A new series in which our new DJ, The Surprise Act, focuses on, in his opinion, influential DJs. Each mixtape is made with tracks from the DJ who is then the topic. The purpose of this series is to develop his own style and to understand the journey that other DJs have gone through.

Focus On | A series by The Surprise Act

In this new series our own upcoming DJ and fellow LJR crewmember, The Surprise Act, is going to focus on influential DJs. In this serie he will focus on one DJ at the time and will try to respect the maker of the music as much as possible. In this first episode he focused on none other than the Deep House legend Ron Trent.

The career of Ron Trent dated back to the early 90’s and is nowadays considered to be one of the founders of the Chicago music scene. After using cues from his father’s record pool he started to create his own music in the late 80’s early 90’s which gave him instant respect from DJ’s around the globe. 

Later on Ron Trent started creating his own signature and influential Deep House sound which lead to his narrow collaboration with fellow DJ Chez Damier. Together they created the legendary Prescription label and it’s sister label Balance. They gained the attention of artists like Peven Everett, Moody Mann, Joshua and Glen Underground.

Focus On: Ron Trent | Mixed By The Surprise Act

For the second episode of the 'Focus On' series, the focus is on Kevin Yost. This deep house producer has been active since the early 90s and is known for his 'Jazzy deep house sound'. The Surprise Act has made a mix with his favorite tracks that is not inferior to Kevin Yost.

There is no one genre or style to classify the many achievements of Kevin Yost. Ever since picking up drumsticks at the age of four, Kevin has been obsessed with creating and performing music. DJ, producer, film composer, drummer...he has consistently thrived and evolved by indulging his passion. In the mid 80s, at the age of eleven, Kevin discovered his life's mistresses: DJing and house music. He spent the next few years fostering his deep jazzy house style, and in 1998 he broke through with his first album, One Starry Night, which has the distinct honor of being considered a deep house classic. With close to 100 single releases, 8 albums and many mix cd's over the years since, Kevin has earned his reputation as an artist who has no desire to stop creating music and pushing forward.

Focus On: Kevin Yost | Mixed By The Surprise Act

During this set the focus was on House legend Kerri Chandler. The man himself is known for his raw sound in combination with piano and saxophone solo's. He has been active since the early 90s and is still going strong.

With countless classics such as, "You're In My System," "All About Love," and "It's You," Kerri has had a huge impact on the development of house music.

for this episode, The Surprise Act has focused on its own favorites. The result: a set full of favorites and real Kerri Chandler classics. Enjoy!

Focus On: Kerri Chandler | Mixed By The Surprise Act

It had to be done: Focus on: Frankie Knuckles. Since I started listening to House music, I actually went with Frankie Knuckles. For me it all started with the legendary track 'The Whistle Song'. Somehow the song hit me. The structure, the instruments, both in perfect harmony.

This set could have lasted for hours and maybe days because of the amount of music that Frankie Knuckles produced but I tried to use my favorite tracks purely. With the arrival of the Directors Cut compilation album at the end of 2019, preparing this set became even more of a pleasure. The album contained tracks that I had been looking for years, so it felt good to finally be able to use them.

In this set, up-tempo House to Gospel House passes by. Everything that Frankie touched turned into gold and hopefully I could show a little bit of that magic in this mix.

Enjoy!

Focus On: Frankie Knuckles | Mixed By The Surprise Act

Jaren geleden zat een groepje gasten uit Tiel op de bank te verpieteren tijdens het grootste gratis festival van Tiel: Appelpop. Een schrijnend gebrek aan afterparties en dansbare muziek later, ontstond er een idee om jongeren in Tiel te geven wat ze echt nodig hadden: een goed feestje in hun eigen stad.

Focus On | A series by The Surprise Act

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