Dig Deep on Cowbell Radio #32 with Sam Pemberton (Dead Horse Gang)

To celebrate 3 years of Dig Deep on Cowbell Radio we have a 2 mixes back to back this Saturday night, plus a sprinkling of new tunes throughout the show.

Kicking off at 7pm, first up we will be taking you back to last year's Beat-Herder Festival with the debut airing of the recording of Paul Thornton and Chris Holt live in Trash Manor.

Then at 9pm we hand over to Sam Pemberton (Dead Horse Gang) for an exclusive hour long set that showcases Sam's exceptional talents on the decks. A true natural, Sam will take you on a journey of choice selections that will run through till 10pm. Sam's mix gets the Dig Deep vibe spot on and features Afro flavours, Latin/tropical grooves, percussive workouts and some newer disco/house edit stuff to boot.

I first heard Sam DJing at Solfest last year and really liked what he played. Then I got the chance to play alongside him at The Open Mind Bar in Carlisle (a Dead Horse Gang event) and was blown away by both his taste in music and his effortless DJ skills - he mixed for ages like a techno DJ whilst cutting up tracks like a pro hip hop turntablist. I asked Sam to do a mix for the show there and then...



Q&A with Sam Pemberton (Dead Horse Gang):

Dig Deep on Cowbell Radio #24 with Mike Yates (Dead Horse Gang)

We continue the series on Cowbell Radio with 3 hours of hand picked music and another special guest selector in the mix... This month we welcome Mike Yates from the Dead Horse Gang to the Dig Deep family.

The Dead Horse Gang is a 7 man crew that includes 78 Edits, Sam Pemberton, Tim Hamblin, Old Boy, Mike Boorman and Tim Forester. Recent guests at their night in Carlisle include Marcel Vogel, Ruf Dug and Harri n Domenic.

Expect House Disco Brazilian Boogie Edits and probably some other bits in between. It's fair to say that Mike has that Loft vibe spot on and his mix is as smooth as it is sweet. Don't miss this chance to check out Mike Yates in the mix. Catch it first exclusively on Cowbell Radio...

Here's a little pre-show Q&A if you don't already know about Mike Yates's background:

How long have been buying vinyl?
For the best part of 20 years.

Are you a selector or a collector?
I'd say I'm more of a selector although there's a few labels that I don't like to miss stuff on.

When did you get into DJing and why?
There was a monthly party that used to go down in Carlisle called Perfect. It was just a dark basement with a big system, smoke machine and strobe light. A lot of the Cream residents like Paul bleasdale and Les Ryder used to play there a lot and Tom Wainwright and Graeme Park were also on regularly. I'd always thought myself as a bit of a DJ at secondary school as my mate Piehead had a set of 22s and a 'made to fade' mixer set up in his bedroom. We used to buy old Italian house and happy hardcore. We were proper shit!

So when I heard the music that was being played at perfect I wanted another bite of the cherry and as soon as I could afford a set of 1210s I got some. I got friendly with Patrick Irwin who was a resident at Perfect and he owned Rhythm Express records in Carlisle, which is sadly missed and ironically a nightclub is in its place. He used to hook me up with amazing tunes. He knew his shit man. He still does!

I built up a decent collection of tunes and after almost every Perfect I'd go back to my parents house in a taxi , load my set up into it and take it round to which ever after party was going!
Perfect then sadly finished in 2000 and nothing was really happening in Carlisle. Then Matt Tyson who now runs the popular and successful Uber nights in Carlisle started putting little party's on and I gave him a mixtape I'd made and he liked it and he asked me to play for him. Think he had Seb Fontaine on. I was shitting it but it must of went well cos I've played at some brilliant party's he's promoted with the likes of Derrick Carter, The Revenge, Norman Jay MBE, Groove Armada and Crazy P to name a few.

Who and what are your influences?
Larry levan, Dave Mancuso, MCDE, Soulwax, Michael Jackson, Todd Terje, Optimo Espacio, 6th Borough Project, Joey Negro, MAW, The Revenge, Kenny Hawkes, Peace Division, I could go on...

How would you describe your style?
I like to play all kinds of stuff from Soul to techno. Id like to think my sets were energetic and fun. If it's a good record I'll play it. Anything with a groove.

