Finger Lickin has quickly evolved from its origins in 1998 to a stable housing some of the worlds largest Breaks acts. Dominating the Funkier side of breaks and boasting acts such as Plump Dj's, Krafty Kuts, Soul of Man, Drummatic Twins, Lee Coombes and Freaky Jalapeno. We caught up with Finger Lickin head honcho Justin Rushmore in expectation of their January tour which involves the massive Field Day event on New Years Day.

How and why did finger lickin get started?
Jem & I met in '95 whilst working for a record company called 'havin' it in ibiza' he was doing the artwork and I was doing the promotions. we decided to make a tune together. i had been dj'ing for 10 years and he had a studio. we set up a label called spirits of inspiration. 3 years later having opened vinyl addiction record shop in Camden, London we met the freestylers and discovered freskanova. This inspired us to set up a new label and flr was born.

Would you say that Finger Lickin had a goal or mission statement in what it is doing?
To releases records that were at least as good as or better than the previous release. Nuff said.

You have somehow managed to be with the your big acts as the rise into breakbeat superstardom. How much of this do you think is luck and how much do you think is attributable to the label itself?
We are an honest operation which is rare in the industry. Myself and Jem made the first 10 or so releases under different guises which set up a solid platform to attract new talent. unlike so many other labels flr had a clear identity, a shop and a good team behind it. blow my own trumpet, but as a dj or 15 yrs experience having done mobile discos to raves i know a good tune when i hear one. Wall of sound amongst other labels turned down the plumps.....obviously we have been lucky too but 7 yrs of hard work commitment, no money (still same!!) belief, knowledge and ambition.

What is it that you look for in a new producer?
A high standard of production is a vital starting point, funky, dance ability, good dress sense and a fit girlfriend/mother.

Are there any new or possible future signings to your label?
Yes we have recently taken on the drumattic twins who used to be shades of rhythm, old rave act. they have some amazing material coming. we are also in the process of developing an artist named diablo, a kind of lemon jelly style project... Tasty!

Where do see breaks as heading at the moment?
Hopefully more funky and less NU Skool. all i know is it is growing big time across the world. In the UK all the old hardcore > jungle > drum & bass > speed garage > 2 step and now 2 step breaks kids with white trainers are big for the breaks.

Are Finger Lickin trying to fit in with this or rather trying to shape its direction?
We just do our thing, which generally has to be dancefloor friendly and have a stench of funk. I like to think we have influenced other producers and labels but we are not particularly influenced by other labels. Freskanova were an original influence.

Who do you see as driving breaks forward at present?
The plumps, biased but true. Krafty is reviving some wicked party hip hop sounds. The drumattics are doing some seriously funky stuff and Soul Of Man are working on some brilliant album material. Other good producers include Bushwacka, Pmt and Koma & Bones.

Do you see Finger Lickin solely continuing this path or are there plans for offshoot labels to cover other genres?
Off shoot is finger lickin funk and we are planning to do some exciting funky hip hop with krafty kuts and using some us rappers.... watch this space.

How important was the success of the Plump DJ’s to your label?
Very it has helped to draw attention to all the other talent on the label and unquestionably been a huge factor in bringing breaks to a wider audience. We are proud to have helped develop them from the beginning of their plump career, we also looked after all their dj bookings, remixes and marketing, so as a team we have created a great success for everyone.

Your roster now reads like a who’s who of breaks artists, is it difficult to manage so many big names on the same bill?
It does take a lot of time but abel "wedding dj" Reynolds, who is the artist management and is an industry angel, he does a brilliant job for all concerned.

You have had a large number of 12” releases in the past couple of years yet very few albums. Is this the general direction of Finger Lickin or will we see more breaks albums come out of the label?
We have albums from Soul Of Man, Krafty Kuts, Drumattic Twins, Plump DJs and Lee Coombs all coming out next year. So yes it is gonna be album tastsic, still keep the 12" output as well.

Are you planning to continue with the release of the samplers?
Maybe, I think Lee Coombs' samplers got slightly missed because in retrospect "dance 2 the house" should have been a single. Still you learn new things all the time.

It seems nowadays you can’t go to a breaks night without hearing a number of Finger Lickin tracks. Are you surprised at how much you have achieved in terms of market infiltration in just 3 years?
Yes, but i honestly don't think there is another breaks label with the same standard of dancefloor funk attack. It has grown organically and we are very proud and fortunate to have such a high standard of talent signed to the label. I am surprised at how right it seems to have gone but years of experience, a good team, talented artists, strong label identity and great marketing is always going to have some success. I am just glad that clubbers have a broad enough taste outside of just house to appreciate the genre.

What do you think it is that has enabled this to happen?
Years of experience, a good team, talented artists, strong label identity and great marketing is always going to have some success.

Has managing the label or having Jem do all the artwork had a negative or positive affect on the success of Soul of Man? how?
The biggest downside is not having time to be in the studio, for the past 18 months it has been pretty well office all the time. We are still dj'ing alot and we will be getting on with recording again soon, been saying that for years!! Jem doing the artwork is an essential part of the labels identity and makes his creative role a vital part of our success.

Has being part of soul of man had a negative or positive affect on your management of the label? how?
As above - just time really. We started the label and in retrospect the steps we have taken are all good. I'm a jack of all trades even work behind our bar, where we are based in london, bar vinyl/vinyl addiction. Being an artist/producer/dj does give confidence to our other artists cause they know that i'm out there as they are too.

Your label and compilations have received awards in many recent music magazine categories. How important id this for Finger Lickin on both a personal self validating level as well as a commercial level?
Positive reactions are what makes it all worth doing. As neither of the partners in the label take any money the reactions are what you smile. Just a single email from a fan is worth so much more. Its one of the best aspects.

Will we ever see the seemingly endless yet unattainable flow of white label that comes from your acts make it to mainstream release?
Yes I reckon, the Plumps are working on some interesting collaborations for their album which given their fan base may push a release into the mainstream. Krafty has already done a tune we feel could be a summer hit. Hit records kinda just happen if they capture that widespread appeal. None of the artists set out to make hits, it is al about an underground scene.

I have heard that Fingerlickin often play together, with a number of artists form your label appearing on the same bill. What does this add to a show?
I've played with Coombs and he's played with me. Krafty plays with Jem and sometimes we play with the Plumps - it's always quite embarrassing though. Its a good show and means we do mix it up more.

I have also heard about a 6 deck set possibly taking place at field day? Is this true? What does it entail? What does it add to the show?
It is true, don't know quite how it will work I guess Krafty will be scratching furiously whilst myself and Jem attempt to beat mix on 5 decks.

Do each of the acts coming (Plumps, Soul of Man, Krafty Kuts, Jessica Joy) add something to the finger lickin show?
Generally its this lot who ruin a good thing.

After the Krafty Show in Sydney Martin Reeves was reported to have named Sydney as the breaks party capital of the world. In light of this and the fact that field day has a much larger capacity to the show he played what is it that you expect from “Field Day”?
Its simply got to be the most amazing opportunity of a new years gig...i'm expecting sunshine, brilliant music and lots of beautiful aussie girls going wild.