For the first in our brand new series Sticky Labels, in which we take a look at rising labels who we predict will be sticking around (see what we did there), we take a look at London based Teng Records.
Glasgow born Nick Woolfson has been involved in the electronic music scene for some time. He's been associated with multiple production outfits as well as countless record labels, releasing hundreds of tracks since the early 90s. An industry veteran, Woolfson has picked up a few tricks along the way which he has clearly been deploying in his newest venture – Teng Records. With a handful of quality releases under their belt already, Teng is definitely one to watch. We chatted to Woolfson about Teng, his Akra alias and working in the industry for two decades. He even recorded an exclusive mix for us – enjoy!
Nick, You've been around for some time in the industry DJing and producing as part of a number of musical projects and imprints including Mock & Toof, where you cut your teeth (sorry) by remixing artists such as Hot Chip and Groove Armada to name a few. For anyone unaware of your back history – tell us a bit more about yourself.My name is Nick Woolfson and I have been involved in making club oriented music since the early 90’s. I’ve been a part of many different projects and genres and have released hundreds of 12s, ep’s and albums. I cut my teeth doing hardcore 12” white labels, learning about the whole process from writing and recording the tracks to manufacturing and distribution which led to my first label Jamm Records. I spent the majority of the 90’s working with Mark Shimmon on hard house and acid house and eventually dabbled in trance and the national charts before scuttling back underground to where I belonged.
I’ve also been one half of electronic / dub / chill project ‘Sounds From The Ground’ which has resulted in a dozen albums since the mid 90’s and is still going strong today. We release on our own label Upstream Records as well as on Waveform Records in the US.
I met up with Duncan Stump almost 10 years ago and we formed ‘Mock & Toof” which has been a fantastic journey through wonky house and across the world playing live. Recently, I teamed up with Neville Watson who was introduced to me in our local Muswell Hill gastro-pub by a mutual friend only to realise he had remixed Mock & Toof’s ‘Farewell To Wendo’ with Kink and from that intro, we started working together, developing our ‘Red 7’ project.
You’re originally a Glaswegian who's been based in London making music for some years now. How did a fellow weedgie like yourself end up involved in the music scene down south? I started learning piano as a kid and always wanted to play in bands at school so naturally progressed to playing keyboards and getting my kicks out of analogue synths, string machines and fender Rhodes etc. I totally regret selling some of my gear during the many times of famine but do still have some of them in my studio today. After playing in a few bands and not quite getting the success we clearly didn’t deserve but sampling the total thrill of gigs, studio recording and management / record company input all down south, I felt that London was the place to be if you wanted to get on with making music for a living so I came down south. I have to say I’ve never wanted to go back to the drizzle of the west of Scotland except for a holiday, the weather alone makes it worth it and I still love the buzz of London.
Throughout your career as a DJ and remixer you've had nods from all the right people including recording a mix for Fact Mag as M+T. Do you prefer more the solo side of making/performing music or working with someone else ie Mock. Firstly that was Duncan on dj’ing duties for Fact Mag as I concentrated more on the studio side of things with M & T, although we both play live as I can use my keyboard skills with Duncan handling the tech side.
I am more used to working with someone and enjoy having a partner to bounce ideas and share the pressures. Its always good to have 2 opinions on whether something works or not….but starting Akra on my own and Teng to go with it has been fantastic for me. It’s taken me out of my comfort zone and that is always a good thing as it makes you step up to new challenges. I’ve met loads of great people in the process who are totally supportive and encouraging and I feel there is a cool network of like minded creative people out there that I wouldn’t have met if I hadn’t taken the plunge. I also like the freedom to create the music I want without having to answer to anyone and do it in my own time and that is very liberating. I am just about to play my first live gig as Akra which is another step into the unknown but really looking forward to that.
What drove you to start the label? Where did the name come from? I started Teng because I already had Tiny Sticks / M&T Inc established through Kudos and as I had the distribution in place, it was therefore a simple process to create a new label for Akra. I felt that as I already had the experience and connections, it was the quickest way to get the tracks out.
As for the name, I struggled with that for a while and came up with Tang at first but when I did a google search on the word, it came up with some iffy connotations so I changed it to Teng instead.
You guys have been busy at Teng HQ, dropping 5 releases since you started the label last year. What is your focus behind the label? Is there any particular direction you want to take it? The label seems to be gathering momentum naturally and it is getting really interesting trying to juggle everything with all the other music I’m doing. Harder work that I originally expected but I like a challenge. I have Neville Watson and a young Italian lad called Filippo Rocco helping me now and between the three of us the aim is to keep building Teng by releasing music that excites us, and hopefully others, and that we would support and play out ourselves. We are dedicated to releasing vinyl for our ep’s and we use the legendary mastering engineer John Dent at Loud Mastering to master and cut the tracks so they sound as fat and wicked as possible.
You've had support from some big names already including Mr G. and Ame. How does it feel getting props from such established artists when your imprint is still in its infancy? It’s a great feeling to get such positive support from so many top flight dj’s and artists. It makes it all worth the hard work and gives us the buzz to carry on and keep trying to supply strong tracks.
You've been associated with a number of labels in the past including DFA, Tiny Sticks and your own Jamm Records imprint. What would you say is the most important thing you learned (to do or not to do) from these labels that will influence the running of Teng? I would like to think I’m putting all my knowledge and experience into Teng. The world was a very different place when I had Jamm, it was only vinyl then and sales were very healthy compared to today and there was also a strong compilation market. Times are much more challenging today but just as exciting when we have a record coming out. I absolutely love writing music and I enjoy making records and getting them out there and I love the challenge! Also quality control is vital. Its really important to always aim to release strong product and not lose sight of that. It will make all the difference long term.
So far the label has released work by Neville Watson and Deep Space Orchestra to name a few. What do you look for in an artist – is there anything in particular that makes them Teng material? It’s still early days and although I started with a view to using it as a vehicle for my Akra project, it has grown into something more interesting and challenging. I guess I’m looking for artists who have the talent and are not afraid to beat their own path. I don’t mind if they don’t have huge experience or production skills as long as they have an edge and their music has character. There does seem to be a lot of music out there at the moment, some of it fantastic and some not so good and as the technology becomes more accessible it gives more people the chance to create but it also throws up a lot of mediocrity as well. The challenge is to find the gems amongst it and there are a few good ones out there.
Your next release is next month with one of your own tracks Tunnel Vision (under your AKRA moniker) and it comes correct with an Iron Curtis remix. How did this link up with the Berlin based producer come about? I contacted Johannes on facebook on the off chance to ask if he would be interested in sending some tracks and he responded so we have been talking ever since. He was up for a remix and I wanted to give him something special to work with and when Tunnelvision came together, I thought it would be perfect for him and sent it over. He loved it and delivered a really thoughtful and beautifully crafted remix. I was well pleased!
What have you got planned for Teng records in the future? Is there anything in the pipeline that you are particularly excited about? I have ep’s coming up from Other Worlds which is Si Murray of Deep Space Orchestra’s solo project, Loius Guilliaume, Hiver, Asok and Blured who also is releasing a fantastic album for the label….our first album. We also have another ep and possible album from Nubian Mindz and more Akra so lots in the pipeline.
Listen to Akra on Pulse Radio.