The UK’s Chicken Lips are among the most ubiquitous names in today’s dance scene – look inside the record crate of almost any house DJ and you will find Chicken Lips.
The British DJ/producer duo of Andy Meecham and Dean Meredith began recording as Chicken Lips for Kingsize Records in 1999 – at the time Andy was working solo as Sir Drew.

Earlier on the two were involved in the acid house combo Bizarre Inc, scoring crossover hits with Playing With Knives, Such A Feeling and I’m Gonna Get Ya. Chicken Lips have released several singles, two LPs, and a mix-CD, Body Music, for NRK’s nite life series – aside from remixing everyone from Underworld to FC Kahuna to Maurice Fulton. They are currently preparing new material.

These days the founding members of Chicken Lips stay home, with Dean DJing in the UK and Andy in the studio producing. Instead they send out DJ friend Steve Kotey to ‘represent’ their sound internationally.

What is your involvement with Chicken Lips, and how did you hook up with Andy and Dean?

I have known the guys for some time, we have swapped mixes, and one thing led to another – we’re like-minded souls wanting to make the music we want.

How do you feel you represent the Chicken Lips sound as a DJ?

Well, I play a lot of our mixes and our type of sound but try to take people on a journey – electronic sounds, techno, disco, funk, big basslines, crazy programming, just like the Lips’ music.

How would you sum up a typical DJ set?

As above but with effects, vocals and, most important, from the heart.

As a DJ, who are the producers you currently rate?

There are so many, but I love the work of Mocky, Isolee, Herbert, Idjut Boys, Francois K and Danny Wang.

There are so many DJs, who are your favourites, and what do you think makes a great DJ?

Harvey and Francois K are some of my faves but I am lucky enough to travel around and hear some fantastic residents at the clubs I play – ATA from Playhouse, Prins Thomas, Oslo, DJ Spun and Eric Duncan, NYC, all rock my world.

Have you completed any production as a solo entity?

Yes, loads. I run my own label called Bear Entertainment, which has a lot of in-house labels – like Hairy Claw. You can check my discography here – www1.ocn.ne.jp/~kab/archive/discographies/dub.htm

There’s been talk of a malaise in the UK dance scene, with everyone suddenly rediscovering rock. What is your assessment of the situation?

Don’t get me started – all I can say is that some A&R people are really fickle. What goes around comes around and all that – it’s just a big circle. People haven’t stopped buying underground music, it’s just there are so many labels now. It used to be hundreds of people selling thousands of records, now it’s thousands of people selling hundreds of records.

As a representative from the Chicken Lips’ camp, what have you got coming up?

A DJ Kicks mix for K7 with full tour in November, a new album for Kingsize for release in 2004, and a solo LP side-project also for release in 2004.

Steve Kotey plays @ Tech-ni-kal in Sydney on Friday 15th August and in Melbourne @ Family (Seven) on Saturday 16th August.

Chicken Lips + Co- ” Re-echoed, Re-extended and Re-Hashed.” A collection of limited edition 12” remixes previously only available on vinyl. Out through Inertia.