We’ve been friends of Lempo and Japwow’s for a while now and fans of their music even longer. When we heard these releases, we knew that they needed to be shared with the DMM faithful for their audio pleasure! So…here they are!

The first Charleston flavoured tech house smasher, teams Lempo and Japwow with Robbie Styles, released on Toronto based DBR Recordings (MC Flipside’s Canadian imprint). Yes, the MC Flipside who teamed with Deadmau5 to create, “Hi Friend” and has now provided a Jazz Hands remix alongside DBR A&R Chris Vench. This track has early support from across the globe, including Aussie superstar DJ, Sonny Fodera.

“Jazz handz” Lempo & Japwow feat. Robbie styles
OUT NOW Exclusive on Beatport

For their second new release, the Applique Music Label bosses teamed with The Daniel Pemberton TV Orchestra to create a truly unique house record, sampling the soundtrack from the popular PS3 video game ‘LittleBigPlanet’.

‘Daniel Pemberton’ is the BAFTA nominated composer behind over 150 different TV shows and the mastermind behind the original score
for ‘LittleBigPlanet’. Once his orchestra got in the studio with tech house producers Lempo and Japwow this project for Applique Music was born. We immediately knew this track was going to turn a few heads.

Once the original mix was complete – Applique Music pulled all the stops to get the best remixers in electronic dance music involved on this package. Brighton based producer ‘Will Gold’ (Floorplay, Starlight Music) has taken the track up a level with a main room bomb, while Bristol’s ‘Will Clarke’ (Stealth/ HedKandi/ Southern Fried) has taken it back a step with an underground groover. Completing the line up of stellar remixes, is a bouncy tech re-work from London based duo ‘Serotonin Thieves’ (Hot Fudge/ Serotonin Digital).

Early support on this release has come from Brighton’s Superstar DJ duo’ Prok & Fitch’ having dropped the Will Gold remix in several
sets including Space, Ibiza.

“Leaders Of Men” – Lempo & Japwow feat. The Daniel Pemberton Orchestra

OUT NOW Exclusive on Beatport

Both of these releases are the direct follow up to the very successful “Funky Beat” by UM Project (Lempo and Japwow Remix)
and of course the number one selling collaboration “Boston Boogie” with Will Gold.

Lempo and Japwow Links:

www.lempoandjapwow.co.uk
www.facebook.com/lempoandjapwow
www.twitter.com/lempoandjapwow
www.soundcloud.com/lempo-japwow
www.youtube.com/lempoandjapwow

Email: lempoandjapwow@gmail.com

After the insane night I had at Bitch in June, for #48HrsWith @IamLempo, I decided not to take a camera, not to try and talk to everyone that I need to but to just party as hard as possible, so this review should be a little different to the normal. What a night it was though.

I headed down to Venus shortly before it opened with John Morris,  Lempo and Japwow before their sets. Seeing Venus before it opened was quite unusual as it always seems packed when we head down but the DJs and the staff were already enjoying themselves, preparing the night’s tracks and general banter about Ibiza and recent gigs. As the club opened, the queue was already around the corner and a fair way down Deansgate, so we knew we were in for a busy one. Especially so, considering Global Gathering was in full force by now.

Lempo and Japwow opened up the night, playing an hour’s worth of their newest tracks and Venus favourites, Kurt (@kurtlee_dmm) and myself (@dmm_james) were already on the dance floor, warming up for the now infamous #DMMDanceOff to some awesome music from 2/3 of Applique Music, their Funky Beat remix had us grooving early on.

Japwow handed over to John Morris, who shared the decks with Lempo for the second hour of more awesome music. It was at this point where DMM’s new writer, Don Juan de la Nooch (aka James Noonan), arrived and we headed over to Russo’s set in the back room.

“I always look forward to the last Saturday of the month. Bitch Events is one of the few nights I get where I can just dance the night away to some truly class music and not have to worry about things like work or….well work mostly, and I’m glad to say this month’s offering didn’t disappoint.” James Noonan (Don Juan!)

Hopping behind the decks with him and my some of our  friends, Noonan’s night had officially kicked off. Martyn played big, as usual, and the crowd loved it, especially when he played a mashup of the Million voices in my mind – Chris Finnegan Bootleg (http://soundcloud.com/chris-finnegan/million-voices-in-my-mind) as well as his own Million Voice Apologize Booty (http://soundcloud.com/dj-martyn-russo/otto-knows-vs-one-republic-2) to which they went wild!

