MLZ aka Miles Whittaker, one half of Pendle Coven and Modern Love luminary, whose Detroit inspired and vintage Warp tinged productions have established the label's reputation for deep, sparse, emotional output and played a pivotal role in Manchester's recent renaissance as a hotbed of cutting edge underground club music. Whether flying solo or as part of Pendle Coven, MLZ is a purveyor of fine funk and hypnotic grooves, laying down fierce squashed basslines with layered slabs of percolating dub chords on top of crisp, future-retro rhythms, fusing influences from Sheffield, Chicago, Detroit and Berlin. Modern Love's in-house DJ, MLZ's skills have become renowned on the underground club circuit of Manchester and beyond. Anyone who has witnessed him DJ will tell you that he's quite simply a one-off, blending a wide range of styles into the deepest kind of dancefloor devastation imaginable! One of his legendary DJ sets at Sonar was described by Wire magazine as the unexpected highlight of the entire festival and every time he plays out he employs his incredible box of delights in unexpected ways, mixing classic cuts with upfront white labels in maverick fashion. He played Sonar the first time back in 2002 & then Labyrinth in 2008. There can be little doubt that MLZ's deep love and thirst for music from all ends of the spectrum seems to be bringing to life something quite special indeed.
Coming from the Hills of Northern England, Pendle Coven is a collective project overseen by Gary Howell and Miles Whittaker. They were first brought together by the sounds of all forms of Electronic Music, especially Techno, Electro, Old Skool Hardcore and early UK Electronic producers like Aphex Twin and Autechre. They are dedicated to producing underground Electronic Music of all genres through experimentation and collaboration. The original building blocks were Miles' vinyl obsession and the musicianship of Gary. Pendle Coven have remained under the radar of mainstream electronic music by scattering their releases and having strict quality control exercised by Modern Love. Recently their music has taken a very Techno route, sitting alongside label mates Andy Stott and Claro Intelecto perfectly, and they have begun to take their Live sets through Europe as well as the UK. They have played at Sonar twice, Berlin's Panorama Bar, Barcelona's Apollo Club, Zurich's Zukunft Club, Benicassim, and various underground festival's such as the mighty Labyrinth in Japan in 2008.