In my opinion, the whole concept of Boiler Room is mesmerising, there isn’t a more fulfilled explanation that I can give for the music outlet. It’s foe this very reason, why I think that it’s definitely one of, if not, the best platform when it comes to live sessions that cover a complete array of different genres for an even more varied audience.
Is there any better way to watch your favourite DJ or producer perform a set, than have them surrounded by what seem to be, completely hyped up, or spaced out guests (primarily on an invite-only basis, too) dancing fanatically out of tune and in some cases, off their fucking faces? Whether that’s just an ecstatic form of expression and reaction of someone being so grateful for the jubilating sounds that they’re so fortunate to be in the same room with? Or, if it’s as most tend to comprehend, because of some sort of substance they’ve been taking? Who really cares? Because what we do know, is that the setup of the lucid backing visuals, the musical performance of the DJ and the crowd itself, all tie together to form a complete ambient atmosphere, which Boiler Room make work unbelievably well, time and time again.
More importantly though, it lets the world’s most talented DJ’s and producers show off their skills in a live session, rather than the usual vocal-based ones that are all about the singer, this actually makes the DJ/producer the focal point and helps shed light on them. Below, is a selection of the most beloved Boiler Room sets, curated just for you, by our team. In no particular order, tuck into them below.
SANGO – 2015
Back in March of this year, Soulection’s golden child Sango, graced the famous Boiler Room stage at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Over the last 5 years, Sango has dominated the world of SoundCloud, with his enigmatic blends of classic 90’s R&B, Brazilian samples and 808 filled remixes of tracks from the likes of SPZRKT, The Weeknd and Drake. As Sango continues to infiltrate the sounds throughout the depths of the Internet and knock on the door of the mainstream, working with artists like Tinashe and Vic Mensa, it’s only right we see him on the Boiler Room stage as an artist in his own right, outside of Soulection. Sango’s Boiler Room set is a non-stop jaw drop, from the best cuts off of Da Rocinha 2, as well as unreleased material. But what we loved most about this set was how he gave us an insight into what he’s listening to at the moment. Dropping new tracks from PARTYNEXTDOOR, remixes from Drake’s latest project and JMK which features SPZRKT, it almost felt like someone had just handed Sango the AUX cable at a house party; and not a single person was complaining.
DJ EZ – 2012
I couldn’t have done this list and left off one of my favourite DJ’s to ever exist in the history of the world, in what is probably one of the most well-received and talked about sets by Boiler Room. DJ EZ is, in my opinion, the greatest in his field and in what he does. He’s a pioneer of the undeniably cherished UK Garage scene, which he helped propel via his Kiss 100 show spanning over fourteen years, as well as his extraordinary empire of Pure Garage compilations. Further to this, his organic style and performances as a DJ, has influenced Grime culture in general, with Grime legends Wiley and Skepta publicly giving him large amounts of praise over the years. With the content that’s played throughout, it’s no wonder as to why the crowd are constantly raging in passion, there’s even a Pow and Judy Cheeks mash up in there for fuck’s sake! He’s consistent all of the way through, but my personal favourite is the one minute period starting at the 14th minute of the video.
JAMIE XX – 2014
Jamie xx is super talented and as he has proved again and again, versatile too. When he’s not creating the beautiful and delicate backdrops to The xx’s incredible music, he’s hard at work on producing some of the most interesting and exciting tracks around. As a producer, Jamie xx has flourished and blossomed, finding the perfect balance between experimental and accessible sounds. Catering to all listeners, it was his Boiler Room set last summer, atop the Young Turks building in London, where I first came to terms with his sonic wizardry. I’ve never really been a sucker for purely instrumental tracks, just like the way I need oxygen, I also need vocals. I’m not sure why it is, but I need some sort of human component, some sort of connection in order to really feel and understand the music. But that’s the thing, with this, I wasn’t even thinking about that. To be honest, I was beyond the point of caring. By interspersing some of his own solo hits such as ‘Girl’ and ‘Sleep Sound’ into the mix, I felt at home, as these were songs I was familiar with, and on the other side of the spectrum, there were some (well, the rest of the) tracks which I had no clue about. It was these, however, that really opened up a whole new world of music to me. From start to finish, Jamie filled the soundscape with breezy, refreshing sounds which are, and were, simply perfect for the summer. Jamie had changed the way I’d felt and thought about music, and that’s why this set is special.
KAYTRANADA – 2013
Kaytranada, previously known as Kaytradamus, is a Haitian-Canadian electronic musician, producer and DJ, and a very good one at all three. He has a particularly gifted mindset, especially when it comes to his DJ sets because usually the performer at Boiler Room will have their genre and stick to that as it’s what they feel comfortable with, it’s what they’re most knowledgeable about and most of all, it’s probably what the audience are expecting. However, Port-au-Prince and Montreal’s own, Kaytranada fucks that whole routine off completely and shows how he can adapt to anything. There aren’ many DJ’s who will have the ear to include the likes of Trap, Disco, Soul, R&B, Rap and all kinds of others throughout the years within the same mix AND more specifically, make it work incredibly well. It’s also good to see him relishing in what he’s doing for himself and for the people, as you watch him dance and smile the whole way through his set.
