In Session: Dax J

His next pirate stint was on Origin FM, which he held down for four years and in that time began to release music under the name Dangerous, with records arriving through outlets such as Mickey Finns’ Urban Takeover label and his own Xplicit Sound. But while studying Music Technology at university he began to fall out of love with the d’n’b scene, finding the move towards jump-up sounds to be at odds with the rawness and darkness of the music he fell in love with.

Musically disillusioned after graduating, he decided to spend the summer in Ibiza and it was there that he was introduced to techno. Dax was blown away by the spectacle of the clubs and the new music he was hearing, describing his response to Stray Landings as “this music is like drum 'n' bass but slower, I love it!” He returned to producing invigorated with a new direction to follow, yet he didn’t completely forego his roots and regularly works old breaks and the classic amen sound into his techno exploits, making for some of the most high-octane records going.

Dax J’s contribution to the genre since has been massive, co-founding the EarToGround label and going solo with his Monnom Black imprint, curating and contributing to a stacked release schedule that never falters in quality. His work ethic is so strong that he even sets up a micro studio on planes on the way to gigs.

2015 saw the release of debut full-length ‘Shade Of Black’ which was awarded Album of the Month in Mixmag and showcased an artist with an assured vision and uncompromising attitude. It’s a mindset that he carries over to his DJ sets that are characterised by rigid rhythms and forays into pulsating acid. Check out his slamming In Session mix below for a prime example.

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