

Irma Records was founded and is still based in Bologna, Italy. The origin of the Irma name is quite peculiar, to say the least... The same building where we started business in 1988 was once a famous Bologna brothel, "Irma Casa Di Prim'Ordine" (Irma First Class House), hence the name of our oldest label. In those days the few existing Italian independents were dealing with rock, but one day a young A&R/musician (Umbi Damiani) and a general manager with a solid experience in record distribution (Massimo Benini) formed a production team together with a bunch of promising DJ's and musicians from the area. Among them Claudio "Moz-Art" Rispoli, future founder of Jestofunk, Cesare Collina aka Tito Valdez, Cesare "Black Mighty Wax" Cera, Checco Montefiori (Kekkotronics, Montefiori Cocktail) and Luca "LTJ" Trevisi (LTJ X-perience). In the beginning there was house: deep, soulful and often with funk or breakbeat influences, revolutionary for those days. During the years Irma became one of the creators of the so-called chill out sound and then of the lounge/cocktail/easy listening movement. To continue as one of the first labels outside the UK to release compilations of early jazzy jungle/drum'n'bass and trip hop. To become producers of successful rare groove and acid jazz compilations and among the spearheads of the bossa explosion. In the new century Irma has discovered, among the others, Max Sedgley, already a legend in the UK thanks to the massive "Happy", and Brazilian pop/drum'n'bass act Kaleidoscopio, the cyclone that swept Italy last year and is about to unleash its power in Europe and Japan in 2005. Milestones in IRMA history: SOFT HOUSE COMPANY What you need.../... A Little Piano 1989 (Hit in UK, USA) DOUBLE DEE feat. Dany Found Love 1990 (Hit in Italy, UK, France, USA, Benelux ...) DON CARLOS Alone 1991 (Hit in UK, USA) JESTOFUNK I'm Gonna Love You 1991 (Hit in UK, USA) JESTOFUNK Say It Again 1992 (Hit in France) BUM BUM CLUB Play This House 1994 (Hit in UK, France) JESTOFUNK Can We Live 1994 (Hit in Italy, UK, France) BLACK MIGHTY ORCHESTRA Ocean Beach 2000 (Hit in UK) MAX SEDGLEY Happy 2003 (Hit in UK) KALEIDOSCOPIO Voce Me Apareceu 2004 (Hit in Italy) And also more IRMA GEMS: (in order of release) KEY TRONICS ENSEMBLE House Of Calypso / Calypso Of House T.F.M. Out Of Bounds MOZART & MASTER FREEZ Let The Music Move Me BABY DOLL HOUSE What's Up JESTOFUNK I'm Gonna Love You OMNIVERSE Antares BE NOIR Give Me Your Love THE LAST MINISTER Tribute / Feel Free DYNAMIC NOISE Do You Feel Alright DATURA - Yerba Del Diablo NIKITA WARREN I Need You DOUBLE DEE People Get Up LTJ SOUND MACHINE Don't Stop The Sax TAMEKA STARR Going In Circles FRANKIE HI NRG Fight Da Faida OUTDANCE Pump Up The Jammin' DATURA Mystic Motion (Bum Bum Club Rmx) JESTOFUNK Stellar Funk (Lazzaro Shoes) JESTOFUNK feat. Jocelyn Brown Special Love BLACK & BROWN Cool Affair (Eric Kupper Rmx) LTJ XPERIENCE Moon Beat MONTEFIORI COCKTAIL Gipsy Woman GAZZARA The Spirit Of Summer (Dave Warrin Rmx) LTJ XPERIENCE feat. Joe Bataan Ordinary Guy