Today we bring you not one, but two DJ mixes as part of our weekly mix series. Why? Because we love you all dearly and you deserve an extra audio treat is why.
First up is Berlin beat veteran Jerome Sydenham steps up for the first mix, relaying hypnotic club cuts dusted with the subtle Afrohouse magic that lit up ‘Timbuktu’ and ‘Sandcastles’, two of Sydenham’s hit tracks, co-produced with Dennis Ferrer that exploded around the global club scene.
Beginning his musical career in A&R, the Nigerian-born Sydenham soon started his own label, Ibadan, and began producing his own variant on deep, soulful house becoming an integral part of the NYC house scene throughout the ‘90s, before moving to Berlin in 2007and pursuing a more techno-focused direction.
Bubbling over with quietly insistent house and techno, Sydenham’s Clash mix ranges from blissful, jazz-endowed house trips to lasery techno that cries out to be danced to in a sweaty Berlin basement. Featuring tracks from Detroit warrior Robert Hood, Watergate and Panorama Bar regular La Fleur, and a collaboration that bridges two generations of groove – from Green Velvet and Harvard Bass – it’s a mesmerising selection that exposes the producer’s love of ocean-deep grooves whenever he gets behind the decks.
Here’s Sydenham to explain more:
“I recorded my ‘Techno Logical House Mix’ at the Ibadan Recording Studios in Berlin. My sonic approach on the mix was closely related to the title. In other words, a fusion between modern techno house and Detroit-influenced techno. I stipulate this because I have a problem with the generic mis-use of the word tech-house. Tracks like ‘Encouragement’ represent the techno house side and tracks like ‘Eleven’ represent the techno side (in simplistic terms). These days, I really enjoy the fusion of these types of sounds and the fun part is that I can lean heavily in either direction if so required.”
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Tracklisting:
1. The Angry Kidz – Lullaby (The Martinez Brothers Dub) [Ibadan Records]
2. Sally & Jerome Sydenham – Encouragement [Ibadan Records]
3. La Fleur – Nightflow (Kenny Larkin Drama Mix) [Watergate Records]
4. Toto Chiavetta – Become One (Original) (Jerome Sydenham Edit) [Yoruba Records]
5. Matt O’Brian – Serotone (Radio Slave Remix) [Rekids]
6. Ian O’Donovan – Firefly (Original) [KMS Records]
7. Sally & Jerome Sydenham – My Normal Usual Far (Original) [Ibadan Records]
8. Robert Hood – Eleven (Original) [M Plant]
9. Green Velvet and Harvard Bass – Bucket Boys feat. Green Velvet (Original) [Relief Records]
10. Jerome Sydenham and Sally – Black Jerusalem (Original) [Ibadan Records]
11. Maan – Trow (Marcel Dettmann Stripped Down Version) [Non Series] ‘Lullaby’ and ‘Serotone’ are taken from ‘Editopia’, an upcoming compilation on Ibadan Records, set for release in summer.
Words: Tristan Parker
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Jerome Sydenham helped to launch the Oval Space Music series at the beginning of February. The series continues on March 1st, Dennis Ferrer, DJ Qu and Rick Wade, taking place at Oval Space, London.
