Music blogs, magazines and publications such as Fast Forward Weekly all have their place in exposing new music to the masses, but sometimes the best sources for sonic discoveries are the people who put their money where their ears are. Finding a new label is like finding a pipeline hooked up to pure aural glee, and the Label Me series is here to help you do just that.

Ninja Tune

The first two entries in the Label Me project, Joyful Noise and (weewerk), were both relatively tiny labels, with catalogues that were easy to absorb in one sitting. This month's label, on the other hand, is a giant. Founded by British beat-makers Coldcut, Ninja Tune has 20 years and 160 releases under its belt, plus a pair of slightly less-prolific sub-labels equally worth plundering. While Ninja Tune handles all shades of the electronic music spectrum, Dada focuses on experimental hip hop, and Counter Records handles rock n’ roll.

Where to start: Choosing a single entry point — something that captures the label’s essence — can be near-impossible. Even the label's ambitious 20th anniversary compilation, due mid-September, is a bit of a behemoth — the special edition clocks in at six discs, along with six 7-inch singles, a book, a poster and more. It's a bit of a daunting introduction.

In a pinch, though, try any of the releases from The Herbaliser, a jazz-laced hip hop troupe that was one of the label’s first breakout acts. A DJ duo that evolved into a full seven-piece band, The Herbaliser epitomizes the laid-back atmosphere and casual experimentation that pervades the label's roster. The band's first album, Remedies, is mostly sample-based instrumentals, with vocalist What? What? (now Jean Grae) joining the group on 1997's Blow Your Headphones; by 1999's Very Mercenary, DJs Jake Wherry and Ollie Teeba were sampling their own crack band, chopping up the sounds and making it into something all its own.

Going deeper: From here, the options expand exponentially, and there's hardly a dud in the bunch. Mr. Scruff is another proponent of jazz-laced instrumental tracks, specializing in mellow hooks and slightly cheesy — but undeniably fun — samples. His 2008 album, Ninja Tuna, is essential listening. Daedelus's Love to Make Music By is more into sultry grooves, taking ’70s soul and samba and slicing it with bits of psychedelic pop. Jaga Jazzist is technically a jazz group (or nu jazz, if you want to be obnoxious about it), but in practice, it blends the best elements of jazz melodicism with the well-crafted slow builds of post rock and the cut-and-paste esthetic of experimental electronica. It's pop, sure, but it's as creatively restless as any free-jazz fringe act.

As for those sub-labels, Rounder's biggest draw is the garage-rock soul of The Heavy. The band released a killer in 2009's The House That Dirt Built, and its live show was good enough to warrant an unprecedented encore when it played “How You Like Me Now” on The Late Show with David Letterman; if you missed the band at The Republik earlier this year, well, shame on you. But labelmate Pop Levi's Never Never Love and Return to Form Black Magick Party might just be Rounder's most powerful one-two punch. The pair of largely slept-on pop gems mix ultra-high-energy riffs, sugary hooks and, occasionally, acid rock into a ridiculously catchy confection.

Big Dada's brand of hip hop is best represented by its most prominent signee, Roots Manuva — think electronic beats, thickly accented vocals and a heavy dub influence — but with 150 releases of its own, there's still no easy way to get started. One of the label's newest artists, Jammer, is actually a decent gateway. The beats on his debut full-length, Jahmanji, are typical of the hyperactive electronics of the U.K. grime scene, but his rapid-fire flow is occasionally jaw-dropping.

Further listening: The aforementioned 20th anniversary set may not be an ideal entryway, but it's an impressive entity in its own right. A sizable chunk of the label’s roster is remixed by the likes of dubstep DJ Joker and IDM legends Autechre; it’s a valiant effort at distilling Ninja Tune’s massive catalogue. And if six-full-CD-plus seems like a little much, the label is also releasing double-disc editions, too.