Chemtrailz Alert - Get to Know one of Our Newest Residents
We're so excited to continue our Brighton Mixtapes Series. Since the success of our beloved Berlin Mixtapes Series, which has featured awesome guests so far, we are on a mission to showcase more of the exciting talent that is right on our doorstep.
Next up we welcome Chemz who started mixing in the midst of the pandemic and quickly started getting recognised in his local Brighton scene thanks to his regular live streams. His passion and dedication quickly granted him radio shows and gigs across his second hometown, where he started making a name for himself thanks to his energetic performances and groovy sounds.
This energy translated into Chemz becoming a resident at our Berlin-Brighton nights.
Alongside his club nights, Germanic-Spanish Chemz can be seen playing at his weekly residency at Block bar (101 St James's Street, BN2 1TP, Brighton) for his Social Shift after work event, as well as on his bi-weekly (every 2nd and 4th Wednesday, 20:00-22:00 UK time) Fractal Orbit podcast at AATM Radio run by Brent Lawson (Pro-B Tech).
His music style focuses on deep, groovy organic, melodic and progressive sounds sprinkled with nu disco and electronica. We caught up with Chema to find out more about his love for all this electronic.
Hi Chema, how are you and what have you been up to this week?
Hello hello! I have been spent my weekend in Madrid eating, drinking, and enjoying this amazing city!
How long have you been DJing?
I dabbled a little bit in my young years but during the second lockdown in 2021 I decided to give it more intentional push and here we are. That makes it almost 2 years now.
What inspired you to start DJing so late on?
I have always been surrounded by music. My father was a Trumpet and Clarinet player, my brother played Saxophone. My father’s uncles used to be street performers in the 1920/30’s and I took on playing guitar and bass guitar during my teens.
During the late 90’s my sister was heavily into techno, trance, progressive and the Berlin Love Parade scene. She introduced me into electronic music and club culture.
For me music in general has always been a fundamental part of my life and I have been going out and participating in the underground for about 22 years now.
The second lockdown hit me in a very nasty way, making me feel like I wasn’t being myself and nothing made much sense.
After meditation and doing some internal exploring I realised how important going out was and how much I missed it.
I missed that feeling of freedom, unity and peace that can be felt dancing your a** off at 2 am in a club or festival.
I convinced myself to get a cheap controller and start to recreate those emotions at home. I got immediately hooked and started live streaming. At that time live streams were big, and I very quickly started connecting with other DJs in the local scene. This lead to making a bunch of great new friends with common interests and passions.
Retrospectively, I can say that despite the initial doubts and the fear of being judged, that was one of the best decisions of my life.
You recently joined the fantastic radio station AATM radio, which is managed by the head honcho of Pro-B Tech records Brent Lawson. Tell us more about that and your show.
I did indeed! I have been lucky to have my mixes being broadcasted on several local radio stations already (Decadance, CodeSouth FM, Trickstar Radio) and I ran my first show (Wednesday Blues) at a web-based station called RUAR radio for almost a year.
In March ’22 I joined the amazing crew at AATM with my “Fractal Orbit” show and it’s been a great journey so far. I love being close to a community of absolute legends who love music an support each other.
When can people catch your show?
My show gets aired every second and fourth Wednesday of the month starting at 8pm UK time.
What sort of music can people expect?
I try to showcase an array of deep, groovy, melodic and progressive sounds as well as showcasing different promos I get sent by labels and artists.
I also showcase other DJs ever so often via guest spots on the show. It’s another great way to build a community and connect with other passionate people 😊
You also started a new night at one of Brighton's coolest hangouts in Kemptown called the Social Shift. Tell us more about that. Madness hahah, yes that I have done too! I used to (and still do) hang out at Block Bar during the summer of ’21 and at some point, someone let me know that the owner was looking for someone to take over the DJ booth on Fridays (shoutout Ali you big legend!!)
I then got in touch with my G, brother from another USB mother, partner in endless mischief, the one and only “one track a week” producer Darien J, to come up with a concept and name for a Fridays after work event. The rest is history, and thus “The Social Shift” was born (check out our socials for a laugh 😉)
We’ve been co-running this event for over a year now and it’s loads of fun! We’ve had countless guests playing beats with us and we’ve also have had collaborations with other brands which is always great too!
Where was your first gig in Brighton?
Funny you should ask this one! The first time I ever played in public was at Block on the 17th of July 2021 for Berlin Brighton Saturday.
I was there nagging you to consider me for a “newcomers showcase” or something at some point. And you said “ok then, go on and show us what you got” :D
Poor Colin Brooks (aka Koipinoxia) had to cut his set short for 30 minutes so I could jump on the decks and play some tunes!
