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The name PAUL ‘SEIJI’ DOLBY doesn’t just count for something with DJs. As a member of the broken beat super group BUGZ IN THE ATTIC, to which other such illustrious names such as DAZ-I-KUE, ORIN ‘AFRONAUGHT’ WALTERS, KAIDI TATHAM or ALEX PHOUNTZI belong, the west Londoner has made a name for himself as a pioneer and innovator of club music.
Since the 1990s this eight piece collective have, from their home base in the London suburb of Richmond, built themselves an incomparable profile: their own label, BitaSweet Records, countless remixes for among others JAZZANOVA, AMY WINEHOUSE, MACY GRAY, VIKTER DUPLAIX, Blue-Note legend GENE HARRIS and 4HERO – the killer remix of Hold It Down first showed a greater public that something big was happening here.
Last year their major label debut album Back In The Doghouse was released, with which the BUGZ seem to have, through V2 Records, once and for all conquered the club world – hit singles such as Booty La La or the 80s remake Don’t Stop The Music certainly speak a plain language, which by now is also reaching an audience as a live act. In this success story SEIJI comes through with a very special prominence: BASEMENT JAXX, QUANTIC, IZZI DUNN, MICATONE and MARK DE CLIVE-LOWE are just some of the people who have asked him to remix their tracks. With a classical background (SEIJI is not just a producer and keyboardist but also a brilliant cellist) he always brings his rhythmic productions to the point which has also lead, for example, to releases on 4HERO’s label Reinforced and 2000black.
At the moment SEIJI is working on the next step in his career: in a way following in the footsteps of MATTHEW HERBERT he is producing tracks for the incomparable MOLOKO singer RÓISÍN MURPHY.
Despite all these various commitments SEIJI still found the time to make his skills available for a new project; with Seiji DJ Tools a brand new Sonar Kollektiv series is introduced, which places the focus not on artist albums but rather on functional music of a very high quality. It’s about a contemporary form of a library, about music that is produced and written (with a view to a very particular range of use. Whether, as in this case, DJ Tools, or radio jingles or soundtrack music, the tools series is also a creative playing field for well known producers. A field for experimentation off the beaten path, providing new options for the artists, as well as for the label and of course also for the listener. Two to three releases in this series are planned per year.
In the case of Seiji DJ Tools it is about a concrete problem that many DJs have who play eclectic sets with changes in tempo and stylistic variation; its not always easy to find good transitions, seamless transitions from one facet of a DJ set to the next. This is where the Seiji DJ-Tools comes into play; his solution is creating open sounding, crispy, two to three minute long, lovingly arranged club miniatures which any DJ can use within a set to allow changes in direction and breaks which don't just sound like a complete change of tack.
With a hint of grime, broken beat, hip hop, 80s funk, but also easy listening, its most clear that fast paced, tight breaks dominate – plus typical BUGZ ingredients such as square wave synths and the infamously fat bass lines. These sounds would suit DJ sets from broken beat through to drum & bass and on to electro. The Seiji DJ Tools will be available in every format imaginable, CD, vinyl, download (also as Wav files!), including details about length and tempo. It’s a veritable toolbox, accessible, with many applications and above all, with a really fat sound. And by the way, an edit by FRANK WIEDEMANN (ÂME) of Velour is already being worked on...
Portuguese producer and label owner Fradinho unearths his first-ever track, originally recorded in 2001; five remixes are included as well. Bandcamp New & Notable Nov 4, 2020