After his set, the real party began! Both of the James’s and Kurt from the DMM team, as well as a few others then kicked the party off in full swing with the official #DMMDanceOff. This had been hyped up to the max on twitter and I’m glad to say we didn’t disappoint! Jimmy’s hips, Kurts dips and James’s tricks are always a highlight! It didn’t matter about what tune was playing, so long as we were having fun and getting people involved.

Around 4am we heading to the bar for a few drinks, but were soon back on it, raving like lunatics and showing the world that we’re not just there to write about stuff, but also to prove we are first and foremost ravers! Now at this point we have to be honest, we were there PURELY for the party this night and that was exactly what we got. Everywhere we were, the music was awesome but it was all about the atmosphere. Created half by the tunes and half by the crowd, we couldn’t help but enjoy ourselves.

The highlight of the night…well I say highlight, there were two of them…The first has to be hearing one of my favourite summer tunes, Deadmau5 and Chris James – The Veldt (Tommy Trash Remix)  blasting out through the speakers:

The second has to be, having such a good night partying that we hadn’t even realised the time. We were raving to Paul Nag’s set which, in true Bitch style, was to a packed Venus at 6.30 in the morning! We didn’t think it was even past 3 at this point, a true and honest testament to the night.

Already counting the days down until our next Bitch….(sadly its not for another two months as next month is the big one: Creamfields)!

One last note, a massive thank you to Eddie Gosht from Oh My Gosht Photography for allowing us to use his stunning photos from the night. A truly quality photographer and a top bloke, highly recommended by DMM. Check out the " target="_blank">Oh My Gosht Photography Facebook Page for more!

At the end of our incredible weekend for #48HrsWith @IamLempo, Applique Music announced their first remix competition to celebrate the label’s first birthday. The competition takes their search for new talent to a new level, allowing entrants to remix the Lempo and Japwow original  track, “Wishbone” . Competing artists have the chance to get their entry signed to the label and released alongside the original and a remix from Jonathan Lee (Label A&R).

The winner and runner-up will be showcased on the Applique Music social media pages (Twitter, Facebook and Soundcloud) and hit the shelf in all major online stores in September 2012.

Competition Rules: 

1. Competition begins July 10th and concludes August 10th 2012.
2. Remixes must be produced in one of these three styles: Deep House, Tech House or Progressive House. These three styles have been chosen due to Applique Music sound policy focusing primarily on these genres.
3. Artist may only submit one remix. If any artists submit more than one remix, they will be disqualified from the competition immediately. This includes artists using alternative aliases or a production team.
4. All remixes must be submitted to the Applique Music Soundcloud competition group. Artists who are competing must have a Soundcloud profile to compete and you must follow the label page upon submission.
5. All remixes must not use any copyrighted samples.
6. All submitted remixes on Soundcloud must not have the option to download. Should you Make a remix from these stems and allow the general public to download said remix the label will be forced to take legal action.
7. Remix submissions must not be shared with anyone but Applique Music.
8. Anyone found to be handing his or her remix out for free before the end of the competition will be disqualified.

Judging of Competition: 
The Applique Music Competition is in no way shape or form a popularity contest on Soundcloud and other social media sites. Some artists may have an unfair advantage due to having a larger amount of followers on their social media sites than another artists. With this in mind, Applique Music and its staff which shall include but not limited to; Applique Music Owner, Director, Manager, A&R, Distributors, current and past label artists/remixers.

Judging begins as soon as the first submission is posted and continues until August 10th. Applique Music will publically announce its primary winner and runner-up on August 12th 2012. This is a competition of proficiency and technical skill; each remix will be analyzed and judged on creativity, complexity, mastering and all around production. Applique Music is searching for the next global producing superstar and we expect nothing but the best in our artists and our prospects.

Wishbone Stem Pack: 
www.tinyurl.com/wshboneparts

“Wishbone” – Lempo & Japwow (Original Mix): 
www.tinyurl.com/wishboneoriginal

Applique Music Soundcloud Group: 
www.tinyurl.com/wishbonecomp

After an incredible weekend, the Dance Music Manchester team thought the best way to cap it off would be to interview the man himself and see how he felt the weekend went. So, here is the interview with Mr. Mike McGuinness aka Lempo.

