As Black History Month is slowly coming to an end, we wanted to highlight some of the iconic house and deep house producers and DJs who had a huge impact on the scene.
Today, we are talking about Philou Louzolo, DJ Minx, and Hanna.
PHILOU LOUZOLO
Philou Louzolo began experimenting with producing electronic music as a way to connect his deep Congolese and Nigerian roots with obscure and futuristic sounds of techno, sci-fi, acid house and electro. Through music, Louzolo developed his own path where traditional African rhythms intertwine with intergalactic electronic music vibrations.
His passion for the continent of his ancestors is fervent and his projects are challenging commonly held preconceptions about Africa. His goal is to challenge negative stereotypes, politically and socially in all aspects, by making African culture more approachable through music.
Taking a break from the scene in 2018 helped him to refine his sound and to mature his musical ambitions. Reconnecting with his sense of self as an artist and producer, urged him to avoid focusing merely on the diffusion of traditional records from Africa but rather to expand its scope by adding layers of obscurity found in electronic music. The result of this deep intrinsic journey was the creation of his label, Wokoundou, where Philou embodied his inner world, where time and space create an endless surge of movement, knowledge, creativity and play connecting the then and now of African sounds.
As Philou said in one of his interviews, ‘’All good music ultimately comes from Africa.’’, and we must agree with him on that.
DJ MINX
Often an unsung legend of the Detroit music scene, a Women on Wax collective founder, and an ultimate queen among Detroiters, DJ Minx, without a doubt, is one of the trailblazers for women in the music industry.
She discovered her calling one night at Detroit’s Music Institute, while listening to Derrick May playing on the decks. After that, she set herself upon a journey of mentoring women in the industry and rocking dance floors around the globe. She has been supporting female artists through her record label and collective, and solidifying their imprint for over 30 years now.
Her sets are energetic and her influence can be clearly felt in the groovier, house focused corners of Motor City and beyond. The past and present of the house music scene, wouldn’t be complete without DJ Minx, that is for sure.
HANNA
Warren Harris AKA Hanna, has been responsible for creating and releasing some of the most sumptuous and seductive blends of future jazz, broken beat, soul and deep house in the past 20 years. He is the type of artist whose mesmerizing, groovy, and spaced out tracks take you on a spiritual journey.
Creating vibrant sounds, layered textures and unmistakable broken beats, while governing his own exploration of deep, is one of Hanna’s trademarks. He is known for his own jazz-influenced melodies and hard-punching broken house rhythms as well as collaborations with other prolific artists such as Theo Parrish.
Having released music on labels such as Sound Signature, Shall Not Fade, and Shadow Records, it is more than clear what kind of artist we are talking about.
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Follow Dj minx Instagram I Facebook I Twitter
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