Manchester-based label Clergy celebrates its tenth year with a series of VA releases and events.
Founded in 2015, the Manchester-based label has become a well-respected force within techno. Known for its underground focus and high-quality releases, Clergy has stood as a benchmark for the global techno community over the last decade.
The early days of Clergy were ‘simpler and less chaotic’, claims its founder Cleric, who launched the label with virtually no experience. The camaraderie with his fellow contemporaries, such as Dax J and A.R.T.S. founder Emmanuel, helped him navigate his way through the first couple of years. “I met Cleric early in our careers, and we spent a lot of time playing and touring together,” says Dax J, whose collaborations resulted in 2 Ep’s (Chasing Shadows & Lost in Bermuda) and various singles.
In terms of its output, Clergy has always been a label that let its work speak for itself. During our interview, Cleric ruminates on what could have been if “they had invested more in marketing.” However, their lack of focus on the numbers allowed them to stay tunnel-visioned on the music.
The label survived its early years due to the support system surrounding it, and in turn, became a vital part of Clergy’s foundations. As the label developed, its popularity rose alongside its willingness to give space to lesser-known artists and became pivotal in the careers of artists such as Félicie, Bidoben, and Stef Mendesidis.
In 2023, French producer Félicie released The Art of Detachment on the label. By then, it was her second release on Clergy, the first being a track contribution to the United for Ukraine compilation. However, Félicie and Clerics’ relationship was formed years before through their collaboration on Félicie’s Daddy Issues EP on Soma Records. “Clergy has been my techno label that shaped my career on so many levels,” comments Félicie.
Moroccan artist Bidoben also benefited from the nurturing ethos of the label. “Beyond running one of the genre’s mainstays, he has been instrumental in shaping my creativity, always pushing me to experiment, embrace the “weird,” and explore new ideas with complete artistic freedom”, remarks Bidoben.
Despite whatever minor reservations Cleric may have about his business decisions in the past, the fact that Clergy has managed to survive the last 10 years putting out vinyl releases – while not having much of a social media or significant marketing presence – is a testament to the quality environment Cleric has built around the label. Clergy is a congregation of creatives who view techno in a pure way. It’s all about the music for them, and the results show.
In this interview, Cleric discusses the label’s origins, his favourite releases, and plans for its 10th anniversary.
Talk to us about the labels origins, why did you decide to start the label?
Clergy was born out of a desire to create something meaningful, something that would reflect my personal journey and creative vision. I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of “cementing something in time,” a collection of work that holds a piece of you in it.
When I first started Clergy, the landscape was quite different. Releasing music wasn’t as accessible as it is today, especially within the underground techno scene. Labels like Token, Ostgut Ton, Avian, Delsin, Fachwerk, Skudge, and Modularz were setting the standard, and I admired their artistic direction. I wanted Clergy to have its own unique identity and the chance to create concepts with depth—both sonically and visually.
My time as a hairstylist at Vidal Sassoon was pivotal, as I learned the power of developing ideas from the ground up, from mood boards to final concepts. This drive to create something with a unified vision definitely influenced how I approached the label from the start.
What was it like in the early days of Clergy? I’m guessing you didn’t have a lot of experience of running labels at that time?
In the early days of Clergy, things were a bit simpler and, honestly, less chaotic than they are now. I had very little experience running a label when I started, so I was incredibly fortunate to have the support of friends like Dax (J) and Gareth, who had already established their own labels. Emmanuel from A.R.T.S. also played a huge role in supporting me during the early stages. We all worked closely behind the scenes, and each other’s guidance was invaluable in helping me navigate those first years.
We were only releasing about four to five EPs a year at the start, with two of those being my solo work. Fast forward to today, and we’re handling a much larger workload—ten various artist releases, featuring over 50 artists and ten remixes by me, alongside launching podcasts for the first time. It’s definitely a lot to manage on my own.
Were there any pivotal moments that you went through that alter the trajectory of the label or your management of it?
