James Priestley
Born in September 1977, James was raised with music. Encouraged by his father, who played Jazz drums, he took-up several instruments beginning with the Piano, then the Flute but then it wasn’t until he got his hands on the Alto Saxophone where he found his first love.
Before long James discovered House, Hardcore and Jungle, making weekly trips to raves and clubs in Cambridge, London and East Anglia. It wasn’t long before he started to mess around on his friends’ turntables, and in 1995 managed to get his first pair of decks. It was while at university in Nottingham that James first started playing out, at the time of the more melodic, deeper side of Drum n Bass which he spearheaded locally with his ‘Bassic’ night, viewed by many as the ‘Swerve’ of the Midlands, welcoming the likes of Fabio to the club on regular occasions.
Moving to London in 2000 he continued his work and life in music. Hooking up with some old friends from Cambridge he launched ’secretsundaze’ in 2001. This legendary Sunday afternoon party with its colourful, cosmopolitan crowds and cutting-edge music policy soon became the talk of the town. The secret was also out in Europe, with hugely successful secretsundaze parties now taking place in Ibiza (Blue Marlin, & Gala Night) Barcelona (during Sonar) and Austria (Snowbombing).
James has a distinct djing style, playing broadly what you would describe as deep House & Techno, often borrowing from his freestyle background, preferring to move things around rather than follow one linear groove. You will also notice James’ solid musical background in his sets and productions usually favouring strong melodies and warm, organic sounds.
In 2004 James returned his attention to writing and recording music, this time working with friend Dan Berkson. 2005 saw their debut release, a remix for Fine Records of Italian X-Rays. September 2007 marked 10 years since James began djing, and the month aptly saw the release of his first compilation / mix CD -’secretsundaze Volume 1′. Critically acclaimed ’secretsundaze Volume 2′ was released in 2008 alongside an incredible year of secretsundaze parties and bookings internationally. In 2009 James expanded his portfolio of success to include ‘The City Arts and Music Project’ or ‘The CAMP’ on City Road in London. 2010 has upcoming secretsundaze shows in Croatia, Barcelona and Ibiza and also in association with Red Bull.
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