I got so nervous but I think I managed to wing it!
You have now been a resident at Berlin-Brighton for coming up to a year. What's been your favourite memory so far?
Still pinching myself… Berlin-Brighton has been my go-to party since I discovered it back in 2016 (shoutout Maria Saludas for bringing me to my first ever Berlin party) and a big inspiration and dream since I became a DJ. Being part of this amazing group, the brand is literally a dream come true and an absolute honour.
I think one of my favourite (recent) memories at this point is when you told me the 8th anniversary (8th!!!) was going to be held at Berlin’s long-term home The Green Door Store.
That made me as happy as can be! That promo video you prepared gave me goosebumps for days.
Who has been your favourite artist you've seen so far and why? I’ve been a big fan of Einmusik for a while and seeing him play at Chalk on the 28th of February 2020 was very special.
The club was absolutely rammed with the best vibe and people, the sound was huge and Einmusik absolutely destroyed his set. I remember sweating lots that night…
It’s a very special memory as well because we would be in lockdown 2 weeks after that and that was going to be the last proper club night for almost 1.5 years.
You were a big partygoer at the Berlin nights before joining the team and have been coming to our events since 2016. Is there a particular night that stands out for you during that time?
There have been plenty but one of the things that stood out the most for me the first time I attended a Berlin night was when Lola finished her set and came down to the pit to dance, party and enjoy the night with everyone else. That spoke loads to me, as well as the amazing music, vibe and the attitude of the people attending the party.
What can people expect from a typical Chemz set? Deep Grooves, crazy dances, high fives, general silliness and hopefully some creativity and actual mixing behind the decks.
I try to not stick to one genre but focus on playing what I understand as good and groovy music on my sets. It keeps listeners engaged and the set exciting.
Where's your favourite place to just kick back and chill in Brighton?
Probably the beach or Block Bar.
And equally, where’s your favourite place to let loose? Tempest Inn, Green Door Store or Waterbear are great places for that.
Which other DJs or producers are you liking right now? Many… there are local producers and DJs I look up to like Darien J, Brunonumerouno, Nina Carina, Nick Hook, Lola & Pook, Markus Saarlander, Levi Osborne or Ale De Maio among many others. There are some international artists such as Amyelle, Cioz, Klartraum, Fizzikz, Forty Cats, Jiminy Hop, Maroy, Oliver Koletzki, Fulltone or Chanknous to mention a few.
The list goes on and on…
What are your go-to labels?
That really depends on the vibe I’d be looking for but lately I have been checking out a lot of stuff from the likes of UV Noir, Deepalma, Kitchen Recordings, Area Verde, Arbor Recordings, Trippy Code, Saturo or Klassified.
Again, this list could go on and on..
What else can we expect from you soon? What's next on the horizon for DJ gigs, where can people see you next?
Oh man… 25/11/22 at The Green Door Store!! Berlin-Brighton’s 8th birthday party is going to be insane!! Can’t wait to play that gig as it has so much relevance for me!
After that I’ll be on the decks for NYE (and NYD as well – check my socials :D) and of course for The Social Shift at Block on Fridays after works
Each Berlin night is unique, and it boils down to what DJs play on the night but you can generally expect a progression of intensity and BPM as the night goes on. As well as dope tracks of course :D
Exciting stuff! It's been an absolute pleasure as always talking with you Chema. Next up here's the Quickfire Round:
Thank you so much for having me! Hope you and the readers enjoy the set and see you all on the dancefloor!!! :D
Next up here's the Quickfire Round:
Genre: Deep Grooves – It’s all about the groove
Favourite Colour: Black and White (and in-between)
What do you put on your chips? Ketchup (don’t judge)
Apple or Android: Apple
Pioneer or Denon: Pioneer
Rekordbox or Serato: Rekordbox for me
Can you juggle?: Only with 3 balls
Weirdest/Coolest item of clothing: My Berlin night sparkly dragon bomber jacket
First record ever bought: Mike Oldfields Tubular Bells 3 (again don’t judge)
Favourite place to hang out in Brighton: Block Bar
Best club: Printworks
Where does the best roast: Is there a bad roast?
Best place for food in Brighton: Hove Tandoori
Coffee or Tea: Black coffee thanks
Favourite drink when you're out: Neck Oil
Favourite Track right now: Mamba (Extended mix) -Chanknous - (Deepalma)
View on Seagulls: They’re annoying, specially in August :O
Favourite seafood: Sardines
Favourite word: Flabbergasted
3 words to describe your mix: Groovy Funkalicious stuff
Listen to Brighton Mixtapes - Chemz - 014 - Here