SoleSides has made an impression in its three short years. The San Francisco Bay Guardian hailed SoleSides as one of the most important new contributors in any musical genre, awarding the crew its coveted "Goldie" Award in 1996. They wrote, "Both a progressive crew of deejays and rappers and a fiercely independent artist-owned label, SoleSides keeps the hip-hop underground alive with its inimitable homegrown mix of turntable artistry and lyrical eccentricity."

DJ Shadow's 1992 instrumental "Legitimate Mix" for Hollywood Basic's Zimbabwe Legit was a seminal exploration into instrumental hip-hop -- a mad mix of slashing scratches and soulful pianos and horns. This track, along with the first SoleSides single release, which included his 17-minute opus "Entropy" and Lyrics Born's (then Asia Born) "Send Them", caught the attention of young UK. Mo Wax Records owner James Lavelle. Subsequently, Lavelle's influential label released two Shadow singles, "In Flux" and "Lost And Found (S.F.L.)", and the EP What Does Your Soul Look Like. All three were big sellers with "In Flux" topping the UK. Dance Charts and ...Soul earning Single Of The Week honors in both Melody Maker and New Music Express, while launching a major music movement there.

DJ Shadow Discography:
"Reconstruction From The Ground Up" Mixtapes, 1991
"Real Deal" remix/"Lesson 4" (Lifers Group DJ promo only) Hollywood Basic Records 1992
"Legitimate Mix" (Zimbabwe Legit EP) Hollywood Basic Records
"Entropy" February 1993 SoleSides 001
"In Flux"/"Hindsight" October 1993 Mo Wax Records
"Lost And Found (S.F.L.)" October 1994 Mo Wax Records
"What Does Your Soul Look Like" Spring 1995 Mo Wax Records
"89.9 Megamix" (w/DJ Krush) Summer 1995 Mo Wax Records
"Duality" (w/DJ Krush) on DJ Krush LP Meiso, Fall 1995 Mo Wax Records
"Meiso" remix (w/ DJ Krush and The Roots), March 1996 Mo Wax Records
"Hardcore (Instrumental) Hip Hop" April 1996 SoleSides 005
- (released on Mo Wax Recordings UK MWEX007)
Endtroducing... (Full length LP), October 1996 Mo Wax Records

Blackalicious, featuring the Gift of Gab as the lyricist and Chief Xcel as DJ/producer, followed with SoleSides' second single, "Swan Lake" b/w "Lyric Fathom" (SS002). The single and the subsequent EP entitled Melodica (SS003), shocked hip-hop heads from coast to coast. KMELs Wake Up Show, 92.3 The Beat, The Baka Boyz, and a multitude of college DJs across the country made "Swan Lake" an underground hit in 1995. Critics from Spin, URB, Rappages, Straight No Chaser, the San Francisco Bay Guardian, the San Francisco Weekly and other publications hailed the musical inventiveness and maturity of the duo. Melodica, along with Shadow's singles, boasted strong underground sales here in the United States and had a stylistic impact far beyond American shores. A double A-side single "Hardcore (Instrumental) Hip Hop" and "Fully Charged on Planet X" (SS005) brought together DJ Shadow and Chief Xcel in a producer's showcase in the summer of 1996.

Blackalicious Discography:
"Lyric Fathom" b/w "Swan Lake" October 1994 SoleSides 002
Melodica EP Domestic release, August 1995 SoleSides 003
- (Released on Mo Wax Recordings UK MWSSLP001)

Chief Xcel Discography:
"Fully Charged on Planet X", April 1996 SoleSides 005
- (released on Mo Wax Recordings UK MWEX007)
"Doing Everyday the Hard Way" (for The Watts Prophets), January 1997 London Records
"Love Is Touching" remix (for John Tchicai), October 1996 B & W Music

Gift of Gab Discography:
"Mixed Feelings" (w/ The Angel and Jacky Terrasson on The New Groove, Vol. I), March 1996 Blue Note Records

Lateef The Truth Speaker's promo-only single "The Wreckoning" (SS004) introduced the world to the Oakland-native's captivating, precise, epistemic lyrical delivery. The Shadow-produced followup "The Quickening (The Wreckoning, Part II)" (SS006) was dubbed "a classic" by British magazine Muzik, showed up on The Source's "Fat Tape" and gained accolades from Rap Pages as well. His appearances on the Wake-Up Show created a national buzz. The innovative B-side "Latyrx" brought together Lyrics Born with Lateef in a verbal soundclash, and showed up on SPIN Magazine's Top 20 singles of 1996.

Lateef Discography:
"The Wreckoning" b/w "Latyrx" (w/ Lyrics Born), March 1996 SoleSides 004
- rereleased on SoleSides 006
"The Quickening", July 1996 SoleSides 006
Latyrx LP (w/ Lyrics Born), February 1997 SoleSides 008

Lyrics Born initially used the moniker Asia Born on the first SoleSides single SS001, "Send Them", which highlighted the lyricist's penchant for the abstract and his rhythmically colloquial style. His single "Balcony Beach" b/w "Burnt Pride" has quietly become the smash underground track of the winter, topping the singles sales charts at Bay Area hip hop stores. These tracks, including Lateef's "The Quickening" will be featured on the album "Latyrx" to be released in February 1997. Lyrics Born handled the lion's share of production with tracks coming from DJ Shadow and Chief Xcel as well.

Lyrics Born Discography:
"Send Them", February 1993 SoleSides 001
"Latyrx" (with Lateef), March 1996 SoleSides 004
- rereleased on SoleSides 006
"Balcony Beach" b/w "Burnt Pride", October 1996 SoleSides 007
Latyrx LP (w/ Lateef), February 1997 SoleSides 008

1996 brought exciting collaborations between SoleSides and other artists. DJ Shadow's fruitful meeting with DJ Krush was heard on Krush's LP Meiso (Sony Japan/Mo Wax UK), as was his his remix of the title track featuring The Roots blew up on both coasts. Shadow's own Mo Wax debut Endtroducing... was a critic's favorite for 1996, appearing on best-of charts in SPIN, The Bay Guardian, the Los Angeles Times. Chief Xcel of Blackalicious produced "Doin' Everyday The Hard Way" for Los Angeles rap originators the Watts Prophets' forthcoming single and album on London Records and did a remix of Northern California jazz legend John Tchicai's "Love Is Touching". The Gift of Gab won kudos for his collaboration with Blue Note recording artist Jacky Terrasson and L.A. underground producer The Angel for a reworking of Terrasson's "Mixed Feelings" on Blue Note's New Groove compilation . Blackalicious and DJ Shadow also were both featured on the CD+ compilation Groove Active from OM Records.

At the end of 1995, SoleSides released "Radio Sole", a limited edition cassete-only tribute to its beginnings at the University of California at Davis. A crossroads to a diverse population of students, it was the campus radio station, KDVS, where the members met and fostered a unique relationship with each other, DJs and hip-hop aficionados all sharing a common love and democratic philosophy for the music. The outcome was the creation of SoleSides Records as an artist-owned label committed to pushing the edge in its creative and musical endeavors.