Central Processing Unit

Central Processing Unit, often known as CPU Records, links contemporary electronic music to Sheffield’s early bleep tradition. Founded in Sheffield in 2012 by Chris Smith, the independent British label has become closely associated with modern electro, while its releases draw on the machine rhythm, bass weight and electronic directness connected to the city’s earlier sound.

CPU’s roster includes artists such as Silicon Scally, Blackploid, Kryst4l 2.0, Maelstrom, Noumen, Nullptr and Larionov, alongside work issued under the Central Processing Unit name. The label’s output has also been shaped by Smith’s Computer Club Sheffield studio, where many releases have been mastered. In 2021, CPU marked its 100th release with Cygnus’s 12-inch 100% Dope.

Smith extended the label’s activities beyond records in 2019 with The CPU Filter, a studio filter module modelled on the filter of the Roland Jupiter-6. CPU also operated the Computer Club Records sublabel from 2013 to 2018, releasing further electronic music from its Sheffield base.