Gotta Be Big: Johnny Arthur
Londoner Johnny Arthur is this month's pick for deck stardom. Here's his exclusive DJ mix and an interview.
"I'm pretty stoked to be signed to David
Duriez' new label," says excited
22-year-old Londoner Johnny Arthur.
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Listen Johnny Arthur DJmag mix
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"He's something of a hero of mine, so it's a real honour to have my tune released on his new Kill Brique label."
Johnny is the latest to be highlighted in DJmag's highly respected Gotta Be Big DJ column.
With an exclusive one-hour mix, he joins Swedish DJ Martinez, and Brit Marc Ashken on our list of up and coming dance music talent.
Clearly DJmag aren't the only ones to have noticed Johnny's skills as Parisian DJ Duriez snatched up Johnny's latest track 'Evil Edna' for his new subsidiary label Kill Brique.
Mr. Arthur first came to the attention of DJmag as resident of the superb club night Chicken Nickers at The Key, in London's Kings Cross.
He's played alongside techno superstars such as Martin Landsky, Ellen Alien, and Alex Smoke, so has always set his standards high.
Weeks Of Preparation
"I spend weeks preparing for one set," he admits of his bi-monthly residency.
"I re-edit a lot of tracks to make them mix better, and work on loops and mixes to make sure it's as seamless as possible."
Johnny's deck dedication can be heard on his special mix for DJmag.
Featuring re-edits, loops, and his own production, the mix is seamless and perfectly programmed.
It's driving, deep and dirty techno, punctuated by melodies and gritty splodges of electro.
Welcome to the sound of 4am London – the sound of Johnny Arthur.
DJmag Tracklist
Johnny Arthur guides us through his mix, track by track.
1. Ivo Deutschmann – 'Spectrometer' (Intro Loop) [Karate Klub]
I used just the intro loop of this track using my Red Sound SoundBITE loop sampler, and played it over the top of the next track by Slam.
2. Slam feat. Dot Allison – 'Kill the pain (Marc Houle Vocal Mix)' [Soma]
This is a really haunting, deep and groovy techno tune.
3. Kiki – 'Drawing circles' [Bpitch Control]
I did a re-edit of this track in Logic, as I took it from Kiki's album, and it wasn't long enough to use it in a mix.
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 This is a real mood changer, and it takes the mix in a different direction Johnny Arthur
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4. Theo Parish – 'Falling Up (Carl Craig Mix)' [Third Ear]
I love Carl Craig – he's on fire at the moment. This is a real mood-changer, and it takes the mix in a different direction.
5. Carl Craig – 'Darkness (Max Mix)' [Planet E]
This does exactly what it says on the tin – fucked up, dark music. It's got these proggy sounds, but they're
arranged in a techno way. Brilliant.
6. Chelonis R. Jones – 'Deer In The Headlights (Radioslave Remix)' [Get Physical]
What a strange track this is! It's a kind of twisted, electro techno, and bloody dark compared with the rest of the mix.
7. Hardfloor – 'Soulful Spirit (Josh Wink Remix)' [Kill Brique]
I've just been signed to David Duriez' new label Kill Brique, and this was the label's first release. Proper mental techno from Josh Wink, and one of my favourite tracks of the last few months.
8. Adam Beyer – 'A Walking Contradiction (Part 1)' [Plus 8]
This is a big tune for me. It's quite minimal compared to Beyer's usual sound, with lots of grit in it.
9. Johnny Arthur – 'Evil Edna (Deetron Mix)' [Kill Brique]
Tune! Of course, I would say that, but I'm really pleased with Deetron's remix.
10. Sasha Funke – 'Bravo' [Bpitch Control]
This is quite old, but I love it so much. It's proper, driving, relentless techno.
11. Kiki – 'M44' [Bpitch Control]
A wicked track to end the mix, because it's quite euphoric. I looped the breakdown of this and then faded it out. A mood change for the end.
Visit www.samurai.fm/djmag to listen to Johnny's mix and other 'Gotta Be Big' star mixes.
Johnny Arthur's mix will also broadcast on DJmag presents Soundlab, our monthly show on online radio station Proton.
This month also sees a special guest mix from Greg Vickers too.
Catch the show every 1st Friday of the month at 12:00 PM EST on www.protonradio.com.