A few recent posts on here had me wondering - who do you guys think is the current day DJ who spins in the most similar style to that of the Golden Prog Years?
’Cos Sasha and Diggers used to smash out stuff like Armin ‘Virgo’ at 138bpm, but now it’s mostly plodding melodic/“organic” house that probably never even scratches 130.
A couple of recent James Zabiela sets I’ve heard occasionally seem to capture a bit of that spirit more than recent sets I’ve stumbled upon from other jocks with a direct connection to that scene, but even then there are more influences from the psy-leaning early-mid 90s prog style. Plus he maybe tops out at around 131. He played a remix of ‘Twilo Thunder’ in one of his sets and it was an incredibly tame breakbeat one at about 127 - it was hardly “It rubs the lotion on its skin and plays Twilo Thunder at 133bpm” (copyright Millsy).
I’ve mentioned before that I think the Danish centred/influenced techno/trance sound which emerged about 5 years ago had to my ears seemed the closest, from the likes of Courtesy, DJ Ibon, Schacke, Funeral Future etc. Courtesy even played Sasha & Holden - Bloodlock at its original speed in her last Boiler Room, and I’ve noticed Sasha play a recent DJ Ibon track (but so sped-down as to be near unrecognisable). That lot often go much faster and harder, or sometimes even veer much “wetter”, than the prog lot used to, mind.
Someone like Amelie Lens also isn’t a million miles away from the spirit and scale of the peak prog era, even if their stuff is generally much harder, which is why I thought them doing a GU seemed apt (albeit it wasn’t the best mix I’d heard from her).
Just wondered if you lot had any other thoughts, knowledge or opinions?
