about absolutemoron

absolutemoron - what's it all about?

In short: house music.

To answer more fully, let me tell you a little about myself. Read on after the jump!

I first got into 'dance music' in the early 90s and soon began consuming as much as a early teen's budget would allow, from all different genres, from house (which constituted the backbone of my collection, even at that early stage) to rave to drum & bass to techno to UK garage to trip hop to trance. Yeah, I'm not afraid to admit the naïveté of my youth - some of the music I bought was toe-curlingly awful, but much was fine music I still hold dear, which has gone on to become a broad and solid foundation of my current musical tastes.

Like a lot of kids during that period, I did my DJ apprenticeship in my bedroom, honing my mixing skills and style. It was when I started university and started playing in clubs that my musical taste started to become similarly refined, and my specific love of house music started to turn into a more all-consuming passion. A residency at Liverpool’s soon-to-be-huge Chibuku Shake Shake (then a straight-up house night) cemented my love for house and techno, as did nights out at a pre-electroclash Bugged Out! and the house sessions in the Cream Annexe. I’ve been fortunate to gain DJing experiences at some amazing clubs and festivals around the world, as well as paying my dues playing in soul-sapping bars and events simply unsuited to my music – though I’d like to think that every event has taught me a little about the (overstated) ‘art’ of DJing. I now work at a renowned independent label, meaning it is my job to be in the know about exciting new music.

Over the last decade I have seen music trends come and go, some of which, in retrospect, I embraced possibly too closely (“jacking”/"boompty" house) and others of which I have been fairly wary (minimal techno). I’ve also studied my house music history (becoming knowledgeable rather than geekily encyclopaedic), which has led to a particular love of the early house music released between 1986-89ish. I still have a broad taste under the house umbrella, and would like to think I am healthily cynical of faddish trends, whilst welcoming and championing new, fresh sounds. So my current listening stretches from disco, through deep house, to techno and the type of dubstep that references its house/garage roots.

Or, in short(ish): house music, and its close relations.

My reason for starting the blog is to give a platform to quality house music. There seem to be a hell of a lot of blogs focussing on cheesy electro-house which has somehow donned the emperor’s cool new clothes – that’s one movement I ain’t buying into. There are also a number of sites which, whilst worthy in their intentions, concentrate on music that can be inaccessible and dull, and veer frequently into chin-strokery. My aim is to highlight quality music, that can be deep, intelligent and moving, AND light-hearted and fun.

Or, you guessed it: house music.

My intention as I start (which may develop as the blog progresses) is for absolutemoron to be a resource for house music mixes: firstly, a platform for my new mixes and hence new music that I’m enjoying; secondly, an archive for my old mixes which are currently gathering dust in a box; and finally, I hope to showcase the mixes of other DJs’ and artists’ whose music I love.

I hope absolutemoron will be a great way for me to discover new music and meet new people who are passionate about house music. So please get in touch if you have anything to say, or any recommendations! Comment below my posts or drop me a line at youabsolutemoron [at] gmail [dot] com.