From the WatchTheDJ archive
Feb 2016
Bakermat is one of the biggest rising stars of the last 6 months. With his new sound he immediately captured the hearts of a wide audience. His breakthrough was his production called ‘Zomer’ with over 2.000.000 views on YouTube he laid the foundation for his popularity and nowadays he’s well-known for his instrumental deephouse sound. His unique sound creates a big smile on the faces from people of all ages.
Jan 2016
Known as the act that always delivers, Flashmob enters its 4th year as one of the most well loved underground house and techno projects in Europe. Now a solo project with founding partner Alessandro keeping the energy levels up, summer 2015 will see Flashmob continues to permeate every angle of the fast moving electronic music world without let up. Alessandro combines an incredible work ethic, easy-going personality and creative talent in equal measure. The rich mix of these three corner stones is Flashmob and the results speak for themselves. It’s infectious! Having originally scored modern anthems Need In Me and Brick House for heavyweight labels Defected and Get Physical and felt full support from both the house and techno community, Flashmob continues to strive to deliver the perfect fusion of underground beats with crossover hooks that satisfy both the Saturday night crowd and Sunday morning community. This unique combination has won fans worldwide and each week Flashmob takes to the skies to perform at amazing events at every country where serious sounds are enjoyed. With a rich heritage as a music lover for 20 years or more, Flashmob enjoys playing festival stages and underground rooms in equal measure – just as long as Alessandro shares his trademark future sound with friends old and new. It’s this desire to share good music that led them in 2014 to the launch of his own label Flashmob Records and Flashmob Ltd which has now received support from Annie Mac, Heidi and Skream on BBC Radio One, Disclosure, Dusky, Eats Everything, DJ W!ld, Tiga, Groove Armada and many more headliners on the decks. Tiga loved FMR001 so much he included it on his Mixmag covermount CD while Seth Troxler and Maya Jane Coles were filmed supporting FMR002 at the coolest events worldwide – a great start! Flashmob Ltd not only showcases Flashmob’s more underground tracks but music from a family of friends are growing as the imprint supports the next wave of talent. In the last 12 months Flashmob has releases and remixes on some of the world’s most respected labels including; Alan Fitzpatrick’s ESD vinyl label, Objektivity Ltd vinyl, DFTD, Viva, Avotre, Moon Harbour, Little Helpers and W!ld’s W label which demonstrates just how central the Mob is to the global underground movement. Things move fast in Flashmob’s world so tune into the socials for updates…
Jan 2016
At the grand old age of 18, Danny Avila has become one of the hottest acts in the world of EDM. From winning the ‘Best Newcomer DJ’ at the prestigious 2011 Vicious Music Awards at just 16, through to touring Asia, North America and Europe at the side of Tiësto at the close of 2013 - Avila has risen through the ranks of the dance music elite. Embarking on the ‘Greater Than Tour’, a stadium-sized venture that sold-out tens of thousands of tickets in just a few hours, based on his searing ability to demolish the world’s most prestigious dance floors and a talent for music production, Danny has also been snapped up by the likes of Interscope Records, Big Beat Records, Spinnin’ Records, Musical Freedom and more, for his releases. It’s a story that smacks of hard graft, pure talent and an undeniable passion for music. DJing from the age of 12 and producing from 13 using money earned from playing friends’ birthday parties to buy rock-bottom equipment, at 14 the young Avila – whose work ethic borders on the fanatical – left his home, friends and family in the Spanish resort of Marbella to move to Madrid, focusing on scoring as many DJ gigs as possible in the city’s clubs. “I knew it was going to be hard,” says Avila, “but there was just nowhere for me to get any real experience playing out in Marbella and I’ve never let my age stop me doing anything. My older brother spoke to local promoters for me and that’s how I started getting my very first gigs.”. It was whilst playing a warm-up set in Benidorm’s Ku Club that Danny first met Fedde Le Grand. The international superstar was beyond impressed with the teenager’s innate ability to read the crowd and his blistering arsenal of music, that the two struck up a conversation that quickly evolved into a firm friendship. It was that break that led to the explosion that has become the Spanish sensation of Danny Avila today. It’s not just the legions of adoring fans that have become firm supporters of his explosive live sets – the elite of the music industry have fallen under his spell just as swiftly. Having played at top Ibiza clubs for the past four years including jet-set hot spot Blue Marlin, Avila was duly invited to join the Café Ole team at Space Ibiza and the following year, at the personal request of Tiësto for his 2012 Opening Party at Pacha, on the island. Wowing both the crowd and possibly his biggest idol, Danny was invited to join Tiësto for an incredible nine further dates across the summer. “He’s smart, respectful, knows his music and most importantly knows how to give the crowd what they came to hear. There’s nothing I enjoy more than working with upcoming producers and DJs like Danny who are willing to work hard and who want to win. I believe 2014 is going to be a big year for Danny”, said Tiësto. In the crowd, listening with rapt attention, was Eddie Dean, owner of Pacha NYC and now one of Danny’s biggest supporters, with many more fans instantaneously gained as he slayed his sets across both Gatecrasher and Privilege clubs, throughout the 2014 season.
