Skink

Skink is a Dutch electronic dance music record label established by the producer duo Showtek in December 2013. The label was created as a platform for Showtek's own releases and related dance-music projects during the period when the brothers were expanding from their hardstyle background into broader festival-oriented electronic dance music. Its first identified release was Showtek's "We Like To Party," which introduced the imprint's role in the duo's international release strategy. Skink's catalog is associated with high-energy electronic dance music and with Showtek's collaborations across hardstyle, electro house, progressive house, and festival EDM. The label was licensed to Spinnin' Records, while being described as an independent label rather than a Spinnin' sub-label. Available reference material does not establish a separate corporate parent, a complete artist roster, a current operating status, or a comprehensive catalog. The label is therefore best understood as a Showtek-linked imprint whose principal significance lies in supporting the duo's releases and their cross-genre dance-music activity.

Skink emerged in December 2013 from the work of Dutch electronic music duo Showtek, composed of brothers Wouter and Sjoerd Janssen. Before launching the imprint, the brothers had been active in electronic music since 2001, initially working in techno before moving toward hardstyle in the early 2000s. They developed separate production identities, including Walt and Duro, and later built a shared Showtek profile through recordings, albums, collaborations, remixes, and festival performances. The label was created during a period of major expansion in Showtek's sound and commercial reach. After releasing early material through their own Dutch Master Works operation and working within the hardstyle scene, the duo increasingly collaborated with artists from different parts of the dance market. Their work involved producers and performers including Tiësto, Hardwell, David Guetta, Chris Brown, Bassjackers, Justin Prime, MAKJ, and others. This broader activity positioned Skink as a vehicle for energetic electronic releases connected to Showtek's evolving artistic identity rather than as a conventional multi-genre record company with a separately documented executive structure. The first release identified in the available reference material is Showtek's "We Like To Party." Skink was licensed to Spinnin' Records, but the label was specifically characterized as independent and not as a Spinnin' sub-label. This arrangement gave the imprint access to the distribution and commercial infrastructure of a major dance-music company while retaining its association with Showtek. The available sources do not provide a complete release chronology, a definitive list of signed artists, or detailed information about the label's legal ownership and administration. Skink's documented identity is consequently closely tied to Showtek's catalog and genre-crossing output. Its context includes the duo's movement from hardstyle into festival-oriented EDM and their later return to hardstyle performance. In 2023, Showtek appeared at Qlimax: Enter The Void after a long absence from the hardstyle stage and announced a return to hardstyle recording. Their album "360 Blue" followed in 2024, although the available material does not establish whether that album was released through Skink. The current operating status of the label is not confirmed by the supplied references.

• 2013

  Skink is founded by Showtek

  [1]Showteken.wikipedia.org

  Showtek establishes Skink in December as an independent electronic dance music label licensed to Spinnin' Records.

• 2013

  First identified release

  [1]Showteken.wikipedia.org

  Showtek's "We Like To Party" is identified as the first title released under the Skink name.

A Showtek-linked electronic dance music imprint focused on high-energy festival records and related dance releases.

• Single · 2013

  Showtek — "We Like To Party"

  A Showtek electronic dance music single identified in the available reference material as the first release issued under Skink. It represents the label's initial function as a platform for the founders' own high-energy dance output and its connection to the festival-oriented EDM market.

• 2013

  Launch of an independent label licensed to Spinnin' RecordsStrategy

  Background

  Showtek created Skink while expanding its activities beyond a purely hardstyle-centered identity into a wider electronic dance music and festival market.

  Action taken

  The duo established Skink as its own label and licensed the imprint to Spinnin' Records, while the label was described as independent rather than a Spinnin' sub-label.

  Aftermath

  The arrangement connected Showtek's label project with Spinnin' Records' dance-music infrastructure. The supplied sources do not document the label's subsequent commercial performance or long-term operating structure.

  Source

1. 1Showteken.wikipedia.org
2. 2Skink official websiteskink.nl