Rough Trade is proud to bring you the first label compilation from Skull Disco. Soundboy Punishments is a complete collection of the heretofore vinyl only and highly collectable 12" singles by maverick producers Shackleton and Appleblim. It is available digitally and as a 2-CD set. Check out both
Naked by Shackleton and
Mystical Warrior by Appleblim.
Also The Internet Exclusive DST Soundboy Punishment Mix.
Skull Disco is a London-based label comprised and owned by two producers single-mindedly traveling a seldom trodden path. Shackleton, with his middle-Eastern influenced beats and dubwise sensibilities, and Appleblim with his brutal riffage and broad range of styles, make this label truly innovative. Some history…

Shakleton’s first release was Stalker (disc 2, track 2), which came out as a one-sided 7” on Mordant Music in 2004. Rough Trade picked it up and included it in their “Best Of 2004” compilation, and from this, Shackleton was inspired to start the Skull Disco label.

The first official Skull Disco release was a split 12” (I Am Animal (Shackleton) b/w Mystikal Warrior (Appleblim). After this release, Appleblim became a partner in the label and people’s attentions were piqued. Some thought that it was eclectic dubstep, others that it was some weird take on jungle. From the start, Skull Disco defied easy categorization.

The next release was another split with Appleblim/Shackleton, but the next three releases were a little different. “Soundboy’s Nuts Get Ground Up Proper” was a Shackleton only disc and attracted interest from all kinds of diverse realms, from the dubwise to the techno heads, including the Hardwax guys and Ricardo Villalobos who included the A-side, “Blood On My Hands”, in his sets. The next two releases were back to the old routine of Shackleton/Appleblim. Further increasing the profile of the label, Appleblim was now being asked to dj regularly at the legendary FWD club – one of London’s best dubstep/grime nights - whilst Shackleton had become a fixture in djs sets from Kode 9 to Rob Da Bank and Radio Slave.

The biggest chapter in Skull Disco’s life was the the release of Ricardo Villalobos’ remix of Shackleton’s “Blood On My Hands”. A huge seller and sub-genre defining release, this saw the Skull Disco label burst through into popular consciousness and brought about the recognition for innovation and exploration that those in the know have always realized about Skull Disco.