Jan 2016
On January 15th Deniz Koyu will play an exclusive DJ Mag Live event at our favourite North London basement - Work London, on Chapel Market - ahead of his headline show at Ministry of Sound on Saturday 16th January. This exclusive event, which will be streamed live on DJ Mag TV, is an incredible opportunity for Deniz's London superfans, who will get the opportunity see Koyu up-close in a 100 capacity venue! Since he first laid hands on piano keys at the age of five, Deniz Koyu has been obsessed with making music. A producer whos fans include Fedde Le Grand, Sebastian Ingrosso, Axwell, and Tiesto, and is also the man who created such hits as 'Tung', 'Hertz', and 'Follow You'.
Jan 2016
Miguel has been galvanised by the house music scene since the early 90's and has also been a DJ since that time. Miguel began producing his own music as one 'half' of the underground duo HCB. Miguel's forward march continues as he refuses to relent, working on more music, including recent remixes for Basement Jaxx & RÜFÜS and continuing to travel to foreign shores, spreading his unique brand of funk around the world.
Dec 2015
Long associated with the legendary Defected Records, Sam Divine has come a long way since being a record shop employee having spent the last seven years being a key component to the White Isle’s party scene. Her travels have seen her tour throughout Europe as well as Brazil, Chile, Japan and Dominican Republic, with festival highlights including We Are FSTVL (UK) and Pacha Festival (The Netherlands) as well as securing a three year residency at Ushuaia, Ibiza. Without doubt one of the most popular and passionate DJs on the circuit, Sam Divine is a guaranteed floor-filler and party starter.
Dec 2015
Now approaching their tenth year of existence, the four man dj club collective Horse Meat Disco have continued to lead the way in the disco field with packed residencies at their HQ Eagle London in London's inner city Vauxhall, Cielo and verious venues in New York, Prince Charles in Berlin and Silencio/Wanderlust in Paris. Inspired by the music and inclusive ethos of New York's heady club scene in the 80s & 90s the collective have garnered a unique reputation for throwing amazing parties with unmatchable sets. The quartet of djs each mix their own individual interpretations of the disco sound with a soundtrack that marries their expertise and shared knowledge and experience in the field. Expect all manner of dancefloor movers from classic to cosmic to deep disco, italo, punk funk, house, even techno, electric bangers and just plain old rare oddities. The collective always keep an healthy eye on the dancefloor whilst never forgetting growing current sounds.
Dec 2015
Bristol’s Eats Everything is in a great mood when DJ Mag calls him up with the news that, for a second time in three years, he has won the Best British DJ award. It is one he cherishes above all other polls because, first and foremost, he is someone who prefers to rock a club than toil away in a studio. “The ideal scenario would be to be a family man and just DJ all the time and only put out records when I want,” he says, talking in a quick, enthusiastic and energetic manner akin to how he plays records. “I love this award because it means I have the little steel trophy that, in a few years time, I can show my boy and say, 'There you go, that year your dad was the best DJ in the country'.” He has won the title after another tireless year that has seen him playing all over the world in sweaty underground car parks in Manchester, intimate, small capacity back rooms in Essen and Ibiza superclubs. In fact, one of the latter gigs is one that really stands out for him above all else. “When I first went to Ibiza aged about 17, I saw Carl Cox at Space and it was amazing,” he beams. “Ever since then, that has been my dream gig, and this year I did just that. I’ve played before but I played the Terrace. This year I played just before Carl on the Discoteca and he let me play on for an extra half an hour. It was just fucking perfect.” Never one to simply turn up and play the set you would expect, the man born Dan Pearce strongly believes that DJing is about context. He says that although he is technically sound as a DJ (having been playing for decades, firstly jungle and drum & bass before he got into bass-heavy house and techno) he is still always learning about context, about what works where and about what certain crowds and countries need to get them going. “I get paid a fucking extortionate amount of money to entertain people, and that’s what I want to do. As much as I would like to play totally unknown and underground records, people don't come and see me for that. I’m not the coolest DJ in the world but I try and balance some older stuff they might not know with some new unrelated cuts, as well as the odd track that they might have heard me play somewhere else. I want people to have as good a time as possible.” It is a recipe that is truly working for the likeable Bristolian, and one that makes him as at home with the more populist festival end of the spectrum as well as the more heady crowds of mainland Europe. Reckoning that he now gets booked as much for his DJing as for the records he releases, Pearce is surely right given that in 2015 he has toured America more than once, Australia and South America as well as hundreds of gigs closer to home. Playing off USBs and CDs, Pearce is a dexterous DJ who has plenty of tricks up his sleeve, but first and foremost are his track selections. “What I do is a few days before each gig, I put my laptop in the corner and play iTunes through for a few hours on shuffle. It’s like record shopping because there is so much music on there that I didn't know existed. It always kicks out tracks I've forgotten, or tracks I wasn't into at the time that I now really like.” Also helping to make his sets bang that bit harder is the fact that Dan edits or re-masters older tracks to make them full of flavour and nice and loud. “I don't really have a style, I play rowdy techno sometimes, repetitive house music, or all over the place. I just try and cater to the crowd.” Anyone who saw him at Garden Festival this year will also know he is a dab hand at dropping disco and boogie. Whatever he reaches for, though, you can be assured that the resulting soundtrack will make dancefloors — any dancefloors — party like they may never party again.
