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Chicago in 1998 was a complicated place for house and techno people. The inception of Gourmet came at a time when dime a dozen disco cut-ups were bigger than ever and it seemed like all the best talents we’re settling nicely into over paid complacency. The two people who created Gourmet, Lori Riegler and Mazi Namvar, were dissatisfied with dance music. Mazi, a DJ and producer, wanted a springboard from which he could release house music based only on its quality and not its market value. Lori, who was working in music promotion at the time, wanted the same but insisted that they carve out a specific niche. It made no sense to start a label unless there was something new to say. Musically, it was decided, the label was going to be an open minded mixture of electronic and organic elements with a disposition towards a straight bass drum.

Mazi’s long time friend Nathan Larsen had just put together a recording studio and wanted a second set of ears to hear his new beats. The tracks floored Mazi. The simple, heady dance music Nathan had created became Gourmet’s first release in March of 2000. The EP was a modest success but it set the precedence for what was to come. In the following months Gourmet put out records that could best be described as deep tech-edged house. Most of the label’s first releases were by Nathan and Mazi. They did, however, invite a few friends onboard putting out projects by the Emotion Detectors (Chris Udoh and June Lopez), David Duriez and Fish Go Deep.

In 2003 they hooked up with Bristol, UK based house juggernaut NRK Music. With NRK’s help Gourmet has expanded and established its label identity by leaps and bounds. The label has begun to widen its spectrum putting out sounds by established and up-and-coming artists alike. New projects include "This is Fresh Meat", a brash sampler series designed to introduce lesser known names to the marketplace. Some key music released in 2004 and 2005 has come from rising stars Dan Berkson, FEX, Flicker, Ty Tek and Mr_Barcode. Berkson’s Easy has especially been a high point for the label being hailed by many as the song of the conference for WMC 2004.

The label’s sound has slowly changed in recent times. Whereas it took itself very seriously at first, the newer Gourmet releases have become more ballsy and light. The Gourmet attitude has changed, adopting an almost punk aesthetic. The latest outings are musically solid while oozing with a complete disregard for tradition or fashion. This gradual evolution has taken the label in a new direction but the essential message remains the same. The idea still is to release futuristic sounds that thrive from creativity and not the bottom line.

Chicago in 1998 was a complicated place for house and techno people. The inception of Gourmet came at a time when dime a dozen disco cut-ups were bigger than ever and it seemed like all the best talents we’re settling nicely into over paid complacency. The two people who created Gourmet, Lori Riegler and Mazi Namvar, were dissatisfied with dance music. Mazi, a DJ and producer, wanted a springboard from which he could release house music based only on its quality and not its market value. Lori, who was working in music promotion at the time, wanted the same but insisted that they carve out a specific niche. It made no sense to start a label unless there was something new to say. Musically, it was decided, the label was going to be an open minded mixture of electronic and organic elements with a disposition towards a straight bass drum.

It took two years to start Gourmet; one year to find its name and another to come up with music to release. Mazi’s long time friend Nathan Larsen had just put together a recording studio and wanted a second set of ears to hear his new beats. The tracks floored Mazi. The simple, heady dance music Nathan had created became Gourmet’s first release in March of 2000. The EP was a modest success garnering multiple licensing deals and a healthy number of vinyl sales. But more importantly it set the precedence for what was to come. In the following months Gourmet put out records that could best be described as deep tech-edged house. Most of the label’s first releases were by Nathan and Mazi. They did, however, invite a few friends onboard putting out projects by the Emotion Detectors (Chris Udoh and June Lopez), David Duriez and Fish Go Deep.

By the middle of 2001 the label had released its 9th record and was slowly creating a reputation for releasing introspective tech-house. The same year, however, the company that was distributing Gourmet (SHR) went out of business. There were new distribution offers on the table almost immediately. The decision was made, however, to hold out for a proper company. The deal came two years later with Bristol, UK based house juggernaut NRK Music.

With NRK’s help Gourmet has expanded and established its label identity by leaps and bounds. With the number of releases rising quickly the label has begun to widen its spectrum putting out sounds by established and up-and-coming artists alike. New projects include "This is Fresh Meat", a brash sampler series designed to introduce lesser known names to the marketplace. Some key music released in 2004 and 2005 has come from rising stars Dan Berkson, FEX, Flicker, Ty Tek and Mr_Barcode. Berkson’s Easy has especially been a high point for the label being hailed by many as the song of the conference for WMC 2004.

The label’s sound has slowly changed in recent times. Whereas it took itself very seriously at first, the newer Gourmet releases have become more ballsy and light. The Gourmet attitude has changed, adopting an almost punk aesthetic. The latest outings are more often "fuck you" drugged-out party tunes that although musically solid are oozing with a complete disregard for tradition or fashion. This gradual evolution has taken the label in a new direction but the essential message remains the same. The idea still is to release futuristic sounds that thrive from creativity and not the bottom line.