Athough destined to be nothing more than an answer to an obscure hip-hop trivia question years down the line, Celestial Recordings was truly a stab at something different. In its short four year run, Celestial used the established jazzy staccato meet hardcore stylings of Project Blowed as a reference point, and played it by ear. The label established itself, much like many independent labels, as o
ne devoted to working with original artists and progressing the art form. However, Celestial can lay claim to having some small victories, as opposed to merely paying lip service. Daddy Kev, Hive, Shaggy, Phoenix Orion and Josh Kouzomis hooked up to release Phoenix Orion's debut album, "Zimulated Experiencez" -- a success hailed by fans of progressive, genre-mashing hip-hop production and sci-fi nerds alike. After selling over 10,000 copies (of an album with songs dedicated to Scanners, Star Wars and Blade Runner), the fledgling label saw this one-shot turning into an ongoing saga. The second release, Hive's "Working with Sound" would continue a trend followed by future Celestial releases with production by one of the label heads -- filtering elements of other genres, particularly drum-and-bass, in order to evoke the proper mood or fit a particular MC's persona. This is best exemplified on Daddy Kev's "Lost Angels EP" -- a cohesive work that complements five MCs of drastically differing styles. As if that wasn’t enough, all of the album art was overseen by Daddy Kev and featured original illustrations by graf artist Mear One, reflecting the edginess and risk taking Celestial came to be associated with -- a consistency that hasn't been duplicated until Def Jux. The label also had a chance to pay homage to one of their biggest influences, Project Blowed, by releasing some of the best material ever associated with the collective. West coast legend and Blowed mainstay Fat Jack's "Cater to the DJ" double-CD compilation, the Omid-produced "Beneath the Surface", a quintessential document of the West Coast underground, and arguably the best Freestyle Fellowship single, "Can You Find the Level of Difficulty in This?" are all byproducts of the probable last golden age for the renowned and revered crew. Despite securing better distribution in 2001, the label ceased all operations in May 2002, leaving several projects that later came out through other labels, with the rest left to languish in the vaults. While several of the artists that first garnered attention on the label are still flourishing, it is doubtful that a single label will provide so many off-kilter hip-hop gems in such a short period of time again.
* above text from Stylus Magazine article by Frederick Thomas
