Time for another playlist. The title of this one should give you a fairly good idea of what to expect…boom, boom, and more boom. The playlist is once again “international,” but this time with a slight twist. Of the sixteen tracks on the list, nine of the artists are British, one is from Glasgow, and the rest hail from Texas, Germany, Italy, Zimbabwe, and Slovenia. I know that is only fifteen, but there is a British artist with two tracks. Given this disproportionate amount of talent from across the pond, I present the second “British Invasion” (probably more like third or fourth!) and my electronic version of the “fab four” – Patrick Topping, Josh Butler, Ben Sterling, and James Dexter.
Patrick Topping is a British DJ, music producer and the owner of the record company, Trick. Topping hit the ground running in 2014, receiving DJ Awards for Newcomer DJ and Track of the Season in Ibiza for his summer hit, “Forget.” He also won the Best Tech House DJ award in 2018. He has built his DJ career from playing nightly gigs at his own hometown club, formerly known as Motion at Digital (Newcastle), to playing at clubs across the world, including Tomorrowland (Belgium), Awakenings (Netherlands), and Winter Music Conference in Miami. He also holds a summer residency for Paradise at Ibiza’s DC10. More recently, Topping collaborated with his wife, Hayley Topping, for the single, “New Reality” (2020), and in 2022, Topping and his Label Trick held a nine month residency at the aforementioned Ibiza’s DC10.
Since the unprecedented success behind his debut, “Got A Feeling” in 2013, Josh Butler went on to pick up multiple industry awards from Beatport and DJ Mag, whilst releasing tracks on labels such as Roush, Cajual, Madtech, Avotre, VIVa, and Noir, to name just a few. Like Topping, he has had numerous Ibiza residencies and appearances, as well as festival sets at Glastonbury, SW4, Defected Croatia, Parklife, Secret Garden Party, and multiple European, US, and Australian tours. Late 2016 saw the launch of his label ORIGINS RCDS, which has Josh pairing house music veterans like Marshall Jefferson and Todd Terry with up and coming artists to the imprint. Since a collaboration with Bontan, “Call You Back” (2017), went on to win more awards, ORIGINS RCDS has gone on to become a staple label, releasing material from Kerri Chandler, Groove Amanda, Richy Ahmed, and Huxley.
Ben Sterling is a British DJ and electronic music producer based in London. He has been described as a “leader of the UK’s new school.” He made his debut in 2019 on the label, Hot Creations, with the release of his EP, The Energy. The EP features three tracks that blends acid and tech house elements. His connection to this label stems from a previous EP, Anonymous, which was released on Josh Butler’s label, and attracted attention to his tracks. He gained earlier recognition through his residency at London’s Ministry of Sound, and lists his influences as disco, modern electro, as well as Chicago House and Detroit techno. He has also performed at the Baum Festival, EDC Las Vegas, Sunwaves Festival, and the warehouse project. He has become a mainstay at events like Music On and Solid Grooves and has performed in Ibiza at clubs, such as DC10 and Amnesia. Most recently, Sterling released the single “Eeez” (2023), and in 2024 released his EP Step Forward, which was described as a tribute to the late Nathan Coles.
Producer James Dexter represents the new wave of artists who are burgeoning in London’s deep house underground. He has a music production degree and a background in music technology and knows his way around creating a great sounding record, but his early appreciation of garage and deep house has led him on a different path. 2012 was his break-out year with releases on some of the top tier labels, such as Nervous, Static Audio, Beef Records, and Solid Ground Recordings. It was his remix of Miguel Migs’s “Tonight” on OM Recordings that really cemented his reputation as a rising star. His music has been supported and charted by a number of influential DJs, including the aforementioned Miguel Migs, Fred Everything, Moodymanc, Karol XVII & MB Valence, Evern Ulusoy, Shades of Gray, and many more. More recently, there was the album, Artslaves Present 10 Years of Moan Part 1 (2022), a collaboration with Artslaves, Neverdogs, Rigzz, Hito, & Nautica, and in 2024, another “dance” album, Inermu 50th Release. Each track on this release is a collaboration with a different artist.
And now for some music.
Enjoy!
Los Angeles 2025
