The label that kickstarted the careers of Avicii, Madison Avenue, Peking Duk, and Dirty South is celebrating a massive 30 years in the music industry. Founded in Australia, by co-founders John Course and Andy Van (Madison Avenue), the two were integral in developing Australian artists and exporting their house and techno productions across the world.
Recognized as Australia’s number 1 independent label, they have been responsible for over 800+ releases including numerous UK and Australian #1s and ARIA awards supported by millions of streams. You’ll find a trail of well-respected industry names throughout their enviable catalog, some of their highlights include:
- Discovered and developed by Andy Van, the late Avicii released his first ten singles with the label, including his first Beatport #1 “My Feelings For You” (made with Sebastien Drums).
- Legendary DJ Carl Cox teamed up with Mark James (ex Future Entertainment head honcho) and John Course to create Vicious’ third release ‘Eternal’.
- Ground Level’s ‘Dreams of Heaven’ became the label’s very first internationally charting release and spearheaded a string of notable positions.
- Two-time Grammy and ARIA nominated producer Dirty South landed his first releases on Vicious.
- Hitmakers Madison Avenue first achieved their global success with the ‘Polyester Embassy’ album and celebrated their worldwide hits ‘Don’t Call Me Baby’ (UK pop chart number 1 + ARIA Single and Best Dance Release winner).
- The Australian phenomenon Peking Duk achieved 3 platinum selling singles on the Vicious imprint and sister brand Be Rich Records winning ARIA Dance release of the year.
“We began Vicious out of pure passion for music and where it is now is beyond what we could ever imagine. We have grown some of the world’s best talent from Avicii, to Madison Avenue and also released great underground music along the journey including early works from Carl Cox and Ground Level. Much of this occurred during a time when people didn’t know what to think about electronic music and that’s something we are very proud of.” – John Course
“When we first started in 1992 electronic music was just beginning in the states and the UK, we were without the internet back then, but despite being thousands of miles away we carved a unique sound that was born in Australia and hit the world.” – Andy
Vicious and their collection of in-house labels have proven to be a consistent source of breaking talent since its inception in 1992. Early vinyl releases were signed across to highly influential imprints including Warp Records and Faze 2 Records in the UK, and Sonic Records in the USA (at the time home to an emerging artist called Moby).
Their recent pop-dance label Extrovert Music launched last year and released drag queen duo the Jawbreakers‘ debut EP. Igniting with widespread praise and featuring on massive festival lineups again the vicious signings prove their ability to navigate multiple markets.
To celebrate this powerhouse, Vicious will be releasing a collection of singles and remixes, a compilation sharing its immense history with a modern twist. The catalog which includes Avicii, Madison Avenue, Dirty South, Cabin Crew, and MrTimothy will be remixed by leading dance names that include Don Diablo, Mark Knight, Joshwa, PAX, Spencer Parker, Hotmood, Sgt Slick, Super Disco Club, Soul Central, KPD, Cassim, and The Cube Guys. Accompanied by a documentary, Australian tour, and European events, Vicious 30 is fast gearing up to show the world their direct impact upon club music culture, flexing their impressive history and ability to make the world dance.
