Samurai Music began in late 2007 with Presha’s aim of putting New Zealand producers alongside artists from the UK and Europe. He already had years of experience promoting UK artists’ tours and distributing vinyl. After the local focus of Subtronix, international demos encouraged him to start something broader, with State of Mind and TREi among the New Zealand artists involved.
Moving to Berlin in 2011 helped change the label’s direction. The city’s techno culture, together with music from Pessimist, Clarity, Loxy, and Resound, drew Samurai further into deep and experimental drum and bass. Presha also approached Calibre and Klute for material that might sit outside the sound of their own imprints.
RQ’s artwork and coloured vinyl gave the releases a recognisable presentation. The wider operation includes the affiliated jungle label Mindgames and separately issued Horo releases, allowing related musical interests to develop under distinct names.
