Celebrating 5 years of her label, we catch up with Irish-born, Manchester-based Techno artist and DJ – Kerrie
Irish-born, Manchester-based Kerrie is a multidisciplinary artist who has made her name performing live, producing music, DJing and running her own label: Dark Machine Funk.
Having garnered a rich musical education through working at and holding a DJ residency at one of the UK’s most respected record shops, Eastern Bloc. Her in-depth knowledge and unwavering dedication to music shines through, having honed her craft for well over a decade.
Since first chatting to us back in 2021, she’s gone on to make her mark over the last few years – achieving a huge milestone at the start of 2024 when Tresor made her a resident. Playing several shows (both live and DJ sets) at the infamous Berlin space, she now represents the seminal club at showcases worldwide. Also getting invited to play at celebrated venues like Bassiani, Berghain, Fabric, FOLD, Elsewhere NYC and renowned festivals such as Freedom Medellin, Freerotation, Drift, Basilar and more.
After first learning to mix on her brother’s turntables in the early 2000s, it wasn’t until years later that she invested in her own set-up, and built up an extensive record collection that covers everything from Ambient, Electronica, House, EBM, Acid, Electro, and her go-to sound: Techno.
Still firmly rooted in her local scene whilst also managing the pressures of being a full time artist and DJ. We caught up during the January lull to chat more about her label -Dark Machine Funk – also reaching a landmark, celebrating 5 years of releases.
Brrrr, it’s a cold and wet January eh! How have you been doing?
Good, thanks. I had a really nice chilled christmas with family, and I’ve had a nice relaxing start to the year where I’ve just been kind of planning things and I’m actually really grateful for it, because I think it’s going to be a bit of a hectic year! So yeah, all good…
It’s been over 4 years already since we spoke, where did the time go?
I know it is, it’s absolutely crazy! I was like, is that right? But it is because I set DMF up during the pandemic. Basically, that was when everything kind of came to light in terms of the concept of the label and things started happening. We talked about that in the last interview we did.
But yeah, I know it’s mad. I mean, to be honest, I haven’t had that many releases out on DMF. I’m only coming up to number six, but I’ve been doing bits and pieces in terms of label showcases and going forward I want to be doing a bit more in terms of releasing and getting records out.
It’s tricky obviously because I always want to do vinyl and it’s just the cost of it, it’s just crazy now. You try to keep it down, but pressing is so expensive now – sometimes your costs aren’t even covered even if you sell out (if you’re lucky) so you have to use the digital to make up the difference or whatever. But, it’s obviously important to do. It’s made me think about potentially doing some digital releases for more up and coming artists, and things like that where we could still do a small limited vinyl run potentially.
It’s been a whirlwind few years to say the least…
I know…
Actually, I did a panel recently with Emma Robertson who does the Air podcast and she said something about it ‘becoming a career’. I still find it really… well, not cringy, but a bit uncomfortable because it’s my passion first and foremost. Do you know what I mean? It’s something that I still think I’ve been really lucky to get the opportunity do full time. I mean, there’s loads of people I know that have put in the time and they haven’t had the break. I’m very aware there’s an element of luck involved, but then you create your own luck too. I don’t take any of it for granted though.
It’s definitely been an eye opener for me that all of the other stuff that comes around doing it full time like preparing for gigs, working with your agent to sort out bookings, doing admin and social media, travelling… it take up a lot of time and feels like the ‘work’ side of it. But, the actual fun and creative bits like performing and having studio time are essentially where your value is really but they can sometimes be the smallest bit of what you do in terms of your time.
What have been your highlights so far?
Well, after I left Eastern Bloc (where I worked part time for 11 yrs), I took the plunge basically throwing myself at music full time in 2023. At that point, I had a few gigs lined up and not that many for the year ahead. At the end of 2022, I was approached by Mike who runs Berytus, who took me on and has been my agent since then. He saw me play at Freerotation and he really gets my music. He understands everything I want to do from a creative perspective. He’s quite flexible as well, I didn’t really care much about being on a big agency as such. I just wanted someone who I could basically have a good working relationship with, who is also fair to the promoter but also knows my worth at the same time. So, I would say having a brilliant agent and the working relationship that I have with him has been a big highlight for me.
Getting to travel around the world and share my music is a huge highlight. I think it’s an element of factors coming together, such as having music released on brilliant labels, gaining notoriety as an artist and having a great booking agent. I’ve been booked in some incredible destinations across the globe and in the last couple of years, I’ve done my first mini Asia tour, America, Colombia and am also playing regularly across Europe. I get so much inspiration from these events and the crews that I meet, it’s so amazing to connect with like minded souls that are so passionate about music around the world.
Becoming a Tresor resident and releasing my ‘Machine Alliance’ EP on Tresor has also been a major milestone for me. It’s crazy to think 15 + years ago when I was watching all of those old techno documentaries about Detroit and Tresor, and listening to/ buying all of the techno great’s albums on the Tresor label, that little old me (a raver from Cork, Ireland haha) would end up becoming a resident at the club and an artist on the label. I have to say I fully had this as my biggest dream since day one, and it’s surreal that it’s actually been realised. I actually get a bit emotional thinking about it, as I did work hard to get there, and it shows that you can do anything you want if you put your mind to it and can be disciplined and determined.
