Bliq is a British label from London, established in 2010 by Manos Mara and Costa Budolas.

Mara and Budolas, also known under the pseudonym Bu$$, grew up in the same neighbourhood in Thessaloniki, Greece – and met for the first time in 2006 in Great Britain. »We connected almost instantly, started throwing parties together for a short stint«, the two recalling their early days. Four years later they concentrated on their shared plans for a label, and Bliq was born – out of the two’s sampling habit – with the debut of the British duo Homepark. Vinyl was an absolute must, solely because enough material landed on the desk from the surrounding environment, which had earned a decent release. From the beginning, there were especially knowledgeable Deep-House Cuts, including the Dutch high flyer Lapien, however, the label opened up the catalogue as early as 2013 with a release by the Icelandic Dub Techno-legend Exos.

»We don’t really care about sticking to a specific sound or genre, to us, it’s more about the artists aligning with our tone & aesthetics« the lapidary answer to the question of the smallest common denominator in the Bliq roster.
It has increasingly become an international issue. Alongside a Brazilian artist, you can find Lowjac and Thingamajicks, who have released together via Bliq as Deemonlover, including the mysterious DJ Loser and Seixlack – who has since emigrated to Berlin – on the Greek-run London label. For them it is about personal contacts, explains Mara and Budolas looking at the broad personal roster, which stretches across half of the globe, and has opened the door to the world, especially with the early release by Lapien remixed by Conforce and Fred P. The two insist on demos, even though they prefer a long-lasting cooperation with their artists; Bliq should be a small family. The appearance has changed, since they had to say goodbye to their designer in 2013, and instead involve the Berliner Super Quiet, who has given the releases a very new, visual coating of elaborate prints and intensive colours, which at best seem to fit with Seixlack’s type of bumpy psychedelic-rhythm. The story of Bliq is obviously that of a slow coming together, not only in a geographical sense.