MARK RONSON – 2013
You may or may not be aware, but before all of the well known mainstream tracks that come to mind when you hear the name Mark Ronson; he was (and still is) a DJ, and a very good one at that. So take all of the chart singles away, including the most recent smash hit with Bruno Mars, ‘Uptown Funk,’ and know that Ronson has been a hip hop fanatic through and through, which dates back to the early days of his childhood and that’s obvious when you look at his first album, ‘Here Comes The Fuzz,’ which included features from the likes of Ghostface Killah, Mos Def, Q-Tip and Freeway! If you take ignore the audience dancing terribly and just listen to the music, you’ll realise that this is a pretty legendary set, though on the other hand, the crowd hovering out of tune around him does add enjoyment to the whole performance, with even more added when you hear the Nas vocals over the Gangster of Love break; super empowering. Also, according to Mark Ronson and Boiler Room, the intro to the whole set itself took 5 days to produce, but it’s well worth it as it’s an enticing opener to an even better 38 minutes and 32 seconds.
FLAT WHITE (VIRGIL ABLOH) – 2015
Pusha T couldn’t have summed up Virgil Abloh any better than him being the middleman between the GOAT’s and the youth. Extending on to state that he is the one and only true connection between the two worlds; fact. Virgil Abloh is an inspiration to creatives all over the world, with them trying to be the next individual that he notices. But here we see Abloh in a different innovative format, it’s him performing under his DJ moniker, Flat White, for a Boiler Room set that is completely insane. My heart popped out of my chest when he dropped Newham General’s menacing classic, ‘Hard,’ which then led to my brain flying out of my head when I heard the ‘When I’m Ere’ instrumental by Roll Deep, I won’t even bother to mention Stormzy’s ‘Know Me From,’ but if you must know, then tears of joy erupted from my eyes. As well as showing love to Grime, which Virgil has been known to have done when it first really got going, he also incorporates songs from some of the front runners of hip hop with the likes of Drake, A$AP Rocky and Travi$ Scott.
SAMIYAM – 2012
Samiyam is one of the hip hop’s finest producers and this set just exemplifies that fact. “One of our favourite beat makers, of all time. For real,” as said by Boiler Room themselves in the description below the video, we agree. The whole set is done on a Sampler and is done at a phenomenal standard, which is something people should expect from Mr Baker by now. For those who have just been introduced to Samiyam via this article, he’s a Los Angeles-based musician who’s worked with the likes of Earl Sweatshirt, Joey Bada$$ and Flying Lotus, to name a few. He’s currently preparing for his next release, which is the second instalment of the ‘Rap Beats’ series and this is just a lovely insight into the world of Samiyam’s sound, as well as his taste in music.
BATHS – 2012
“Dude, this is the coolest night!” No you’re wrong Will Wiesenfield (better known as Baths), “coolest night” is an ideal description for this Boiler Room set. I know this one might seem like I’m cheating with the vocalist-ish addition on this one, which becomes clear at the end where he sings as an outro of some sort to the set itself, but at the beginning he fucking samples his own voice!!! It really displays his skills in live production, in terms of sampling etc. which was pretty extraordinary to say the least. He’s been portrayed as having an unorthodox style and that might seem pretty evident on here, especially when he provides peculiar sounds that he layers into electronics that you may think don’t belong there at all. Yes, I’m referring to the pen clicks and scissor snaps that you couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow to, but not because it’s unconventional, instead it’s due to the fact that you’re lost as to how he manages to pull it off. It’s special to watch and listen to, as it provides a unique Boiler Room experience, complete with entertainment as you watch him going totally apeshit in a excitement and also trolling the audience with awkward silences, just because… Well, because he can.
CARL COX – 2013
Carl Cox is the first person that should come to mind when you think house music DJ’s. From the acid house scenes of the late 80’s in the UK, to the modern day frequencies of techno that have developed all around the world over the years, he is the second musical legend that I have included; the other being DJ EZ as previously mentioned. For the whole house music culture, he’s a championing ambassador and has been globally recognised for being a pioneer of dance music in general. So it made complete sense for him and Boiler Room to create history on the magical island known as Ibiza, a place where Carl himself is considered to be royalty, seeing as he’s been playing there to new generations and crowds over the decades. In this set, Carl continues his legacy throughout and any compliments I say would be an understatement, so instead just watch the video for yourself!
STEFFI – 2012
The only DJ on this list who has done it on vinyls for her Boiler Room mix, digging for records to help keep the momentum going throughout and confirming to everybody why she’s recognised as the ‘first lady of Berghain.’ Steffi is well and truly in charge, I am a huge geek when it comes to people DJ-ing on vinyl and she does so incredibly, with perfected mixing as well as a flawless vibe control, mixed with a selection of tracks that simply cannot be faulted. If you’re at home then just put this on your speakers, shut your eyes and I promise you’ll expect to open them and be standing in the middle of a warehouse, hands in the air, sweat dripping from every inch of skin and pupils the size of your skull (well that’s what it felt like to me). In fact, that summary is pretty much me describing the Germans shuffling behind the techno Goddess and happily drowning, besotted in the euphoric tunes that Steffi continues to just throw at the decks from beginning to end. A classic Boiler Room set, that’s basically a mix made for around the midnight mark on your Friday night.
Oliver Davis