Who I would pick for my ideal club night and why.

So I was sat on my bed looking down my Facebook wall and reading all the nightclub lineups that some DJs had shared. On each one I started the usual system of picking out individuals and making various approving groans (5 groans= show it to my brother, 10 groans= show it to my friend). As I carried out this typical lazy Sunday morning activity I realized something. If I was asked to host an event at a nightclub with as many rooms as I want and unlimited cash, who would I pick to play and why? Let's have a look at my choices:

Room 1:

Huxley

Huxley is a big inspiration for me. The sounds he uses in his tracks are an incredible mix between techno and jackin' house, providing a great, energetic environment within his sets. A lot of his songs are very dark and mysterious but still have people jumping and bobbing, which is a good sign. One of his tracks that stands out for me has to be 'Long Summer Night'. The simple vocals on this blend so well with the simple, bouncy beat that has become Huxley's signature sound.

https://soundcloud.com/huxley_uk/sets/inkwell-ep-aus-music

Cajmere

The groovier and less robotic alias of the legendary Green Velvet. This guy has been one of my favourite DJ/ producers for a while. All his tracks are made for the club and will even get a crowd of hipsters throwing their backpacks to the side so they can shuffle their way to the floor. Cajmere's collaboration with Gene Farris: 'Mars Bar' is an extremely funky house classic and, although 'Percolater' is a heavy weight tune, this track always gets people who don't usually associate themselves with house music bouncing, I don't know why, it must be the hefty bass that always tries to break my speakers everytime I play it. His sets have so much soul incorporated into them and will make anyone lose their shit. Trust me. Listen to his Boiler Room set from Amsterdam, it's one of my favourites. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JU0S0xpWGOw

Dusky b2b Skream

Since Skream transformed his sound from dark and gritty dubstep to the more uplifting sounds of house and disco he has been putting out unstoppable sets. The tracks he plays throughout these sets are often very heavily weighted with bass. This can lead onto why I would have him back to back with the Dusky boys. Their style is fairly similar and the atmosphere they try to create in their sets is hectic, with room shaking bass being the main aspect that gets people up and moving their sweaty bodies until the ridiculously late hours of the next morning. I think this set would work well, let's hope it happens somewhere in the future.

https://soundcloud.com/platform/skream-boiler-room-mix

https://soundcloud.com/factmag/fact-mix-dusky-feb-14

Zed Bias

Zed Bias has had a big influence upon me. Not only in his DJ sets, but also in his tracks and remixes, there is evidence of what he is about. He is one of those DJs who just wants to party. He wants to go to a club and play tunes for an hour or two and get the place nice and lively. He always achieves this. Varying from garage to soulful house and techno, this guy knows how to bring the house party atmosphere to any club and will almost always destroy it. He's been around for a while and has not started to waver as he has been going at all. His early classics such as 'Neighborhood 09' always make a dance floor erupt while new tunes like 'Go Get It' provide the sexy undertones to any club, festival or house party.

https://soundcloud.com/outlookfestival/zed-bias-clearing-31-8-13

Room 2:

Ben Klock 3 Hour Set

If you know who Ben Klock is, you should know by now that this room is going to be the one where techno is played. This guy is a true Berlin soldier and pioneer in the techno scene. His sets make the most minimalist of beats get a crowd jumping and getting their hands high in the air, whether it's in a huge arena or a tiny basement. I put him up as a three hour set because he's one of those DJs who can maintain the same level of mixing skills throughout a set, no matter how sweaty and hyped he gets. The energy in his productions along with his sets is ridiculous. Just listen to this set and try and tell me you don't want to see him live after.

https://soundcloud.com/ben-klock/berghain-10th-aug-2013

Marcell Dettmann b2b Answer Code Request 3 Hour Set

This set would go off, there's no doubt about that. These guys know how to supply the heat and tension in their sets and keep a crowd going for hours, whether it's one or three. Marcell Dettmann's tracks are so simplistic, with each aspect changing ever so slightly and at the same time having big impacts when played in clubs. Answer Code Request is quite similiar to Dettman and his DJing skills are great. His Boiler Room from Berlin is second to none, each tune sets me into a trance each time I listen. 'Linux' by Marcell Dettmann is also a mesmerizing track, the bass plays a key role in the darkness of the song, while still keeping a bounciness to it. One day I will see this song live and it will be incredible. 

https://soundcloud.com/platform/answer-code-request-80min

https://soundcloud.com/modeselektor/marcel-dettmann-linux

Room 3:

DJ EZ w/ Skepta, Wiley & Dizzee Rascal

A UK Garage legend. This guy's mixing style is so unique and his track selection is always on point. He switches between classics from the 90s and early noughties to modern songs that get crowd jumping, whether it's garage, grime or house. When EZ's in the place you know it's going to be reload after reload, people forget what they look like and get skanking and this is a clear sign of a good DJ. One bad thing though, I'm still waiting on the release of his 'Intro 6' (such a great tune). The latest set he did for Boiler Room is one of the greatest sets I've ever heard and seen. Trust me. This guy completely smashed it, check it out. Skepta is also a true king of grime, his flow is unbelievable and it would be great to hear him rapping to garage. Wiley is an original garage MC and I would love to see him going back to back with Skepta and Dizzee to the tunes that were his roots. I don't even need to mention why I would pick Dizzee Rascal, he's one of the greatest MCs in the scene. These four would have the place moving. Skip to 1hr 34mins of this video to see just how EZ brings the energy to his sets. To quote Majestic Man from halfway through this set: "It's not about who's skanking like this and who's skanking like that, it's all about vibes."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OraL6lKoyXE

Matt Jam Lamont b2b Wookie

Like DJ EZ, Matt Jam Lamont and Wookie have been huge names in the UK Garage scene for a while. Lamont supplies the more summery, happy vibes in his sets while Wookie tends to go onto the more mental side of things. This set would appeal to every garage fan, there's no doubt about that.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2L4vQLddf8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGkd8dt1XdQ

Room 4:

Soul Clap b2b Nick Monaco 6 hour DJ set

The modern disco & R&B legends would provide the chilled vibes in room 4. These guys always represent the Crew Love label to a high standard when they do marathon sets and it would be great to see them do one. A lot of the funky tunes they play always get me bobbing my head and raising my arms. Soul Clap supply the subtle, funky groove while Nick Monaco delivers the hard hitting bass. If you haven't heard these guys make sure you check them out. Nick Monaco's 'Sample Your Soul' is one of my favourite tracks of the year so far.

https://soundcloud.com/nickmonaco/sample-your-soul?in=nickmonaco/sets/sample-your-soul-vega-records

https://soundcloud.com/soulclap/episode-113-thanksgiving-in?in=soulclap/sets/mixes

Room 5:

Oneman

A great DJ. Oneman has such an original style and I would absolutely love to see him live. He ranges from hip-hop to house and grime seamlessly and this is what makes him such an incredible DJ. He is also a strong representative for vinyl DJs across the globe. Whether it's a well known track or a heavy, bass-ridden banger, Oneman's track selection always leaves people having a great time. A big inspiration for me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6r48tKlt5Ks

Girl Talk

Girl Talk has a ridiculously huge amount of talent. He is such a unique DJ and manages to mix hip-hop with songs you would never associate them with like 70s rock 'n' roll which creates a party like atmosphere rather than having repetitive beats all night long. There is no other DJ that does what he does and for that reason I would feel privileged to see him live. In this set from Coachella 2014 he brings the heat.
https://soundcloud.com/byron-rodriguez-11/sets/girl-talk-coachella-2014

So there you have it. Some of my favourite DJs and why I would pick them. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Stay tuned to my blog for more stuff like this.