Moving Shadow

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One of Moving Shadow's logos

Moving Shadow is a UK based jungle/drum and bass record label that was started in 1990 by Rob Playford (aka Timecode). It is one of the oldest and most respected labels in drum and bass, with many seminal tracks amongst its back catalogue.

The label was born before the genres "jungle" or "drum and bass" had even recognisably formed, beginning its history with "old skool" rave / breakbeat hardcore from artists like 2 Bad Mice (of which Rob Playford formed one third) and the Earth Leakage Trip classic 'Psycotronic EP' (Shadow 1). A few years later the label was responsible for some early classics of jungle from the likes of Omni Trio (Renegade Snares, Thru the Vibe) and Deep Blue (The Helicopter Tune), then in 1994, Ray Keith's pivotal anthem Terrorist.

In 1994 Playford began engineering for Goldie working on tracks written using his Rufige Kru alias and producing/engineering his 1995 album, Timeless. This was released on the better-funded FFRR Records as opposed to Moving Shadow.

They maintained their status as one of the highest profile drum and bass labels, with Dom and Roland, Aquasky, Calyx and EZ Rollers joining the roster in 1996-1997. EZ Rollers saw their music featured in the movie Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, but this chartbound jazzy drum'n'bass was not representative of the overall sound, which moved mainly into techstep toward the end of 1990s. Moving Shadow provided music for Grand Theft Auto 2 (1999) and also a whole radio station called MSX FM in Grand Theft Auto III (2001) and Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (2005).

In 2000, the label reached a decade in business, a rare achievement for an independent label from the rave scene, and celebrated with a retrospective of their remarkable back catalogue. Following this, the label's visibility dropped somewhat, with albums from stalwarts Omni Trio and Dom and Roland being notable exceptions. However they have had a resurgence in 2004 and 2005 with acclaimed releases from Noisia and Calyx.