"I get second pick from James's enormous stable of groupies" jokes DJ Shadow on one of the perks of being signed to James Lavelle's Mo' Wax label. From musicians to groupies, it seems everyone has some reason for latching on to Lavelle. As the owner of the hugely successful label, there are certainly enough reasons. Having built a credible reputation over the last few years as a young man with a talent for releasing innovative music and breaking new talent, he attracted the major labels almost as soon as he began. As for the press, well in James they have the ideal '90s success story: a young man with a vision and determination which took him from stoned music freak to internationally recognised label boss and onto the glossy pages of GQ and The Face. And he's only twenty two. DJ shadow probably wasn't joking after all.

But, feature spreads, business deals and pulling-power aside, Lavelle's main talent is for attracting a diverse range of outstanding artists to his label. His music policy of letting artists 'get on with it' is well respected in the industry. No conventional board room meetings to decide signings here, James either likes what you're doing or he doesn't. And that's the main criteria to secure a release. It also ensures that the likes of Attica Blues, Andrea Parker, Rob D and DJ Shadow ended up on his payroll. "I met James and sold him some Japanese Hip Hop records and it went from there. He said, 'I'm starting a new label, you're into hip hop, go into a studio and do me some tracks', which is kind of his style of doing things." Says Charlie from Attica Blues."

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