BRAIDEN

Until comparatively recently, Braiden was a rare thing in the modern scene - a DJ first and foremost. Since first starting 7 years ago, the man's goal has been to "create something from the individual tracks, use them as tools I suppose. I always had this approach to DJing soon as I started." Laying down crate digging sets that join dots between scenes you didn't even know existed; he has become one of the most rated in the business.

In 2010, the rightly lauded Red Bull Music Academy selected Braiden as a participant for their London school, and later that year he played on their stage at Sonar Festival. It's one of the many highly sought after gigs he plays each weekend, joining the dots between house, techno and the hybrid sounds coming from the UK. But the man born Steve is also something of a cult hero for his time on Rinse.fm, playing a regular show on the station back before it had an official licence in 2007, right through to 2012.

Now, though, he does a bi-weekly show on the cultured NTS, and never is Twitter anything other than alight when the man is on, with influential DJs and producers locked to his every on point and unpredictable draw. "I'm always getting bits of inspiration from everywhere" he says. "But it's hard for me to pinpoint specific influences. My aims with my DJ sets are probably easier to define. To create a balance between something that is unique and expressive for myself, but also danceable for the audience. Sets that are dynamic and eclectic whilst still maintaining a sense of cohesion and direction."

It was in 2010 that Braiden released his first record, The Alps, on the short-lived but much loved Doldrums imprint run by Joy O. A year later came remixes of SBTRKT and Jacques Green, whilst his latest and greatest, Belfry Tower/Paganini, has come on Dutch powerhouse Rush Hour and offers two slabs of fulsome, carefully sampled house that packs a powerful emotional and physical punch.

"I guess I am always balancing an emphasis between groove and rhythm and a strong atmosphere" he muses. "Taking a wide range of musical inspiration but channelling it into a dancefloor context." Expect plenty more to come from this man.