Let’s Grooveeeee! 🔥🕺🪩🥳🪭😈🍄

Since its launch in winter 2004, Oaklands Guesthouse Music has established itself as one of the premiere underground house labels in the world. Featuring a talent roster of more than 100 artists, the label—helmed producer/DJ Mes (aka Jason Sutton)—has gone on to drop 70 vinyl and digital releases by artists from 20 countries. Defined by a catalogue of beats that bump, thump and pump, Guesthouse continues blending old and new school sounds to deliver diggable tunes to the dance floor and beyond.

Guesthouse was born in a time of underground transition. As the first wave of new school house was redefining the rules established in the ’80s and ’90s, Mes—the label’s A&R—sought to embrace both schools of sound. Merging the two flavors resulted in an eclectic mix of old and new beats that proved groovy, jazzy and always bass-heavy. Today Guesthouse is best known for featuring chunky, well-produced tracks are equally fresh and funky.

That fresh vibe has carried over into the label’s talent roster, which has showcased both acclaimed and little known artists. One of its most touted successes includes the breakout release Gramophonedzie’s “Why Don’t You,” a cross-genre cut that was licensed by Capitol Records but has sold more than 15,000 to date. Gramophonedzie joins the ranks of other established roster likes including DJ Sneak , Chris Simmonds, JT Donaldson, 1200 Warriors, Cosy Creatures, DeMarkus Lewis and The Sound Republic, the former house duo that is also a Guesthouse original.  

As the landscape of house continues to evolve, Guesthouse will move with it, staying true to vinyl and digital releases while dropping its signature, well produced party rocking music. The label’s consistent schedule of releases has proved that Mes and his lengthening talent roster are here for the long haul.

“We’re constantly dropping something new,” Mes says. “You never know what surprise is around the corner.”

Guesthouse Artist Roster:
DJ Sneak, Gramophonedzie, The Sound Republic, Cosy Creatures, JT Donaldson, DeMarkus Lewis,
Chris Simmonds, 1200 Warriors, Soydan, Bryan Jones, Special Interests, Little Men, Miles Maeda, DJ Homewrecker, Dan X, Jason Hodges, Chuck Daniels, Chris Harris, Dom Martin, Brian Heath, Toka Project, MastikSoul, Tommy Largo, Natural Rhythm, Bobby & Klein, Sonny Foderra, DJ Freestyle and many more… 

“Anyone who maintains a profile at the level and length of time Aydin has is truly world class. He has an ability to adapt his style, to stay relevant without compromising his sound. A true house don!” 
Mark Knight, Toolroom.

“ATFC does dance music how I like it the best. Always classy, with a good punch, yet soulful. He´s one of the only guys nowadays who can handle a good vocal… I'm a fan!”
Mousse T

“I've been playing Aydin's tracks for a long time and he never disappoints! He's constantly evolving and giving sure fire dance floor anthems as well as crossover hits. On top of that, he’s a nice bloke too!”  
Roger Sanchez 

Aydin is the kind of guy who stays true and genuine to his own sound and never tries to follow a trend or search for fake fame or success.
The kind who is fighting for his own strong conviction.  A real house music lover"
Bob Sinclar

“The first time I came across ATFC was when he worked at Uptown Records, he was standing behind the counter performing the Heimlich manoeuvre on a startled customer. I saw him in the store many times after this and was always struck by his incredibly firm handshake and piercing eyes, I never would have imagined in a million years this maniac would go on to have a long career in the music business, producing many classic house tracks. Even if you think you don’t like his music you may well have danced or thrown up to one of the many hits he’s released under aliases that have topped Beatport’s hard dance and glitch hop genres. Our paths have crossed many times over the years and I can categorically state he is the only house producer who can carry off fully dressing as an older woman yet, still, remaining fully recognisable as himself.  Respect.”
Joey Negro

“I’ve played Aydin’s records for the last 15 years. He always has the groove and delivers the bombs! Plus he’s a top bloke.”
Nic Fanciulli 

“When we started The Cube Guys project, ATFC was one of world class producers in terms of quality and sound. 
When we finally met personally we realized that he’s a real Old Skool super funny guy with a superb upfront vision of what true House Music is!”
The Cube Guys

“ATFC is not a football team, in fact it’s one man who stands alone in his quest for keeping the funk alive & kickin and he’s been doing so for over a decade. He is Aydin The Funki Chile!” 
Seamus Haji, Big Love.