So, how was last weekend and spending #48HrsWith DMM? 

Last weekend was a great all-round party. Non-stop from starting the radio show at 8pm on Friday night – right through to getting home from the studio late on Sunday evening but truth be known it was like most weekends for me. It’s what I live for and as you saw, there is a crop of incredible people around me that help it all tick over. As for spending every waking hour that weekend with James (DMM) I think it is safe to say I have made a new friend on the Manchester club scene. The banter was top draw and his enthusiasm for the music was a joy to see, I’m still very honoured to have been selected as the first specimen for #48HrsWith.

Whats next for Lempo and Japwow?

The future looks good. We have forthcoming releases on some major labels, the next of which is “Jazz Handz” on MC Flipside’s Canadian imprint ‘DBR’ – Flip himself has done the remix package which we were honoured to discover. We have plenty of remix work for several prominent labels in the works. A collaboration alongside dance heavyweights K-Klass and a studio album for 80d (Ashley Taylor Dawson) co producing with Mark Hill (Artful Dodger). Add to that the day to day running of our own record label and you have a busy schedule. Our latest demo is already gaining support from the likes of Doorly and Worthy along with airplay on Capital FM from Andi Durrant. We are pushing this around a few labels at the moment. The sky is the limit!

How did the Applique Music Showcase at The Yacht Club go? Did the DJs involved enjoy the night? Will there be more of the same coming to Manchester any time soon?

The event at The Yacht Club was a massive success. If you take into consideration the typical Manchester weather it was amazing to see anybody out but they were raving in force and it is safe to say they all had a great time.

All the DJs that represented us at the event have made a point of contacting me to say how much they and their friends enjoyed it. My original concept for this showcase was to just let the acts play what they want to play with no pressure. Too many promoters have their hands forced by venues to meet ticket sales, which puts a lot of pressure on the talent to make sales. This is not what we are about and it is the main issue on the promo side of the industry. So, we set the stage for a free party, no pressure, no problem! All we want to do with the artists on Applique Music is help them progress, and that is what this event was about. We believe in their productions and the skills they all poses behind the decks.

The venue have expressed their joy at the atmosphere created by the Applique Music team and have already invited us back for two further showcase events, which we have accepted. These events will be on the last Saturday of the month in July and August from 5pm as official pre parties for the main event… Bitch at Venus!

I would just like to say a huge thank you to all the artists on the label, specifically those who played at the event, the ravers who braved the weather to enjoy the music with us and my brother from another mother – Mr. Jamie Jones (The Yacht Club Manager) for agreeing to my concept. Much luv y’all! x

Bitch was one of our favourite club nights ever. How was the night for you? Pete Mobey has said that the sit down during Avicii’s, “Superlove” was one of his favourite moments behind the decks. How did it feel to get such a massive reaction as part of B3?

As always Bitch was an amazing event, the infrastructure of this brand is unreal. It is so well organised from top to bottom and executed with such style, testiment to the Bitch team and all the crew at Venus The Club. I spend a lot of time with the main man… Tricky (Ric Feingold) is a great lad and he is very passionate about his Bitch!

I think what made this night so special was that coming together of myself, Russo and Pedro for the three way! (not like that). When we decided to do the gig under the B3 alias we had no idea it would be such a success and gain so much interest in such a short space of time. We have been working together closely on the radio show every Friday and that combined with us being residents together for a number of years at Venus every month – enabled us to have a better understanding of how to entertain the Bitch faithful. I would go as far as to say the sit down was the highlight of my own career as a DJ and that is saying something as I have clocked up a fair few gigs. The feeling a moment like that gives you is unbelievable and it will stay with the three of us for the rest of our lives. Lets not forget that all the other DJs played a blinder too Felix, Kim, Adrian, Frater & Stent etc. were all on top of there game.

Talking of B3, what do you think the future holds for the group? Anything big in the pipeline?

Well the feedback has been next level, we didn’t expect the reaction we had. It helped that we kept the identity of B3 a secret until the event. People were already buzzed up about the promo mix we aired on Unity Radio but when the three of us walked out in those t-shirts the raw was incredible and all we could do was grin as we took to the decks.

