Big Beat

Big Beat is a New York label founded in 1987 by DJ Craig Kallman, who started it from his parents’ apartment at 22. It began with a house-music focus, then widened into hip hop before being acquired by Atlantic in 1992 and fully folded into the company in 1998.

The name has since covered different eras. In its original run, Big Beat was home to releases by The Cramps, with titles including A Date With Elvis, Stay Sick! and Big Beat From Badsville, alongside records by The Sonics, The Seeds and The Damned. The label was revived in 2010 with Kallman involved again and a renewed electronic and dance focus.