FW is 10: Celebrating 10 Years of First Word Records

A 25 track funk album (2h 4m 15s) — released June 27th 2014 on First Word Records

First Word Records started in 2004 as a collaboration between Leeds promoter Aly Gillani (DJ Gilla) and Sheffield DJ Andy H. The duo felt that the fertile music scene in their corner of the UK wasn't getting the exposure it deserved and thus FW was born. Originally releasing music from their friends and peers (kidkanevil, Homecut, The Haggis Horns) the label has expanded over the years to include artists from across the globe including Souleance (France), Yosi Horikawa (Japan), Tall Black Guy (US), Ross McHenry (Australia) and Comfort Fit (Germany). Now based in London the label has now notched up over 100 releases and built a worldwide following.

To celebrate their first decade the label have put together this retrospective 25-track compilation encompassing the full range of the FW sound. There's soulful hip hop (Homecut), driving afrobeat (Ariya / The Fontanelles), experimental beats (Yosi Horikawa, kidkanevil), disco-funk (The Haggis Horns, 6ix Toys), dub-reggae (Lotek, EPRC), spaced-out jazz (Teotima, Ross McHenry) and leftfield breaks (Souleance, Jack & Juke). The scope of the compilation (and the label) is wide, but true soul music is the common thread. Here's to the next 10!

  • Kudos happily ship all items worldwide.
  • Shipping costs and delivery times are available here.
  • UK items are sent tracked as standard at no extra cost.
  • We aim to dispatch orders placed before 2pm on the same day.
  • We are unable to ship orders on weekends or Bank Holidays.
  • If you purchase a pre-order item amongst an order of in-stock releases, we will typically hold your order until all items are in ready to send.
  • Although we use all reasonable means to ensure that your order is delivered within a specified time, we cannot accept any responsibility for late deliveries due to circumstances outside of our control. We will do our best to inform you of any unexpected delay.