Djrum
DjRUM | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Felix Manuel |
| Also known as | DJ Rum |
| Origin | London, England |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 2010-present |
| Labels | Second Drop, R&S Records, Houndstooth Records |
Felix Manuel better known by his stage name Djrum (stylised as DjRUM) (/dɹʌm/ ⓘ)[1] is a British electronic music DJ and producer. His music spans a wide range of genres and influences including jazz, techno, UK garage, ambient and dubstep.
He is known for his unpredictable and eclectic approach to DJ performance, as well as his narrative and introspective approach to electronic music production. Manuel has released music on several UK-based electronic music record labels including Second Drop, R&S Records and Houndstooth Records.
Early life
[edit]Manuel played music from a young age, learning piano at the age of seven[2] and later training as a jazz pianist.[3][4] He learned to DJ after inheriting a collection of jazz records from his mother, experimenting with mixing jazz and trip-hop. This led him to later explore other genres including funk, soul and drum and bass.[1]
Career
[edit]Early career (2010-2016)
[edit]Manuel started his music career DJing bass music, ragga and jungle at squat parties.[1][5] He regularly performed with the Yardcore Crew in London, and presented a monthly radio show on Sub.FM playing garage, dubstep, drum and bass, gabber and breakcore.[4]
Manuel soon started producing his own records, including his debut 2011 release Mountains EP on Second Drop records which was well-received by reviewers.[6][7] Finding success as part of the 2010s post-dubstep scene,[5][8] he followed up with a second EP on the same label.[9]
His debut album Seven Lies released in 2013 on Second Drop. Some reviewers praised the release for its versatility, range of influences, and immersive nature,[10] however Resident Advisor described the release as dated, stating "Djrum could very well have a great album in him, but unfortunately this isn't it".[9]
R&S Records and Portrait With Firewood (2017-2023)
[edit]Following his debut LP, Manuel released a trilogy of EPs[4] and various singles including "LA" which peaked at 69 in the UK singles chart.[11] Soon after, he signed with R&S Records and released the EP Broken Glass Arch in November 2017.[12][13]
In 2018, Manuel released his follow-up LP on R&S titled Portrait With Firewood. The album, inspired by the work of performance artist Marina Abramović, sampled chamber instruments and spoken-word.[14] The album has been described as an "intensely personal exploration" and showing a "dark beauty".[15] The arrangements used were noted to expand from Manuel's previous sample-based works with extensive live instrumentation including his own piano improvisations, and contributions from cellist Zosia Jagodzinska.[16] Manuel discussed his influences and process in an interview with The Vinyl Factory following the release:
Throughout 2017, as I obsessively worked on my album, I plunged myself into my own introspective world, partly looking for subject matter, and partly looking for answers. I thought about my own life situation, my personal identity, and how I relate to the outside world and people around me. I often distracted myself from the music by watching scenes from movies, documentaries, interviews and so on. The two things that influenced, or at lease resonated with, my thinking the most were Francis Bacon, particularly his interviews with David Sylvester, and footage of Marina Abramovic’s works I found on YouTube.
— Interview with The Vinyl Factory[17]
In this period, Manuel performed at many electronic music festivals across Europe including Gottwood, Waking Life, and Bang Face, as well as iconic clubs including Electric Brixton, and Berlin's Berghain.[18]
Houndstooth Records and Under Tangled Silence (2024-present)
[edit]In 2024, Manuel released his first solo record since 2019 with Meaning's Edge EP on Houndstooth Records.[19] This release continued his approach seen on Portrait With Firewood of recording live instruments, in particular the flute. Specific flutes used in the arrangements include the bansuri, shakuhachi, and a western classical flute.[20] Significant musical influences in the work were noted to include dubstep, braindance, post-classical, grime and singeli.[21] The EP peaked at number 15 on the UK official album charts, and number 2 on the official dance music album charts.[11]
Manuel hosted a thirty minute set on BBC Radio 6 Music in September 2024.[22]
In April 2025, Manuel released his third full-length album titled Under Tangled Silence, also on Houndstooth,[23] Which peaked at number 9 on the official UK album charts and number 1 on the official dance album charts.[11] The album featured significant piano work, incorporating Manuel's own improvisation, as well as other live instruments including harp, percussion and mbira. Cello contributions from Zosia Jagodzinska (who previously featured on Portrait With Firewood) were also featured.[2] The album was written, arranged and recorded over eight years, however progress was hampered when Manuel's laptop motherboard overheated and melted, leading to a significant loss in data.[24][25]
In support of the album's release, Manuel announced a 32-date international tour with dates at clubs including London's Fabric, Paris' Essaim and Primavera Sound.[26]
Artistry
[edit]DJ and performance style
[edit]Manuel's DJ sets are known for their constant shifting throughout a wide range of genres and styles. Often his sets will incorporate many different corners of music, combining rave genres (such as dubstep, drum and bass, breakcore, house, techno etc.) with contrasting mellow styles (including trip-hop, jazz, soul, classical and ambient).[2][5]
Typically mixing on vinyl records, Manuel often performs with three turntables which allow him to navigate large tempo shifts and style changes. His mixes showcase a wide range of turntablism skills, such as scratching, cutting, and pitch nudging to implement a wider range of expression into his sets.[5]
Production style
[edit]Manuel's early production was rooted in sample manipulation, layering, and use of dark atmospheres.[9] These early releases were noted for their dub techno influences.[7]
As his career progressed, Manuel begun incorporating live instrumentation including piano improvisations, flutes, harps, cello and live percussion. These styles are most prominent on albums Portrait With Firewood and Under Tangled Silence.[20][16]