I wouldn’t say there’s one pivotal moment that completely altered the trajectory of Clergy, but rather, it’s been a steady process of hard work and staying true to the creative vision. We’ve been fortunate that our first release, CRG001, resonated with a lot of people and ended up being a big success, even topping the sales chart at Triple Vision Distribution that year.
At the time, I was also starting to receive more recognition for my own solo work, which probably helped bring more attention to the label as well. However, with Clergy, I really had the freedom to fully express my vision—both visually and sonically—in a way I hadn’t been able to do with other labels before. It’s been a journey of growth and learning, and I’m thankful for every step along the way.
What do you think is the most challenging part about running a label?
I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s challenging, but I do feel it’s our responsibility as label managers to find talent that isn’t just driven by marketing or media hype. The real challenge is that it’s always a risk to take an unknown artist with no previous releases and bring them into focus—giving them the opportunity to stand alongside some of the biggest names in the scene. I’ve been fortunate that my solo releases have sold well, which has given me the freedom to take these risks on other unknown artists.
Anyone close to me would tell you that my biggest challenge is that I tend to overthink everything and dig too deep into every aspect of curating a record—from the psychology of tracklisting order to the subtle details in the artwork. I definitely make life harder for myself, but I suppose that’s just part of the process.
What are some your favourite releases on the label?
It’s definitely tough to choose, as every release represents a different chapter for both the label and the scene at the time. I approach the label in series of five releases, each ending with a collaboration or special concept. This approach has helped the label stay relevant while remaining true to Clergy’s core sound and aesthetic.
If I had to mention a few that stand out, they would be:
Stef Mendesidis’ first-ever vinyl EP. Watching Stef’s growth has been an incredible journey. His rise and the way he’s helped rejuvenate the scene has been amazing to witness, and I’m proud to have been part of his first vinyl release.
Visions 01. – You don’t see it from the outside, but this project was two years in the making. The concept of releasing a mix of unreleased music without a providing a tracklist gave lesser-known artists the chance to shine, especially when listeners often gravitate towards the more familiar names. This was really important to me, and I still love the concept. However, the idea of committing to *Visions 02* is currently quite daunting.
Kwartz EP. I’ve been a huge fan of Mario’s work for years, so releasing a full EP from him was a highlight. Something special happened with my remix for him, and it really took off. To this day, I still see it getting played. It’s a great feeling to see something you’ve worked on stand the test of time, especially after seven years.
Each of these releases means a lot to me in different ways, and I’m incredibly grateful for the artists who’ve allowed me to share their music through the label.
Talk to us about the upcoming project. How do you encapsulate 10 years into something like this?
This could easily take up the entire interview!
As I mentioned before, I tend to overthink every detail of a project, so curating a 10 year anniversary project was definitely overwhelming at first. To put it simply, we’re releasing 10 various artist records, each featuring 10 remixes of tracks previously released on the label. We’re also collaborating with Apple Music to release 10 specially selected podcasts. On top of that, we’re hosting a series of 10-year anniversary showcase events, with limited-edition merchandise available exclusively at the shows.
The project is always evolving with new ideas, so there will definitely be more surprises along the way.
Looking back, is there anything that you would do differently?
There are always mistakes along the way, but that’s just part of the journey. Looking back, I think I made an error with the seventh release, which was a solo EP of mine. It’s still one of my favourites in terms of sound design, but in my naivety, I gave all the tracks very similar names, which made it hard to distinguish them, even for me!
On a broader scale, I feel we could have invested more in marketing. However, I take pride in the fact that Clergy has always focused on letting the music speak for itself, rather than relying on big PR campaigns. In today’s world, it’s easy to buy your way into media coverage and chart positions, but to me, those kinds of achievements feel hollow. We could have pushed harder in that direction, but it would have gone against our core ethos of letting the music do the talking.
What’s next for Clergy?
It’s hard to say exactly, but one thing is certain: we’ll continue to stay true to our ethos of discovering and supporting unknown talent, while bringing fresh and exciting concepts to the scene. We’re always looking for new ways to push boundaries and evolve, so there’s plenty more to come.
Purchase the special 10 year VA compilations here