We have just confirmed that our next set as B3 will be at Mint Festival in Leeds alongside artists such as Michael Woods, Third Party and Kryder on Sat 28th September. We have set up at Twitter page too @thisisb3 – we are just gonna see what happens, by no means will this become a monthly thing and nor will it stray too far from the (Bitch) mothership.

As for the label, you’ve had chart success with some of your releases and are working with some huge talent. What should we expect from Applique in 2012 / 2013? 

The label is still very much in it’s infancy. Yes we have been lucky enough to gain some major support from the likes of Tiesto, Roger Sanchez, Mark Knight, Eric Morillo etc. but it is the chart positions that show true support. It means the clubbers are finding the music and buying it which is a winner. To date we have had three number one sellers and around 80% of the releases have held a chart position on one or more of the many download stores such as Beatport and Trackitdown.

The future is bright, we have big plans. I think now we have a foot in the door and the respect has been earned we are finding it easier to sign the bigger names both as original artists and remixers. The Summer Session Compilation which is released on July 25th includes the three number one selling tracks “Boston Boogie” by Will Gold vs Lempo and Japwow, “Runch” by London duo John Ryan & Foreman and Ben Clarke’s “Old School Drop Out”. Along with the local talent you would expect to see on one of our releases we also have household names such as Oliver Lang, Rob Nutek, Will Clarke, Frater & Stent and David Glass.

Since the weekend, what has the reception and feedback been like about the whole #48HrsWith weekend? Do you think it’s helped those involved with the recognition they deserve, even if only in a small manner?

Any exposure is good exposure and the depth in which you have gone to discuss the people we crossed paths with at all the events during the weekend has been a joy to read. These people are all my friends as well as colleges, I’m sure they are all very grateful for the place you have given them in the shop window… anything is a bonus. I believe it was Oscar Wilde who said,

 “The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about.”

As for myself the exposure has been a great, lots of nice tweets and Facebook messages from people who have enjoyed the story. Lots of new followers and likes across the all the socials. Interaction on Facebook, Twitter and Soundcloud for both Applique Music and Lempo & Japwow have rocketed with the links being in your articles. So on behalf of everyone at Applique Music, Japwow and myself – Thank you very much DMM!

Quickfire questions:

Favourite moment of the weekend?
The sit down during the B3 set at Venus by a country mile.

Studio or DJ Booth?
Ohhhhhhhhhhh too hard, I love both so much!

Dirty warehouse basement or posh nightclub?
I like it dirty, if the walls ain’t sweating it ain’t a party!

Favourite Krispy Kreme donut?
Original Glazed all the way baby!

#48HrsWith: would you do it again?
Hell yeah, but if we do, lets move the goal posts and do it on a bank holiday weekend… #72hrsWITH ???

Last but not least, what is this Applique Music remix competition all about?

Well, while you were in the studio with us last Sunday we put the finishing touches to a new Lempo & Japwow original called “Wishbone”. Jonathan Lee (The label A&R) is doing a remix but we will also be releasing the winner and runner up of this comp on the package. So if anyone out there think they have what it takes you can download the parts from the link below and submit your entry by August 10th via the labels Soundcloud page.

DOWNLOAD THE PARTS FROM:
www.tinyurl.com/wishbonecomp

Any last comments?
Just a lot of thanks… thank you to DMM – I can’t express my gratitude enough that you guys asked me to do this. Thank you for the support and patience Mrs. Lempo and my family give me and more to the point for letting me chase my dream. Massive thank you to my music crew, most notably Claire Savage, Jono Carr, Ric Feingold, Ben Egerton, Stu Smith, Russo and Pedro. Without the help and support of these guys it would all fall apart. Finally the fans – I guess you call them that, the guys following me on twitter, tuning into the show, coming to the gigs and buying the music! #LempoLovesYou x

 

Read the story from the very beginning here.

Follow:
Lempo
Lempo and Japwow
and Dance Music Manchester on Twitter.

Like:
Lempo and Japwow
Applique Music
and Dance Music Manchester on Facebook

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.

Follow:
Lempo
Lempo and Japwow
and Dance Music Manchester on Twitter.

Like:
Lempo and Japwow
Applique Music
and Dance Music Manchester on Facebook