For our September episode, we’re heading into South Manchester and catching up with Levenshulme party starters Levy Down Low.
Levy Down Low is run by Good Man and Simon Oz out of the Talleyrand on Levy highstreet. The night prides itself on being an eclectic melting pot of sounds that touch on many genres with rare grooves and hidden gems guaranteed.
Catch our interview with the pair below:
Hey Levy Down Low, thanks so much for coming on the blog and putting a mix together for AMF. I always like to start these interviews by asking you how you got started in DJing and what’s your journey looked like up to this point?
Good Man: I was actually pretty anti DJ when I was younger as a guitar and none dancefloor music kid. I grew up in the super club, super DJ years and remember seeing footage from Ibeefa of someone lording it up playing a Squarepusher track I loved and thinking what a wanker completely appropriating someone else’s talent and creativity!
Coming to Manchester and getting across first soul nights then, hip hop, drum and bass, house, breaks and the rest I started to gain understanding and respect for it all. I then got in to buying records and playing myself with persuasion from friends running a night that Ozzy played at too called This Thing of Ours in early 2000’s.
That led to doing some re-edits first for myself then on white label, hand stamped style. Something I aim to find the time to do some more for Levy Down Low nights.
Simon Oz: How I got started was just a simple transition from buying records, hip hop, soul, house etc, listening to dj’s and then trying to put them together in the different techniques used by various dj’s.
The journey for me has been long and I’m still here doing it as I’m still buying so many records and finding new music in all forms.
I’ve played around Manchester and the UK at many venues and different nights and also overseas in Europe, Berlin and Ibiza.
You’ve been running parties in Levenshulme for a while now and have always booked guests who’ll play an eclectic mix of music, “wide and choosey” as you like to say. Why do you like to book artists that fit this bill?
There’s just so much music out there and so much can work on the right dancefloor at the right time, selection etc. Single genre nights can definitely work but our corner is definitely the small room across the board thing Manchester seems to do so well and has been instilled in our best clubbing memories and sense of what a great party is ultimately.
We had Werkha and Mr Redley play the first night we did with guests and listening back its great to hear that wide but certainly not indiscriminate range of music being played on “our” dancefloor much like we do but just from other heads and ears.
We always play across the dancefloor and guests are encouraged to take the freedom to do what they like. That’s the point of us wanting them to play with and for us. Dance music can be one dimensional and functional but it can also be varied and much more engaging if details like setting, sound, music knowledge and probably just confidence to play stuff are got right.
Tell us a bit about running parties in Levenshulme and the Talleyrand? The area’s widely been touted as “up and coming” do you get a sense of that? Is the area on the cusp of a cultural explosion or has it been continually evolving over the past 10, 20 years?
Levenshulme is evolving like any part of a city. It happens to be somewhat subject to gentrification probably more over the past 5 years like some parts of cities. For us it does mean there is enough critical mass of venues, stuff happening and people interested in attending to make for good parties in a superficial sense.
The Talleyrand itself is a real gem with so much being put on by Tom and Dean in terms of under the radar music and art shows. It’s just a great space for all those things including specifically what we do and there is definitely something good and positive about it not being in the city proper.
Can you share with us a few of your inspirations? When putting on events and recording mixes which promoters and DJs do you look to for guidance?
Inspirations, there are so many from local legends who have been doing it for decades to some of the big names and also local djs around Manchester who throw great parties. I came to Manchester in the days of Friends and Family which was the starting point for me for that eclecticism thing along with the other ones doing it then and still now in the form of Scruff.
Others on the list over the years would be Eyes Down, Swing Ting, Hoya:Hoya was so good for a whlle. Me Gusta, Banana Hill and Red Laser more recently. As an out of towner nights in that London like Deviation, Giant Steps, Heels and Souls. Loads more in Manc too and the similar local style nights happening are great.
Moving on to your mix can you tell us a bit about it? How have you put it together and are their any standout tracks in it you can share with us?
We “workshopped” it! Just running through current favourites and ideas together with a loose aim for it to run a similar movement through energy and styles one of the nights might.
Ultimately we playlisted it, worked out some mixes and tweaked selections if necessary then we knew where we were at for recording it. We’ve never done a recorded mix together before and it was really good to put one together in that pretty considered kind of way. Ozzy says: “For me it’s the first track which is my stand out track, I’d never heard it before but Stu turned me onto it as the opener for the mix and without doubt had to be included.” Shouts have to go to Shy One and Charlie Donsurf for both getting two tracks on there and in return I really love the Kid Fonque X Jonny Miller tune which Ozzy brought literally in the mix and I’d never heard before despite tending to listen across the Stay True releases.
Also love Minnie Riperton – Baby, This Love I Have in a nostalgic great soul at the right time of the night sort of way. Also had to have something new from Szajna bringing warehouse vibes to broken beat. So no there isn’t a standout track…
Lastly, what on the cards for Levy Down low in the near future? Are there any more events or mixes coming up you can tell us about?
Next up for us is welcoming Szajna down this weekend Saturday 24th Sept. We feel like there is a lot of musical common ground going on and his productions are really great pushing bruk and broken sounds.
Check his Reform shows, releases and involvement with the also excellent Dance Regular. To round the year out we are close to finalising plans for an “Autumn Soul Special” at the end of November (18th) with some really good soul experts and lovers to help give us a warm but heavy party across one of the ends of music that firmly anchors things for us each night.
Watch this space for the new year continuation and always check our mixcloud for recordings from the nights and overdue additions to our Levenshulme Down Low mixes.
