An hour-long assembly of steamy club tunes by Eoin DJ.

With 2023 firmly on its way, we’re handing it over to London-based artist Eoin DJ to supply the first mix of the year. The Irish DJ and producer first appeared on our radar following two solid contributions to Radiant Records’ always on point IWD compilations. With their debut EP in the pipeline, as well as a string of sick shows locked-in across Europe, they’re one to keep an eye on.

We linked up via the Internet to hear about Eoin’s recent move to London, his upcoming debut EP on Radiant Records and other things to come.

Hi Eoin, good to have you with us! It’s been a minute since we first connected, but it seems a lot of exciting stuff has been happening on your end. One of which is your move from Glasgow to London.. How did that all go down, and how are you experiencing London so far, any favourite spots you find yourself hanging out already or people you’re connecting with?

Hey there, thanks for having me. Yes it’s been a busy and exciting couple of months for sure. The move to London has been great. I drove down in a van with my dad and all of my stuff from Glasgow, it was cute! Moved in with some great people, have met some great people and have been lucky enough to find some work I enjoy. Feeling very grateful that the stars have aligned in this fashion. For going out I pretty much only go to see friends play. It’s such a great way to experience the nightlife here. There’s always something I want to go, big up the deejays!

For those that aren’t familiar, tell us a bit about your musical journey to date.. What are some of your earliest experiences with music and how did things progress from there?

I’ve been around music since I was very young. My dad is a piano technician and brought me along to loads of gigs he was working at when I was a baby. There was always music on at home too and I made several attempts in my youth to play various instruments but none ever stuck. I think I was always too distracted to practice. Oops! I started djing when I was 18 or 19 and through some lucky encounters started playing out quite regularly at a local club in Galway. Not long after I started booking acts and running parties and started a radio show on the college station. I’ve been in the music since really. 

I guess I started messing around with Ableton a little while after that but it’s only in the last few years that I managed to finish anything properly. It’s been really nice to see how this music stuff has unfurled, both with production and djing. I feel like I’m learning more than ever about both mediums which is exciting. 

You described your upcoming debut EP as a really special project. Can you tell us a bit more about that particular project, who has been involved and what we can expect from it?

Yeah it’s been amazing! It’s coming out on Radiant Records, one of my favourite labels run by one of my favourite people. Pretty much since I started making music I’d wanted to do my first release with Byron (Yeates). We’ve been friends for over 10 years and first connected through music stuff so it feels quite poignant. Full circle moment. Big thanks to B for everything! The release consists of two og tracks by me and two amazing remixes which I’m excited for everyone to hear. Special special thanks to Eleanor for contributing her dulcet tones to the project too.

As someone that’s stepping into EP format for the first time, how are you finding the whole experience of working on your first solo releases, both artistically and in collaboration with the labels?

I’m really lucky to work with labels run by friends so it’s been a dream really- I have full artistic freedom and a very deep trust. After like 5 or 6 years of making music I finally feel confident in my abilities so it’s also nice to be able to express myself intentionally through this medium. Thanks to everyone for the belief!

What else are you working on and where can we catch you playing in the not so distant future?

I’m mostly working on DJ stuff at the moment, I’ve gotten really into doing edits. It’s been really cute sharing these with friends and hearing them out, as well playing some myself. There are some little ones in this mix. I have also been digging a lot- been prepping for my first tour (?) I guess which feels a bit surreal. I can’t express how excited and grateful I am to have been asked to play for people! There are lots of debuts coming up including London, Tbilisi, Yerevan and Amsterdam. Also looking forward to playing some great parties in Berlin and Glasgow too. Thank you promoters!! Aside from gig prep I’ve just finished another EP and am putting the finishing touches to a third release which will hopefully see the light of day by the end of the year.

What can you tell us about this mix you’ve put together for us? How did you approach the mix, what kind of energy can we expect and are there any tracks or artists you would like to give a shout-out to in particular?

To quote the late, great Andrew Weatherall “The idea was to sequence some records together without the joins being too apparent”.