Nimbus Records issued its first LP recording in 1977. They were pressed in a small factory, built into the courtyard of a Victorian Country Mansion called 'Wyastone Leys' on the English/Welsh border close to the ancient town of Monmouth .

The master-tapes being released had been recorded in the Birmingham studio built in the late 60s by the company's founders Numa Labinsky, Michael and Gerald Reynolds . First to be released were recordings of living legends: Vlado Perlemuter playing Ravel, Hugues Cuenod singing Satie's Socrate , and the mysterious Romanian pianist Youra Guller. Probably the most talked about production of those early days was Bernard Roberts complete Beethoven Sonatas - all done direct-to-disc.

The style of the company was set from the outset; to be in control of each step in the recording and manufacturing process, to record using the simplest microphone techniques, and to encourage performers to approach recording in the same spirit as they would a concert.

In nearly 30 years the catalogue has grown to almost 1,000 titles, and with a very international flavour. There have never been any special directives on age, geography or marketing appeal when choosing artists - it was enough for the Nimbus directors to like you. The Company's ability to remain truly independent has always been supported by its LP and CD manufacturing businesses. From the outset this provided a revenue stream to fund recording activity. It has also meant that classical music has only ever been a part of Nimbus's broader business activities in manufacturing and technology. (John Griffiths' book about the development of Nimbus is still available: ' Nimbus; Technology supporting the Arts', pub 1992. Andre Deutsch).

The label got an enormous increase in funds, beginning in 1984, when Nimbus opened the first CD plant in the UK . Through to the early 90s Nimbus's CD plants were market-leaders and with this strength behind it the label recorded at a dizzying pace. There were some notable orchestral projects: The Hanover Band in Beethoven, the English String Orchestra (joined later by the 'Symphony') under William Boughton in core British repertoire, Adam Fischer's complete Haydn with the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales in Rakhmaninov under its principal conductor Tadaaki Otaka. Nimbus Founder and President, Numa Labinsky, also fell in love with the music of the youthful George Benjamin, and determined to record all his compositions - an arrangement that continues to this day.

Today the Nimbus family is lucky enough to have two of the original founders still part of the team. The company - under a new umbrella of 'Wyastone Estate Limited' continues with a mixed business base of music recording and disc manufacturing. We continue to enjoy our independence, the beauty of the Wye Valley seen from our headquarters, and the indefinable alchemy of working with musicians who have something interesting to say.