StaxRecords—R&B

ABOUT

Stax Records launched in Memphis in 1957 as Satellite Records before rebranding in 1961. The label defined Southern soul through house band Booker T. & the MGs, whose tight, stripped-back arrangements created a rawer, earthier sound than its Motown rival. Stax collapsed financially in 1975 but its catalog endures as one of the most important in American music.

PRODUCER NOTES

Stax recordings sit in a narrow frequency range — bass-heavy, midrange-forward, with minimal top-end sheen — which makes them sit perfectly under sampled beats without heavy EQ. The interplay between guitar, organ, and horns leaves enormous negative space for producers to work within.

NOTABLE R&B ARTISTS