- Hailing from his home town of Hastings in the UK, Danny Howells is one DJ who lives and breathes his passion for music. After being second in place to create a stunning mix for the Nubreed series, Howells is back leading the way with the new 24:7 concept, touring the world and playing to much acclaim.
I arrived at Room680 around 1am and was greeted with the sight of a packed floor, Melbourne’s own Gavin Keitel was behind the decks aptly delivering a splendid warmup set. The air was filled with electrifying anticipation, with everyone there soaking up the music and plenty of smiling faces to go around.
I took a quick peek into the Future Breaks back room. It was less crowded than the main room, with EK playing some interesting sounding breaks. Definitely more space and seats to chill out on, and easier access to drinks at the long bar counter.
1.30am, back to the main room action. Gavin Keitel was finishing up his set. Behind him, stood Danny Howells, a tall figure with tousled hair, smiling and egging the punters on with his finger waving, dancing antics and wide grin. The crowd loved it, and went wild as he finally took over the decks.
He started the set playing tracks with slow beats, phat bass lines and a hint of melody. Increasing the tempo over time, the entire room was grooving to every beat, every breakdown. Now there are DJs who just play tracks, then there are the exceptional few like Danny Howells who seem to live off his music, challenging the adage of “The tracks make the DJ”, against the DJ planning and crafting the records together like an artist, creating a whole new vibe out of plain tunes. Looking like a gleeful kid jumping around in a candy store, his passion, charm and interaction with the crowd is incredible! With his signature finger wagging and the occasional salute to his audience, I simply didn’t know who was having more fun, Danny or the crowd? Gamely posing and making funny faces for camera shots, this charming Brit certainly has got his heart in the right place with his personality and attitude, well earning him the title of “the clubber’s DJ”.
It’s hard to really classify what genre Howells was playing, for he seems to break down all boundaries, playing quality accessible, danceable music. At times progressive, at times delving into areas of tech house and techno, but always sounding fresh. An eclectic melting pot of “deepsexyfuturistictechfunkhouse”! Another observation from this reviewer is that it’s pretty impossible to do any trainspotting from this set. Danny Howells deviates from the usual predictable record selection, to unearth some lesser known gems and “B” sides.
At 3am, Danny Howells threw in “Sexonwax - Keep It Real” layered with the acapella of “Princess Superstar - Do It Like A Robot” as can be found on Disc 2 of his 24:7 album. All the while, the energy levels in the main room were kept at a constant high, the crowd cheering Howells on.
“Dibaba - Hold You (Agoria 'Bear' Remix)” was another track from his album that I recognized being played. A sudden reprise from the pounding set, this track was slower, with melodic strings breaking down midway. However, Howells urged on the dance floor with a wicked lopsided grin, stabbing his hand into the air, teasing everyone, before unleashing another tech-house barrage.
5am, the timeless classic, “Underworld – Dark and Long” was thrown in. The entire room erupted in cheer as they recognized the track. Before I knew it, it was all over way too soon, Danny Howells played slightly past his slated time of 4 hours before Sean Quinn took over at 5.45am.
Overall, it was an amazing night indeed. Seldom is the case where you get all the elements that contribute to a good gig fall into place perfectly. Danny Howells truly is an extremely talented individual, with a marvelously entertaining personality behind the decks. 4 hours of Danny is not enough, if only we should be so lucky to hear one of his marathon 10 hour sets!