Structurally, Manuel's tracks rarely conform to typical dance music structures, and often avoid repetition in order to create a more narrative experience for the listener.[2] Similar to his DJ sets, Manuel rarely sticks to a single style or genre in his productions, being known for his unpredictability and experimental approach to dance music structure.[19]
Manuel has also coined the name and genre "ambient-gabber", a niche microgenre combining elements of ambient music and gabber.[27]
Influences
[edit]Musically, Manuel takes influence from a wide range of genres including jazz, jungle, trip-hop, dubstep, breakcore, dub and techno. Aside from music however, Manuel draws much of his artistic inspiration from his own introspection, sense of identity and personal connections to the world around him, as well as drawing influences from other forms of art including the works of Marina Abramović and Francis Bacon.[28]
Discography
[edit]Studio albums
[edit]- Seven Lies - 2013
- Portrait With Firewood - 2018
- Under Tangled Silence - 2025
Extended plays and singles
[edit]- Plead With Me - 2010
- St Martin - 2010
- Watermark - 2012
- Plantain / What I Was Doing When I Was Doing What I Was Doing - 2015
- Forgetting EP - 2016
- LA - 2016
- Space Race - 2016
- Broken Glass Arch - 2017
- Hard to Say / Tournesol - 2019
- Meaning's Edge EP - 2024
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Q&A: DJRUM". DJ Mag. 27 June 2013. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
- ^ a b c d Lynch, Will. "Djrum: Under Tangled Silence". Pitchfork. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
- ^ Williams, James. "DjRUM". Exclaim!. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
- ^ a b c "Djrum Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More | All..." AllMusic. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
- ^ a b c d "The Art of DJing: Djrum · Feature ⟋ RA". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
- ^ Faber, Tom (23 April 2013). "Review: DjRum: Seven Lies". Inverted Audio. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
- ^ a b Dicker, Holly. "Djrum - Mountains EP · Single Review ⟋ RA". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
- ^ Davies, Sam (23 April 2025). "Djrum Is Back to Blow Up Electronic Music Once More". Bandcamp Daily. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
- ^ a b c Lynch, Will. "Djrum - Seven Lies · Album Review ⟋ RA". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
- ^ Multiple sources:
- "Review: DjRum - Seven Lies". Juno Daily. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
- "Seven Lies". Now Then Sheffield. 18 March 2013. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
- "Djrum announces Seven Lies for 2nd Drop". Juno Daily. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
- ^ a b c "DJRUM". Official Charts. 21 July 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
- ^ "Broken Glass Arch • R&S Records". R&S Records. 4 October 2017. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
- ^ Mitchell, Aurora. "Djrum - Broken Glass Arch · Single Review ⟋ RA". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
- ^ Beta, Andy. "Djrum: Portrait With Firewood". Pitchfork. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
- ^ Gillham, Andy (24 August 2018). "Review: Djrum: Portrait With Firewood". Inverted Audio. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
- ^ a b Morris, Vincent. "Portrait With Firewood is Djrum's most honest work to date". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
- ^ "How the visceral poetry of performance artist Marina Abramovic inspires Djrum’s new LP Portrait With Firewood — The Vinyl Factory". www.thevinylfactory.com. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
- ^ Multiple sources:
- Brown, Charlotte (29 March 2018). "Gottwood Festival has completed its line-up". Mixmag. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
- Franchis, Vittoria de (17 January 2018). "Waking Life unveil first wave of acts: Aleksi Perälä, Djrum, Deadbeat, Jan Jelinek, Luigi Tozzi". Inverted Audio. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
- Eede, Christian (2 January 2024). "Bang Face Weekender announces first names for 2024 festival". DJ Mag. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
- "HVYWGHT w/ LTJ Bukem, DjRUM B2B Skee Mask, Kahn, Denham Audio at Electric Brixton, London ⟋ RA Tickets". Resident Advisor. Archived from the original on 26 April 2023. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
- "Reef at Berghain | Panorama Bar | Säule, Berlin (2023) ⟋ RA". Resident Advisor. Archived from the original on 21 January 2025. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
- ^ a b Sherburne, Philip. "Djrum: Meaning's Edge EP". Pitchfork. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
- ^ a b Markowitz, Douglas (19 December 2024). "Djrum - Meaning's Edge · Single Review ⟋ RA". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
- ^ Ingram, Niamh (28 September 2024). "Djrum announces first release since 2019, 'Meaning's Edge'". Mixmag. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
- ^ "BBC Radio 6 Music - Mary Anne Hobbs, Djrum with the ICONS Mix". BBC. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
- ^ "Djrum reveals first album in six years, Under Tangled Silence · News ⟋ RA". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
- ^ Davies, Sam (23 April 2025). "Djrum Is Back to Blow Up Electronic Music Once More". Bandcamp Daily. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
- ^ Keith, James (4 March 2025). "Djrum announces new album, 'Under Tangled Silence', on Houndstooth, shares single: Listen". DJ Mag. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
- ^ Lindert, Hattie (5 March 2025). "Djrum announces 2025 international tour · News ⟋ RA". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
- ^ Multiple sources:
- Ball, James (24 August 2019). "Djrum explores 'ambient-gabber' on 'Hard To Say / Tournesol'". Mixmag. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
- "Djrum returns to R&S with double a-side of "Ambient-Gabber"". leguesswho.com. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
- ^ "How the visceral poetry of performance artist Marina Abramovic inspires Djrum’s new LP Portrait With Firewood — The Vinyl Factory". www.thevinylfactory.com. Retrieved 23 June 2025.