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Tribal Sessions titan Darius Syrossian sets the record straight on TRUE house music
House | Friday 27th March 2015 | Christina
House king Darius Syrossian is at the top of his game right now – he’s smashing it at Tribal Sessions events in Manchester, London and Ibiza, he’s got a string of new releases in the pipeline, and he’s playing at the huge Magna Carta Ibiza send-off party in May before jetting off to the White Isle for a massive 20-week residency. He took a hot minute to talk to us about Sankeys, Ibiza, and the real reasons why aliens haven’t landed on our planet.
How’s life treating you at the moment?
Good, I've been in the studio a lot and have some releases coming out I'm really happy about on Avotre, Roush, also on House Gangster which is DJ Sneak's label and a few more. I have also started my own radio show OUR RHYTHM radio, with OUR RHYTHM also being a new label of mine that I am launching in the summer of 2015.
You’re a DJ, producer, and label boss, but how did you get your start in music?
I started off years ago working in vinyl record shops, long before there was any digital downloads or CD decks around. Music has been my passion all my life.
You’ve worked closely with VIVa MUSiC, how did that relationship begin?
I was making tracks that label boss Steve Lawler liked and I produced a lot for VIVa MUSiC and also toured with VIVa to DJ at label parties. Then after a few years I decided to concentrate on my own projects and started working with Tribal Sessions, which is the party I am resident for at Sankeys Ibiza every summer.
What exciting projects/releases have you got coming up from your new label OUR RHYTHM when it launches?
Well I have the first release which is a track of my own called ‘Hanns Trippy’, and it comes with remixes from Cuartero from Spain and Nathan Barato from Toronto. The second release is from an artist from Berlin called Perel, and keep an eye out on the OUR RHYTHM Facebook page for more info.
A bunch of us were at the ADE Avotre show you did last year, such a sick night. How was it for you? And how did you find ADE overall?
It was great, the Avotre party I played at was an absolute road block and a sold out party. Myself, Sidney Charles, Sante and more were playing and it was such a good show. I also played for DJ Sneak, at his I’m A House Gangster label showcase, which was also brilliant.
How has it been being resident at Sankeys Tribal Sessions?
Absolutely brilliant, I can express myself properly as the crowd that comes to these parties is one that is really into the music and not just out to party. They are music heads so I can really do what I want and I'm not expected to play just loads of big anthems which isn't really me, I've never done that as a DJ.
As someone who went to uni in Manchester, I’m keen to know, what do you love about the city?
It has such a rich history for house and techno, remember the Hacienda put Manchester on the map, and it has always been one of the main cities in the world for quality music and parties.
Do you see a difference in the Sankeys events in London to the ones in Manchester?
Well of course Sankeys Manchester and Sankeys Ibiza are both very similar to each other in size, layout and vibe, but Sankeys London pulls in the same kind of crowd that we have at Sankeys Ibiza. They know their music and I must say, although it is a bigger space, there is always that Sankeys kind of vibe, it’s dark, and the music is obviously going to be the same as we book the same kind of acts you would expect at Tribal Sessions and Sankeys parties.
You’re playing at the Magna Carta Ibiza send off in May, can you tell us what you’ve got planned for it?
I have so much new material of my own that hasn't really been heard out before and I'm pretty excited to play it at such a big party. I've been touring a lot, played in Italy four times already in 2015, and done an Australia and Asia tour, and pretty much all over the place really, but it’s good to come back to the UK and do a big London party just before the Ibiza season. I'm going to make sure it’s a top-notch performance for all who are going.
And can you give us any details on what you’ve got planned for Ibiza?
Well I will be doing Tribal Sessions every week for 20 weeks again this summer at Sankeys Ibiza, but this summer we will be doing Tuesday nights. We’re putting together the line-ups now and they are about to be announced any day now so keep an eye out for them.
What’s your all-time best Ibiza moment?
Ahhh there’s too many to mention! One that stands out though was Tribal Sessions closing last summer when the atmosphere of the party was fantastic - at the end I noticed even the bar staff were on the top of the bar dancing to the music.
You’ve also got lots of festival appearances scheduled – any that you’re particularly excited about? And with all these shows will you get any time for a holiday?
Well I've got Sonar Festival in Barcelona, Hideout Festival in Croatia, Groovefest in the Dominican Republic which are all international festivals, but I’m also doing a few UK festivals too. Regarding holidays, haha I'm a workaholic! But in the summer I relax a lot at my villa in Ibiza, it’s kind of out of the way, and I make sure I don't just party in Ibiza but relax too. Also if I travel a long distance to somewhere exotic to play I make sure I spend some time or a couple of days either side of the show to relax too.
In a lot of your bios, you say that all you care about is true house music. Can you expand on that for us? What is true house music?
Well to me, there is only house and techno that matters, all other genres are offshoots of house and techno and we don't need all these new names. It irritates me when I see some people claiming they have rewritten the book of house music, no you haven't! Nobody is bigger than house and techno, it can't be rewritten by some new kid who created a sub genre to be trendy! Good music is good music, and all these fads and hype about new genres are just that, a fad! They come, people jump on it and they disappear, but TRUE house music and techno will always remain.
What are you listening to right now?
I listen to everything, not just house or techno. I actually have loads of jazz vinyl that I have collected, these date from the 50s, 60s and 70s but I'm not saying this to sound cool haha! I've deliberately put my vinyl decks in my dining room so that when I have a big dinner and cook for guests, I can pull out a random jazz record and put it on the deck, and it’s perfect for dinner. I love jazz because it’s such positive, feel-good music but not cheesy. Even with my own productions, if anyone has noticed, even if I make a darker sound, like it’s techier, I make sure the overall vibe of the track gives off a positive feeling. Anyway if you are asking what house and techno I’m feeling right now, the list is endless and I don't want to bore anyone, haha, but an artist whose productions have really got me excited lately is Marquis Hawkes, so I’ve booked him for Tribal Sessions in Ibiza for one party and I’m looking forward to hearing him play.
Tell us a bit more about the new productions you have coming out.
Well with Avotre, which is Sante's label, I have a track out called ‘Su Casa’, there is an EP on Hector Couto’s Roush label, an EP on DJ Sneak’s House Gangster label, and of course I also start my own OUR RHYTHM label in the summer.
And now some Guestlist questions. What’s the first record you bought?
Grandmaster Flash – White Lines. I still play the original vinyl sometimes when it fits, like midnight on New Year’s Eve. I've played it a few times since then and it absolutely blows the place up.
What’s your go-to track to get a crowd really going?
SIS – Trompeta.
If you could have any super power for a day, what would it be and what would you do with it?
Maybe to be able to go back in time to whatever date I’d want to, spend some time in ancient times, and then come back to the present when I feel like it haha! Or maybe if I could be more useful with my super power I’d say the ability to zap people with an anti-bigot ray from my fingers, and the ability to fly, then I’d fly around and eliminate racists, extremists and basically anyone who has a problem with other people on this planet for a daft reason such as skin colour or nationality. I swear if aliens came to Earth they would laugh at how stupid us humans are. If you think about it, how dumb is the idea of war? If you break it down, we create machines that fly to go and make explosions on a group of other humans to settle a dispute! I'm honestly not trying to sound like a hippy but I’d say the reason aliens haven't landed here yet is because they think we humans are a bunch of dumbasses!