“I’ve been a fan of Aydin’s since 1999 and to this date I get excited when he sends me upfront music.  His productions are always on point and he makes me sound better when I play out!”
Hector Romero -Def Mix

“I was fan of  ATFC before I met him so when we had the chance to work together it was amazing. We are now working on more productions that I can´t wait to finish!
Recently, Aydin used my talent when he had a hip replacement so now that he is good, he wants to kick my ass...mothafucker”
David Penn

For bookings please contact carlos@ingeniumbookings.com

https://linktr.ee/wearedelasoul

De La Soul is back—but did they ever really leave? After delivering their seminal debut 3 Feet High and Rising in 1989 with the production genius of Prince Paul, the New York City-bred trio of Posdnuos (Pos), Dave and Maseo went on to further impact Hip Hop culture with five more groundbreaking albums: De La Soul Is Dead (1991), Buhloone Mindstate (1993), Stakes Is High (1996), Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump (2000) and AOI: Bionix (2001). But once the digital age exploded in the late ‘90s, De La Soul’s celebrated catalog was unavailable to stream. As the decades passed, the tight-knit group forged ahead anyway—touring the world, connecting with their adoring fanbase and making music on their own terms. Following 2004’s The Grind Date, De La Soul took a hiatus from making albums, but joined The Gorillaz on the track “Feel Good Inc” which won them a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Collaboration.  In 2015, the group raised over $600,000 on Kickstarter from fans to independently release their album and the Anonymous Nobody, which was their first #1 on the Rap Albums chart, and was also nominated for a Best Rap Album Grammy.   

However, the demand for unreleased De La Soul music was palpable and the cry for access to the first six albums grew louder. Unfortunately, De La Soul was stuck riding a roller coaster of stalled negotiations, dashed hopes and dead-end conversations with their old label, and the group nearly gave up. 

"We have lived without the music up for long, these six albums haven’t been up—ever,” Pos says. “We got used to knowing they weren’t up.” In June of 2021, Tommy Boy Music was acquired by Reservoir, giving De La Soul’s catalog a new home.  In March of 2023, the six missing albums were finally available to stream.  But sadly, right before the catalog release, Dave, the beloved member of De La Soul, passed away. Though bittersweet, De La Soul preserves his legacy and the ongoing impact of their music. 

As iconic songs such as “The Magic Number”, found new life in the film Spiderman: No Way Home in 2021, De La Soul continues to resonate with a diverse population of people. 

As Pos notes, “We’ve noticed over the past several years of tour like, ‘Wow, there’s a father here with his child who also is here with their child. ‘We’re generational. To me, there’s nothing more gratifying than that. That means something. That’s telling about a group. What we were doing wasn’t just stuck to that time.”

“We really naturally been that group for everyone,” Pos says. “It was never about we’re just here for this community, that community, this set of people or these certain fans of Hip Hop culture. We see music as music. We’ve been very resilient, even being a group that didn’t have our music up [on streaming platforms]. We still had these beautiful opportunities through young people finding out about us through a commercial or Spider-Man. Now that it can all be there for people to gravitate to, I’m really happy about that.” 

De La Soul's impact on the musical landscape is immeasurable, with 3 Feet High and Rising widely regarded as one of the most influential albums of its era. Pioneering inventive sampling, playful lyrics, and eclectic beats, the album broke new ground and set a standard for creativity in the genre. Recognizing its cultural significance, the album was inducted into the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress.

Right place, right time. It's an old cliché, but it's one that's been the definition of Dennis Ferrer's musical career. Just as the dance music world was heading into the world of afro-centric house, Ferrer was there. And then, when it began to embrace the mix of tech and soul, Ferrer was there again, leading the way with his impeccable productions. As Ferrer goes, it seems, so does electronic music. And, as someone who's never content to do the same thing twice, it's clear that he'll be staying on top for years to come.

Ferrer burst back into the consciousness of most dance music heads with the release of "Sandcastles," (Ibadan) his collaboration with Jerome Sydenham in 2003. But, to his credit, Ferrer didn't simply repeat the formula afterwards. He has continued to push a variety of genres all at once. It's clear that Ferrer isn't content to rest on his laurels: he's too busy dreaming up new ways to shock and delight audiences.

In the mid-90’s, Ferrer was crafting techno records as Morph and then had success in the Afro and gospel house scenes with releases via his Sfere label, an imprint he began alongside Kerri Chandler. But it's this past work that gives his new productions such resonance: unlike many of this house peers, Ferrer's techno experience has given him an edge that you can hear in his recent work.

