Sounds.com has announced the release of two exclusive new sample packs drawn from the archives of Strictly Rhythm Records, the legendary New York based–label that defined house music.

Strictly Rhythm One-Shots Volumes 1 and 2 – which can be downloaded now by Sounds.com subscribers – includes a total of 64 samples from artists Reel 2 Real, Black Magic, Tristan Garner, Dennis Ferrer, Afro-Cube, Armand Van Helden, Ultra Naté, and more.

Sounds Strictly Rhythm Vol 1

Founded in 1989, Strictly Rhythm Records continuously supplied cutting-edge house tracks to club DJs and fans for more than a decade. The label invented the 12-inch white label, released the first-ever commercial DJ mix CD, and generated a steady stream of crossover hits. Some of the label’s most well-known releases merged pulsating electronic dance beats with atmospheric textures, Latin grooves, tinges of psychedelia, and echoes of R&B.

Gladys Pizarro, former VP of A&R at Strictly Rhythm, helped shape the label’s sound.

‘I was always looking for something that I liked. I knew that if I liked it, the crowd would like it’, says Pizarro.

‘The secret sauce was having a cool intro so that DJs could mix in, a really good breakdown so people could participate, and then a section that would build up to a climax’, says Pizarro. ‘It was always a ride.’

In a Behind the Sounds video available through Sounds.com, Pizarro explains why the label’s releases became some of the most sought-after tracks for sampling and why they continue to inspire artists around the world.

While Strictly Rhythm today continues to support new and established talent, BMG Rights Management acquired the rights to historic Strictly Rhythm recordings. Now, through a partnership with BMG, Native Instruments is bringing the essence of those recordings to Sounds.com through multiple volumes of one-shot samples.

Strictly Rhythm One-Shots Volumes 1 and 2 are available today for Sounds.com subscribers through the Sounds.com website. Additional Strictly Rhythm sound packs will be released over the next several weeks.

More information: Sounds.com