Metronome #069: Doorly

Insomniac’s Metronome series features mixes from some of today’s fastest-rising electronic stars, as well as championed legends. It takes listeners deep across a wide range of genres, movements, cultures, producers, artists and sounds that make up the diverse world of electronic music.

Downtime is a luxury someone like Doorly rarely gets to take advantage of. The UK-bred house fixture is far too busy juggling a steady release schedule, planning his legendary Doorly & Friends parties, and putting his dexterous hands to good use during the year-round bookings he enjoys at almost every major club and festival you wish you had tickets for. He’s a man who’s always on the move, and we were lucky to get him to stand still long enough to make this week’s Metronome possible.

It wasn’t easy, but we don’t blame the guy. He’s currently finishing up an eight-stop mini-tour in the US, in which he and closest mates are showing dancefloors the way to be. Once that’s all said and done, the party goes halfway around the globe, where he’ll be taking his knockin’ grooves over to the White Isle for a season of knob-turning nights at Space Ibiza. Before Doorly becomes too tied down with the summertime club crawl, we managed to squeeze in a few words and a live recording from his current run of shows.

Naturally, the conversation focuses mostly on his Doorly & Friends concept, and lets you listen one of its incarnations by way of the recent party he blew up with the Treetops crew at House of Yes in Brooklyn. It’s definitely Doorly at his best, using 60 minutes to his favor by tearing through a slew of funky, disco-tinged rhythms while using more than just the cross-fader and standard hand-in-the-air antics.

You’re currently in the middle of your mini US Doorly & Friends tour, alongside some of your closest DJ comrades. The lineups have been super stacked; were any of the names joining you on the short run a challenge to make happen?
Not at all. The whole point of this tour was to come and have a party with my mates on this side of the world, because I will be focused mainly on Ibiza for the summer until October. So, in each city, I picked a few of my favourite locals and then asked along a few friends, like Kevin Saunderson and Oliver Dollar. It was also a huge pleasure to play with Moodymann and Andres on the Saturday just gone in Brooklyn.

There are some heavy-hitters in your inner circle. Do you find yourself surprised at the fact you get to call them your mates?
Absolutely! I have to pinch myself every day to see if it’s real that I now get to consider so many of my musical heroes and inspirations my friends and peers. To be able to collaborate with some of these people is a dream come true.

After you wrap up the few remaining shows, your brand is going to swing over to Ibiza for a series of events at Space, alongside other gigs spread out. The lineup you’re bringing out is solid. What are you looking forward to the most?
This will be my 11th season on the island. I’ve been building the Doorly & Friends parties up over the years, but this season is going to be extra special, hosting some takeovers in the main room and sunset terrace at Space with Green Velvet, Dusky, Cajmere, Derrick Carter and Rodriguez Jr. I’m also mega excited to get back to my residency at Pikes, where I will be top and tailing the DJ Harvey Monday night parties with some very bespoke one-off hoedowns!

Aside from hosting parties and playing gigs, what are your favorite memories on the White Isle?
It’s my home for half of the year, so hard to single any out, really. But my first years on the island and playing Manumission parties will always be something that massively shaped me.

You’ve spent the last four winters living in Los Angeles. What compels you to return to the city during this time year after year?
It just pulls me in; there’s nowhere else on earth that I feel so creative. My mind opened so much since moving to L.A. A lot of my best friends are in L.A., and the weather is perpetually perfect. I mean, it rains like three days of the year! I could go on…

Can you let us in on a short list of your favorite spots to frequent while you’re hanging in L.A.?
My Vegan Gold restaurant on Sunset, my favourite “foot golf” course is in Arcadia, and anywhere along Malibu Beach.

Share some words on the mix you’ve put together for us.
As I’m actually mid-tour, I thought it would be cool to share the recording of my mix from last Saturday in New York playing at one of my favourite parties in the world, Treetops, which is at House of Yes in Brooklyn, alongside the ridiculously good Moodymann and Andres.

You’ve got a massive collab on the way with Switch. How did that record come together?
It started two years ago when Idris Elba called me, as he wanted to hang after he’d been at an awards ceremony or something in L.A. He came over to my place, and we got drunk and recorded some vocals that my friend and bandmate Tan Dem had written for him, and it came out beautifully. I played the session to Switch, and there was no way that he wasn’t going to get stuck in as well, as it was so perfect! Two years and about 100 versions later, here we are, almost ready for the world to hear the results. I’m so excited to share this passion project, as it’s more than just another club track—it’s a message as well.

What else should we be on the lookout for from you?
Also, I’ve got a collab with Marshall Jefferson dropping soon on Dirtybird, a summer EP on Cajual, a collab with Dino Lenny coming on Seth Troxlers’s Play It Say It label, and a remix for Faithless on the way!

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