Audio: Hear Dave Anthony mixing hypnotic house rhythms

Dave Anthony has been collecting, playing and producing house records for more than 20 years. In that time he’s become best known for flying the flag for a deep, African-inspired side of 4/4, regularly shining a light on a wealth of the continent’s undiscovered talents. Most recently this has been via Kemet Soul, the label he runs and occasionally releases his own tunes on. He also runs his own parties under the banner Kemet Deep Sessions, and after a series of appearances with us, we’re already well accustomed to his brand of warm, soulful house. He’s set to return alongside DJEFF and Manoo as part of our 20th birthday celebrations on 11th October, and ahead of joining us, he put together a mix that rings true to his sound world. Flowing from high-powered, swinging drums to Latin-propelled melodies, it’s a sonic trip displaying Anthony’s love of hypnotic house rhythms. Download: Dave Anthony fabric 20th Birthday Promo Mix Tracklist: Lunar Plane – Children Of Rain Elfenberg – Mawenzi Themba – The Wolf Black Circle – Journey (Extended Mix) Themba – Who Is Themba DJ Angelo, Da Mike – Way Out El Deep – Unfolding Daniel Barross – Sun Oscar P, Enoo Napa – Wait Here (Enoo Napa Remix) Manoo – Nutelekinesie Sabb, Black Circle – Somebody's Story Edu Imbernon, Los Suruba – Balear (Hyenah Remix) Rampa – Lavender Boogie What was the theme of this mix? I just wanted to give a real representation of how the afro sound has, and is, evolving, whilst still staying true to its roots. You have been firmly rooted in the UK throughout your career both as a producer and performer. Have there been any moments in the studio or at a club that truly moved you? There have been many times when I feel really moved. There is nothing like walking into an arena where everyone is jumping to your track or walking into a club and everyone knows the words to your song. These are special moments for a producer. As a DJ, I feel the same emotion when I hear music from other producers I know and everyone is singing away to their song or dancing to their music – these are moments that really move me. How has 2019 been for you so far? It’s been a good year, both in general life, and especially in music production. I have done a lot of collaborations this year and am still in the middle of a few projects. I cannot believe that we’re in October already! I’m just keeping it moving and staying focused on developing Kemet Soul, which has been great because we have just come off a really big album, the Kemet Fables LP, and keeping it moving. We are building, have a lot going on and many collaborations and projects to look forward to. Are there any producers featuring in this mix that we should be keeping an eye on? A lot of producers in the mix are established already. But if you look at up-and-comers, a guy called El Deep from Kemet Soul is very talented. I’ve known him for a long time. I included a track of his called Unfolding and although he is just finding his feet, I think he is someone to watch. I’m rooting for him, but at the same time pleasantly surprised at the level of production that he is coming out with. You’ve been running your Kemet Soul label for three years now. A particular highlight for us was when you took over the club in 2017. How has the initial vision for the imprint developed since its inception? It’s been a very good journey since our fabric takeover, watching the way afro house is growing not just in the UK but across Europe; seeing the stars start to emerge and the cross-pollination of the rooted afro house sound moving into an afro-tech sound. There’s some representation of this style in most European cities now. Are you looking forward to checking the rest of the line-up on the night? Manoo is extremely talented, and really humble. He’s technically great at his craft, he reads a crowd and keeps it moving. Then we bring in DJEFF, who is an absolute technical genius party DJ. I’m expecting the three of us to have Room Two on fire. Can you name one track you’ll definitely be bringing along? I’m in the middle of a joint collaboration with Manoo and it’s a right party, floor-filling type of track. This would be a great place to play it for the first time and the beauty of it is that both myself and Manoo will be there in person to play it. So if the stars are aligned, this will be the right time and place to road test our track. How has the club, as well as London’s wider scene, impacted your musical career over the years? I think with fabric just raised the bar. All of a sudden there was a serious club with a warehouse feeling, and they just took it a whole new level. Since then it’s not just London-wide, it’s Europe-wide – everyone has had their eyes on the fabric line-ups from drum & bass to house to techno, and it has always stayed and maintained a level that surpasses the rest. At the moment there are a few big clubs that have come onto the scene in London, but fabric has maintained a level of quality that is second to none. As a producer, I’m always looking at their line-ups to see who they’ve got in. Sometimes they bring in DJs I don’t know, so the first thing I do is check them out. It’s a very good ground for spotting talent. Most of the real talent in the electronic field have played in fabric, and I hope that the club maintains this level for years to come.