Sinden: The five acts that influenced me

This week, inthemix is trying something new: we’re welcoming UK bass fiend Sinden aboard the ITM ship as Guest Editor. Every day, the DJ-producer will be weighing in with some exclusive content he’s cooked up. All this is, of course, in aid of Sinden’s inthemix-presented club tour, which kicked off over the weekend and will be continuing on until the end of October. So, where to begin?

As anyone who has followed the man’s career will tell you, Sinden is no slouch in the studio. His collaborations with the likes of Solid Groove and Jesse Rose have powered many a late-night DJ set, while last year he hatched a fertile alliance with SBTRKT that’s resulted in Midnight Marauder, Seekwal and Grazed. Then there’s the good thing he started with The Count, who shares Sinden’s love of ample bass.

With so much fire in his repertoire, it comes as no surprise that Graeme Sinden’s influences run deep. Here, in his first Guest Editor feature, he talks us through five acts that moulded his take on dance music.

Switch

“This one may not come as a surprise for those familiar with my back catalogue and background. Switch introduced me to a style of house music that tore up the rulebook, that didn’t give a shit about convention and jacked as hard as the NY and Chicago house that inspired it.

His approach to making music was about innovating, keeping the grit of the samples he used in the track or doing something completely unpredictable. He’s one of the most important figures in modern dance music and to have him teaching me about beats was invaluable. His contribution to dance music is immense.”

Basement Jaxx

“The Jaxx are legends on so many levels. There’s no one that sounds like them, totally unique, they blazed their own path and inspired us so much. They conquered the underground and belted out releases on Atlantic Jaxx, then produced some of the best pop music at the highest level, scored films, packed arenas.

“They taught me to have a carefree attitude about music – if it feels right, it is. Also, importantly, they kept evolving their sound throughout their career and that’s really important. They made a big impact on me and my approach to making club music.”