Rowan
Artist
Previous Events
Bio
Rowan’s entry into electronic music began in 1990 at Energy and Raindance. These were large entry-level raves for the masses that felt generic and impersonal. This formed a love hate relationship with the culture. On the one hand he loved the occasional sense of unity and some of the music, especially being out in a field as the sun came up. On the other hand he was blasted with the darker end of rave music in environments that were crime ridden and often unsafe. At sixteen he became a ticket vendor for Raindance and would meet people at a phone booth up the road to hide from his parents that he was selling tickets and going to raves. It was listening to mixtapes that really inspired him. Rave music was brash, noisy and rarely put together well. Mixtapes showed another possibility. They revealed that sequencing, blends and musical logic could produce a far deeper experience than the raves provided. This is where the obsession began. He soon began editing tapes to sequence the best tracks for friends before buying turntables in 1993. Sasha’s mixes stood out. When Rowan bought the records they never sounded as good as when Sasha mixed them. Harmonic mixing turned out to be the reason. Early DJ gigs were around Cambridge. In 1995 Rowan opened his first record shop in the East End called Ouch Records. In 1997 he opened Planet Boom in Cambridge and in 1998 launched Rhythm Syndicate, also in Cambridge. He also bought enough studio equipment to begin collaborating. In 1999 Sasha called the shop after hearing acetates that John Digweed had played at Twilo. Soon Rowan’s tracks appeared on compilations by his favourite DJs, including Northern Exposure. The circle felt complete. This initiated a DJ career for Rowan, including highlights such as being one of the first DJs to play in China, performing at Gatecrasher during its peak years and a residency at Club XIII in Moscow. A slump followed. Electronic music felt predictable and egocentric. Rowan needed a change of scenery. He moved to South America and lived in Buenos Aires while holding a residency at Warung. . A place where great friends were made. Another great gift. There was electricity in the atmosphere. People were hungry. Latin America still had vibes that felt scarce in the UK. Club culture in Britain felt tired and spoiled. Rowan had already been uneasy with the music he was expected to play. Then he encountered Ricardo Villalobos at Crobar in Buenos Aires. It was an almost spiritual dancefloor experience. Locked on the floor for ten hours, hearing a spectrum of music that moved people differently. A seed was planted. In 2017 Rowan and Desyn made a long form DJ mix. Art for its own sake. The process took almost a year and became part of the Seekers podcast series. The project was rooted in shared musical experiences, vision and friendship. In 2023 Desyn invited Rowan into the Faciendo fold. The clubs were on another level. Immaculate sound systems. No phones. Tuned in people. Proper mixing and selection. For Rowan it felt like the world he had been waiting for. The friendships, the community and the healing have been real. The music feels alive again. These recent experiences have helped to balance what was missing from the first thirty years and will forever be appreciated.
Music style
Minimal House, Deep House