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Sweetchilli presents James Holden

James Holden is far from your average DJ-producer. With his 'can't be arsed to make an appointment with my hairdresser' shaggy hair and vintage Judas Priest t-shirts (with authentic holes) he sticks out like a sore thumb. Musically he is also a million miles from the faceless repetitive beats mentality of so many of his peers, much more likely to be listening to leftfield albums from the likes of Mogwai, Four Tet or Boards of Canada than the latest essential mix CD. James Holden is a young man plotting a course through the music world all of his very own, putting some personality back into dance music and refusing to stay in the pigeonholes where other people seem so keen to shove him.

To a music world obsessed by scenes, the James Holden success story reads like a catalogue of contradictions. What James has created with this trusty PC is an edit-heavy hybrid sound all of his own, which crosses traditional genre boundaries and has found him fans in almost every scene. Holden tracks slot seamlessly into the sets of techno, trance, progressive and electro DJs alike. From pixie-trance to leftfield dance music, new wave house to melodic techno, the genre-classifiers have yet to find a label which accurately captures the unique yet universally appealing nature of Holden's music.

Although he has spawned many an imitator, Holden's constantly evolving sound and rigorous attention to detail has been equalled by none. James' own DJ sets embrace the same spirit of eclecticism as his productions, uniting his own tracks, remixes and exclusive re-edits with acid house, techno, electro and downtempo melodies, as demonstrated on the groundbreaking Balance 005 mix CD. On the borders of everything yet at the same time accessible enough to be slap bang in the middle of it all, Holden's own steadfast musical vision and his often unorthodox fusion of tracks which the purists have traditionally grouped into distinct genres have won him dedicated followers the world over. One of a handful of young DJs who've been allowed to rise up the ranks in recent years whose age bears more relation to that of the majority of club punters, the coming year promises business as usual on the DJing front, taking in every corner of Europe, a tour of Australia and Asia and regular trips to the USA. James' sets are always topped off with a huge helping of previously unheard fresh young production talent, many of whom have found a home on his Border Community label. In just one year the label has gained a reputation as a breeding ground for similarly free-spirited genre-benders, with every release fusing solid dancefloor rockers with leftfield ambient interpretations and handy dj tools. "Border Community is my favourite thing that I do at the moment," says James. "It is really rewarding seeing the young artists we release go on to do great things." Names like Nathan Fake, Petter and The MFA are now following James' lead and already beginning to leave their own unique indellible imprints on the production world.

Having already taken his Border Community roadshow to clubs all over Europe and the UK, James now brings his infamous label and trademark sound to Australia and Sydney with Sweetchilli.

Note: All prices are in Australian dollars and include GST.

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