Connor Coates didn’t set out to run a label. Growing up in Northern Ireland, where record labels were practically non-existent, it wasn’t even on his radar. Fast forward from £50 school party gigs to BBC Radio 1 and a label deal with Universal Music/Capitol Records, and he’s now the force behind Lift Me Up Records, championing everything from underground club cuts to crossover dance tracks.
We caught up with Connor to talk about the reality of wearing multiple hats in the industry, why AI genuinely terrifies him, the worst demo-sending mistakes producers make, and what the rest of the UK is missing about Northern Ireland’s rave culture. This is what it actually takes to build a label while keeping all the plates spinning.
1. Can you tell us what made you decide to launch your own imprint, and what were you looking to achieve?
Honestly, I never really saw running my own label or even being an A&R for that matter as an option. Where I’m from in Northern Ireland/Ireland, there aren’t very many record labels, and I didn’t see it as a pathway to take. I come from a DJ/Radio background and jumped at the chance to start doing some A&R work with a label in London in 2019. I spent a few years there, learning how the record label side of the industry worked, building contacts and just being a sponge for information, then the opportunity arose to launch my own imprint, Lift Me Up Records with Universal Music/Capitol Records, an opportunity I couldn’t turn down!
The blueprint for the label is to work with exciting, up and coming artists and more established names in the scene, whilst championing forward-thinking dance music. Releasing club records along with more accessible leaning dance tracks, and those that toe the line between the two. Overall, what I want to achieve, is to be a part of artists journeys and big records. I want Lift Me Up Records to be a trusted brand and an authority in dance music.
2. How do you approach the A&R for Lift Me Up Records? And how do you choose who you work with?
I head up all the A&R for the label myself. I am quite selective with what I want to release on the label and what tracks/sounds reflect the brand – over anything, I need to love the music and believe in the project. We have a consistent flow of releases and are now in the momentum of releasing every 1-2 weeks; anything we sign, I believe we can do a great job with the release. As I mentioned, we work with a range of artists, everything from producers first ever releases, to more established names. If it’s a fit for the label and it sounds great, that’s the two key boxes ticked!
3. Having a platform on BBC Radio 1 must give you serious leverage when running a label. How do you navigate playing your own releases without it feeling self-serving, or do you just own it?
As much as I would love to play a full show with releases on the label, I can’t do it, unfortunately! There’s so much music released now and as a presenter on BBC Radio 1, you only have a certain amount of time during each show, so you need to be playing the best music available. To make a decision to play a track, you have to look at multiple factors – what level is the artist, is there a story around the artist/release, do you like the music, have they been played on the show previously, is the music a fit for the show, is the track performing on other platforms, is the song being supported by DJs in clubs ahead of a release. There’s quite a lot of thought and responsibility that goes in to picking a track to be played on BBC Radio 1. If a release on Lift Me Up gets supported by anyone on radio, I’m always very appreciative because I know how hard it is to get played.
4. You’re wearing multiple hats: DJ, broadcaster, Lift Me Up Records label boss. Do these roles ever conflict with each other, or does one feed into the others in unexpected ways?
I think they all feed into each other, thankfully, because I don’t know how I would be able to do it otherwise! I can test releases/demos in my DJ sets to see what works on the dance floor. Being in clubs has always traditionally been a great A&R source to discover new tracks/artists and to see what’s popular. Similar to being a broadcaster, I’m lucky enough to get sent so much new music, that I discover new tracks and artists from that too.
5. Taking it back to the beginning, what drew you to electronic music initially, and how did your career start?
Dance music was always being played in my house when I was growing up, so I had an introduction from an early age. I started DJ when I was 15 – my first ‘proper gig’ was a 14th birthday party; I got paid £50 and I think I lost money because I had to pay to hire equipment. From there, I started to DJ at my school’s pre-formal parties and then other schools in the area, they were all held in the same venue, an upstairs function room in a local bar… which is no longer there. As I was DJing these events, I thought to myself “I could hire the venue myself and run my own event” which I did and threw a few successful parties. I then started trying to break into the Northern Ireland clubbing circuit, asking DJs for advice and if I could warm-up for them to try and get my foot in the door. Fast forward (just a few years) and here we are!
6. What’s something about the Northern Irish dance scene that the rest of the UK is completely sleeping on?
Northern Ireland historically has such a rich heritage of dance music and rave culture. Ask any electronic artist where their favourite place is to play and Northern Ireland will be right up there (we love a rave!). We have quite a hot bed of talent here and there is loads of exciting artists breaking through. We love punching above our weight, not just in music but in various industries.
7. What’s the worst advice you’ve seen new producers follow religiously, and what would you tell them to unlearn immediately?
Sending music/demos with a WeTransfer/Google Drive link, no shade on them, they’re great for sending big files but sending music is not the one. Also, sending a SoundCloud link, but the link is dead because they’ve deleted the file (face palm). When you’re sending your music to someone whether it’s to a DJ, a radio presenter or a label, you need to think the person you’re sending it to is busy and if they have to download your file before they can even listen to it, they might move on. Send your track(s) (no more than what you think are your top 3) using a private SoundCloud/Dropbox link. Make sure the person/label that you’re sending your music to is a fit for the sound and if you don’t already know or have a relationship with the person you’re sending your music to, write a few lines outlining who you are, a bit about the track and if there is a story behind it (it’s being supported by ‘X’ DJ or it’s got ‘X’ amount of listeners/views), make sure the track title includes your artist name and the track title, send it off and wait for the responses to roll in! (If you don’t get a reply, don’t come for me please).
8. AI can now generate “club-ready” tracks in seconds. Does that democratize music production, or does it threaten to flood the market with soulless content? Where do you actually stand on this?
AI is a heated topic at the minute and I’ll not lie, if I think about it long enough, it terrifies me. John Summit had an interesting take on the AI in music subject recently saying, “that it should push artists to improve rather than be feared”, suggesting AI raises the bar for production and increases demand for authentic human-made tracks. I tend to agree with him – in times of uncertainty, you have to try and rise above and get through it. I think it will make artists level-up when it comes to creating music; use the software that is available as a tool to your benefit.
I guess we’ve been here before when producers first started sampling using tape decks, which then evolved to digital synthesisers, were they really ‘creating’ the music if they did it using software? Then there’s the age-old debate of DJing with vinyl or using CDJs – are you really DJing if you aren’t using vinyl? (yes, yes you are).
There’s already a huge amount of music being released each week, it’s so competitive to get placements and support as it is. I think there needs to be boundaries in place, so AI music doesn’t flood the market and affect real artists by reducing the royalty payout even more. I’m confident there will always be a need for authentic human created music and interaction with a physical human-artist.
9. If you could sit down with yourself from ten years ago, what’s the one harsh truth you’d tell him about this industry that he wouldn’t want to hear but desperately needs to?
The music industry is extremely difficult. The path ahead isn’t going to be easy, it’s not going to be straight forward, there’s going to be lots of highs and lows, but you’ve just got to keep going and work hard.
10. And looking ahead in the future, what are your and your label’s plans for 2026?
I’m still going to try and keep spinning numerous plates and hope that none of them smash! I’m really excited for the year ahead for myself and the label, we’ve got some amazing music coming on the label this year! Since going independent in 2024, it took the first year or so to get everything settled and I feel we’re now really in the groove of things, with a steady flow of releases and working with some great artists. We have plans to start throwing more Lift Me Up Records label events/parties later this year too, so keep a look out for that and all the bangers we’ve got coming!
Listen and buy Lift Me Up Records releases here