Hooj Choons

Hooj Choons was founded in 1991 in London by Mark "Red Jerry" Hadfield. Across the 1990s and 2000s the label became one of the UK's most consequential progressive and vocal trance imprints — the platform behind Sasha's foundational 1999 EP "Xpander" (whose 11-minute title track is one of the form's defining documents), Solarstone's 1999 anthem "Seven Cities," and a long arc of Salt Tank, Aurora Borealis, Tilt, and adjacent records that codified the modern long-form progressive sound. Hooj's editorial signature was patient, harmonically rich, and emotionally honest — the label rejected peak-time festival pressure in favour of long-form arrangements built around deep pads, hypnotic bass programming, and gradual textural development. Many of the records cited as foundational to modern Anjunadeep / Sudbeat / Last Night On Earth progressive came through Hooj first. The label entered administration in the late 2000s as the physical-distribution model that supported it collapsed, but the back catalogue has continued to circulate via licensing and reissues, and the editorial influence of the imprint remains pervasive across the contemporary progressive scene.