We started out releasing music by our friends, but increasingly Bad Taste has been about unearthing new talent. In 2015 we started working with ELWD, whose distinctive instrumental music has drawn lines between the woozy, soul-inflected beat tapes of Knxwledge, the dreamy drift of ambient music and the rhythmic invention of jungle and footwork. We met Affelaye through Soundcloud in 2013 and released his first EP Maybe There shortly after. He returned three years later with second EP Thirsts,  further exhibiting his dexterity for raw emotion and delicate melodies. And joining the roster in 2016 was Slick Don.

Young prince of the UK bassline scene, he smashed out a brace of grime singles – Brap, Feds, My Don, Highs & Lows – with producer Walter Ego on the buttons. A veteran of the roster since 2011, Rawkid’s distinctive high-octane style, gruff northern accent and abrasive slang spawned classics like Le Chambre in 2012, Wonton Soup in 2013 with Trellion, Nine + 1 in 2017, featuring grime maverick Trim, and the long-overdue mixtape Grum Vol.1 in 2018, produced by Trellion & Sniff. That same year, we teamed up with Mach-Hommy on the physical release of the Newark rapper’s album Bulletproof Luh, releasing it in three vinyl editions.