Recognise 084: Make A Dance

The raw, minimalist typography on many of the sleeves give the impression that each batch could have been handstamped, say, in the back of a car. The only outlier is their remix of Jean-Luc Ponty’s ‘Computer Incarnations For World Peace’, whose optical artwork reminds us of early Bridget Riley. The track itself is a gorgeous take on Ponty’s 1983 release, a version Paula Tape dropped near the end of her most recent Boiler Room set. “We love her work,” Lewis says. “She’s played one of our tunes in maybe three Boiler Rooms,” Ludlow adds. “She’s always supported us”. The pair have locked in a b2b with Tape at this year’s Glastonbury — we couldn’t imagine a more perfect collab — and are now planning a party with her in mind. 

So the future is bright, with bookings looking busy up until October. On the day we meet in April, they’re preparing to celebrate their fifth birthday in Corsica Studios. Conversation has been upbeat and playful for the most part, but things get a little more reflective, earnest even, as the topic turns to this milestone. “It’s supposed to be fun, all of this,” Ludlow says. “So much of dance music takes itself too seriously and that’s just the last thing we want to do — no shade obviously, but we just want to celebrate life and have a giggle.” Lewis nods in agreement. “Both me and Josh in our own ways have gone through some shit in our personal life and now we’re coming back to this a bit older, we just want to bring like-minded people together.” 

The following evening, just before midnight, we spot Make A Dance-branded helium balloons outside Corsica. The queue stretches far beyond the club’s wall and as we near the entrance, security announces that door tickets have sold out. In Room One, the Make A Dance logo glows through the fog. We can just make out the silhouettes of Lewis and Ludlow. They spin wonky house chuggers to a packed out room. Two friends, making us dance. 

Listen to Make A Dance’s Recognise mix, and check the tracklist, below.