About Me
MR-X (HOUSEYOURSOUL)
Born and bred in Sydney, Mr X has loved dance music for as long as he can remember. His very first foray into dance music saw him at the age of 13 trading early 90's rave tapes with DJ Mate Michael k mainly the sounds of Paul Holden, George Vagas, Nik Fish and Paul Elstak.
His passion for house became firmly cemented when out and about at Sydney's Byblos in 1998 (now Havana Bar Deluxe on Oxford St), While a Dj played the track David Morales "Needin U" he was mesmerised by the sound he heard and the power of the DJ to physically and emotionally move the crowd with that track.
This experience inspired him to take up DJing, which he did at the age of 19 buying his first decks from the same mate who he traded his rave tapes with.
He clearly remembers his first vinyl purchase a copy of David Morales,Needin You. Whilst his musical tastes had almost always been rooted in house, the piano breakdown of this classic track opened him up to deep and soulful sounds, especially the US sounds.
His tastes were further refined in 1999 when on the looking at club scene on a holiday in Greece, two tracks inspired him to delve deeper into the sound and its history ,Rosie Gaines "Lets get close" ,B with U by E: Smoove and Harry Choo Choo Romero,s ,Beneath the Earth's Crust.
Hungry for more of this sound and curious about its history, Mr X hit up the Internet ,Reading And Documentaries to find out more, where he was further introduced to pioneering artists such as Tony Humphries, Larry Levan,Tee Scott, Ron Hardy,Frankie Knuckles and the important NJ, NYC and Chicago institutions otherwise know as Paradise Garage, Zanzibar, Warehouse and The Music Box
Armed with lists of artists and tracks to discover, he was faced with a lack of resources and searched many second hand record stores to expand the collection in his bag. With this sound as his direction , he discovered a Pandora's Box of deep and soulful sounds that included its predecessors and offshoots - disco, early classic house developments gospel, afro beat, funk, Latino and Jazz.
Along the way he also discovered Nervous, King St, Strictly Rhythm and The Basement boys,Shelter but was greatly influenced when he came across The Way I Feel (Tears Of Velva) and Kerri Kaoz "6:23" Chandler's Hallelujah these tracks changed the way he looked at the sound forever. Eventually this opened him up to more artists such as Kerri Chandler , Dennis Ferrer, Quentin Harris,Timmy Regisford, Karizma , Jovonn , Marlon D,Dj Oji & Pope And vocalists such as Byron Stingly ,Kenny Bobien and Michael Watford. Now Mr X's sets are a solid foundation of the all the sounds that are a manifestation of the eclectic East coast US style house and garage.
As a result of his research of the sound, the right record is everything to Mr X. It is not unlikely for him be scouring second hand record stores whilst overseas, or in Sydney or frantically tracking down a track in the wee hours of the morning on the internet to perfect his set. His style is not about throwing down all the latest records in his bag, but studying it, and rather carefully choosing a track for its fit within a set and eliciting the perfect reaction from his audience at the right time. It is not rare to hear him drop an underground disco tune, a classic trax or king street record and the latest deep and soulful floor filler consecutively and seamlessly. His sets are seamless and flowing, starting out relaxed and chilled, and then turning it up at the right moment.
Having immersed himself in the knowledge of his genres history and development has given him a profound understanding of the music obvious in his sets. The history of a song is another important aspect for him - what it means to the sound, and its significance. He knows that it is also about understanding the philosophies behind the music: community, love, joy and equality amongst others. That is why his passion for this sound is obvious when you hear him play he just plays what he loves, as a DJ should, and guides the audience in the right direction.
Whilst understanding the importance of keeping up with the latest technology, vinyl is everything to him. This is especially because of his love of history (and he believes it is important) of the sound. Vinyl is symbolic of the days when DJs spent days searching for a rare and perfect track to add to their sets and helped define the sound by bringing such rare and underground tracks to the front.
He does not ascribe to the philosophy of playing a record because of the artist (or not playing it); but his admiration for the works of House Music legend Kerri Chandler has had a profound influence on his idea of what the sound should be, and his sets.
He has played at Havana, Scary Canary, Hemisphere, The Dendy, The Hunter. In addition, he is much sought after on the private partys, playing to crowds of discerning house music lovers, aware of his pure style.
Currently he has collaborated with Sydney djs George kristopher and Mike Kama to start Sydney based site House Your Soul. His aim is to assist cultivating the Sydney deep and soulful house scene, also to inform people that house is a beautiful sound for anyone and everyone to enjoy to spread the gospel. Its about having fun and forgetting the pressures of the world, not fashion and clubs. As a person he loves making people happy as this raw pure sound has made him, and its good quality music to share with the world.
He is dedicated to show Sydney Through his sets he strives to bring together the eclectic mix and let everyone know the deep and soulful House is not dead, but timeless and relevant.
