!K7 Records

!K7 Records grew out of Berlin’s electronic music culture in 1996, launched alongside the DJ-Kicks mix series by Stud!o K7. Its name comes from Kaiserdamm 7, the company’s original Berlin address. The label has since operated from other locations in the city and is now headquartered on Gerichtstrasse, with branch offices in London and New York City.

From the start, !K7 Records worked across techno, house, breakbeat and leftfield electronic music. Early releases included work by Nicolette, K-Hand, Nick Holder and Terrence Parker, while a partnership with Kruder & Dorfmeister’s G-Stone Recordings brought albums by Kruder & Dorfmeister, Tosca and Peace Orchestra into the label’s orbit. The roster also connected UK and international electronic, soul and bass-minded artists including Smith & Mighty, A Guy Called Gerald, Herbert with Dani Siciliano, Rae & Christian, Swayzak, Spacek and Mike Ladd, alongside German producers such as Shantel, Funkstörung and Terranova.

DJ-Kicks became one of !K7’s defining projects, giving DJs and producers room to build artist-led mixes rather than straightforward club compilations. Entries from Kruder & Dorfmeister, Rockers Hi-Fi, Nightmares On Wax, Thievery Corporation, Playgroup and Tiga reflected the series’ broad reach across downtempo, hip-hop, dance music and club culture. Mixmag called it “the most important DJ mix series ever.”

As part of the wider K7 Label Group, !K7 Records sits beside imprints including 7K!, Strut, Soul Bank and Eternal Source Of Light. The company focuses chiefly on electronic music while also running label services, synchronization and licensing, distribution, and music publishing. Its contemporary artist roster includes Kassian, Marcel Dettmann, CCL, HAAi, Quantic, Steven Julien and Sofia Kourtesis. K7 Music was acquired by Create Music Group in April 2025.