With almost every release
hitting the charts, Serg and Kieran have managed to not only bring their My
Digital Enemy project to the forefront of house music, but have also developed
two of the most successful independent labels on the scene. Both Zulu Records and Vudu Records have exploded
over the last two years, filling the Beatport charts with premium releases that
showcase their unique, cutting edge sound.
Let’s catch up with My Digital Enemy to find out a bit more about the
label and where they’re taking things into 2015…
Hi guys, thanks for taking
time out to chat to us! We’ve just about waved goodbye to summer 2014 – what
did it have in store for My Digital Enemy? Any stand out moments?
Two events stand out for us! The first was Warming up for Mark Knight at
the Toolroom Knights party at Booom in Ibiza.
It really was an epic night! The second
was playing to 10,000 people at the Oldenbora festival in Germany! It was amazing weather and the vibe was amazing!
You’ve been working on
various projects together for over 10 years! How did you meet and start
producing music as a duo?
We met when we were about 17. We ended up at the same college in Haywards
Heath and were both in various bands, some of them at the same time. We both got heavily into The Prodigy and
discovered the Rave scene in the mid-nineties and didn't look back. Our band days were behind us but we still
wanted to produce music so we started DJing and both took out loans to buy Akai
Samplers. We both signed up for the
same Music Technology college in Worthing to get an understanding of Music Tech
and recording techniques. We have worked
together ever since!
You set up Zulu Records in
2012 and since then it’s become a serious (excuse the pun!) powerhouse in
pushing out some of the biggest recent tracks in house music. What led you to
set up your own label?
We got pretty frustrated with the industry. We were releasing on labels that kept moving
release dates and throwing our own schedules out of the window; now we have
full control and can space our releases out as we see fit!
The fact our label has gone on to have such a presence
on stores such as Beatport is amazing.
It's been a lot of hard work but we love it and won't be stopping any
time soon!
Considering how long the
label has been established, how does it feel to have gained the support from
top DJs such as Fatboy Slim, Fedde Le Grand, Roger Sanchez and Steve Angello?
It really is amazing to think it’s only two and a half
years old. We are so pleased with how it
has worked out. what really is great is
some artists that we really admire are now bringing tracks to Zulu. The fact some of the biggest DJs in the world
are supporting our releases is awesome!
Vudu Records is your most
recent project, a deep/tech label which dropped ‘Shamen’ and ‘Desire Life’
earlier this year – what was the reason for setting up a second label?
We wanted an outlet for dirtier more underground music
that we feel doesn't suit Zulu Records as well. The way we see it now is that Zulu Records
is for uplifting mainroom house and Vudu is for the deeper, techy, underground
records.
Both Zulu and Vudu have been
smashing out incredible tracks lately, are the labels going in the direction
you wanted? Was there always a game plan?
We regularly talk over the direction we want to take
the labels and yes there was always a gameplan.
I think it’s important to have direction in whatever business you are
in. We do sometimes have "Wildcard
Records" which maybe are not in the style that we would consider the label
to be. It keeps the interest for the customers.
It’s important to try new things so you don’t get stuck in just one
sound as everything else moves on.
You’ve become well known for
the themed compilations you’re putting out – Miami, Beatport Decade and most
recently, ADE – why do you think these mini albums do so well?
It"s great as it gives us a chance to release tracks
from unknown artists alongside all the Zulu regulars. It’s important to give these new producers a
chance as these opportunities for a "foot in the door" could see them
on their way to becoming one of the world’s top DJs! We tend to theme our albums around
events. At the moment we do Miami,
Ibiza, Amsterdam and a Zulu Anthems compilation at the end of the year. It was cool to be asked by Beatport to do the
#BeatportDecade compilation with our top tracks since we started the label.
Where
do your influences for the labels come from?
Our favourite labels are Toolroom, Defected, Skint and
Spinnin. We would love for Zulu to
become as large and well respected as them one day!
What
does the future look like for Zulu and Vudu? Where are you heading with them?
We are planning to expand Vudu in the same way we have
Zulu...Ie adding Vudu Records compilation series and Vudu Records sample
packs. We are also looking at doing Zulu
Records nights at Miami & Amsterdam next year!
And what have you got lined
up as My Digital Enemy? Anything in the pipeline?
We have just signed with Cherrytree Management in the
US who have hooked us up with some really well known vocalists. Watch this space because there are some
awesome collaborations on the horizon…