I also have to note that I get so much out of making music, it has never really felt like ‘work’ and that all the years of showing up in the studio day after day, sometimes sacrificing having no money or missing social events pays off in so many other ways. Even in the short term, your mental health is better from being in the flow state a lot, and you’re developing skills and growing as a producer.
Where do you stand on the beast that is social media?
These days, I definitely feel like I’m in a much better place with it. I used to absolutely hate it. And it’s probably just something that I needed to kind of get over for myself as well, because of the reality of being in the public eye more. There is however, so much bullshit and narcissism on social media it’s tragic, so I try to manage how much of it I consume as it can make you feel bad about yourself, it doesn’t matter how happy or successful you are! But at the same time, I have come to the conclusion that as an artist, it isn’t just your music these days, it’s your performance, or you as a person and what you stand for etc that people can take a likability or inspiration from. So as long as I know that I’m being myself 100% and keeping things relevant, it’s actually a great way to engage with people that are into my music / performance. And I think, if I can inspire anybody to start making music by me doing a studio jam then that’s a really positive thing!
You’re obviously touring a lot more now, has it changed your perspective on things?
It hasn’t changed how I see myself as an artist as such, but it has changed in the sense that it is my ‘job’ and the number one thing it does: it pays my bills. You have to be savvy and save money. Because even though I had a few things In December last year, January, I only had one gig. So things like Christmas, which cost a lot – you need to have money in the bank at all times. I mean, I’ve got a mortgage and stuff. So if anything breaks, you need to have savings for all these grown up things haha. You just do not have a steady income, the same as any freelance job really.
My perspective on time has definitely changed, as there is not a lot of it these days. If you’re playing every weekend then you need to have rest, prepare for incoming gigs, life admin, studio time and your personal life can suffer. I have made a pact with myself this year to see family/friends more, prioritize relationships and have fun. It’s so important and feeds into the creativity in a really positive way as well. These days every week can be different; I might be either having studio time, working on a specific release, prepping for a live or dj set, working on my label or any of the other bits that come with the territory. So, I‘ve learned to be flexible / adaptable and prioritize each week as to comes.
As an artist and DJ who comes from the more ‘traditional’ end of Techno, what’s your take on the music in 2025?
To be honest, the word Techno and what people put under that is ridiculous these days. Because a lot of it is just hard dance. And, you know, there’s room for it all. There’s room for EDM, hard dance, trance and all these things, but there’s a lot of these big stadium size ‘Techno’ raves with loads of phones in the air… and it’s like oh my god this is so far from the roots of what it’s all about. It was always about escapism, losing yourself, getting freaky, sweaty in a dark room where you couldn’t really see what was going on around you, you were just locked into the music. It would be your therapy for the week, a place where you can sort your head out and be with your friends. It’s not to say that people going to these huge raves don’t get anything out of the shared collective experience they’re having, but I would find it hard to believe it would match the experience of a dark club with a killer sound system playing badass music!
I mean there’s a bigger issue at hand which is people’s attention span, it’s definitely a generational thing where people are unable to be in the moment, not just with music but with life in general. Everything is at your fingertips and things are dragging on your attention, left, right and center. It’s a sign of the times really, you know, and it’s quite scary. I’m not really sure what the solution is with the rate of technological advancement etc, but I do think the no phones policies that clubs introduce do really help for sure. I also think taking responsibility as an artist if you are in the public eye about what you put out into the world on social media is important as this inspires the next generation etc.
And in terms of style and sound?
In terms of the actual sound of Techno, I think there’s some really great stuff but also a load of absolute rubbish about. So basically, when I say a load of rubbish – I’m not even referring to the harder stuff that’s being called Techno because it isn’t, that’s like EDM. What I mean is the kind of stuff that just sounds to me like the rehashing old styles, you know. For example, the Hardgroove thing – it’s already been done. Don’t get me wrong, there’s some artists that are doing it in a creative way such as Stef Mendesidis – he’s kind of pushing that sound in some of his tracks, but will add killer sci-fi sounding ear candy here and there and give a fresh take on it. His production is next level, the precision is insane in his tracks.
Who’s really pushing forwards for you then?
In terms of pushing things forward, like with sound design and stuff, I think people like Quelza, Reeko, Blawan are great examples –
I wouldn’t necessarily play Quelza stuff all the time but I do own a few of his records and they really work in a club but you have to be mindful of what you play before / after as his sound is very cinematic. His production is wicked though and the attention to detail is unreal.
I love playing lots of styles of techno and I do definitely lean towards more kind of like, you know, the purest sounds of Detroit, Millsian inspired grooves etc. But I also get bored of that. So in a set, I could be playing some Spanish stuff like Exium, Reeko, Leiras, Oxygeno and then, lean more back into late 90s / early 00s tribal stuff, or go down an EBM or the Electro route even.
