Manchester record label, Applique Music, celebrates a decade on the scene this Summer. The house music label is run by DJ and producer Mike McGuinness, professionally known as Lempo. Applique was launched in July of 2011 with a series of parties at Manchester’s legendary Sankeys nightclub. Applique is now established as a coveted label for underground producers, having a catalogue that features emerging talents such as Franky Wah, Ben Pearce, and Sidney Charles, alongside industry veterans K-Klass, Princess Superstar, and Todd Terry. The label is launching a campaign entitled ‘10FOR10’ which includes singles from the current crop of artists – BLVCKR, Dan Williams, Hey Dan, iMarcus, Jon Craig, Late Than Ever, Rap-Scallion, and Will Darling. The first single in the series is ‘Dance Again’ from Lempo and one of his more frequent collaborators, American singer-songwriter, Roland Clark. The pair have previously worked together on ‘House Doctor’ for InHouse Records in 2017, and on ‘Dance Without A Reason’ for New York’s Strictly Rhythm in 2020. DMCWORLD kick off this new series with the main man…
1. Do you have any studio rituals or superstitions?
Rituals definitely, always brew a fresh pot of coffee before powering up the studio. I also dwell for a moment on what colour to set the bulbs… a bit of mood lighting can go a long way to get the creative juices flowing!
2. What’s your favourite production kit and why?
My favourite bit of kit is the AKAI MPK225, It’s great for workflow – I can program my ideas quickly.
3. What has creating music during the pandemic been like for you?
I’d say it’s been a blessing, during lockdown I’ve kept myself busy in the studio, and I’ve tried some experimental bits to keep it fresh. I’m resurfacing with an arsenal of new music. This will likely be the case for a lot of music producers. Let’s hope it sparks a renaissance when clubs are up and running.
4. Tell us something we don’t already know about your music?
Some of my beats have featured on TV ads for The X-Factor in in Australia and Disney XD in the States. It always amazes me when the statement comes and I discover some weird and wonderful placements, the most random one was ‘Hi De Ho’ being used on Heston’s Fantastical Food by Channel 4
5. If you could only listen to 3 records ever again, which ones would they be?
When you say records, I think LPs. This is going to shock a few people, I love the classic disco and glam-rock era – the records my parents were listening to while I was growing-up. I’m going to say ‘Chic’ by Chic, my favourite track on the album is ‘Everybody Dance’, I’m a sucker for Nile Rodgers rhythm guitar. My second choice would be ‘Let’s Dance’ by David Bowie, the tracks ‘Modern Love’ and ‘Let’s Dance’ are probably my favourite Bowie tracks, love a good horns section. Final choice will have to be Daft Punk’s ‘Homework’ album, it was the only house record I owned when first learning to DJ, it was a double vinyl, so I was able to mix tracks from the album together with the golden oldies I’d pinched from my dad’s collection.
6. Who are your favourite unsung producers at the moment?
There are so many great talents waiting to hit the big-time and i could mention loads of deserving producers not yet in the spotlight. I’m gonna say Matt Black, because my first encounter with his sound was the recent ‘Hip N’ Tech EP’ on Porky Records, both tracks are a bit of magic, combining hip-hop influence with house and I’m all about that. Also gonna mention Adapter, his ‘NYC EP’ release last year on Javi Bora’s Too Many Rules imprint has a similar sample based vibe, both tracks are fire and it just gets me, ya know?
7. What’s next for you, anything in the pipeline?
After ‘Dance Again’, the next Lempo single is ‘Cheeky Sound’ with Emma Clair on Chicago’s Trax Records. I’ve also signed a track called ‘Rave King’ to Twists of Time, and ‘Bop Down’ – a collab with Oskar Jay & Lord KCB to Whore House – all forthcoming this Summer, exciting!
Stream/buy ‘Dance Again’ by Lempo & Roland Clark here: https://fanlink.to/DanceAgain
