del Barco, Cromie and others.

7. Organic Grooves/Codek From 1994-2003, Organic Grooves was one of New York's best multicultural roaming underground parties, combining live musicians with DJs in unique locations. The party and group were co-founded in 1995 by Sasa Crnobnja, who later co-launched the Codek label in 1996 with Alesx Gloor - his partner in Italo cosmic disco duo In Flagranti. The label released all four of the Organic Grooves compilations, as well as Sasa's work under the alias Cosmic Rocker. At a time when New York was burning out on Club Kids and fighting "Giuiliani-time" crackdowns, Organic Grooves offered an old school sense of family that was lacking in the city's fabled nightlife. [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed]

6. Dropping Gems Dropping Gems is a music collective and party founded in Portland, Oregon in 2011. They began dropping compilations and EPs on their own label the same year. Squarepusher, Giraffage, and Balam Acab have played there. Their roster and crew includes DJAO, Citymouth, and Ghost Feet who cover unique points along the micro-beats spectrum. Their current release is Natasha Kmeto's hip-hop/dubstep flavored EP, Dirty Mind Melt." [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed]

5. Berghain/Panorama Bar With its checkered past, random door, no-camera policy and free-love shenanigans, this multi-tiered temple of decadence housed in a former power plant near the East/West Berlin border is the techno and house paradise purist heathens dream of. Berghain is storied to have risen in 2004 from the ashes of the equally notorious Ostgut Tun club which had its heyday in the late 90s. In 2005 the club launched the Ostgut Ton label featuring singles, EPs and albums by Berghain/Panorama Bar residents Cassy, Prosumer and Ben Klock. Subsequent releases have featured Marcel Dettman, Shed, Tobias and most recently Function.

4. All Day I Dream In 2012, Lee Burridge and Matthew Dekay launched All I Dream - a label and party series devoted to "beautiful, melancholic, gorgeous house music." The label kicked off in fine form with a 12" from Audiofly, as well as releases by Burridge, Dekay, Alexi Delano and Konrad Black. Previously in 2008 Burridge launched Get Weird, a label and party series with a similar vibe. He recently brought his dreamy sounds to the BPM Festival in Cancun, Mexico. Burridge and company are presently plotting a summer series for 2013. [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed]

3. SMOG Founded in in Los Angeles in 2006 by 12th Planet (John Dadzie), the SMOG parties and label helped break dubstep in the US. In addition to 12th Planet, the brand is home to Flinch, Kelly Dean, and DLX. The SMOG crew has worked with some of the genre's biggest names including Skrillex, Datsik, and Plastician. Initially making their home at the Echo in Echo Park, the parties expanded to warehouses, and ultimately led to the opening of the Dubtroit club in Orange County. Recently they were name-checked by Goldie, who compared their influence on the current bass music scene to that of Metalheadz on the UK jungle scene.

2. Fabric Created by Keith Reilly and Cameron Leslie in the fall of 1999, Fabric followed Ministry of Sound's example, quickly establishing a namesake CD mix series and record label in 2001. Its Fabric series focuses on root genres like House and Techno, while its sister series FabricLive showcases subgenres including Drum & Bass, Dubstep, and Breaks. Most recently in late 2012 Fabric launched the Houndstooth label, which will go "beyond the club" and produce albums, EPs and more artist-focused releases. Their first release The Present Tense by Call Super is out now and offers a free .wav file download with vinyl purchase, a great marketing hook.

1. Ministry of Sound One of the first successful clubs to jump-start the global lifestyle branding trend, Ministry of Sound was founded in 1991 by James Palumbo and Lewis Hotchin. Inspired by New York's Paradise Garage it was one of the first clubs with a 24-hour license and boasted one of the best sound systems in club land. DJs for the marathon opening night in 1991 included Larry Levan, and Tony Humphries. Its compilations, including The Annual, Sessions, and Clubbers Guide, are collectibles. While the Ministry empire remains successful, the original club is presently battling real estate developers whose plans for an office building may lead to the club shutting down. To harness support, Ministry has created the social media campaign #savemosclub. #savemosclub campaign