Max HeyraudA collision of underground fashion, rave heritage and music history, the new collaboration pays tribute to the era that helped shape one of British dance music’s most influential labels.
XL Recordings has joined forces with cult London creative collective Sports Banger for XL BANGER, a collaboration rooted in the label’s formative rave years.
The project sees the release of a limited-edition clothing collection inspired by a pivotal period in British music history, alongside the XL BANGER compilation 12” LP. Drawing on the rebellious spirit and DIY attitude of early rave culture, the collaboration looks back at the sounds, scenes and aesthetics that helped define XL’s identity.
For XL founder Richard Russell, the partnership was an immediate fit. Speaking about his first visit to the Sports Banger atelier, Russell recalled discovering a shared appetite for mischief and creative provocation.
“I knew I was in the right place with the right person the moment I stood in the Sports Banger atelier, flicking through t-shirts, and asked Jonny what trouble does he get in when this stuff goes out. He said if he doesn’t get at least one cease and desist a month, he knows he’s doing something wrong. That was it for me.”
More than a nostalgia exercise, the collaboration revisits a formative chapter in UK dance music through the lens of two creative forces with a shared appreciation for outsider culture.
