Jerome Sydenham

Jerome Sydenham
Background information
Also known as Casino J, Downtown Brooklyn Inc
Born 1967
Genres House, Techno
Occupation(s) Musician, dj, music producer, label owner
Years active 1989–present
Labels Ibadan, Apotek, Avocado, Midnight Shift, Public Service, UK Promotions
Associated acts Afro Elements, DCA Project, Ferrer & Sydenham Inc, Dennis Ferrer, Kerri Chandler, Lagos Nagoya Players Association, Nagano Kitchen, Saudacao Aos Orixas, The Songstress
Website www.jeromesydenham.com

Jerome Sydenham (born 1967, Ibadan, Nigeria) is an accomplished electronic music producer, DJ and multi-record label owner known for establishing a Pan-African Electro direction within the House and Techno genres. His music expertise spans the business—with award-winning A&R experience at Atlantic Records—as well as in production and performance with multiple chart-topping releases and his DJ bookings in steady, high demand.[1]

Born and raised in Ibadan, Nigeria, Jerome Sydenham was schooled in his teens in England before migrating to New York City in the early 80's to further his music interests with his family there.[2] He is now based in Berlin, Germany running a stable of record labels including Ibadan Records as well as actively touring as a DJ and producing music. His flagship imprint label Ibadan Records celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2015.

Following what has been an illustrious record career, Jerome Sydenham released a much-anticipated album 'Animal Social Club' on Ibadan Records in the European summer of 2012, followed by a co-production project with Aybee and Ron Trent under the artist name S.A.T. which saw a release of an album of the same name in 2014 to acclaimed reviews.

A&R Background

Jerome Sydenham was recruited into the prestigious A&R division of Atlantic Records in 1989. In five years, he was able to hone his business skills in a major label environment, lending A&R direction to artists such as En Vogue, LeVert, Simply Red and Das EFX, attaining Gold and Platinum certifications.

In 1994, while at East West Records, owned by Warner Music Group, his underground dance music interests continued to run in tangent with his commercial A&R work as he largely succeeded in crossing dance over to the mainstream with albums by Ten City and Michael Watford. During this time, he also compiled one of the most significant representations of early 90's deep house with his "Underground Dance Classics Vol. 1" CD showcasing some of the earliest productions from a young Roger Sanchez, Murk and Pal Joey. It was there where he also met Kerri Chandler, releasing one of his records on Atlantic in 1990. The two would continue to be close friends and collaborators later in life along with Dennis Ferrer and Joe Claussell.[3]

Music career

Jerome Sydenham landed his first DJ residency at the legendary New York hot spot Nell's in 1987, which featured cutting-edge DJs such as Miss Kier from Deee-Lite. He passed a demo cassette to the venue and got a call to play when another DJ cancelled. Jerome Sydenham continued to play there for four years. As a DJ, he is known for his seemingly effortless ability to blend between genres of electronic music. His DJ sets veer from deep, intricate, chugging Techno, to jackin' Tech-house, into huge anthemic House moments in the classic vein. By 1995, his DJ career went international while touring with Joe Claussell and Kerri Chandler.

That landmark year of his career, Jerome Sydenham also founded the Ibadan Records label and by 2000, his imprint was known for pioneering a fresh Tech-house sound with co-producer Dennis Ferrer. The series led to a string of current club hits including hot releases such as "Timbuktu", "Stockholm Go Bang!" and the crossover hit, "Sandcastles". In 2006, Sydenham followed up with two monumental remixes "He Is" and Julian Jabre's "Swimming Places", establishing a reputation for beautiful, emotive deep house tracks. He is also known for sharing Dennis Ferrer's love for hypnotic, soulful, sexy Techno – bringing an undeniable warmth to an often emotionally cold genre of music. Other notable releases include collaborations with Get Physical's Swedish talent Tiger Stripes and their hugely acclaimed "Elevation" as well as their joyous remix of Faze Action's classic "In The Trees". Ibadan Records continues to be one of the most respected labels in its genre today, relied on for its consistent quality and relevancy in the ever-evolving scene of dance music.

Sydenham's desire to push the creative envelope took him into the world of Techno with the hit Asama, with which he launched the German-based label Apotek Records. The year 2007 also saw the initiation of a new label collaboration, Avocado Records, established in Denmark with heavy weight producer Rune RK with the monster track "Elephant".

Riding this wave of momentum, