James Zabiela
Encyclopedia
James Zabiela is a DJ and producer from Southampton
in the United Kingdom
. In his early years his signature style was a fusion of Breakbeat
and House music
, more recently however, he is regarded as a Tech House
DJ although his use of Breakbeat music is still key to the more flashy parts of his sets. He is known for his turntable
skills, extensive use of loops and effects, and the use of Pioneer CDJ-2000
s, EFX1000 as well as using Ableton Live
with various controllers and sometimes even his iPad. Zabiela first gained fame in 2000 by winning Muzik Magazine's Bedroom Bedlam competition, Best Bedroom Bedlam DJ 2001, and has since been signed to Sasha
's Excession agency.
Zabiela also tested the new pioneer DJM800, the CDJ1000MK3 and the EFX 1000 at the 2006 Frankfurt Musikmesse. James also helped Pioneer Electronics develop their top of the line CDJ-2000
and CDJ-900
media turntables.
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. In his early years his signature style was a fusion of Breakbeat
Breakbeat
In 1992, a new style called "jungalistic hardcore" emerged, and for many ravers it was too funky to dance to. Josh Lawford of Ravescene prophesied that the breakbeat was "the death-knell of rave" because the ever changing drumbeat patterns of breakbeat music didn't allow for the same zoned out,...
and House music
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
, more recently however, he is regarded as a Tech House
Tech house
Tech house is a subgenre of house music that mixes elements of minimal techno into simple, 4-to-4 beats found in soulful deep house. The genre came to prominence in the late-1990s atmosphere of American clubs as soul influenced Detroit-style techno that also borrowed elements from house before...
DJ although his use of Breakbeat music is still key to the more flashy parts of his sets. He is known for his turntable
Turntablism
Turntablism is the art of manipulating sounds and creating music using phonograph turntables and a DJ mixer.The word 'turntablist' was coined in 1995 by DJ Babu to describe the difference between a DJ who just plays records, and one who performs by touching and moving the records, stylus and mixer...
skills, extensive use of loops and effects, and the use of Pioneer CDJ-2000
CDJ-2000
The Pioneer CDJ-2000 is the latest addition to Pioneer Electronics's CDJ-range of digital turntables targeted for professional DJs announced simultaneously with CDJ-900 on September 17th 2009. It became available late december 2009....
s, EFX1000 as well as using Ableton Live
Ableton Live
Ableton Live is a loop-based software music sequencer and DAW for Mac OS and Windows by Ableton. The latest major release of Live, Version 8, was released in April 2009. In contrast to many other software sequencers, Live is designed to be an instrument for live performances as well as a tool for...
with various controllers and sometimes even his iPad. Zabiela first gained fame in 2000 by winning Muzik Magazine's Bedroom Bedlam competition, Best Bedroom Bedlam DJ 2001, and has since been signed to Sasha
Sasha (DJ)
Sasha is a Welsh DJ and record producer. Sasha began his career playing acid house dance music in the late 1980s...
's Excession agency.
Zabiela also tested the new pioneer DJM800, the CDJ1000MK3 and the EFX 1000 at the 2006 Frankfurt Musikmesse. James also helped Pioneer Electronics develop their top of the line CDJ-2000
CDJ-2000
The Pioneer CDJ-2000 is the latest addition to Pioneer Electronics's CDJ-range of digital turntables targeted for professional DJs announced simultaneously with CDJ-900 on September 17th 2009. It became available late december 2009....
and CDJ-900
CDJ-900
The Pioneer CDJ-900 is the latest addition to Pioneer Electronics's CDJ-range of digital turntables targeted for professional DJs announced simultaneously with Pioneer CDJ-2000 on September 17, 2009. The player has been available since the end of December 2009....
media turntables.
Original tracks
- 2005 "Skanksuary" (RenaissanceRenaissance (club)Renaissance is a British electronic dance music club brand and record label. Renaissance was started by Geoff Oakes at Venue 44 in Mansfield, England in 1992. Renaissance was Geoff Oakes' antidote to the sci-fi imagery and dressed down clubbers of the 'rave' scene .In 1993 Renaissance moved to a...
) - 2005 "Robophobia" (RenaissanceRenaissance (club)Renaissance is a British electronic dance music club brand and record label. Renaissance was started by Geoff Oakes at Venue 44 in Mansfield, England in 1992. Renaissance was Geoff Oakes' antidote to the sci-fi imagery and dressed down clubbers of the 'rave' scene .In 1993 Renaissance moved to a...
) - 2005 "EyeAMComputer" (RenaissanceRenaissance (club)Renaissance is a British electronic dance music club brand and record label. Renaissance was started by Geoff Oakes at Venue 44 in Mansfield, England in 1992. Renaissance was Geoff Oakes' antidote to the sci-fi imagery and dressed down clubbers of the 'rave' scene .In 1993 Renaissance moved to a...
) - 2006 "Weird Science" (RenaissanceRenaissance (club)Renaissance is a British electronic dance music club brand and record label. Renaissance was started by Geoff Oakes at Venue 44 in Mansfield, England in 1992. Renaissance was Geoff Oakes' antidote to the sci-fi imagery and dressed down clubbers of the 'rave' scene .In 1993 Renaissance moved to a...
) - 2007 "Rover" (W/ Nic Fanciulli as One + One) (MOS)
- 2007 "No Pressure" (W/ Nic Fanciulli as One + One) (MOS)
- 2007 "Human" (Original Mix) (RenaissanceRenaissance (club)Renaissance is a British electronic dance music club brand and record label. Renaissance was started by Geoff Oakes at Venue 44 in Mansfield, England in 1992. Renaissance was Geoff Oakes' antidote to the sci-fi imagery and dressed down clubbers of the 'rave' scene .In 1993 Renaissance moved to a...
) - 2008 "Human" (Intro Mix) (RenaissanceRenaissance (club)Renaissance is a British electronic dance music club brand and record label. Renaissance was started by Geoff Oakes at Venue 44 in Mansfield, England in 1992. Renaissance was Geoff Oakes' antidote to the sci-fi imagery and dressed down clubbers of the 'rave' scene .In 1993 Renaissance moved to a...
) - 2008 "No Other Way But Down" (RenaissanceRenaissance (club)Renaissance is a British electronic dance music club brand and record label. Renaissance was started by Geoff Oakes at Venue 44 in Mansfield, England in 1992. Renaissance was Geoff Oakes' antidote to the sci-fi imagery and dressed down clubbers of the 'rave' scene .In 1993 Renaissance moved to a...
) - 2008 "Perseverance" (RenaissanceRenaissance (club)Renaissance is a British electronic dance music club brand and record label. Renaissance was started by Geoff Oakes at Venue 44 in Mansfield, England in 1992. Renaissance was Geoff Oakes' antidote to the sci-fi imagery and dressed down clubbers of the 'rave' scene .In 1993 Renaissance moved to a...
) - 2008 "Phaser Fire" (RenaissanceRenaissance (club)Renaissance is a British electronic dance music club brand and record label. Renaissance was started by Geoff Oakes at Venue 44 in Mansfield, England in 1992. Renaissance was Geoff Oakes' antidote to the sci-fi imagery and dressed down clubbers of the 'rave' scene .In 1993 Renaissance moved to a...
) - 2009 "Tylium" (Bedrock Recordings)
- 2010 "Burnt Bridges" (RenaissanceRenaissance (club)Renaissance is a British electronic dance music club brand and record label. Renaissance was started by Geoff Oakes at Venue 44 in Mansfield, England in 1992. Renaissance was Geoff Oakes' antidote to the sci-fi imagery and dressed down clubbers of the 'rave' scene .In 1993 Renaissance moved to a...
) - 2011 "Blame" (Hope RecordingsHope RecordingsHope Recordings, established in 1998 by Leon Alexander and Steve Satterthwaite, is a Bristol, UK based record label.The label is run by Leon Alexander, with English house music DJ and record producer Nick Warren in control of its A&R. It is home to progressive house and breaks artists such as...
) - 2011 "Darkness by Design"
Remixes
- 2002 RöyksoppRöyksoppRöyksopp is a Norwegian electronic music duo from Tromsø, formed in 1998. Since their inception, the band's line-up has included Svein Berge and Torbjørn Brundtland....
- "Remind Me" (Zabiela's Ingeborg Mix) (Wall of SoundWall of Sound (record label)Wall of Sound is an independent record label based in London, England. It is part of the [PIAS] Entertainment Group, a European independent music company....
) - 2002 Pole FolderPole FolderPole Folder is a Belgian electronic musician and live club performer, based in Brussels.A former protégée of British DJ John Digweed, Pole Folder entered the limelight in 2001 as a DJ and producer at the forefront of the European progressive house movement, and has since evolved into a...
& CP - "Dust" (Zabiela's Dakota Bar Slam) (BedrockBedrock Recordsthumb|200px|Bedrock RecordsBedrock Records is an English record label for trance, house and techno started by Nick Muir and John Digweed.Its name comes from a nightclub in London that is also called Bedrock. Bedrock Records has released many singles from artists such as Astro & Glyde, Brancaccio &...
