When was the label set up and who by?
House label Illegal Beats was set up in 2001 by the crew behind funk breaks label Jalapeno. The label name came from the title of its first release - a bootleg version of Raw Silks Do It to the Music that went on to become Kid Crèmes Hypnotising. Although originally centred around Kid Crème's productions, the label expanded to release music from some of the key players in house music.

Who makes up the label team?
The management team at the label comprises Trevor Mac (A&R / MD) who took over running the label in 2002, Elliot Ireland (A&R) who has sold over 3 million records in his various production guises and Sarah O'Shea (Promotions) who is responsible for spreading the good word on the label to an ever widening circle of fans.

Do you have your own studios?
Yes we have two studios in West London.

What are your sister labels?
Jalapeno Records which releases funk, breaks and leftfield tunes. Anything funky that we take a fancy to. Home to Kraak & Smaak, Skeewiff, IKON, Resin Dogs, Mael & Napz amongst others.

How would you describe your label’s sound?
Big Room house music with high end production a priority.

What artists do you currently have signed to your labels?
Although originally centred around Kid Crème's productions, the label expanded to release music from some of the key players in house music. Illegal Beats was the first UK label to pick up on Swedish hotshot Steve Angello releasing Only Man in 2003. Jazz house don Cricco Castelli has released four EP's on the label including his Coffee Kids collaboration with Gavin Mills from Copyright and his Hype Chart # 1 The Bump.
French Funk Factory Richard Grey has just dropped his second twelve on the label and newcomers Kontrakt Killaz from Denmark, Playmaker from Sweden and Christian Alvarez from Canada have all added international flavour to the label. Phillips & Fitch a UK / US production duo have also brought their vibe to the label with their Pass The Funk track becoming a hit in various territories around Europe. The remix of Pass the Funk by Spanish partners in crime Balearic Soul has seen this release hammered all summer long in the Balearics and rise to # 1 in Spains most listened to dance chart.

What would be your ideal artist line-up at a party?
Kid Crème & Junior Jack / Cricco Castelli / Norman Jay / Trevor Mac

What's the most successful release so far?
Kid Crème's Doing My Own Thing was one of the bigger independent house records of last year selling over 10,000 copies on Illegal Beats. However Hypnotising and Down & Under (which we licensed on) were both Top 40 record.

What do you look for in a potential release for the label?
Funk, originality, top end production. There’s a definite divide that separates the best producers from the rung below and it's how they make their records sound. We look for people who are making that jump in quality or who have already made it.

Has the labels sound changed at all/progressed since it was set up?
Not really we’ve stuck to our guns and kept with our sound. I think you have to have a belief in what you do and not be too concerned with what everyone else is doing.

How do you come up with graphic/artwork ideas for your releases, do you sit down as a team and bounce ideas or do you brief an agency?
We have a graphic designer (Alex Scaravilli – brother of Kid Crème) who has been with us from day one. He's part of team and is quite literally the best I've ever worked with. We were very lucky on that front.

Do you participate at many industry gatherings i.e. Medem, WMC ?
Yes Midem is business - mainly licensing , Miami is fun. We're going to the ADE for the first time this year to check that out too.

What do you think of the music scene currently?
I think vinyl sales are taking a big dip and are being replaced by downloading. The legal side of downloading isn't covering the lost vinyl sales yet so a lot of labels are feeling the pinch but I think it will even itself out. The club & live music scene seems healthier than ever and the whole ipod thing has got a lot of people more involved in music again which can only be a good thing.

What do you think the next step is for the house music scene?
There is no next step. We just keep making records and people keep spending their free time dancing to them and having a good time. It's pretty simple really.

CD's have really taken over with the promo side of things and MP3 downloads as well. Do you see yourself as a label continuing to release on vinyl and support the format?
For as long as there is demand we will release on vinyl. It may be that if sales keep dwindling the prices of vinyl have to go up but as long as DJ's want to buy it we will supply it.

Are there any other labels out there you feel are putting out some quality music perhaps even pushing boundaries ?
It's almost too obvious to say but year in year out Defected release absolutely quality music. They always stay one step ahead of the game and have excellent A&R. As regards pushing boundaries I have a lot of respect for a german label called Pulver whose style is quite eclectic but always the highest quality.

Do you promote any other labels?
Jalapeno

What's forthcoming from the label?
Releases from Richard Grey (In Love) and Kid Creme

How do you see House Music in 10 years time?
People will still be dancing to funky music whether it's called funk ,disco, house, electro or whatever terms there are for it in ten years time. This is something that’s primitive within all of us. Getting down to the sound of the drum.

Do you have any set goals that you would like to achieve with the label?
We would like to have successful artist albums on the label especially for Kid Crème. Releasing tracks is one thing but getting an artist album away is a completely different challenge and we feel there are a couple of artists on the label who could do it.