Nitrous Oxide Records

([b][u][For submitters]:[/b][/u] Please use [b]this[/b] entry for releases listing "N2O Records," with corresponding Notes to reflect how the label appears.) [b]Nitrous Oxide Records[/b], also known as [b]N2O Records[/b] and [i]Charged N2O/Nitrous Oxide Entertainment[/i] (since 2006), is an American independent label established in 1997 by [url=https://discogs.com/artist/202812]Nate "N8LOC" Shimizu[/url] and based in Los Angeles, California. It has been on hiatus for over five years, with the latest digital-only release, [i][r=27978453][/i], published in August 2017, and a short-lived "N2O Custom Dubplate Campaign" series of limited-edition 10" acetates in 2014. (The official website's URL, [b]n2orecords.com[/b], is most likely still controlled by the owner as it currently redirects to the [a=Wikipedia] page about the label.) An associated [i][url=https://discogs.com/label/35944]Freeburning Rekkid Shoppe[/url][/i] ran on Melrose Avenue in LA until the early 2010s, with many N2O releases pressed with [url=https://www.discogs.com/release/429206]"Freeburning" center labels[/url] advertising the shop. The label extensively collaborated with Japanese hip-hop, electronic, and rock artists since the mid-2000s, such as [a=DJ Baku], [a=Bomb Factory (3)], and [a=Uzumaki], with some albums and EPs pressed in Japan only. The N2O's exclusive distributors were [l=The Orchard] (USA), [l=Entertainment One] (Canada), [url=https://discogs.com/label/3425491]Ultra-Vibe, Inc.[/url] (Japan), and [url=https://discogs.com/label/274712]Cargo[/url] (UK/Europe).

N2O Records began as a DJ-oriented label with its inaugural [i][r=655087][/i] CD/12" EP compilation featuring underground breakbeat, jungle, drum & bass, and hardcore LA producers. In the early days, Nitrous Oxide primarily continued with 12" EPs and singles, including many turntablism/DJ-tool releases. The label gradually adopted a broader range of genres and released several prolific artists, most notably, the 2006 debut solo album by [a=Slipknot]'s DJ/keyboardist, [a=Sid Wilson], under his [url=https://discogs.com/artist/285824]DJ Starscream[/url] alias, [i][m=178430][/i] CD/LP, and one of the solo albums by [a=Omar Rodriguez-Lopez] of [a=At The Drive-In] and [a=The Mars Volta] fame, [i][m=113770][/i] CD/2×LP. (The fourth part of Omar's "Amsterdam series," [i]Calibration[/i] became his second and the highest-charting album in the US at the time, peaking at 29 on [url=https://discogs.com/label/1312199]Billboard[/url]'s "Top Heatseekers" chart.) The company signed a deal with [l=Sony Music Records]/[l=gr8! records] in 2006, becoming an exclusive US promoter for the Japanese band [a=Boom Boom Satellites].