Dec 2015
Kamran Sadeghi has been on a journey exploring all of music’s various dialects, a kind of recluse on his own path. Favouring the science of sound over hooks and conventional melodies, Kamran’s productions are marked with hypnotic polyrhythms weaving through a vocabulary of finely shaped frequencies. His live sets are both physical and cerebral - he has played Live for such festivals and venues like Nuits Sonors, Roberto Johnson, Rex Club, Resolute, ADE, Resonate Festival, Closer and is a regular at tINI & The Gang. He also has performed at Arma17, Centre Pompidou, Panorama Bar under his Soundwall Collective project. Kamran’s sound is uncompromised. His Live performance can be described as an experience into the hypnotic and trippy world of house and techno, both unique, detailed and full of physical expression, built around mature grooves crafted from pure analog futurism. The name Kamran Sadeghi and the sounds created by him have been present in the ether for quite some time, his early ambient and experimental work, under the moniker Son of Rose was routinely covered by The Wire magazine. His acclaimed LP for All Inn Records shook the imagination of the house and techno scene, fans include tINI, Konrad Black and Ricardo Villalobos. Kamran’s career is a constant exploration and innovation of his art, coming from a diverse background, ranging from sound and installation art to film scores and contemporary music. Having collaborated with such luminaries as Patti Smith, Jean-Luc Godard and Berlin institution Berghain, firmly establishing his mark as the complete artist.
Dec 2015
Rob Roar is a world renown industry player. As a DJ he has performed at Superclubs across the world, incorporating tours of America (Las Vegas Hard Rock, Paul Oakenfold night @ Body Language, Los Angeles (Avalon), San Francisco, Miami), Asia, Europe and his beloved Ibiza. Headlining at the world’s No.1 Club Space Ibiza for the seminal We Love... night on the Sunset Terraza Arena. He has showcased his DJ skills and ability to read a dancefloor at the likes of Manumission (Privilege), Amnesia (Main room & Terrace), Pacha, Bora Bora, Mambo, Es Paradis, Eden...the list goes on. The owner of Phonetic Recordings; one of Ibiza’s most successful House Music Labels, running for over a decade with 4 Ibiza No.1 Records under their belt. An imprint that has been responsible for launching and nurturing some of dance music’s biggest acts including Hot Since 82, D. Ramirez and Bodyrox & Luciana. He has worked with pretty much every Dance Major Label on the planet, co-releasing with Ultra, Spinnin, DATA/MOS, Sony, Island Records, Universal, Positiva, Virgin, AATW. His Head of A&R role at R&S Records/Global Cuts Belgium (Jaydee Plastic Dreams, Capricorn 20hz) saw his releases decimate dancefloors, With a string of Phonetic National Chart success under his belt after first blowing up the underground productions on the White Island. Already in 2015 he has hit No.1 in the NY Music Pool Chart (Compiled by US Radio & Tastemakers) with his ‘Rockerfella’ single. His DASCO Radio edit went Top 10 in Europe (Itunes Download Chart), he reached the heady heights of No.1 in Billboard USA’s Breakers Chart and featured on the ‘A List’ for daytime German radio. His tracks have topped prestigious charts across the worlds music industry, from three Ibiza No.1 records, No.1 Mixmag, No.1 DMC Buzz Chart, No.1 Music Week Coolcuts, No.1 DJ Mag, No.1 Pete Tongs Radio 1 Ibiza Weekend, No.1 The Box, No.1 MTV & No.2 Beatport. He has double platinum, gold and silver discs working with the likes of Boy George & Sir Tom Jones (2013). The highly acclaimed ‘Rob Roar Presents Ibiza Night & Day’ Albums have received many a accolade, ranging from best Ibiza Album, Ibiza record stores No.1, to ‘Compilation of the month’. His new 2015 album hit No.1 on Beatport (Sept. 2015) featuring tracks from Jamie Jones, Cristoph, Chaim, Robert Dietz, Gene Farris & Martijn ten Velden.
