News — The Forum

In line with his DJ moniker, which translates to ‘Fried Cat’ in Italian, Gatto Fritto is not a man who takes himself too seriously. As a DJ, he doesn’t even take the music he’s collected for most of his life too seriously, either. That’s not to say he’s not serious about it. It’s more so that the lifelong compulsion to find, buy and play great records is simply what Fritto, less memorably known as Ben Williams, does. It’s filled his waking hours since he shifted from Southern England’s suburbs into London at the height of acid house. But Williams’ life,...

Mike Simonetti was perhaps briefly defined by the rich, romantic nu-Italo sound he championed alongside his former creative partner, Johnny Jewel, over the course of their Italians Do It Better label. The style had enormous appeal even beyond the dancefloors it sent into a refreshing slow-motion, reaching a cultural zenith when it hugely influenced the soundtrack to Nicolas Winding Refn’s 2011 film Drive, a cult hit that followed suit in capturing mainstream attention. In the wake of this success, Simonetti and Jewel’s relationship waned, culminating in a tetchy Twitter call-out.Since then, Simonetti has been as quietly prolific as ever with...

DEBONAIR, arguably one of the UK’s more naturally, deservedly ascendent DJs, has a timeless feel to her craft. As a DJ, she blends post-punk, coldwave, EBM, techno, italo-disco and classic house in a divergent and commanding fashion that can only truly be nurtured through passion, experience and the passage of time. Although DEBONAIR (always in capitals), otherwise known as Debi Ghose, is only in her early thirties and slowly but surely intercepting festival and club lineups across the world, she has much form as one of the longest serving creative contributors to London’s hugely influential online, alternative radio station, NTS....

Since founding the celebrated Tigersushi imprint in 1999, Joakim has been a key figure for collectors, enthusiasts and admirers on the fringes of electronic music, especially those possessing an appreciation of an altogether more off-kilter sensibility. Whether specialising in disco, house, pop, techno, experimental or even jazz, few DJs won’t have encountered and more than likely, utterly rinsed one of Joakim’s vast, varied library of remixes and edits. Stretching into seven solid pages on Discogs, breakthrough highlights include wise and wonderful reinterpretations of Robyn, Tiga and Metronomy. He’s also a feted singer, songwriter and producer in his own right, with...