) - 2002 Boomclick - "Homegrown" (Zabiela Remix) (Sunday Best)
- 2003 Dave Brennan - "Drink Deep" (Zabiela's Vox Version) (Sunday Best)
- 2003 Edward Shearmur - "Taxi Ride" (JZ DJ Re-edit)
- 2004 Ficta - "Eli" (Zabiela's Rave Lizard Mix) (Global UndergroundGlobal UndergroundGlobal Underground is a music label founded in 1996 by Andy Horsfield and James Todd. The label symbolizes the international explosion of dance music during the 1990s and first manifesto for high-end DJs such as Sasha, Paul Oakenfold, John Digweed, Danny Tenaglia, Nick Warren, Dave Seaman, Darren...
) - 2004 Ficta - "Eli" (Zabiela's Rave Lizard Reprise) (Global Underground)
- 2004 Luke VibertLuke VibertLuke Vibert is a British recording artist and producer known for his work in many subgenres of electronic music. Vibert began his musical career as a member of the Hate Brothers, only later branching out into his own compositions...
- 'Ambalek' (Zabiela's Delboy Edit) (Renaissance) - 2005 SashaSasha (DJ)Sasha is a Welsh DJ and record producer. Sasha began his career playing acid house dance music in the late 1980s...
& Mike Koglin - 'Enjoy The Gravy' (James Zabiela's Totally Turntabled Mix) (Noys Music) - 2006 Charlie May vs. SashaSasha (DJ)Sasha is a Welsh DJ and record producer. Sasha began his career playing acid house dance music in the late 1980s...
- "Seal Clubbing" (James Zabiela Seal Squeal Remix) (Renaissance) - 2008 SpookySpookySpooky is a British house/techno duo consisting of Duncan Forbes and Charlie May. They debuted with Gargantuan in 1993 after signing to Guerilla Records. In 1995 and 1996 they released three EPs on their own Generic Records label, followed quickly in mid-1996 by their second album, Found Sound...
- Candy (James Zabiela Remix) (spooky.uk.com) - 2008 LadytronLadytronLadytron are an English electronic band formed in 1999 in Liverpool, Merseyside. The group consists of Helen Marnie , Mira Aroyo , Daniel Hunt and Reuben Wu .Their sound blends electropop with New Wave and shoegazing elements. Ladytron described their sound as "electronic pop"...
- Runaway (James Zabiela's Red Eye Remix) (Nettwerk UK) - 2008 RadioheadRadioheadRadiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
- Reckoner (James Zabiela's Remix) (White) - 2009 OrbitalOrbital (band)Orbital are a British electronic dance music duo from Sevenoaks, England consisting of brothers Phil and Paul Hartnoll. Their career initially ran from 1989 until 2004, but in 2009 they announced that they would be reforming and headlining The Big Chill, in addition to a number of other live shows...
- Impact (James Zabiela Scorched Earth Remix) - 2009 Rennie Foster - Devil's Water (James Zabiela's "More Umph" Edit) (Rebirth)
Mix CDs
- 2002: FOUR - discs 1-4 (promo)
- 2002: Reason Mix (Xmag)
- 2002: GTDJ001 (Groovetech)
- 2003: Sound In Motion (Hooj)
- 2004: ALiVE [Renaissance]
- 2005: Utilities [Renaissance]
- 2005: FOUR-2 - disc 0 (aka: Rendered), discs 1-4 (promo)
- 2005: DJ Face-Off Meat Katie vs. James Zabiela (DJ Magazine)
- 2006: FOUR-3 - discs 1-4 (promo) AKA: Proton Pack
- 2006: The Appliance of Science (DJ Magazine)
- 2007: James Zabiela and Nic Fanciulli present One+One (W/ Nic Fanciulli)(MOS)
- 2007: FOUR-4 - discs 1-4 (promo)
- 2009: Renaissance: The Masters Series Part 12 (Renaissance)
- 2010: Renaissance: The Masters Series 'Life' (Part 15) (Renaissance)
- 2010: Mixmag- Destination: Future
External links
- Official James Zabiela Website
- How to DJ with James Zabiela, Phil K & Sarah Main
- Tracklisting archive
- James Zabiela interview at ilikemusic.com
- DJ James Zabiela Interview
- Official James Zabiela Myspace
- TranceSound.net James Zabiela interview August 2008
- James Zabiela Interview at Sound Revolt (2004)
- James Zabiela Essential Mix