Eskimo Recordings

Eskimo Recordings grew from the late-1990s parties held at Ghent's Eskimo Fabriek, where synthpop, new wave, acid house, funk and rock ’n’ roll met on the same dancefloor. Regular guests included Mo & Benoelie, later known as The Glimmers, alongside TLP and The Flying Dewale Brothers, who would become 2 Many DJs. When the factory required refurbishment around the turn of the century, the parties moved to Culture Club and the Belmondo events at Ghent's S.M.A.K. museum.

Stefaan Vandenberghe and Dirk De Ruyck founded Eskimo Recordings in 2000 to carry that spirit into recorded music. Its early output joined older records and newer productions without treating indie and electronic music as separate worlds. The label's first compilation, Eskimo: Various Artists and Many Others, arrived in June 2000, compiled by Dirk, Mo & Benoelie. It drew together 1970s disco and funk, pop-soul, acid hip house and Martine Girault's “Revival.” The next three volumes leaned toward a Balearic sensibility associated with DJ Alfredo's late-1980s sets at Ibiza's Amnesia.

In 2002, Eskimo introduced the darker Serie Noire compilations, drawing on the new beat sound familiar in Ghent before the Eskimo Fabriek parties. As The Glimmers gained an international profile, the label's compilation series increasingly paired its broad musical approach with individual DJs and selectors. The aim remained deep, associative programming, connecting records from different eras and styles into a single listening experience.

Eskimo developed into an independent home for original artists as well as compilations. Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas released their debut album through the label in 2005, followed by releases from Aeroplane, whose work became especially prominent in the UK and across Europe. The catalogue has also included music connected to artists such as Ivan Smagghe, Optimo, Freeform Five, Satin Jackets, NTEIBINT, Psychemagik and Transistorcake, reflecting its taste for disco-informed electronic music, house, cosmic sounds and leftfield pop.

In 2012, Eskimo marked its first decade with Eskimonde: A Decade of Eskimo Recordings, a five-CD set combining retrospective selections, commissioned remixes and solo mixes by the then-separating Glimmers. Since 2012, the label has been run by Vandenberghe and Nadiem Shah, also known as Captain E. In 2013 it launched the Colour Collections, for which tracks were produced exclusively, beginning with editions including Pink, Blue, Green, Orange and Yellow. In 2016, IMPALA and The Independent Echo selected Eskimo for the FIVEUNDERFIFTEEN campaign.