Vicious was born in 1992 and has stood strong and steady as the dance music industry has gone from a vinyl led underground movement to a global, digitally distributed and streamed phenomenon. In that time there have literally been hundreds of releases on the labels, the original imprint founded in a backyard shed out of a passion for the music…
That passion is still vibrant if you talk to co-founders John Course and Andy Van, Be Rich label manager Guy Lewis, or any of the people that help make the label tick.
You simply don’t make it through the turbulent times of the music industry without your heart being in it…
Just touching on the company’s history finds a trail of now huge and respected names…DJ Carl Cox teamed up with Mark James (ex Future Entertainment head honcho) and John Course to see the Vicious Records third release “Eternal”. Ground Level’s “Dreams of Heaven” was the label’s first internationally charting release. Dirty South’s first releases and remixes were on Vicious, Ivan Gough saw his first releases with the label, as did James Ash from the Rogue Traders who’s debut album was released by Vicious and who is now back with the team releasing new music as James Ash. The platinum selling Potbelleez are another who started at the label. Madison Avenue achieved global success with their “Polyester Embassy” album and worldwide hit singles “Don’t Call Me Baby” (UK pop chart number 1) and “Who The Hell Are You”. Australian phenomenon Peking Duk had 3 Platinum selling singles with Be Rich Records and of course the late Avicii had a stack of his earliest releases, including his first Beatport number 1 “My Feelings For You” (made with Sebastien Drums) which was released on Vicious. This collective of labels has proven to be an amazingly consistent source for new talent since 1992.
However, when it comes to dance music you’re only as good as your next release and the same passion that helped create the history that Vicious is so proud of is what drives the label and its current crop of artists and labels. Melbourne’s Sgt Slick, John Course’s own productions, Andy Van’s Super Disco Club project (with vocalist Cassie), Mind Electric, Jolyon Petch, who all release on Vicious, Be Rich Record’s Illstrtd, Charlie Threads, Nyne or Sydney-sider Friendless are just some current examples of what the labels are releasing. On a more underground tip, a various array of new school acts are released on the 2023 newly launched imprint EXCEED, or on Vicious Black, not to mention the partnership labels U-Genius & Valiant. Vicious’ pop dance label Extrovert has artists including Zoe Badwi and the Jawbreakers delivering their take on the pop side of the dance floor.
The label collective has an energy and music driven approach that puts music and artists first, and as such will always stand the test of time. Constantly finding new music is what drives the labels, with the consistent theme over the years being new talent from both Australia and the rest of the world that makes an impact on the global dance music map.
The label and the people who run it understand the music and after so many years also bring a wealth of experience in how to develop and partner with artists to build long standing careers. Vicious also know how to get releases in the right hands…From superstar DJs, to radio programmers, to international label talent spotters, to streaming playlist creators or, most importantly, to the general public.
After celebrating its 30th birthday year in 2022, Vicious continues to discover, develop and release quality electronic music, with a talent focused but business savvy collective behind the label. That, you can be sure, will see tomorrow’s new releases continue to add to the revered history that the Vicious collective already hold close to its dance floor driven heart!
