01/07/2024
A little intro from the people at Music Unity For Mental Health ahead of this weekend’s event at The Star of Kings! 🙌😎
Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/music-unity-for-mental-health-presents-reflective-frequencies-tickets-853756126557
Evening everyone.
So we continue with the DJ intros for this weekends Music Unity For Mental Health presents Reflective Frequencies (Techno + House) which will be at The Star of Kings, Kings Cross in London.
Ticket link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/music-unity-for-mental-health-presents-reflective-frequencies-tickets-853756126557
Long time supporter of us and the cause is System A :)
This super talented DJ from London and residient DJ for Dark Matter London has helped us many times over the past 5 years since MU4MH has been running, from exclusive mixes for our World Mental Health Day awareness campaigns to playing extended live Showcase sets on our Twitch channel and not forgetting the epic sets for our Reflective Frequencies online fundraisers during lockdowns where he helped us raise hundreds for outside charities. We are super excited to finally have System A play a real event for us. And to top it off, he will be closing this event.
Huge thanks to him for his ongoing support. :)
We held a little interview with system A ahead of his appearance this weekend.
How did it all start for you?
In 2015, I moved to London and in the years that followed I hosted club events on Meetup, getting to know DJs and promoters in the process and becoming promoter for E1 after being co-organiser for the London Techno & House meetup for a year. After some years of organising groups nights and promoting events, I was approached in 2019 by Ben Dursley to become resident for Dark Matte 1ir London’s techno and progressive house events in London and one of the first things I did get Omid 16B and then Quivver to play for us. It was such an honour to celebrate the new year, Dark Matter’s 2nd birthday and what was our penultimate new year event before the impending lockdown.
You’ve got 5 tracks to sum up your DJing career, what would you play?
Binary Finary - 1999 (Dosem Remix)
Amelie Lens- Higher (Fjaak remix)
Charlotte De Witte- Sgadi Li Mi (Original Mix)
Ben Klock - Subzero (Original Mix)
Jeff Mills - Step To Enchantment (Original Mix)
Who is your biggest inspiration?
Carl Cox- he was one of the pioneers I grew up with listening to DJ sets on Radio 1 in both the house and techno genres. Always uplifting and full of energy, I’d often wake up at 2am on Saturdays in my teenage years just to listen to him play. I just wish places like Turnmills was still open
What single night out has been the most memorable for you? As a DJ? As an attendee?
It would be my first ever night at Fabric, one of the legendary clubs in London to see Bristolian Eats Everything, Polish duo Catz and Dogz in 2016, a free event which attracted over 60+ people in a meetup I organised; it was at this event I met one of the bookers at E1! Not only was this my first event at Fabric, but also was memorable by the sheer number that turned up!
What advice would you give to aspiring DJs?
To get stuck in and just do what your passion is! For years I have only thought about doing what I am doing now and it’s shocking how quickly things move. My regret is not doing what I always wanted to do any sooner. Mingle with fellow promoters and DJs to get noticed and hang out with the crowd so you get to meet the many people who may once attend your event too! Create small talk, get the connection flowing and before you know it, you’re in the zone!
If you could eternally be stuck in one year's music scene, which year would it be?
I1999- not only to relive the millennium but also at the height of and house, trance and techno scenes. Artists and DJs that made their mark at this time included for me Basement Jaxx, Chemical Brothers, Lange, Armand Van Helden, ATB, William Orbit, Planet Perfecto and DJ Jean! It was a time I actually was into trance music, tracks like Quivver’s ‘She Does’, Ralph Fridge’s ‘Angel’, Fragma’s ‘Toca’s Miracle’, Timo Maas’ ‘Der Schieber’ and Paul Van Dyk’s ‘Tell Me Why’. I won’t forget that era, music was also purer back then and less ‘digital’ than it is today!
What is one subgenre you think doesn't get the attention it deserves?
Dub techno for me is one that falls off the radar in favour of the harder or more melodic varieties of techno. For me, I grew up listening to this sub-genre courtesy of Richie Hawtin, Suburban Knight, Maurizio, Model 500 and Porter Ricks. Classic techno like this is very rare indeed unless you go to the most underground of clubs in Berlin!
What is it that you love about the Techno scene?
