BOMAN, AXEL / MARK E / MR BEATNICK - DANCING FROM VOL 1

Axel Boman is DJ and producer based in Stockholm, Sweden. Boman is known for his shimmering, playful house music in addition to running the Studio Barnhus label along with Kornél Kovács and Petter Nordkvist. His tracks are generally stripped-down, groove-heavy, and somewhat cheeky, although there are a few moments when he gets introspective and melancholy, such as "Depression 01." He began attending raves during the early '90s, and gradually became a fixture of Stockholm's club scene, first as a partygoer, and eventually as a DJ. Once he made the leap to producing tracks, he released several EPs on Ourvision Recordings starting in 2008. "Arcimboldo" (from 2008's digital-only Jungle Jesus EP) made a splash in the club world, and a 12" of remixes was released in 2010. That same year, Boman co-founded Studio Barnhus, and his Holy Love EP was released by DJ Koze's then-new label Pampa Records. "Purple Drank" became the EP's breakout club hit, and Boman became an in-demand DJ, producer, and remixer. The next few years brought EPs on labels like Play It Down, Glass Table, and Hypercolour, as well as remixes for Harald Björk, DJ Hell, Wolfram, and others. His debut full-length, Family Vacation, arrived on Studio Barnhus in 2013, featuring the single "Fantastic Piano." Boman formed the Talaboman duo with John Talabot, and their debut single, "Sideral," was released in 2014, after appearing on Talabot's DJ-Kicks mix CD in 2013. Boman's solo single "1979" followed on Pampa in 2015, and the Moon Dancer EP appeared on Third Try Records in 2016. Talaboman's debut full-length, The Night Land, appeared on R&S in 2017. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.

The music of Mark E is overwhelmingly deliberate, and in that sense it’s quintessential house — unswerving, mechanistic, intoxicatingly simple. And life imitates art: the Wolverhampton-reared, Birmingham-based DJ/producer has had a slow, steady ascension to his status as one of the genre’s most natural talents. Mark E’s love affair with electronic dance music began early, as an adolescent, when Manchester was Madchester and the irreverent attitude of rave culture swept through England. His first record? Bizarre Inc.’s exuberant, piano-loaded “Playing With Knives”, a fortuitous introduction to the hypnotizing powers of house. As Mark got older, he dove headfirst into the surprisingly fertile Wolverhampton scene, tasting house at the hands of legends like John Kelly and Frankie Knuckles before a move to Birmingham for University also installed him in a larger club scene. Mark’s first forays into production were, naturally, edits — warm, understated, and interestingly mellow, with tempos hovering somewhere between 105 and 115 BPM (or thereabouts). Once “Scared,” a ten-minute rework of Womack & Womack’s “Baby, I’m Scared of You,” found the ears of influential selector (and, more importantly, BBC radio DJ) Gilles Peterson, it was on, and a solid string of memorable, vinyl-only releases introduced the world at large to this humble, devoted househead. Slowly (again), Mark went beyond edits and into original production, starting his own label, MERC, and honing a sound that was uniquely blue collar and utilitarian — classic, almost industrial house, with a tinge of disco warmth. A stellar remix for Matthew Dear’s “Little People (Black City)” introduced him to the Ghostly/Spectral fold, who are now releasing his first artist album, "Stone Breaker". It’s as defining as anything he’s done, a symbol of his unique spot in the global club music landscape, sounding simultaneously familiar and unique like few others can. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.

Mr Beatnick is one of the UK’s bonafide musical diamonds in the rough. He is one of few hip-hop producers to newly enter the house and techno fold in the past few years and has really turned heads. During the late 00’s he released on labels like Far Out and Altered Vibes, and contributed remixes for artists like Azymuth and Atjazz , but it was the epic, string-laden house jam “Synthetes”, released on Semtek ’s “Don’t Be Afraid” imprint in 2011, which proved the breakthrough moment for this talented beat-smith, receiving widespread critical acclaim and regular support from djs as diverse as Gilles Peterson, Scuba, Jamie XX, Paul Woolford and Deetron. The follow up "Sun Goddess" created a similar stir in summer 2012, and this year he completed his house trilogy to great effect with the off-kilter sounds of the “Savannah” EP. An eclectic and forward-thinking dj, Mr Beatnick’s sets tread a frenetic and diverse path, weaving in influences across the house, techno, hip-hop, and UK underground scenes. His monthly show on NTS radio is a cult favourite amongst the hip and happening London cognescenti. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.