Compost Records

The Future Sounds of Jazz compilation series was central to establishing Compost Records in its early years, and it remains one of the label’s best-known calling cards. The label is associated with progressive downbeat dance and nu jazz, a hybrid approach that draws on bossa nova, techno, and drum and bass. This stylistic range has positioned Compost as a home for club-oriented music that also leans into jazz harmony, live instrumentation, and eclectic rhythmic sources.

Compost Records is a German record label based in Munich, established by Michael Reinboth in 1993. Reinboth chose the name “Compost” because it translates well across many languages, and because he felt it suggested a “catalyst for constitution and reactions.” From the outset, the label’s identity was closely tied to Reinboth’s curatorial perspective and to the network of artists around him.

The roster has been shaped largely through personal connections, with many artists signed to Compost known to Reinboth through the German downbeat club scene. That approach has informed the label’s sound: releases often balance dancefloor function with a listening-oriented sensibility, reflecting the overlap between DJ culture and jazz-influenced production that defined much of the scene the label emerged from.

Compost has also been characterized by an emphasis on building its artists’ reputations internally rather than relying on larger-label partnerships. According to available accounts, the company has resisted licensing its catalog to bigger labels, preferring to develop its roster in-house. Across its releases, the label has featured work by artists including Shahrokh Dini, Inkswel, Andre Espeut, Yuu Udagawa, Tomasz Guiddo, Black Soda, A08, and Roberto Di Gioia, reflecting its ongoing interest in downbeat, jazz-adjacent electronic music and related club styles.