James Vorres AKA Sccucci Manucci (and if you read a little further on you will find out how this gem of a name came about) dug into his pile of vinyl for us and put together an hrs worth of boompalicious house, including tracks on Wolf, Aus, and Crue. We also did a quick Q&A session with him, read on mothers!
Tracklist
White Label
Dusky – Nobody Else – Aus Music
Steffi – Yours (Medlar remix) – Wolf Music
London’s Unique 3 – Silver Shadow (Mix 2) – Unique 3
M-Dubs – Bump N’ Grind – Babyshack
White Label
Omar S – Day – FXHE Records
Joy Orbison – Ellipsis – Hinge Finger
Crue – Crue 3 – Crue
Murat Tepeli – Forever (Prosumer Hold Me Touch Me remix) – Ava
DJ Haus – Needin’ U (MK Dub) – Unknown To The Unknown
Midland – Trace – Aus Music
Breach & Darkysky – The Click – Naked Naked
Boddika & Joy Orbison – “Mercy” (Boddika VIP) – Nonplus
Quick Q&A session –
It’s good to have you on our little podcast series, so Mr Vorres tell us a little bit about yourself?
Thank you for asking me to contribute to the podcast series.
Instead of telling you a little bit about me, I will tell you how the label got its name…
Basically I am half Greek, half English and I have lived in a couple of different countries in my time. When I get I tickle of booze down me, I am 100% convinced I can speak any language! Whilst living in Manchester one of my good mates (Oli Lewis) clocked this little flaw in my drinking capabilities whilst in a taxi heading to a friend’s party! After he stopped pissing himself at my pigeon/fluent Bangladeshi, which I was eloquently dishing out to the taxi driver, Oli began questioning my ethnic background ‘Is he Greek, is he Italian, is he English and is he Bangladeshi? He’s Sccucci Manucci!’ – And that is where the name comes from! So… big thanks to Mr Lewis!
Been enjoying your latest vinyl on your new Manucci’s Mistress label, how’s that going and what’s coming next from you guys?
Glad to hear you are enjoying the releases. The label is going well so far.
Very happy with the first releases, the Silk 86 guys have such a unique sound, very happy the guys chose to début with us. Their EP was picked up by Berghain/Panoramabar resident DJ, Nick Höppner, who played it in his Boiler Room set… which we were all chuffed about. The lads have some new stuff coming out on Love Fever and new label called Newington and I think they still have a free track up on their soundcloud page.
Jack Fell Down’s EP has just came out about a week or two ago now, leaning closer to the classic deep house sound with the A side and a cheeky wink to the old rave scene on the B side! James and Tony are a joy to work with too, very driven with a dry sense of humor! The guys have some amazing stuff coming out on some big labels in the near future so we are very lucky to get them on the imprint.
Coming up we have some really exciting stuff. For MANUCCI 003 we have a 4 track 12” EP from Sheffield’s very own Squarehead. I have been following Mr Ledger’s productions since his EP on Bad Taste at the start of last year (and have been pestering him for tracks ever since). The 4 tracker really showcases his talents; he has such a deep understanding of Garage and House music and he is a joy to work with. He recently just launched his own vinyl imprint too called 5ANDSEVEN – everyone should go and check the first EP out, “Elegante” will see the summer in nicely!
After that we have a stunning 2 track EP from Cassio Kohl. His EP on Amadeus simply blew me away… I got in contact with him probably 30 seconds into hearing the first track. I strongly advise people to keep a close eye on him; I predict great things from him!
And then after that we have Mr Steve Huerta with another 2 track 10” EP. This one is simply sublime house music at its best, moody, low slung and filled with so much soul. Steve and Urulu had a great EP on the mighty Dirt Crew Recordings recently and they have been putting out fire on their own label Amadeus… so Steve is another one I would keep an eye out for!
I have been really fortunate to work with so many great producers over both labels… they are all humble, focused and very professional.
It’s an exciting time right now, a lot of talented producers making great house music in the uk, a real buzz going around the underground and lot of people pressing vinyl, do you think this is a revival? a renaissance maybe?
I couldn’t agree with you more… There is a good buzz about the scene at the moment.
I think the proliferation of digital music over the last ten years has been both a blessing and a curse. It opened up the world electronic music and made it easier than ever for people to release and consume music. But on the flip side, I think an element of quality control was lost in the rush to satisfy demand. Hopefully the increase in vinyl sales is a reflection of a general dissatisfaction in the throw away nature of downloaded music. I think people are looking for quality rather than quantity and the quality element comes two fold. The label must really believe in the tracks to press them to vinyl, as it is expensive and risky and also the consumer must really love the tracks to warrant forking out their hard earned cash.
For me, it was a no brainer to start a vinyl label. I have bought vinyl for over 14 years… and I couldn’t bring myself to create a record label unless I was actually releasing records.
For you what makes a release really shine? There is so much stuff out there, and good stuff too, is there anything in particular you look for in a track?
I have quite a broad musical taste, I listen to everything from classical music (been getting right into my Gustav Mahler recently) to obscure stuff like Jook, so it is difficult for me to pinpoint what exactly draws me to a track. But I guess the question I always ask myself, or at least try to always ask myself, is does the track have longevity… Am I going to want to play this track in a month’s time, a year’s time, 10 year’s time, or is the track just a reflection of a current trend or even mood.
The other thing I look at, or listen to rather, is how well the track is produced technically. I like to listen to stuff and not have a clue how they made a sound or engineered an effect. A good example is Objekt’s ‘The Goose That Got Away’ – I listen to that track and have to pick my jaw up off the floor every time.
Interesting choice of tracks for the podcast, is this what people ought to expect in a dj set?
I wanted the mix to be spontaneous and reflect the music I am enjoying at the moment, there was also the hint of spring in the air so I wanted it to be quite upbeat, I usually record podcasts at a lot slower pace… I was just having fun mixing and I hope people can hear that in the mix!
Finally can our readers catch you anywhere in the near future?
Yep… They can catch me on the 25th of May at Basing House, alongside Zoo Look and Last Magpie – It’s a ‘Field Day’ after party!
