Manchester’s most popular music festival, Parklife, is almost here. In three weeks, Heaton Park will be home to 150,000 fans and over 100 acts. We spoke to house DJ Max Chapman, who will be performing on Saturday’s Warehouse Project stage.
The DJ and producer released his first Rhythm Stick EP in 2011, bringing his take of “rolling tech house” into the mainstream. Since then, Chapman has taken on a journey of energy, creativity and passion that has bagged him an overall number one on Beatport.
Max’s music is similar to Hot Since 82 and Solardo, but he describes his influences as being a lot closer to home. “I have so many in the industry it’s hard to choose, but I think for the last 3 years since I lost my Dad, I would say it’s my Mum, definitely”.
Just months into Max’s career, he started up his own label, Resonance Records, which has now blossomed into a monumental platform for underground tech-house music, and helped others reach stardom. It’s led him to travel the world, playing at some of the most prestigious venues including Sankeys and Privilege in Ibiza.
Asking him if his Parklife set would be similar to what he plays in clubs, he said, “I approach different sets differently, usually depending on the country I’m in, but I can assure you a lot of work is going to go into my playlist for Parklife that’s for sure”.
Although he’s constantly seen travelling the world, the DJ likes to stick with his home roots, choosing to live on the coast of Essex. Asking him why he didn’t want to live in the livelier city of London, Max described it as being “way too mad busy for me”.
“I live in a village just outside Colchester, it’s nice and quiet and about 15 minutes from Colchester Town which doesn’t have much of a music scene to be honest”, he says.
It’s not completely silent though, he argues, “one party a friend of mine, Rob Harding, runs called Freqlash – that is always rammed and has some of the top acts playing every month”.
This year has seen many releases from Max, following his debut album last spring, entitled Catch Me If You Can. The record received great reviews and was given a 9/10 from both Mixmag and DJ Mag.
The Zulu EP was only released in March this year, but Max tells us there are a lot of tracks on the horizon. “I have a couple of tracks that I think will fit my next album and I’m hoping to have another one out in 2018. This time it’s not going to be so dark and emotional, I’m going to go for a more energetic, party vibe”.
Max’s track Body Jack climbed the Beatport Tech House chart reaching the top spot after 10 days of being released. It then went on to claim the overall number 1 across all genres, and has been played by some of the biggest names in the business including Adam Beyer and Pete Tong. It’s one of the songs we can’t wait to hear at his upcoming festival slots.
It’s Max’s first time playing Parklife, but he tells us he’s a massive festivalgoer. On who he’s excited to see this year, he told us, “Everyone. The Martinez Brothers have never let me down before so for me, they are my must see! As for a recommendation, I say get yourself there from start to finish”.
Catch Max Chapman at Parklife on 10 June 2017.
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