Apr 21 – Eli & Fur + Josh Butler |

Apr 21 – Eli & Fur + Josh Butler

ELI & FUR

Since their debut release in 2013, Eli & Fur have been perfecting a sound built around infectious melodies with deep, driving bass lines topped with their distinguished brooding vocals. Their sound has developed into something quite unique and has earned them respect from some of the biggest names in dance music.

The duo’s first release, ‘You’re So High’ reached Number 3 on Hype Machine and has since picked up over 6 million plays online. ‘Seeing is Believing’ saw the girls collaborate with Shadow Child, ‘Feel The Fire’ came on Anjunadeep followed by ‘Your Eyes’ which saw them team up with Beatport in the first ever Artist Partnership on the streaming platform. Their ‘California Love’ EP dropped in November 2015 & supported by their North America Tour it undoubtedly was the motivation behind such a connected & embracing audience. 2016 saw further collaborations with Erick Morillo, Tâches & Forrest as well continued releases on their own imprint NYX Music.

2015 was a pivotal year for Eli & Fur. Tipped by Beatport as 2015 Artists to Watch, they went on to pick up nominations for ‘Best Newcomer’ in The DJ Awards, ‘Best Producer’ in the Bass Music Awards, ‘Best Breakthrough DJ’ at DJ Magazine’s ‘Best of British’ and more recently ‘Best Breakthrough Artist’ in the 2016 IDMA Awards.

The girls rolled out 2015 with a Thelma & Louise inspired tour through North America. Documenting every step of their 15 date tour with Go-Pro, taking planes, train, automobiles and boats; dropping into radio stations, studio sessions, TV networks and clubs along the way. It was an unusual way to approach the US market but a life-time dream inspired by two of the coolest women ever to grace the big screen. The end result is the self-made video for California Love.

With an impressive 2015 in the bag, 2016 was a year of continued success – a defining year for Eli & Fur. Notably the girls were awarded with the PRS Momentum fund in partnership with England Arts Council & Spotify. Not only a nod of approval from three of the most influential organisations in the business but an injection of funds at a crucial point to go towards further recordings.

Their touring stepped up a notch in 2016 with some key look shows, playing alongside the likes of Carl Cox at his infamous Space residency, continued support from Ushuaia’s notorious ANTS as well as support from Nic Fanciulli’s Social Festival. Further highlights saw Eli & Fur play at Woogie Weekend, Los Angeles, Manchester’s The Warehouse Project, Berlin’s Kraftwerk and Circoloco’s first ever event in Los Angeles.

As we go into 2017 off the back of an incredible few years, Eli & Fur immediately step into the Red Bull Studios London. A once in a life time opportunity for the girls to take over the residency room in London’s HQ & invite some of the most exciting writers & producers to collaborate with them on their first album. If that weren’t enough… their touring takes them to Hard’s fun packed Holy Ship, Carl Cox’s stage at this years Ultra Music Festival as well as a spot on the worlds most talk about music festival, Coachella.

There is an excitement surrounding Eli & Fur that is authentic and intriguing. True talent wrapped up in a bundle of laughs, feeling their way as they go and having a damn good time on their way.

JOSH BUTLER

From the North of England to dance floors across the globe, Josh Butler has made serious headway with his high calibre house sound.

The talented northerner has become one of house music’s most revered talents over the last couple of years, boasting a plethora of acclaimed releases on prestigious labels (Noir, Cajual, Avotre, MTA, MadTech); gigs at some of the world’s best clubs and events including The Warehouse Project Manchester, Mint Club Leeds, Toffler Rotterdam, Chibuku Liverpool, Arches Glasgow, a residency at Sankeys Ibiza, and a plethora of key festival plays throughout Europe.

Several industry awards later (DJ Mag Award 2014 and Beatport Award 2014) and with frequent support from industry players such as Joris Voorn, Pete Tong, Annie Mac, Kerri Chandler, Steve Lawler, Heidi and Noir all to his name, Josh continues to rise through the ranks of house music.

At the dawn of 2013, there was no intention of a global explosion behind Josh’s stripped back ‘Got A Feeling’ debut for Chase and Status’ renowned MTA imprint. In retrospect, the track invariably proved to be Josh’s breakout into the industry’s field of vision, racking up remix duties from Ben Pearce, long-term friend and collaborator Bontan plus Pleasurekraft along the way. ‘Got A Feeling’ not only struck a chord with key industry players but also went on to become one of Beatport’s biggest selling tracks that year, later earning Josh a coveted Beatport Award to boot. The industry cocked an ear, the don Pete Tong gave his seal of approval on the BBC airwaves and Josh was subsequently invited to do an Afterhours Mix for his Radio 1 show.

Josh’s new found recognition naturally led to a multitude of labels showing interest in his work, one of which was Kerri Chandler’s highly respected MadTech who, at the start of 2014a released the acclaimed ‘No Frills’ EP to great effect and sustained Josh’s charge towards setting a new precedent in underground house.

Not one to rest on his laurels, Josh soon followed up with a series of EP’s on Hector Couto’s Roush, Green Velvet’s illustrious Cajual Records and Noir Music. This led to Josh winning DJ Mag’s coveted Best of British award for ‘Best Breakthrough Producer’ (seeing off competition from the likes of Dense and Pika, Leon Vynehall and Marquis Hawkes) to cap what had already been a monumental year.

Josh continued his positive momentum into 2015 by announcing a special back2back tour with Bontan. Accompanying the tour, the duo released their second collaborative single ‘Live My Life’ (the follow-up to ‘We Found a Place’ on MTA). This time, Vula from Basement Jaxx fame stepped up to provide the stunning vocal line and the track was once again universally acclaimed, once again scoring top-end BBC Radio 1 support from Pete Tong, Annie Mac, Danny Howard and Toddla T.

Partway through the Butler & Bontan tour, the multi Grammy award-winning Nile Rodgers came across their music and was so impressed that he subsequently asked them to warm-up for him and Chic during their UK tour.

Collaborative projects aside, Josh’s main focus is still very much on his solo career and is tirelessly dedicated to keeping the music coming. 2015 was another year of highlights – an outing on Steve Lawler’s VIVa music, Santé’s Avotre and again for Noir Music. In addition, another career landmark came around when Fatboy Slim asked Josh to remix ‘Love Life’ (featuring Macy Gray) for the 15thanniversary re-release of ‘Halfway Between the Gutter and Stars’.

Outside the studio, Josh’s gigs diary us well and truly flourishing with his worldwide appeal growing by the month. His undiluted brand of house music and ‘less is more’ approach has seen him tour all four corners of the globe. In 2015, he scored his first summer-long Ibiza residency at Sankeys (plus additional dates at Amnesia and Mambo), multiple festival plays including SW4, Parklife, Secret Garden Party and his debut in the United States.

With a whirlwind couple of years behind him and many accolades and personal goals already achieved, Josh Butler is all about building that positive momentum towards new and compelling heights. He has global ventures on the mind and a pledge to keep dance music in the hands of those who truly savour the art over its mainstream properties. Proving that familiarity can still be fresh and ability is in the control of its beholder, Josh Butler is proving himself as a force to be reckoned with.