MUSIC: déjà vu presents: Route 94 @ Funktion Hull.

  

Déjà vu presents: Route 94.

What better way to celebrate Halloween?

Route 94 has already reached pretty lofty heights in a short space of time as both a producer and a DJ.

His hit single “My Love” catapulted the London-born producer to the pinnacle of the deep-house/dance scene in 2013/14 and still remains a huge hit today.

Not only did this track include none other than a certain Jess Glyne, but it hit the top spot in three different countries; solidifying its brilliance and providing the man behind the music with a world of possibilities.

Despite being a dominant force in the world of house music, the 21-year old originally set out as a dubstep producer under his former alias ‘Dream’.

The former dub producer enjoyed some success whilst in this often dark and mysterious genre, with a handful of his tracks making it on UKF Dubstep, whilst receiving support from the likes of Chase & Status – however it seems his true calling remains in the world of house.

His distinctive style of feel-good tracks and up-beat house/techno vibes make Route 94 a very popular choice on any line up, which is why I believe Funktion is in for a real treat come October 31st.

Route 94’s sets are enough to pack the biggest of dance floors and drive the crowd absolutely nuts with the perfect balance between new, unknown tracks and ultimate crowd-pleasers. 

With an intense progressive style, his simmering build ups allow his melodic approach to send those at the party wild – whilst making just enough room for his bigger tracks, that almost everyone is certain to recognise, to take centre stage.

As usual the Funktion doors will open at 10pm on October 31st.

Ticket price for the event is a mere £12 (obviously 18+) and I expect these will sell pretty quickly given the fact that this guy is so good…

https://www.hullboxoffice.co.uk/tickets/buy_ticket/745

For those of you who haven’t had the pleasure of watching Route 94 live; click here.

MUSIC: Deja Vu Presents: Darius Syrossian @ Funktion Hull.

(Image – http://www.residentadvisor.net)

Funktion is fast becoming one of Hull’s premier music spots, hosting some of the UK’s biggest DJ’s and music producers.

The likes of Sasha, Cristoph, Patrick Topping and many more have already delivered huge shows to Hull’s ever-hungry music lovers over the last year and the Deja Vu team now have another impressive calendar booked out.

October 3rd sees the turn of none other than Darius Syrossian, another juggernaut of the house music industry coming to Anlaby Road; promising to bring another hard-hitting set to Funktion’s main room.

Syrossian, who has had releases on VIVa MUSiC, Hot Creations and Get Physical, has always implored his ethos of ‘true house music’ (according to his Resident Advisor bio) and this certainly comes through in his productions.

One of his more popular EP’s “Who’s the Douche?” released on Hot Creations is a fusion of house, techno and some garage tints for good measure – thanks to the help of fellow producer and DJ, Hector Couto.

Needless to say Syrossian will bring an extensive amount of records with him to Funktion in less than a month’s time, but just what sound he will bring is anyone’s guess.

Although he does hold a very distinctive funky house style, his sets are brilliantly unpredictable and always include new material mixed with some classics, merging era’s and sounding pretty special.

Of course, Darius has soundcloud and frequently uploads new tracks, mixes and all sorts of material; so if you haven’t already done so, check him out.

If you’d rather watch the man in action then click here to see him live at Lighthouse Festival.

Tickets are £12 at the moment, with doors opening at 10pm and closing at 5am.

https://twitter.com/funktionhull?lang=en

MUSIC: Sasha @ Deja vu

Sasha @ Déjà vu, Hull.

Funktion – Anlaby Road – Hull.

  (Images @dejavu)

For those of you are already attending Funktion’s ‘Déjà vu’ on Saturday, you will not need reminding just how influential Sasha has been to the music industry.

Having being named as DJ Magazine’s ‘DJ of the Year’ in 2000 and after placing in their top 10 in almost every year since 1997, it’s safe to say that Sasha is amongst the all-time greats of the electronic dance music hierarchy.

This Welsh-born disc-jockey and producer has released some absolute storming remixes and tracks, most notably his remix of Hot Chip’s ‘Flutes’, or perhaps London Grammar’s smash-hit ‘Hey Now’ remix are just two of his most popular.

Anyway, this will be common knowledge to those of you who avidly follow the likes of Sasha and his cronies from Ministry of Sound, or his own record label emFire.

But, for the few who actually don’t know that much about this musical genius and quite fancy heading down to Funktion for a taste of the action – well here’s a brief overview of Sasha’s musical career.

So, Alexander Paul Coe, otherwise known to many as Sasha, is quite clearly a DJ (who originally hails from Wales).

After starting a career playing ‘Acid House’ in the last 1980’s he decided to team up with DJ John Digweed in 1993. The duo set about their business and toured internationally, releasing various mixes and sets and the rest as they say is history.

Of course, a lot went on between the early 90’s and now, however the last five to ten years have turned into something quite spectacular for the 45-year old.

With a variety of different sounds available to both DJ’s and the masses, Sasha has quite plainly stated that he feels his music does not conform to one specific genre – rather his most recent material is a mixture (or should I say a blend) of house, trance, breaks and even some fragments of techno.

This personally is right up my alley, as Sasha’s remixes take on a lighter side of the techno spectrum. With stunning vocals used (especially in London Grammar’s – Hey Now remix) his tracks are not only devilishly catchy, but remarkably put together.

Now, this point I am about to make, is a big positive in my eyes…

As the whole ‘Deep House’ phenomenon has spiralled out of control, Sasha unlike so many others (no names) has stayed true to his individual best.

His productions have not adopted the familiar and often repetitive ‘dub’ sounds of so many house tracks these days, but have remained melodic and ever so slightly edgy.

Sasha’s rendition of ‘Bonobo – Eyesdown’ manages to keep the typically intricate and perhaps peculiar vibe that we have all grown to love about Bonobo’s tracks. However, he has completely injected his remixes with his own unique style, which I believe adopt a kind of Berlin/techno, or even an underground feel…

After a simply stunning performance at the Warehouse Project, Manchester for BBC Radio 1’s 20 years of the ‘Essential Mix’, I have totally engrossed myself in anything to do with Sasha and his musical exploits.

These progressive mixes that the Welshman puts together, could be and are often called ‘journeys’ by many of his followers. Now this might sound slightly cringe worthy or even a little stereotypical of a ‘music-lover’ but it’s hard to call his sets anything else.

Anyway, enough with the all the analysis – it is quite plain to see that we are ever so lucky to have Sasha playing in Hull.

Having once being named the ‘DJ of the Year’, one would assume that this would be enough to sell out the gig.

But, if you were still toying with the idea of going to Funktion on Saturday, or if you didn’t think you knew much about this ‘Sasha’ guy, then hopefully this has convinced you.

Tickets are £20 (plus booking fee online on @residentadvisor) – which is a bargain if you ask me.

However, should you wish to be old fashioned and want to purchase a ticket without having to log onto a computer or via your phone; head down to Chinese Laundry or Bolo in Hull’s city centre.

These tickets (according to @dejavuhull) are selling fast so get a move on, you don’t want to miss this…

Here is Sasha’s renowned appearance at The Warehouse Project, for BBC Radio 1’s Essential Mix…