David Dollimore Launches Disorder in Partnership with Geffen Records US

07 December 2023 - Press release

Partnership Announces Warehouse Project Records Deal

Today, dance music veteran, David Dollimore has announced the launch of Disorder Records, a new insignia for electronic music counterculture, in partnership with Geffen Records. This powerhouse alliance will serve as a home to partner with and sign a multiplicity of exciting entities - DJs, producers, artists, brands and labels who are defining the global sound of tomorrow.

Disorder arrives with its first announcement of a major partnership with Manchester's The Warehouse Project forming WHP Records, an original recording imprint harnessing sounds directly from the concourse of one of the most esteemed dancefloors globally. 

David Dollimore has a proven history in translating the nightlife experience into a megawatt brand, as a key stakeholder in one of the most celebrated names in electronic music history, Ministry of Sound. His journey at Ministry took him from intern to boardroom during a decade in which he launched and guided the careers of Eric Prydz, Duke Dumont, Axwell, Benny Benassi, MK, and Avicii (Tim Berg), scoring a record amount of No.1 singles in the process. Ministry housed a landmark nightclub, record label and compilations business, restructuring the commercial and international reach of the British nightlife experience, an underground which to this day reverberates across the world.

When Ministry of Sound Recordings was acquired by Sony Music UK, one of the biggest electronic music acquisitions in history, David was named President of the RCA Label Group, becoming one of the longest serving Presidents in the label group's history, extending his breakout hitlist with the likes of CamelPhat, Cat Burns, Aitch, Fredo, London Grammar and Jade Thirlwall.

The relationship between Dollimore and Geffen Records President Tom March runs deep, as March's own career journey travels heavily through dance music. He began his journey to the head of one of the most powerful and storied record labels in the world as a dance music PR, immersed in the dance music capitols of London, Berlin, Ibiza and Miami, working acts including Fatboy Slim, Damian Lazarus and Royksopp. In a prodigious move up the label ladder, he has helped enable the successes of Avicci, Alesso, The Chemical Brothers, Tiesto, Deadmau5, Jax Jones, DJ Snake, Zedd, Meduza, Swedish House Mafia and Becky Hill amongst many others. In his role as President of Geffen, March brings access to a dynamic global infrastructure, feeding into the Disorder offices in London and IGA (Interscope Geffen A&M) offices in Los Angeles.

Two founders of The Warehouse Project, Richard McGinnis and Sam Kandel, have created one of the most vital platforms in the world for both diverse musical programming, alongside the pure hands in the air vibrancy that Manchester is so famous for. From the first year at Boddingtons Brewery to now, at the behemoth 10000 cap Depot Mayfield, The Warehouse Project sells in excess of 300,000 tickets every winter season and develops dozens of new acts, supporting festival level headliners week in, week out. From Fred Again.. to Peggy Gou, Interplanetary Criminal to Four Tet, LCD Soundsystem to Nia Archives, it's one of the most important dancefloors in Europe.

On this new chapter, Dollimore said, "Disorder will be an incubator for the future of dance music and redefine the landscape as we see it. This label will be a portal to the underground club world, distilling future trends for mass consumption. We will be leading a generation forging alternative routes to the top, outside the confines of dated traditional structures. The Disorder artist will resonate in fashion, culture, lifestyle and entertainment, across multiple platforms, forming a newgen of future visionaries within the field.

Together Tom March, Rich, Sam and the impressive team at The Warehouse Project and I, have the network, the platform and the global infrastructure with Universal to make this one of the most successful partnerships in dance music."

Tom March said, "At Geffen we are always looking to partner with our industry's most successful and innovative entrepreneurs. I couldn't be more excited to partner with David as he heads back to what I consider him to be the best in the world at, signing and A&R-ing dance music. Between us, we have worked with many of the great names in the last twenty years of electronic music. I am so happy to be joining forces with him now." 

The Warehouse Project said "Having spent the last two decades dedicated to finding and breaking talent, we can't believe it has taken us this long to make this jump but David was the one person we wanted do it with. Being able to work with artists in a whole new way, providing tangible support in the live space alongside equitable partnerships, with David and Tom who share our passion for this culture is an exciting new chapter for us."

Geffen Records is in the midst of a particularly successful run. Olivia Rodrigo's sophomore album GUTS was released to strong critical reviews, as has been a Number One album around the world. The singer's track from THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES is also a global hit. Geffen also has a partnership with HYBE, which has delivered massive hits for V, Jung Kook and others. Additionally, the HYBE x Geffen joint venture to establish a global girl group has grabbed headlines around the world. The label also broke new ground with Kali Uchis whose "Moonlight" is an enormous global hit, with more than a Billion streams globally which drove the singer to achieve her first top 10 album, with the Number 3 charting Red Moon In Venus. Earlier this year, New Jeans had a Number One Billboard album and JK and Jimin both had number one Hot 100 singles. Newcomer Yeat has had an incredible year, delivering his third top 10 album in the last 16 months. And the Rolling Stones new album Hackney Diamonds is having a huge moment around the world.