Where can people hear you playing?
You can hear me play monthly at Open Mind Music and Arts bar and we've got some tasty party's lined up forSeptember and October. I'm also playing Solfest in August alongside Doug Chippendale aka Old Boy.

Tell me about Dead Horse Gang?
Dead horse Gang was born a couple of years ago when Doug and I decided that cos there wasn't really anywhere in Carlisle where we could go and have a boogie to the tunes we love that we needed to fill that gap. We'd both put partys on to varying degrees of success so we knew the club owners etc and both knew some like minded DJs who we'd met at various festivals and club nights over the years. So we hired The Brickyard and some Funktion 1 speakers and a Rane rotary mixer and put a party on and it worked, and we're still doing them now nearly 3 years on...

What have you got coming up next and later in the year?
Next up is Solfest in August where we're playing 12 till 3 in Loungevity. Looking forward to that one. Then we've got some special guests in September and December before rounding off the year on Boxing night in Open Mind with a very special guest. Watch this space!

Where can people check you out online?
soundcloud.com/mike-yates

Tracklist:

Dig Deep on Cowbell Radio #22 with Old Boy (Dead Horse Gang)

This month we welcome Old Boy aka Doug Chippendale to the Dig Deep Family. One of the North West's up and coming DJ and promoters, his Dead Horse Gang have consistently set the benchmarch for great guests at their events which cover all that's good in the world of music.  At the end of March they welcome chief lumberjack Marcel Vogel and fellow face Ruf Dug to the city.



As we got under starters orders we did a little Q&A type thing to get to know the party loving jockey...

How long have been buying vinyl?
I've been buying records on and off for 15 years.

Are you a selector or a collector?
I guess you could call me a selector who collects random stuff that makes me happy.

When did you get into DJing and why?
I bought my first set of turntables at the tender age of 15. My older sister saved me from happy hardcore and after listening to am old mike c an graham park mix tape I was hooked on house music and have never looked back.

Where do your influences come from?
Along the way I've been influenced by the likes of Yousef, Todd Terry, Lil Louis, MAW, Theo Parrish, Underground Resistance, DJ Sneak, Derrick Carter you get the jist!

Where will people have heard you playing?
Over the past few years I've held a residency at Uber and have played festival's such as Wickerman, Beat-Herder and Solfest. As well as playing up and down the country, Leeds, Cornwall, Newcastle...

What have been the highlights of the last 15 years?
I'd say a few personal highlights have been warming up for Greg Wilson, Crazy P, Krysko, The Unabombers, and playing the same bills as Groove Armada, Sasha, Derrick Carter, Sneak and Yousef.

How would you describe your style?
I just like playing good honest music. If it makes me jump around or get emotional when I first hear it I want others to experience what I've just felt from that certain track. I never plan sets, I just go with the flow.

Tell us about Dead Horse Gang?
I put together the Dead Horse Gang cause we've ran nights up here in Carlisle to different degrees of success. Over the years, at other nights I have been involved with, we've had the likes of Andy Votel, Gas Lamp Killer, DJ Format and the Unabombers to name a few. I always wanted to bring a sound to the city that I feel needed to be heard. However it's a struggle trying to educate people away from what's popular. So I hung up my promoting hat a few years ago but just couldn't give in. So Dead Horse was born. Hence like flogging a dead horse. The gang is made up of 78 Edits, Sam Pemberton, Tim Hamblin, Mike Yates, Mike Boorman and Tim Forester, and recent guests include Harri n Domenic. We're steadily getting a trot on and people seem to dig what we do at last.  On March 28th we have Marcel Vogel and Ruf Dug doing a 4 hour back to back set!

What have you got coming up next and later in the year?
You can catch myself and various members of the gang playing up an down the country this year. We've got Beat-Herder and Solfest coming up.

Where can people check you out online?
All details of gigs will be on the Dead Horse Gang facebook group: -
facebook.com/thedeadhorsegang
soundcloud.com/d-c
soundcloud.com/western-groove

Don't miss this chance to check out Old Boy in the mix. Catch it first exclusively on Cowbell Radio...

Tracklist: