Lucid Recordings was born in 1992, emerging out of the Lucid Interval club night in Amsterdam at Mazzo, run by DJ Steve Green.
It was a place to escape the humdrum and explore new dancefloor sounds. Rooted in techno but explorative and willing to take risks. It had a vibe all its own, and it earned a special place in the crowd’s ears, minds and hearts.
Lucid Interval was also a haven for local and international artists looking for a niche, appreciative stage. The live programme was as wide-ranging as the DJ’s set list, nurturing future Lucid artists such as Morphid and x(eptional alongside Warp acts like Autechre and Rhythm Invention, ambient dub from Higher Intelligence Agency and Zion Train, and Euro technicians including Source Experience and Locust. Not forgetting the raga sessions, the didgeridoos and the overtone singing.
This eclectic selection formed the basis for the first Lucid compilation of live recordings – many of them straight from cassette - with a little bit of remastering.
We went on to release 10 EPs, nearly all from artists in and around Amsterdam, ranging from ambient to deep techno to drum and bass and lots in between. Over those few years DJ Steve Green toured Lucid Interval around the Netherlands with a live package of Lucid artists. They were all on top form, live and in the studio – and the music has stood the test of time.
Around 2019, with Lucid vinyl gaining value on the second-hand market, people started approaching Steve Green and some of the artists with a view to rerelease old tracks or dig into the archives. The interest brought them together - amazingly, given that 25 years have passed, many of the producers are still living in and around Amsterdam. They thought: why not have a go at doing it ourselves again? They had some brilliant unreleased archive material ready to go, after all, and were still making new tracks. And the rest is the present
Lucid Recordings currently releases archive and new material by six of the original artists:
x(eptional (producers Wouter Snoei + Wouter Kalkhoven]
Zero.dB [producer Nick Berjoan / Binary Code Transmissions]
Morphid [producers Jan Schermer + Jacco Rens]
Sjuul [solo project of Morphid producer Jacco Rens]
Vitamen [producer Gary Shepherd / Streamer]
Ozer [producer Nick Berjoan / Binary Code Transmissions]
So far since re-starting the label we've released four vinyl EPs and lots more digital-only tracks. [check out the music page here]
