Future Classic was established in Sydney in 2004 by Nathan McLay and Jay Ryves, beginning as a side project run from a terrace house in Alexandria. The Australian independent label also works in artist management and music publishing, with offices in Sydney and Los Angeles. Its early work paired house and techno releases with tours by soul- and jazz-oriented acts, alongside licensing 12-inch records and organising parties. These included regular Adult Disco events at the Civic Hotel and parties at the Tilbury and Civic Underground. The label started signing artists in 2011, with Flume as its first officially signed act. Chad Gillard joined as its first full-time staff member and later became a co-founder.
Its drum and bass side takes in dancefloor, halftime and liquid funk, and its wider roster that has included Flume, Flight Facilities, Seekae and SOPHIE. Its album releases include Flume’s Hi This Is Flume and SOPHIE’s Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides; its first album was the Australian music compilation Australia Select. In 2020, it issued Flume and High Contrast single The Difference (High Contrast Remix), followed by Kelbin’s Turn It Up / N-Zap in 2024.
