After all that had happened over the weekend so far, you wouldn’t think that our Sunday would be a busy one but by 11am, Lempo, Jonathan Lee (Jono) and myself headed down to the Applique studio in Wolverhampton, for an afternoon / evening producing, remixing and general record label business with Miss Nina Japwow.

Naturally, the traffic was horrendous on the M6 but that left room for more banter, referring to Jono’s incredible amount of raving at Bitch the night before, winning himself the coveted, DMM Raver of the Week Award and the usual post-night analysis. Arriving at the studio with Krispy Kreme’s in hand we got down to record label business.

Sitting in the studio, the walls covered in plaques and vinyl’s from their past and the three producers bouncing off each other on their latest remixes and releases was quite humbling. The amount of work that goes behind every release is amazing and slightly humbling. DMM work hard to get our name out but this talented collective have been working impossibly hard for a very long time to get where they are and it was an absolute pleasure to be invited down, so I would like to say a huge thank you at this point to Lempo, Japwow and Jono for the privilege.

During the session, I witnessed the trio working on an awesome remix of Timone & Pumba’s, “I Must Dance”, working their technical wizardry on an already brilliant track to truly make it their own. What do you think?

After watching the technical minds working together on a few tracks,  the conversation switched to the producers on the label, especially those playing at the brilliant outdoor gig. Just to show how much talent is on the label, especially considering it is in it’s first year, let me tell you a little bit about a few of the people involved.

Nina Japwow
As DJ and record label partner with Lempo, Nina’s influence runs throughout both Applique and Lempo’s playing style when joined by the incredibly talented Japwow. Before, during and after spending time with Japwow, a good handful of DJs and producers have commented on her excellent technical ability to turn a track from a good track to a fully mastered club banger. Combine this with Lempo’s mad ideas (operatic vocals on a deep, tech house remix of Skee-lo being just one) and we have a solid structure for success on both fronts. Their ability as a duo has also been recognised in the charts, reaching number 1 on Trackitdown with Lempo and Japwow vs Will Gold – “Boston Boogie”.

The aptly named Batshit Mix shows off the duo’s ability to improvise and experiment with new music, playing a style of house music that although new and relatively unknown, goes down a treat with crowds all over. With a bit of luck, this new sub-genre could go a long way, see what you think:

After spending so much time with Lempo and Japwow, naturally a lot of their tracks are played, in the car, at home and of course in the studio. A few tracks that stood out for me over the weekend were the incredible Jack in Boots by Lempo and Japwow featuring Nancy Sinatra and Lempo & Japwow – Hi De Ho, alongside their remix of U.M. Project – Funky Beat and their class bootleg, G6 Step. You can watch / listen to all three of these below!

Jonathan Lee / Jono Carr

On top of hosting the Lempo and Carr show every Tuesday night on Manchester Global Radio, Jono is also the A&R partner on the Applique Music label. Working with artists from all over to pull together their new Summer Session compilation, tipped to be a big release with roughly 30 tracks, highlighting all that is good within the label including all 3 of their number 1 sellers.

Working along side Mike now for many years, its a great inspiration to see someone who enjoys it as much as Mike does, and put so much effort and time into something he has a great passion for. Mike is great at whatever he does in music weather it be DJing, producing, presenting the radio show, running events or running our record label together. An all-round musical talent and a top guy to work with.

Adrian Jones (Reworked Robot)

Fellow Bitch resident and Brighton based house music DJ and producer Adrian Jones aka Reworked Robot has  played alongside some of the greats in the World of dance music, from Judge Jules, Tim Mason, Third Party and Nicky Romero. His remix of I Must Dance will be released on Applique in August, with more coming in the near future. The self confessed tech-geek and studio junkie saw his debut release, “Loaded” reaching the top 5 in the Trackitdown chart within days of release.

Check out Reworked Robot on Facebook and Soundcloud now!

Ben Clarke

Renowned for his unpredictability of selection ranging throughout the entire House/Tech spectrum, causing an overwhelming response from both the veteran souls and the new found minions alike, DJ / producer Ben Clarke will go far. Talented in his field, great fun as a performer and a genuinely all around top guy. Check out his Soundcloud profile for some cool new releases in the near future. Old School Drop Out is Ben’s number 1 seller, listen below:

Brodanse

I caught up with 1/2 of Brodanse, Scott Smart at The Yacht Club  during a quality live set during the Applique Showcase where there were plenty of their tracks causing the crowd to throw a few hands in the air. Since winning the Kollektiv Turmstrasse – Schwindelig Remix competition, Brodanse have been going in one direction, upwards.

Adam Martin (Twenty12)

Adam martin is one half of twenty12 producing a variation of the deep tech-house sounds and is also due to be launching a new night in november called Exhibit! Another star of the Applique Showcase, check out their podcast now!

Pete Mobey (Pedro)

As fans and friends of Pete, Dance Music Manchester expect huge things from his work with both Applique and B3. His opening set on Saturday showed his more chilled out, deep-house bar vibe but then as 1/3 of the incredible B3 he had one of the best moments behind the decks at Venus later that night. Great technical skill, a brilliant reader of a crowd and a great lad to work and party with. Check out his Soundcloud page or listen to his deep house mix below:

There is so much talent down at Applique, we couldn’t possibly squeeze them all in here. Rob Bunting‘s latest release, “Open Arms” is out now on Beatport and will also feature on the Summer Sessions compilation at a later date.

I can’t describe how impressed I was with Applique, everything from the team involved, their back stories, experiences and plans for the future. At Dance Music Manchester, we are really excited to see what the future holds for Applique, expect to see more from them on DMM very soon.

The 25th July will be the official 1st birthday for the label and already they are hitting the charts with awesome bar and club releases. The showcase on Saturday was such a success, they’ve been asked to return on the 28th July so make sure you head down to the Yacht Club on the night to hear more.

Tomorrow, we will be publishing the final chapter in the #48HrsWith @IamLempo story, a chance to sit down and talk with the man himself about the weekend, the future and the responses to this story he has received over the past week. We will also be launching the Applique Music + Dance Music Manchester remix competition, with a chance to release your remix on this fantastic label. Just to get your creative juices flowing, in time for the competition tomorrow, you can hear the track to be remixed by clicking play below!

Read the final chapter – The Interview with Lempo and the Applique Music Rexmix Competition Announcement

Read the story from the very beginning here.

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