Death Disco: Hello Old Friend

Erol Alkan probably doesn't need any introduction to regular readers of this column. Known for his endless tours, tight productions, popular remixes and lanky frame, Erol Alkan rose to fame thanks largely to his former night Trash. Running into its final night in January 2007, Trash mixed various genres and aimed to remain at the forefront of electronic music at all times, drawing comparisons with Optimo Espacio for its ethos and school night debauchery.

His remixes of Alter Egos’ Rocker and Mylo’s Drop The Pressure became the hits of 2004 and his re-rinses of Bloc Party, Death From Above 1979 and The Chemical Brothers followed shortly after. But it was his Glam Racket Rework of Franz Ferdinand’s Do You Want To that proved to be most effective, as it impressed the group so much that they incorporated elements of the remix into their live tour.

2006 also saw the beginning of studio collaborations with The Long Blondes, with Erol Alkan stepping into the producer’s role for the first time in his life. Asked to work on their debut single for Rough Trade, the session delivered Fulwood Babylon, a melancholic record that gained admiration from The Mystery Jets, who approached Erol to collaborate on their new work.

Later in 2006 Erol supported Madonna at KoKo in London and Daft Punk at Global Gathering, before being voted Mixmag’s DJ Of The Year, as well as Best International DJ.

For years now, on the odd nights of the year that he’s not being Erol Alkan, he has been known to don the mantle of Mustapha 3000 and dabble in the mysterious rites of Beyond The Wizard's Sleeve – described (on his site at least) as a "warped balearic psychedelic brotherhood... Part folk astronauts, part electronic necromancers". They've remixed artists including Midlake, Tracey Thorn, Goldfrapp and completed their first major work, a four part series of EPs.