Romare (DJ Set) at The Blues Kitchen
Johnny James, Managing Editor
Romare, one of the most sought-after DJs and producers in global dance music, is playing at The Blues Kitchen this Easter Bank Holiday.
Born in London, Archie Fairhurst AKA Romare spent his childhood regularly moving across continents with his parents, being exposed to a myriad of musical cultures. It makes sense that his working practice would be rooted in collage, twisting a global panoply of sounds into new forms – made for the dance floor.
Playful but also deeply researched, his albums and performances stretch back to 2012 and his breakout EP, Meditations on Afrocentrism, before a run of albums on Ninja Tune really put him on the map. Of these, Lovesongs Part Two (2016) stands out, extracting the raw energy of old blues, gospel and African records, placed in the loose context of house music.
2020’s follow-up, Home, incorporated his own instrumentation, bringing Fairhurst’s 12 string guitar, his childhood drum kit and a vintage organ into the fold. 2022’s Fantasy took a different direction, sampling from ’70s fantasy cinema and taking influence from Medieval music (specifically he cites the ’70s medieval folk rock band Gryphon and their use of “otherworldly instruments”).
Operating in the same orbit as Daphni and Chaos in the CBD, Romare and his considered approach to sampling has seen him become one of the biggest names in global dance music, playing to huge audiences around the world. At The Blues Kitchen, he’ll be bringing a DJ set that encapsulates his chameleonic, globe-trotting style, blending jazz, psychedelia and African rhythms with electronic music from across the spectrum.