The fact that the people are not pretentious, and that the genre cultivates a crowd driven by positive emotions from the music’s high energy! Every time I’ve gone to a techno event in London or Europe I’ve met the most amazing people with unique stories as to how they got into the genre and have become some of the best friends in the social scene. It also continues to dominate other genres by bringing classics back to life, examples including Tale of Us remix of Energy 52’s ‘Cafe Del Mar’, Joyhauser’s remix of Push ‘Strange World’, Dosem’s remix of Binary Finary- 1999, Reinier Zonneveld’s remix of PPK’s Resurrection and Victor Ruiz’s remix of one of the most iconic tracks of my childhood, Robert Miles- Children.
What is one track that never gets old for you no matter how many times you hear it?
Moon Rocks by Enrico Sanguiliano - always reminds me of my trip to Croatia in 2016 and when I first heard it from the man himself in Fabric many ‘moons’ ago :-D
Please tell us a funny story that no-one would know from your escapades as a seasoned DJ?
Very early on in my very less than amateur phase during a time when I was doing a stint on Pirate radio I beatboxed live on air to Chopper - 7 Hours in a Bathroom. and without realising, I had not muted the microphone :-D. The viewers and listeners were impressed with the extra bass, but needless to say they knew what was happening!
What have you been up to on the DJ/Producer front?
After a year since closing the Dark Matter event in May 2023 (that was a mad one, finishing off with Slam’s epic track ‘Signals’), I’ve been taking much time out with family and friends to recharge after a very busy schedule where I played fronting the Dark Matter London event where I am resident and taking part in charity events to raise money for mental health and cancer research. After a very busy 5 years where I played for Transcend, Trance Sanctuary, PM:AM and promoter for E1, I’ve decided to slow down and look after myself more as living in the fast lane was not healthy and meant I often forgot what I did very quickly! I now focus on doing a select few events each year which are very close to me wanting to make a difference to people’s lives.
What artists are you personally rating right now?
A lot of these can be found on my promo livestream for MU4MH:
https://www.mixcloud.com/SystemA/music-unity-for-mental-health-promo-mix-for-reflective-frequencies-2024/
They include the likes of Sciahri’s ‘One Letter’, Six Sense’s Ain’t All That, Franck with ‘Get Down’, Bailey Ibbs’ ‘Shake’ and X-Coast’s ‘Marathon Man’. I continue to be a fan of Zenker Brothers and their label Iilian Tape continues to belt out some decent productions, from DJ Plant Texture’s Ddrumz to Peder Mannerfelt’s ‘Pumping Plastics’, Seba & Paradox’s ‘Volt’ and Zenkers Brothers very own ‘Chi Boost’ which is an old favourite of mine since the start of the new decade.
What's next for you?
I’ve decided to focus on other things besides music such as cooking, meditation and the great outdoors. My passion for coffee, food and travelling is what has diverted my attention over recent years, with this year’s trip to the Portuguese island of Madeira being the highlight so far. I look forward to kickstarting the new set of Dark Matter gigs this September in Brixton this time. I’m very much looking forward to playing at the new venue we have, it’ll be a change from the six years I’ve played at Union in Vauxhall, but I’ll have my memories of the many people I’ve seen during my time there.
What does music mean to you on a personal level and what made you decide to play an event that raises mental health awareness?
Music has been and continues to play a large part of my life- at a young age I learnt to play the piano, performing at Yamaha Election Festivals I turned my attention to DJing, starting out at college and university and performing on Galaxy FM (now Capital) in Leeds and Manchester and Liquid Live radio in London. On a personal level this enabled me to share my love of music to others and build my confidence personally, which lead me to the situation I find myself in now as resident for Dark Matter London By combining the power that music has emotionally with the message around mental health and the need to talk, especially important in the current situation we now face, I felt I wanted to play my part so that a positive outcome can be achieved by all involved.
Finally, you have one paragraph to tell people why they should attend Reflective Frequencies
It represents a time in the music calendar when everyone is united in doing good for a common cause and aside from the talent (which in itself is another reason!) and especially bring about mental health is something I understand a lot more about after having been involved in helping raise money for Grassroots last year and experiencing at times struggles during this unique start to the new century. Finally, Music Unity is a brand I have been familiar with and the team behind this are some of the nicest people I’ve met and had the pleasure of dealing with. Their efforts in raising awareness of and supporting mental health is something I feel very passionate about devoting time and energy to support those less fortunate than myself.
System A
https://www.mixcloud.com/SystemA/
Check out his mini promo mix for this event https://www.mixcloud.com/SystemA/music-unity-for-mental-health-promo-mix-for-reflective-frequencies-2024/
