FIXED Presents | Erol Alkan/ Fort Romeau/ JDH & Dave P at Output and Maus/ Mike Terra/ Zeni Karpuzi/ Pablo Romero/ Da Groove in The Panther Room

Erol Alkan has lived many different guises so far; DJ, remixer, label founder, club promoter, radio host, and each with great success. Keen to keep moving forwards, what, one might wonder, allows Alkan to remain such a vital figure in contemporary music, both in the DJ booth, in the studio and beyond?

"I am not afraid of change," Alkan considers. "I have faith that if I'm playing great records that people will connect to them, and I try to stay true to that." Playing records comes easy to Erol, having spent the past two decades at it wherever possible, from a beginning sneaking out of his bedroom to fend off brutish American rock purists while spinning British indie records in small West End nightclubs, to his current club sets that explore the bleeding edge of underground, off-kilter house, techno and disco, albeit to a somewhat more enthusiastic audience.

For all of his love of collaboration and nurturing new talent, Alkan is still more than at home alone behind the decks in a club near you, professing to be as excited about DJing as ever before. Despite playing in the club for over a decade, it was only this year that saw the release of his 'Fabriclive 77' mix, designed specifically for the London club's cavernous main room, and featuring doses of Phantasy (including new Alkan track 'Sub Conscious', made especially for the mix) among music from compatriot labels such as LIES, Running Back and Optimo Trax. Critically acclaimed, it was hailed by The Ransom Note for its effortless combination of both "the peak time, and the cerebral."


One of the most intriguing and welcome developments in the world of music over the past few years has been the renaissance of house music. A new generation of producers are incorporating the signature tropes of classic Chicago house into a post-millennial reinvention of the genre, creating a wealth of new takes on one of the most influential sounds in the history of electronic music. Few producers, however, have done so quite so deftly as London-based producer Mike Greene, aka Fort Romeau.

Greene's debut album Kingdoms was released last year on LA label 100% Silk the dance-focused imprint of progressive indie label Not Not Fun and got strong reviews on both sides of the Atlantic for its sleek production, and for the way its productions are imbued with the warmth and sense of soul that characterizes Chicago's classic sounds. The record reflected Greene's deep sense of affection for the genre as he told UK website Data Transmission last year, "I first heard a lot of

the classics early on and they have always just stuck with me … I love the raw energy and feeling they have, theres so much soul in them they feel really alive, and I just really respond to that sound emotionally."

Greene's talents extend well beyond the confines of production he grew as a guitarist, playing in an early project with Al Myson (aka Ital Tek), and later played keyboards in La Roux's touring band. He also DJs frequently, explaining to Spin last year that, "Being able to construct a DJ set and put it into context with records that you really love, and be able to build a larger picture of what you're doing and where you're coming from I think it's incredible. I don't think DJing is given the credit it's due… as an idea and as a cultural activity, I think it's amazing."


JDH and Dave P, hailing from New York and Philadelphia respectively, are the duo behind the FIXED parties, which have been running for nearly nine years. The duo have toured numerous times with Simian Mobile Disco and Soulwax and have recently played Coachella, PS1, Camp Bisco, FYF Fest, and at Pacha Ibiza. In addition, Dave throws the Making Time and Snacks parties in Philly as well as helping run the RVNG record label. You can catch his “Making Time RADio” show once a month on XPN.