But in terms of pushing forward I do think Reeko is an absolute don who is continuously pushing himself as a producer, exploring other styles of electronic music and his other aliases but then comes back to Techno every now and then with an absolute belter of a release. I really love his music a lot. And in terms of really cool sound design: I mean Blawan … say no more.
What about people that are closer to home?
There’s lots of people from Manchester that I know and think are ones to watch. It’s a great city for music! A few to mention are a girl called Esmé and a guy called Nestor, these younger artists who’s productions I’ve recently only heard and they sound absolutely killer. They’ve got their own sound going on for sure and will do great things.
Then there’s some younger DJs & producers from Cork in Ireland, Liam & Ash, who I’ve heard recently. They run a night and a label called Enkrypted and they’re absolutely killing it. I’m really impressed at the level of talent and knowledge at such a young age and I’ve no doubt they will have a lot of success.
So, I do think that there’s genuinely some great stuff happening and it’s easy to be all doom and gloom, isn’t it. It’s just a question of sifting through to get to the good stuff. I’m so grateful for playing records for that reason, because if I had to sit and go through a load of digital promos etc preparing for gigs, I’d lose my mind haha.
Do you think we need to promote more places and spaces in Electronic music where people can unplug and engage more socially?
Yeah definitely. Especially because we spend so much time online these days. Obviously still going to nightclubs is the biggest priority as that’s why we all got into it the first place and sadly a lot of them are closing these days so they need our support.
I’m personally on a mission to be doing more than just gigs to be honest. I want to be doing workshops, talks, demos and supporting other events in the music community. It feels great to be in a learning environment together and being part of something where you can potentially inspire someone to get started on their music journey.
Although you can engage with the crowd at a gig on an almost spiritual level through the music. It’s different I think to getting together in a workshop environment for example where you can chat, learn and hangout etc. I did some workshops last year and I got a lot out of them, so I’ve decided to start making it a regular thing. I’ll be holding a DMF ‘meet up’ every couple of months at a new space in Manchester which is opening in the springtime. It’s owned by 2 friends Harris & Brad who are both big music heads themselves and are super passionate about the local scene. We’ll be hosting a community focused event with a vinyl recycle / fair, talk, demos, workshops, followed by a club event after which will be focused on DMF artists/ residents and local artists. I’m super excited to get started on this and it’s given such motivation and hope for our little slice of the scene.
Coming back to your label, how do you think it’s been shaping up since you got off the ground?
As I said before, I haven’t done loads of releases but I had Head Front Panel (John Heckle) as the first guest on 005, and then the next one is a collaboration between myself and the Italian duo – Dynamic Forces.
I had the DF guys over to play for me last year and we were showing each other loads of unreleased music and material that was coming out. They played me this one track and I was like, what the fuck’s this! I need to have this for my label. I was trying to figure out how I could make it work. And I always wanted to collaborate with them anyway because I really like their sound and them as people. They gave me that original track which I then remixed and I gave them one of mine which they also remixed and off the back of this the ‘K-llab’ series was born. It’s essentially a new DMF series of releases, where I will collaborate with other artists.
K-llab-01 which is myself and Dynamic Forces will be out on 7th March. They’re also coming to play their UK Live debut this weekend for my 5 years of DMF event in Manchester which I can’t wait for!
How did you actually meet and link up?
I met Dynamic forces through basically playing loads of their music and they came to Berghain when I was playing. I think I played at least 5 of their tracks there that night haha as I love their music and having them dancing on the little podium next to the booth when playing their tunes was definitely a little bit of a synchronicity moment at play. We became friends straight away after that.
Is there anyone you’d really love to collaborate with?
I haven’t done many collaborations in the past, but I think I’m definitely game for it now. I know I have loads of releases coming out so, it’s nice just to do something different, and always great to learn from each other.
And in terms of releases and gigs, what have you got coming up this year?
I’ve 4 EPs coming out this year, one of them is the collab with Dynamic Forces and the other 3 are with labels I have already released on. I’ve multiple tracks coming on V/A compilations as well so a busy year ahead release wise.
In terms of gigs I have already got a really busy spring period ahead with bookings most weekends, which I’m super grateful for. I’m in the final stages of preparing for my 5 years of DMF event which is happening this weekend 1st Feb at 1520 studios in Manchester where I’ve got Dynamic Forces (live), Head Front Panel (live), Leah Floyeurs, Gary Sloan and myself playing and I’m super excited for!
And from a personal/artistic perspective?
I want to put a bit more time into DJing as when something does become your job, you can get in a routine of just preparing for upcoming gigs. I’d like to improve my technique a bit more, and improve my DJ setup, maybe add a third turntable as there are styles I play that I can definitely have a third deck on the go for like the early 00s tribal loopy styles I dive into.
Personally, as I mentioned before I want to be prioritizing time for myself and relationships. Remembering to be making time for fun, having a mix with my friends or actually going to a club. It’s easy to fall into a routine when you’re touring, being in that mode all the time especially when my studio is at home etc. So yeah, making time for the important things that essentially feed into the music and wellbeing in the end…
https://darkmachinefunk.bandcamp.com
