Brighton Mixtapes 009: Cliquee

Apr 10, 20206 min read

Updated: Jul 14, 2021

Brighton Mixtapes: Cliquee - 009 — Brighton Mixtapes - Cliquee

Since the success of our beloved Berlin Mixtapes Series, which has featured awesome guests so far, we felt there was a real gap in terms of showcasing the amazing talent within our own home city right here in Brighton. We have a wide spectrum of artists that span across many genres therefore we decided we would create the 'Brighton Mixtapes' Series, so that we can not only showcase established artists but also feature up and coming musicians that would like a platform to be heard.

Equally, whilst our focus at Berlin has always been somewhere between Deep House and Techno we can now open up and extend a wider reach into other genres that Brighton has to offer. Also each artist will be subject to a series of one answer quick-fire questions to accompany each guest mix to give readers a quirky insight into the artists' likes and dislikes.

Next up we bring you DJ & producer Cliquee (clicky), who started DJing professionally in 2007, this soon led to him producing his debut EP and signing with Society Music Recordings in April 2016. Since signing with Society Music, Cliquee has also signed to Kaleydo Beats, Aila Records, Antarctic Records, TrueLife Recordings, SubTech Collective Light, SubTech Collective Dark, BlackKat, TrueLife Recordings, NightShift Records, KONNEQT, Acid 606-61 & Maintain Replay Records. His tracks have been used on various compilation albums for the likes of Techno Kreis, Techno Szene Records, Re:vibe Audio, Unlicensed Radio Records, Green Alien Records, Spiral Groove Recordings, Honey Bunny, Ten Tec Stuck and Techno Materials. Originally from Portsmouth (UK), he has performed all over the south coast of England including London’s Ministry of Sound, as well as making his Amsterdam Dance Event debut in 2017. Soon other international performances came to fruition with gigs in Italy, Cyprus & Germany. Since moving back into the production side of the industry, he has had great success within the Techno scene. His style is unique and eclectic, best described as "Tech with a twist" his sound has elements of Techno, Tech House, Minimal Techno, Detroit Techno, Dub Techno and Deep Tech, as well as influences from his wide appreciation for all musical styles.

Hi Cliquee, how are you and what have you been up to this week?

Hey Markus, been a busy week actually. I'm working on 2 new tracks and 2 podcasts, 1 for the UK and one for Germany. I've signed a remix to a UK label and an original track with a Belgian label, so been very productive.

How long have you been DJing?

I started producing in 1992 and DJing in 1994. I had a long break to raise my daughters and started DJing professionally again in 2007 and released my first EP with Italian based label, Society Music Recordings in 2017.

Your name Cliquee, where does it come from and what's the concept behind the name?

It's based around the term for a small group of close friends or clique. I also have hyper mobility, so my joints click a lot, hence cliquee (clicky).

You run a brand with your partner in crime Lee Arthur called Aural Sex, a show that used to be lots of fun on our home Trickstar Radio plus you've had showcases on the infamous Goat Shed Radio. What's next for the brand?

We've taken a break for a time with the Aural Sex brand. We are looking at moving the brand into a joint production and performance duo in the near future. Using a mixture of live music performances alongside our unique 4 deck, 2 mixer DJing technique to provide a visual experience to match our sound.

You flutter between Brighton and your native Portsmouth, are there any projects you're working on in regards to shows or events?

I love performing in Brighton, my sound matches the city perfectly, so will definitely be looking at more appearances in Brighton for the summer hopefully when all this virus malarky blows over. I have a couple of tentative bookings around Europe later in the year so watch this space for those.

Cliquee at Berlin presents Kristin Velvet

What releases have you got coming up next, and on what labels can people catch your current EPs?

My last 2 EPs were released on Jon Connor's Bubblejam label. I have a remix and an original tracks coming out with Mechanikal later in spring and in the process of signing a track with Whole Story Lab that will probably be out in the summer.

Where was your first gig?

My first gig as Cliquee was at Portsmouth legendary Old Barn. I performed some of my favourite sets there, including closing for Slam to a packed venue on my birthday a couple of years ago.

You played for us back in September alongside myself, POoK and the amazing Watergate resident and long-time Berlin-Brighton friend and crowd favourite Kristin Velvet, did you have fun?

I always have fun at Berlin nights, but performing for you was amazing fun. The crowd really get the music and was awesome to see the response from everyone. It was great to see Kristin out in the crowd dancing with everyone too. I love it when artists enjoy the music and get stuck into a good boogie with the crowd, I really respect that.

What can people expect from a typical Cliquee set? Anything and everything really, I like to mix new and old to make a unique sound. I like long mixes with tracks that compliment each other to create a new twist on the tracks. I'm really enjoying the more progressive sound at the moment but still have elements of my beloved techno with hints of acid house and the classic analogue sounds of the 80s and 90s.

Where's your favourite place to just to kick back and chill in Brighton?

I really enjoy the vibe at The Tempest. It has a really unique feel about it and the location on the sea front is amazing, especially in the summer.

And equally, where's your favourite place to let loose?

My favourite venue is Motion in Bristol. Amazing space, sound and lighting. I saw Matador play live a few years ago there, so it has a special place in my heart.

Which other DJs or producers are you liking right now?

Loving Jonas Saalbach, I saw him play for Warm Up at The Steelyard recently. He played a live set and blew my mind! Love Einmusik and really loves seeing him play for Berlin again back on 28 February at your new stunning venue Chalk. Love Eelke Klein, Edu Imbernon, Rodriguez Jr, Matan Caspi, Adriatique, RAMPA, Rafael Cerato, I could go on forever. Favourite up and coming producers right now are Apo Tulup, Ron Flatter, Herzakkord, Ian Dillon, Mycell and Monophase.

What are your go-to labels?

Einmusika, Heinz, Steyoyoke, Anjunadeep, Whole Story, Bubblejam, Katermukke, DAYS like NIGHTS, Afterlife and Stil vor Talent. But I do like seeking out the smaller labels, there's some real gems hidden away with them and I like to use the more obscure tracks in my sets.

You have compiled our latest Brighton Mixtapes Series Episode 009 - Tell us more about your mix. Really enjoyed doing this mix for you, it's a real builder including a load of my favourite tracks right now. There are several unreleased promo tracks in there too, so hopefully there's something new for everyone as well as some firm favourites and familiar remixes that are doing the round in the club circuit right now. Many of the favourite artists I listed earlier make an appearance in there.

What else can we expect from you soon? What's next on the horizon for DJ gigs, where can people see you next?

I've been focusing much more on my music production for the last year or so. Looking at getting out there much more this year on the back of several new tracks, remixes and podcasts so watch this space.

Great news, it's been an absolute pleasure as always talking with you Cliquee but before we go is there anything else you'd like to add? Just like to thank you for the opportunity to share some music with you and the Berlin family. Really loved dancing with you all at your new venue back in February. Gonna be a great year for the brand and the underground music scene in general as soon as this pandemic is sorted out!

Exciting stuff! It's been an absolute pleasure as always talking with you Cliquee. Next up here's the Quickfire Round:

Genre: Progressive House and Techno

Favourite Colour: Grey

What do you put on your chips? Cheese

Apple or Android: Android

Pioneer or Denon: Pioneer

Ableton or Logic: Ableton

Can you juggle: Not if it's more than one thing

Weirdest/Coolest Item of clothing: Hooded suit jacket with rough cut seams

First record ever bought: Do the Bart Man by Bart Simpson

Favourite place to hang out in Brighton: Tempest

Best club: Motion, Bristol