WatchTheDJ

DJ sets videos

Dec 2015

Apollonia - Live @ Mixmag Lab LDN 2015 Christmas Special

Former Mixmag cover stars Dan Ghenacia, Shonky and Dyed Soundorom were already highly respected globe-conquering DJs before their spontaneous back to back sets at clubs like DC10, Fabric and Panorama Bar led them to pool their talents into Apollonia. To cut a long story short, Dan Ghenacia ran notorious afterparties in Paris and his massively respected label Freak N' Chic. Shonky had his first release on the label in 2005. All the while Dyed Soundorom was making a name for himself with incredible sets and releases like the (still) impeccable 'Question' (also on Freak 'n' Chic). They found themselves playing together more and more often and out of that Apollonia was born. This will be their third appearance on Mixmag TV: we filmed them two years ago at BPM festival in Mexico and at Syncrophone Records, Paris for their 100% Vinyl set. Dan and Dyed have also done Lab sets a few years ago, but all three together, armed with the freshest tech-house and retro Christmas jumpers promises to be one of our most riotous office parties to date.

Dec 2015

Paco Osuna - Live @ Mixmag Lab LDN 2015

Deep, dark and imaginative techno from Paco Osuna before he plays Fabric tomorrow. We're delighted to have an artist of such calibre in The Lab LDN.

Dec 2015

Eats Everything B2B Jasper James - Live @ Best of British 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.