N2O Records was founded in 1997 by Nate “N8LOC” Shimizu and is based in Los Angeles, California. Its first release was Home Invasion, a compilation of local producers working across breakbeat, jungle, drum and bass and hardcore. Early records included DJ-focused 12-inches, from turntablism releases to DJ tools; Oscar Da Grouch and Crylic’s Jungle Tools Version 1.0 appeared on vinyl in 1998 and CD in 1999.
General Malice released the albums The Final Takeover in 2007 and The New Era in 2009. The label later shifted its focus from jungle, drum and bass and turntablism toward rock and remix releases. Omar Rodríguez-López’s Calibration arrived in Japan in 2007 and the United States in 2008. From 2006, under the name Charged N2O Records, the label served as the U.S. promotional arm for Japanese band Boom Boom Satellites. By December 2009, its output had passed 250 titles. DJ Starscream’s album The New Leader was another release. From the mid-2000s, the label also worked with Japanese artists in hip-hop, electronic music and rock, including DJ Baku, Bomb Factory and Uzumaki.
