MAY68

MAY68 is a Manchester-based five-piece collective formed in late 2008 by musicians, artists, producers and DJs who meet through the city’s alternative club scene. The group draws on New York disco, post-punk, Chicago house, vintage electronics, classic pop and science fiction soundtracks, and it frames its music around a DIY approach and an interest in turning urban frustration into colour and movement.

Style and approach

The band works with a blend of pop songwriting and four-to-the-floor rhythms, combining electronic and disco elements with dance-punk energy. Its stated influences include 1968 Paris politics and the idea of creating a vivid response to “black and white” city life, with an emphasis on optimism and collective creativity.

Releases and radio support

MAY68’s debut single is the electro-disco track “My Ways”, a tongue-in-cheek song about a date going wrong that attracts radio attention from Nick Grimshaw, Zane Lowe, Huw Stephens, John Kennedy, Rob Da Bank and Eddy Temple-Morris. The second single, “The Prisoner”, appears on Kitsuné’s Kitsuné Maison 10 compilation and is released on the French label Kitsuné in October 2010.

Live activity

The group tours Europe after the release of “The Prisoner”, playing venues in Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Holland and France. It also appears in France with The Go! Team on the Inrocks Indie Club tour and supports acts including Chk Chk Chk, Cut Copy, Hercules and Love Affair, Shit Robot and Holy Ghost! in the UK. “White Lies”, described as a live favourite, is issued on 12-inch vinyl and digital download through Black Duck Records, the PIAS imprint, and points towards a debut album recorded at Moolah Rouge studios in Manchester.