Defected Worship Mix – Mixed By Reece Johnson
With his brand new single South West Cruisin, out on Tropical Disco Records right now, Reece Johnson has delivered yet another classy slice of disco aimed firmly at the dancefloor. Reece is an artist who has an uncanny knack of delivering real dancefloor gold time and time again, equally he specialises in tracks which a real touch of intrigue, a testament to his own DJ knowledge and his own musical journey.
We took the chance to catch up with Reece and also twist his arm to deliver another one of his quality mixes for Le Visiteur following his brilliant club mix for us last year. This time Reece stepped up to the decks and delivered a worship mix for one of his favourite labels, Defected. Something we were wholeheartedly all up for.
Check the mix below and please give it a share over on Soundcloud if you love it as much as we do.
Grab South West Cruisin HERE
Hi Reece,
great to speak to you again.
How are things with you right now and what have you been up to music wise since we last spoke a year ago?
Things are good mate, thank you! 2023 and the front end of 2024 have been pretty decent for me release-wise. I’ve had some digital releases with Tropical Disco Records, Midnight Riot and a three track EP with the awesome Pomme Frite! I also had a few vinyl releases, featuring on two VA’s with Super Spicy Records and ESUOH’s white label series, and also released a four track EP with Berlin’s Disco Disco Records. Leading into the middle of this year I’m releaseing back with Tropical Disco Records, wh0 trax and another vinyl EP on b2 recordings.
DJ wise is going great too. I’ve got two residencies where I live and playing a couple of festivals this year too!
For any of our readers who haven’t come across your tracks before how would you describe your vibe right now in 2024 and please can you pick a track from your discography that is quintessentially Reece Johnson?
So for those who haven’t heard my sound before, I make a lot of funky/disco house and also disco edits. I like to keep it fun and make stuff that will hopefully work well on the dancefloor!
Disco house – Watchin’ Waitin
Edits – DTYB
You have a brand new track out right now on Tropical Disco called South West Cruisin, what can you tell us about that?
So I’ve had a bit of a creative break from producing at the back end of last year. I have been trying to get some of the releases I’ve got coming out this year, fine tuned for the labels that are releasing them, and also trying to improve my productions and mix-down skills.
South West Cruisin’ was my first track I made since taking a little break and I thought it would be right up Moodena’s street, so fired it over as soon as it was finished. Thankfully he snapped it up and it’s currently (as of right now) sat at #13 in the nu-disco charts! Fingers crossed for a top 10!
You have recorded a Defected mix for our Worship Series. Why did you choose Defected and how has the label influence you personally?
Defected for me has to be one of the stand out labels out there, probably ever. It’s been going for 25 years now and has released some of the best tracks in that period of time. I’ve had a shuffle round of my record collection not long back and realised how many defected releases I have so it has to be up there as one of my top 3 labels. It’s a goal of mine to one day release with Defected or Glitterbox, or maybe one of their sublabels, so fingers crossed… Gotta keep trying.
What do you think it is about Defected that has helped it reach such an incredible place of market prominence?
Gotta shout out to Simon Dunmore, Wez Saunders and the whole team behind the label who have an ear for music that they know just works. Almost every one of their releases has been quality. Particularly the earlier releases for me. They have all been just feel good, funky, used great vocals and vocalists and most importantly, the tracks are memorable – the whole package of what you need to create a classic. 9 times out of 10 if you were record shopping back in the day and saw a defected release, you just knew it would be a keeper.
What are some of the key tracks in the mix which have really resonated with you?
I can’t pick them all so I’ve picked 4:
I have all these in my record collection and can almost remember each time I bought them – shout’s to HMV for the 3 records for a tenner deal back in the day (you read that right THREE records for TEN POUNDS). Once again, feel good, funky, and memorable.
Paul Jacobs – Happy Days (Lottie Mix)
Kings Of Tomorrow – Young Hearts (Extended Version)
Junior Jack – My Feelings
Junior Jack – E-Samba (Club Mix)
What is your all time favourite release Defected and why?
VERY tricky and this has taken me a long time to think of… I think for me, it’s gotta be the Danny Krivit edit of Soul Central’s Strings of life… a pleasure to mix in and out, and the dancefloor instantly erupts whenever it’s played. A timeless classic.
Which other artists DJ mixes do you find yourself coming back to time and again and do you have a favourite that you gravitate towards?
To be honest I rarely listen to dj mixes unless Im on a long car journey or have a period of time where I have a good hour or so spare to listen to the mix throughout. That being said, when I do, the glitterbox radio shows or the defected mixes funnily enough usually go down well, or if my mates have any mixes out I’ll give them a listen.
What else can we expect from Reece Johnson in 2024?
More music, more gigs (hopefully) and more memes!
For more info on Reece Johnson please check:
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Reece Johnson Twitter
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