Lee Foss/ Eskuche & Nu Sky/ DKDS at Output and Psychemagik/ Nikola Baytala in the Panther Room

Few DJs have made such a dramatic impact on the underground house and techno scene over the last two years as Hot Creations label owner Lee Foss. Described by DJ Mag as "one of the most talented new forces in modern dance music today" and by fellow future house innovators Art Department as their favourite producer, Lee has quickly catapulted himself into dance music's collective consciousness. Lee and his Hot Natured partner Jamie Jones currently spearhead a whole family of like-minded producers that includes Robert James, Russ Yallop, Richy Ahmed and most recently Danny Daze who are currently re-writing the rulebook of how to make evocative and emotive house music.

Born and raised in Chicago, the birthplace of house, Lee now lives between London and Los Angels. Lee made his name on both sides of the Atlantic playing at clubs like The Standard Rooftop (Lost Angeles), fabric (London), The Marcy Hotel (Brooklyn), Watergate (Berlin), Spybar (Chicago) and DC10 (Ibiza). Lee's rapid rise to prominence has been as much down to his unified but all-encompassing approach to DJing as it has to his pioneering take nu school house and synth-heavy techno, backed up by a string of hit releases on labels like No 19, Culprit, Wolf+Lamb and his own Hot Creations imprint. His unique sound, born out a lifelong love of classic house, 90s hip hop, 80s electro and Detroit techno, combined with fanatical grassroots support from clubbers in both Europe and North America, made him the highest new entrant in Resident Advisor's Top 100 DJs poll last December, coming in at number 36.

While growing up in Chicago, Lee cut his teeth on the clubs and raves of the late 90's, which sparked his interest in house and disco. However, it was a chance visit to Ibiza back in 2001, that changed his whole approach to music that helped steer his musical destiny for the next decade and beyond. It was in Ibiza that summer that he first became friends with Jamie Jones and the pair quickly formed a tight brotherly bond that has recently blossomed into their highly acclaimed Hot Natured partnership. Having spent several years abroad, and heavily inspired by time spent at seminal electro and deep house parties in Ibiza and East London, Lee decided to take all that he'd learnt in Europe and export it back to the USA.

After cutting his teeth in the competitive Chicago dj scene for the better part of a decade, Lee chose to uproot and set up in Los Angeles. Lee decided to work on music full time and soon fell in with Droog who were just setting up Culprit Records which became a platform for his early releases like 'h.e.a.d.s EP' in partnership with Jamie Jones. His bold move to Los Angeles soon started paid off as it helped draw international attention to both his DJing and production work. His real break through came with the release of 'Grinding' on Wolf+Lamb, a track that was picked up and played by DJs right across the spectrum of dance music.

Since then Lee has gone on to release a string of hits on a variety of labels including 'The Edge EP' 'Equilibrium', 'U Got Me' and most recently his 'Starfruit EP', all of which have been independently awarded 'Tune of the Month' in Mixmag at various points over the last year. In addition DJ Magazine voted 'U Got Me' as their number 4 favourite record of 2010, having already featured it in their 'Stone Cold Killers' section earlier in the year.

With this many accolades under his belt in such a short space of time, it would be easy for Lee to rest on his laurels but this couldn't be farther from the case. He's just about to unleash 'Forward Motion' his latest Hot Natured production with Jamie Jones, which was one of the breakout records of Miami this year and is shaping up to be one of the summer's biggest hits. In addition to this he's currently in the studio with Jamie Jones and 'Forward Motion' vocalist Ali Love putting the finishing touches on their forthcoming Hot Natured debut album, which he's producing alongside his own debut artist album due out later this year. With plans to turn Hot Natured into a fully formed live act and tour it globally in 2012, this is already shaping up to be a career-defining year for Lee Foss.



DKDS are rising stars of the NYC underground, night creatures whose main goal in life is to make you stay up too late and dance 'til dawn. DKDS is made up of Scrap and Chris – two tall, dark cousins who hail from Seattle and New York, respectively. The two reunited in Brooklyn over a mutual love of jackin' deep house and techno and formed a DJ duo; over the last couple years their back-to-back sets have made a serious mark on NYC nightlife, one debauched party at a time. The boys recently caught the attention of MeanRed, who made them residents of their Dark Disco party deep Downtown. They're also hard at work on original tracks with the edgy-yet-suave vibe that is their signature. Don't sleep… no, really.

The UK duo, known for their sensational disco and psychedelic edits, obscenely vast record collections, beautiful production work and transcendent mixtape journeys, are being heralded as a truly unique and positive presence in today's music scene.

