Fifteen Years of Leng Records

To mark the occasion Leng Records is celebrating with the release of a new compilation which features material from label stalwarts. A delicate assortment of dreamy house, downtempo, funk and the spaces in between.

We asked label heads Simon Purnell and Paul ‘Mudd’ Murphy to talk us through the history and background behind Leng Records.

First of all, did you ever imagine the label might reach 15 years?

I don’t think either of us have ever thought about how long the label would be around for and we’ve never imagined stopping doing what we do so we feel very lucky we’re still here. In this day and age it’s sadly something of a rarity to make it this far but it’s pretty surprising how quickly those 15 years have gone by.

Has your vision changed in the present from what it first was at the foundation of Leng?

I think our vision has grown as the music has developed, but it remains on the basis that we only release music that we both believe in. We owe a lot of gratitude to Phil Mison for trusting us with his Cantoma project and his Out of Town album. That was instrumental in getting us established.

Of which release are you most proud?

It’s hard to pick a singular one, but Payfone – I Feel You hitting Phonica’s best single of the year in 2023 was definitely a high point in our history and one we’re proud to have released on the label. Working with Rose & Izaak Earthboogie from their initial studio demos through to the album was another highlight. Rose continues her solo production and remix work as Tigerbalm releasing her music on a variety of labels, including Leng, touring the world as an in demand dj. Then the whole Magik compilation series with Psychemagik were amazing albums to put together with Magik Sunset Part One being one that we both still listen to regularly.

Is there anything you wish you had or would have done differently?

Not really is the short answer to this. Everything released on Leng is music we truly believe in ourselves so there’s absolutely no regrets in our catalogue. Maybe there’s a couple of things we should have released and didn’t but that’s pretty minimal over 15 years. Deciding how many vinyl units to press is always a tricky one. It’s like a dark art knowing how many the public want.

Musically speaking – what makes a ‘Leng’ release?

It’s hard to say, but because we’ve released so much music over the years, we both just instantly know upon hearing it. There is a mid-tempo, almost chuggy feel to a lot of the releases, but there’s a decent amount of variation within that broad bracket. In addition to the music it’s about the mastering, artwork and packaging too. Pretty much everything we have released has been on vinyl and for some releases we’ve had them stem-mastered for extra warmth and clarity. Using the same vinyl pressing plant for all those years has helped maintain our own high standards. Mark Warrington, Sick Boy, Luke Insect, James Joyce and Olly Shenton have all designed sleeves for us so a big thanks to them.

What comes next?

It’s a good question, at the moment we have no shortage of new music to put out and that’s been the case for a few years now. We always love working with new artists, developing their sound and helping to get their music out there. We love album projects too and have Emperor Machine and Liminal working on theirs at the moment. Rotation Sound System Vol.2 compilation is underway as well.

When working with an artist what are you looking to achieve?

Longevity is one of our goals so having an artist grow as the label does allows us to build on every release. Some of our artists are long in the game so they understand the process, others are just starting out so we give them the time, effort and attention needed to start their artistic journey off the right way. Whichever way it is we want all our artists to feel like they’re now part of the Leng family.

Of what are you most proud as a record label?

Finding your own niche and defining the sound of your fledgling label takes commitment and hard work so we are definitely proud we have achieved that. One of our early goals was a become a label that people trusted because of our consistency and we like to think we are somewhere close to achieving that. Working with so many regular artists from all over the world that are like family to us now is one of greatest things about what we do. This is especially true with our long standing relationship with the extended west coast crew, 40 Thieves.

How are you celebrating 15 Years?

To round off year 15 we’re releasing a compilation of all new music from some of our existing artists but there’s also some new names on there too. You can expect music from Emperor Machine, Payfone, 40 Thieves, Tigerbalm, Bo Wosticz, Pete Herbert, Liminal, Mudd, Intrallazzi & Piana, Lex (Athens), Joe Harvey-Whyte & Bobby Lee, Flying Mojito Bros… A huge thanks to each of these artists for being part of this release.

Buy the compilation HERE.