With his well-known influences within the underground scene and the recent release of his own label, UNOU Records, launched last year, Mkey has joined in a conversation with us to let us know more about his latest release on the label, WAWANEH EP and other exciting projects we can expect from him in the future.

Purchase Link:

https://www.beatport.com/release/wawaneh-ep/3480742 

Hello Mikey! Glad you could join us today. What have you been up to? How has the pandemic-life been for you over the past year ?

Hello guys and first of all thank you for having me to chat about the recent movement of the label. Over the past year+ like a lot of other artists it’s been a real adjustment. 2021 has been filled with studio time along with A&R duties on collecting some amazing music for UNOU Records. After we were given the go ahead in the UK to get back into the clubs we worked closely on a special label launch party after almost 8 months post our first release. It was great to back into a club environment and showcase the UNOU sound!

You have launched a new label in lockdown, how has that journey been like? 

A lot harder than expected to say the least! The idea for UNOU Records came to me at the very beginning of the pandemic. I wanted an “Unsound or Underground” approach to both the music I was creating and the music that I was playing out pre lockdown. I had the vision of giving up and coming artists a place to showcase themselves amongst the best in the business and it all came to life after 6 months of planning and preparation. Our first release actually featured Luca M who is also on our next EP along with Tomorrowland favourites Nukov & Yelmet and a remix from myself. It was a very exciting release day! Since then, the journey has been fantastic. We’ve managed to feature so much amazing music throughout the year and even though the tracks weren’t getting played in a club environment we’ve had a lot of fantastic support across the board.

What would you say has been the most exciting project you have been working on lately, it must be the EP, right?!

In recent months I have to say the anticipation for the release of our next EP has been extremely exciting! At the beginning of the project I pitched Miami based artist JollyJ with an idea as I’d been playing a lot of his music at the time. We managed to go back and forth with the projects and it was actually quite easy to get the bones of the tracks in place despite the long distance relationship. As the projects both grew we really started to get a feel for it and now hear we are many months later!

Can you tell us a bit more about your new EP released on your label together with  Luca M & ACAY Remixes?

Wawaneh EP is a collaboration between myself and JollyJ which ultimately ends up as a very Tribal Tech House infused collection of tracks. The lead track has a stand out infectious vocal throughout which really brings the groove to life. The second track on the EP “This Sound” has a slightly more roller of a bassline and really brings the EP to life. Along with the originals, Luca M returns to the label with his signature sound. A stripped back minimalistic approach means this track is a favourite for those after party hours. No stranger to Tech House, ACAY rounds off the EP and has infused a lot of high energy into the mix and taken it real dark with those deep rave-like stabs. All in all this is one of my personal favourites under my MKEY (UK) brand.

With nightlife being back open again in the UK, do you have any events you’re looking forward to?

I’m not actually sure if this has been announced yet (so keep it between us) but we’ll be hosting a room at Ministry of Sound in October to celebrate the launch of our next “Emerging Artists” Album! Not only do I get to showcase some of the artists on the album on the actual release date, at one of the most renowned clubs in the world but I’ll also be returning to the infamous 103 room of the club for a very special set. I’m really looking forward to showcasing the UNOU Records ethos at MoS and catching up with some good friends!

What would you say has been your most expected gig for this year? And why?

The most important show for me so far this year has to be our launch party in Maidstone. It was actually the very first party in the Club room of the venue after all restrictions had been lifted and the vibe was second to none with ravers literally wall to wall all evening. I had our artists White Label, eMerce and Dominic Aquila down and each individual delivered unbelievable sets. I’ve got to give a massive shout to them as we really do have the wheels in motion to deliver even more amazing music across the label and clubland altogether now.

Are you planning any interesting collaborations for your new label?

We’ve got a very exciting collaboration in the works with a future release from up and coming artist Bakkus. I’m not going to give too much away but as well as a very diverse EP in the works, I’m teaming up with the artist to deliver something special. You’ll just have to keep up with the movements to find out more info!

Lastly, is there anything else you would like to share with us today?

Massive thank you for your time today and inviting me in to talk about the label. If there are any passionate producers out there who are creating something Unsound or Underground across all spectrums of the word genre then we would love to hear your music as we plan an even bigger and better 2022. Feel free to contact us at info@unou.co.uk.

Purchase Link:

https://www.beatport.com/release/wawaneh-ep/3480742

MKEY:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mkeymusik
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mkeymusik/
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/mkeymusik