"Fucking Brilliant" ¬ DJ Mag

Although Tom and Danny have both been utterly immersed in music since time itself began, Psychemagik's first appearance on wax was an edit of Fleetwood Mac's 'Everywhere', which quickly found its way into the record bags of veterans like Tom Middleton and Greg Wilson, and instantly cemented their place in the disco music world. The duo have since released a string of highly acclaimed edits, original productions and remixes.

They regularly play at major festivals, clubs and special events all over the UK and Europe – with tours in the USA and Australia set for 2013.

"An ear for mind-expanding dance floor mysticism" ¬– FACT Magazine

Their studio output is prolific to say the least; Valley Of Paradise, the first single from their debut album, sold out on pre-orders and was followed by a slew of incredible remixes from the likes of Greg Wilson, Time and Space Machine, Toby Tobias and Rayko and received critical acclaim and airplay worldwide. Recent remix projects include Azari & III, Metronomy, Kraak and Smaak, Crystal Fighters, Yacht, Time and Space Machine, The Egg, Skinny Lister and The Cuban Brothers.

"Remixers du jour" – Mixmag

And then there's the edits. Their recent version of Fleetwood Mac's 'Dreams', a follow up to 'Everywhere', topped the Hype Machine charts and has been gaining some serious props from around the globe. They have also released a string of edits on their Healin' Feelin and Discotheque Wreckers imprints, all of which have made it into the Juno top sellers list.

Their mixes paint the story of two extraordinarily talented and passionate guys. Some blatantly show that Psychemagik can absolutely dominate a dancefloor. Others, like their guest mixes for the Test Pressing podcast, are gorgeously composed psychedelic experiences, which give you an idea of just how deep and amazing their record collections really are. Basically, you can bet that they have the perfect record for any time and any place.

"Perfectly deconstructed Hot Chip's sound for their support slot…Fantastic"

– Songkick

They also have a reputation as the go to guys for mega rare records you won't find anywhere else. Their satisfied customers include 2 Many Dj's/Soulwax, Chemical Brothers, Q-Tip, Fake Blood amongst many others.

It is this incredible ear for musical treasures and their dedication to the art of digging that has lead to the success of their recent compilation, Psychemagik Presents: 'Magik Cyrkles' on Leng Records, which sold out worldwide on vinyl within 48 hours of its release and went straight to number one in the Juno bestsellers chart on CD. With a wealth of upcoming releases and their debut studio LP just around the corner, they've already set the controls for the heart of the sun and will be heading into a whole new stratosphere of creativity in 2013.

DJ Nikola Baytala has become a crucial component of the minimal-techno collective known as Kontrol. But don't typecast him as a one-dimensional droid with a M-nus Records logo tattoo. He's been exploring the upper echelons of the techno/house continuum since the early '90s (including the last 10 years at The Top, a weekly event hosted by S.W.A.T., aka Special Weapons and Tactics), gaining a reputation as a DJ's DJ, with acclaim coming from house-music legends like Derrick Carter and Doc Martin. Moreover, Baytala's list of musical influences and loves is vast, eclectic, and impeccable. The following roll call just scratches the surface: dub/reggae (Lee "Scratch" Perry), jazz (Pharoah Sanders), world (Ravi Shankar, Mulatu Astatke), funk (Cymande), soul (Bill Withers), hiphop (Gang Starr), Krautrock (Can), electro (Egyptian Lover, Kraftwerk), disco (DJ Harvey), Latin (Tito Puente), soundtrack/new age (Vangelis), rock (Steely Dan), post-punk (ESG, Liquid Liquid), and post-rock (Outhud). As for his bread and butter, Baytala similarly displays excellent judgment, with a heavy preference for quality-pushers like Jeff Mills, Gas, Monolake, Robert Hood, Theo Parrish, and Mr. Fingers. When you see a DJ possess such wide-ranging, outstanding taste, it instills confidence that he/she will rarely, if ever, veer into wackness. Baytala clearly has put many hours of study into his craft, and it's paid off with smooth mixes and world-class track selection. Besides his formidable technical skills and profound knowledge, Baytala reportedly exudes a lot of personality and passion behind the decks, which must have served him well while opening for acts like Jane's Addiction. Everything I've heard by Baytala suggests that his sets avoid the supposed pitfalls of minimal dance music. They're kinetic, dynamic, and, of course, cheese-free. I can't believe I've only just recently found out about this mensch.