ormed by famed 80s remix duo Matt Black and Jonathan Moore (also known as Coldcut), the Ninja Tune label was set up to distribute the Jazz Breaks series of breakbeat albums under the DJ Food moniker (which was Coldcut, along with collaborator Patrick Carpenter).

In 1994 the label finally took the step towards being a fully-fledged independent label with the release of 9-lazy-9’s Paradise Brown, a heady mix of laidback beats with jazz overtones, featuring the talents of James Braddell (aka Funki Porcini). This set the tone for the early years of Ninja-Tune albums, with releases from the world-music influenced Up, Bustle and Out and Coldcut, themselves, following in quick succession.

Over the course of the mid 90s, the explosion of trip-hop music and the increasing favor of down-tempo and jazz-infused records was, in a large part, due to the now highly defined "Ninja-Tune Sound". Releases from Funki Porcini, The Herbaliser, DJ Vadim and the arrival of young, future superstar Amon Tobin had ear-marked Ninja Tune as a label to look out for, with each release improving on the last.

In the Late 90s, due to the success of the Herbalisers’ hip-hop flavoured albums, Ninja Tune expanded on their sound by developing the Big Dada offshoot label – which now releases albums from the likes of the Infesticons, Saul Williams, and cLOUDDEAD. Ninja Tune then went on to act as a distributor for the west coast of the US hip-hop label Quannum projects, releasing albums by Blackalicious, Latryx and DJ Shadow to an eager European audience. The label continues to produce albums with a common laidback vibe and eclectic musicianship, with recent releases from Amon Tobin, the Cinematic Orchestra and Roots Manuva maintaining their high-quality track record.

Label Roster Highlights: Coldcut, Amon Tobin, The Herbaliser, Funki Porcini, The Cinematic Orchestra, Kid Koala, Wagon Christ, Mr. Scruff, DJ Food, Roots Manuva

Five Essential Releases:
Coldcut- Let Us Play
Funki Porcini- Love, Pussycats, and Carwrecks
Amon Tobin- Supermodified
The Herbaliser- Something Wicked This Way Comes
The Cinematic Orchestra- Everyday