In Session: Dan Beaumont

Dan Beaumont is devoted to nightlife. The born and bred Londoner has been a prominent fixture in the city’s musical landscape for over a decade, and in this time has strived to improve peoples’ experience of going out and dancing.

Whenever he feels like something is missing from the scene he steps up to provide it. The seminal Disco Bloodbath parties he began throwing with Ben Pistor and Damon Martin in 2007 were founded in response to the overbearing ubiquity of the minimal sound at the time. “Apart from Horse Meat Disco, me, Damon and Ben were struggling to find somewhere that played music that didn’t sound like a dripping tap,” he quipped in a 2015 DJ Mag interview.

The opening of Daltson Superstore in 2009 breathed new life into the area through the widely varied offerings the multi-purpose space provides. As well as serving as a club and bar, further events among the Superstore’s remit include queer art exhibitions, drag troupe performances, neo-cabaret and naked literary readings.

Building on this East London presence in 2012 Dan opened Dance Tunnel, and over the next four years it asserted itself as one of London’s premier nightspots, with the pull to bring DJs such as Steffi and Ben UFO to play the intimate 220-capacity basement room. Although the club sadly closed in 2016, citing the licensing climate in Hackney as unworkable, the prospect of “Dance Tunnel 2” on the horizon already has dancing enthusiasts hot with anticipation.

It was in Dance Tunnel that the first Chapter 10 party took place in 2013, before moving to the Bloc warehouse in Hackney Wick shortly after to fill the gap Dan saw in London for a large-scale gay event with internationally renowned DJs playing. From this point the “gay rave”, which he co-runs with Charlie Porter and Morgan Clement, has grown to become a party to rival any other in the world. Each time Mixmag has been in attendance the atmosphere has been off the scale. As with all of Dan’s projects, it’s underpinned by an ethos of inclusivity and progression.

Dan’s a resident at Chapter 10, as he was at Disco Bloodbath and the Macho City hi-NRG night he ran with Charlie and David Kendrick. In an interview with i-D in 2015 Dan remarked “resident DJs tell a different story to big world touring DJs,” and through his experience over the years helming booths and adapting to the moods of different dancefloors he’s developed into a diversely talented DJ, equally adept at hammering out thumping acid, weaving in wonky Italo and gliding through smooth house. Beyond his own parties, he’s an in-demand selector on the international scene, with recent gigs at Panorama Bar, Robert Johnson and De School under his belt.

His fortnightly NTS residency on the Rhythm Connection show he co-hosts with Nadia Ksaiba is consistently packed full of infectious, vibrant tracks, and has established itself as a must-listen among the London station’s impressive schedule. As a producer his focus hones in on music designed for his sets, with releases such as ‘Trippy Pumper’ and ‘Spirit Talkin’’ on Classic and Work Them showcasing tailor-made tools to get floors moving.

We’re delighted to have a vital force for positivity in the London scene and beyond contribute to our In Session mix series. Lock into an hour of selections that journey between pumping and blissful below.

Patrick Hinton is Mixmag's Digital Staff Writer, follow him on Twitter