"Son of Raw," (Ibadan) "Church Lady," (Defected) "Underground Is My Home," (King Street Sounds), "Touched the Sky" (King Street Sounds), “Transitions” (King Street Sounds), “P 2 Da J” (Defected),  “Sinfonia Della Notte” (Strictly Rhythm), “Hey Hey” (Objektivity), “Red Room” (Objektivity), “Underground” Nick Curly – Dennis Ferrer Remix (Defected), to name a few, have all been huge dance floor anthems and all show a different side of the Ferrer personality as well as his impressive range as producer and remixer.

Ferrer has brought his ‘anything goes’ approach to his label, Objektivity.  Celebrating its 8th anniversary in 2014, the imprint has thus far focused itself on vocals, featuring often unlikely turns from indie heroes like Ane Brun and Télépopmusik. Low slung and deep, Objektivity is a cutting-edge label in touch with its time, putting a uniquely American spin on the deep house revival that is currently making waves in Europe. Objektivity is a living, breathing thing - one that's set to drop bombs on the dance floor for years to come.

While Ferrer closes out 2013 with “Mind Ur Step” (Defected), “Mind Ur Dub” (Objektivity) and a remix of Coyu - “Salvation” (Noir Music), the best is yet to come. With a deep knowledge of the past and a constant push for the future, Ferrer remains one of the true greats of house music - a leader and innovator whose enjoying the buzz around him but keeping on pushing the limits. Stay tuned.

It was in 2011 that Dutch pair Lars Dales and Maarten Smeets quickly broke through in the electronic music scene. Since then they have become known for their widescreen approach to making and playing club-ready grooves. From deep to disco, tech to soul, they join the dots between the past and the present with their own sense of storytelling and do so in clubs around the world, as well as in their studio. House might be the root of the Dam Swindle sound, but it takes nourishment from a much wider world of music. 

Still now, their breakthrough tunes such as ‘The Wrap Around’ and ‘The Break Up’ receive countless plays on dancefloors all over the world and the duo has made timeless music such as their 2023 disco-house bomb ‘ That’s right’ and 90’s throwback banger ‘Allright – just a tribute’ that became one of the hits of the 2024 festival summer. Dam Swindle has built a trademark sound, while still evolving and maturing their craft in various musical niches. Their landmark 2018 album High Life shows a broad musicality from the duo and this is even more so on their highly anticipated 2025 long player ‘Open’.  ‘Open’ features countless collaborations with high-profile artists such as Dutch pianist Joep Beving and New York-based Ethiopian vocalist Haile Supreme, and sees the duo flex their sound from ambient electronica to synthwave, hiphouse and more. 

Since 2013, the pair has also established their record label Heist Recordings as one of the key independent labels for underground dance music, while also releasing music on other underground mainstays such as Aus Music and Classic Music Company. Heist is more than just a label, though - it is a breeding ground for talents old and new; somewhere talent is nurtured and allowed to develop. Label showcases and special projects such as the yearly Roundup EP; where all artists from the past 12 months remix each other after a random selection process, furthers the family vibe and helps Heist stand out from crowd. Artists such as Cinthie, DJ Sneak, Crackazat, Tesfa Williams, Makèz, Pépé Bradock, Matthew Herbert, Ge-Ology, Byron the Aquarius and many more have all contributed, proving that it is a place for unrestrained creatives to be free with their own sonic visions. The label looks as good as it sounds, too, thanks to visual artist Bas Koopmans's standout artwork designs. 
 
Proof of Dam Swindle's widescreen approach to production is their long and talented list of collaborators, which includes the likes of acclaimed musician Tom Misch, US talent Seven Davis Jr., instrumental collective Jungle by Night, plus Marc de Clive-Lowe, Jitwam and Lorenz Rhode. Next to their own originals, a broad spectrum of artists have asked Dam Swindle for some of their special remix magic: on labels like Strut and Soundway they have reworked the legendary Pat Thomas, aka the ‘Golden voice of Africa,' and gave his single ‘Yamona’ a contemporary electronic edge, as well as The Mauskovic Dance Band’s track ‘Space Drum Machine’ and plenty more artists like Kerri Chandler, Mayer Hawthorne and Tom Misch. As their talent for bridging genres from all over the world continues to attract global attention, high-profile projects keep rolling in from all points on the musical globe. 

Dam Swindle are famously avid collectors of both old and new records, and it shows in their DJ sets, which keep you on your toes as they move freely through the broad world of house music with skillfully blended moods of soulful techno, acid, breaks, disco and more, all to create those special moments that crowds never forget. It is for that reason that their name has become a real stamp of authority and invention in the dance music world. Whatever they do, then, this pair do with irresistible charm.

'FIRE + ICE' feat. Jake Shears 💜 Out now! ⤵️
https://PurpleDiscoMachine.lnk.to/FireandIce

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