At the end of this month, Green Velvet will be making the trip over to London from Chicago to headline FORMS at Fabric. One of house and techno music's most recognisable figures—in no small part due to the trademark green mohawk—Curtis Jones has taken on many aliases over the years, including Cajmere, Geo Vogt, Half Pint, Curan Stone, Gino Vittori and, of course, Green Velvet. It's under that last alias that he delivers his Complex Sessions mix.
Just as artists and producers from Bristol in England become synonymous with their hometown, so too do artists from Chicago. In Green Velvet's case, its history is steeped in the Windy City's musical history. Here, Mr. Velvet dips into the worlds of funk and disco just as much as house and techno, taking full advantage of the live instrumentation. The bursts of brass, funk bass licks and gloriously infectious vocal samples make for one of the most fun DJ mixes we've heard in a very long time.
Press play below and catch Green Velvet live at FORMS at Fabric on Nov. 30.
Tell us a bit about your selections in this mix.
I picked tracks that cater to a good party vibe like I've experienced at Fabric for many years.
What was the one track you absolutely had to include?
One of the biggest tunes this year for me has been Marco Lys' "The Story Continues". He did a great job in continuing the story that Chicago house legend Lil' Louis started with the song "I Called You".
Any tracks that narrowly missed the cut?
"Frankfurt" by Stimming.
What's the first single or album you ever bought?
My father was a DJ in the '70s so I was fortunate to have tonnes of vinyl records around me when I was younger. He specialised in funk, soul, blues and jazz. One of the first songs I can remembering buying on my own, was Kraftwerk's "Numbers". It sounded like the future to me and at the same time, uber-funky.
What's the last physical record you bought?
I stopped buying vinyl around 10 years ago, so I can't actually remember the last record I purchased.
What do you want to see happen musically over the next 12 months?
I would love to see the house/techno scene continue to introduce and support new, young, talented artists.
What trend or scene absolutely needs to die right now?
Racism and the abuse of power.
Tracklist
1. Soul Speech - Aaaih!
2. Lex Luca - House Party
3. Secondcity - History of Groove (Technasia Remix)
4. Tony Hughes & JRJ - Give Her The D
5. Marco Lys - The Story Continues
6. Nic Fanciulli & Mark Fanciulli - Star
7. Emery Warman - Mangonada
8. Fabio Neural - Data Format
9. Jonas Rathsman - To Infinity And Beyond
10. Carloh f/ Mar Amk - Allone
11. Andrea Oliva - Upside Down
12. Sav-E - Yallec
13. Mark Broom - Make Me
14. DJ Angelo - Black Sheep
15. Mihalis Safras & Green Velvet - Poze
16. Get Cosy - Get Up
