From the This Is The Sound Of Tribal UK Vol. 2 CD inlay. The story of Tribal Records as written in 1995... (the long version 
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Sweat, sleaze, sex, drugs. the best party you’ve ever been to. A basement, a red light, and a feeling. Disco. House music. Da underground. 4am and the same noise is pumping and swaying its way through London, Lisbon and new York. That sound is tribal. A humble New York label that has spread its dark, sexy grooves all over the dance music universe. Shot the careers of Danny Tenaglia, Junior Vasquez and Deep Dish into orbit and followed through with a battery of fresh, raw talent for 1995. Tribal’s frist release in August ’91 was ’Magnificant’ by Rockers Uptown feat Gwen Dupree and came with an early Roger Sanchez remix. American house at the time was hopelessly lost in skippy, poppy, vocal washouts and the whole of Europe was disappearing into techno and harder house. Tribal started licensing records from London label Guerilla for American djs starved of harder sounds. Yet by 1994 it was Tribal’s own artists and releases that British hard house and garage djs were gagging for. The label had cornered the market in throbbing underground house that combined the funk of American underground with the scary edges of European techno, and in doing so united techno and house djs under their distinctive black and white logo.
It really started in 1992, where down in Miami the Murk team had already begun to turn American house back into a major underground force with epic releases like Funky Green Dog’s awesome ’Reach For Me’. dirty, downwardly mobile, raw funk grooves and hot, sexy singing. Tribal had The Daou, a veteran Miami dj called Danny Tenaglia, a phenomenally talented New York keyboardist/pianist/producer called Peter Daou and his wife singer Vanessa. The Daou had ’Are You satisfied’ and ’Give Myself To You’, two vocals tracks of funky intensity, dark lyrical trance-outs that took house into a spooky place it had never been before. Things were beginning to change.
In early 1994 Tribal signed ’If You Really Love Someone’ by Liberty City, an awesome return-to-form for the Murk team, and a monstrous combination of low-slung acid bass and classic Murk swing. People started to really notice the label. Come to the end of ’94 and dancefloors all over the world were losing it to the Underground Sound Of Lisbon’s disturbing, ranting ’So Get Up’ and work work working it to Junior Vasquez’ bitch anthem ’Get Your Hands Off My Man’. Tribal were everywhere: on the floor at Hard Times and in the box of techno djs like Justin Robertson. By January ’95 they’d even released an artist album, Danny Tenaglia’s excellent debut ’Hard & Soul’.
Cleverly they didn’t just repeat the formula but sought out new talent, new sounds, a slicker, more vocal style that keeps the bizarre edges of their finest releases and wraps them in warm melody. A style that the CD you’re holding positively flaunts. It’s mixed by new Jersey maestro Tony Humphries, so you know we’re talking smooth, yet kicks off with a British act. Salt City Orchestra’s ’Storm’ was created by Miles Hollway and Elliot Eastwick, residents at Hard Times, and breezes with a confident, jazzy charm and a big baggy sax lick.
Humphries’ mix takes in the pure Philly of Streetlife’s "Love Breakdown" (hot newcomer Mark Picchiotti) and the murky house of "Love To Heart" from Japan’s Atom. Pases by the joyous gospel of The Absolue US’s "I Believe" and around a great acapella mix of Fallout Shelter’s "What Do You Want". Flips through the infectious piano of Tenaglia’s upbeat "Look Ahead" and, with Humphies golden touch, slides immaculately into E-N’s "The Horn Ride", one of this year’s largest tracks, an endless trip through the darkest house guided by a horn from hell. There’s the quirky, jaunty "Wear The Hat" from Washington’s Deep Dish crew, one of Tribal’s hottest findings to date, and where else could Humphries finish but on Junior’s "Get Your Hands Off My Man".
Yes. the track that went from gay anthem in New York’s legendary Sound Factory to all-over-the-damn-place anthem over here, that had girls vogueing and preening and tough northern geezers camping it up all over the place. Wonderful. Tribal. From Manhattern to Mansfield. the power of house music. That’s why we do it. = Dom Phillips, Mixmag - 1995.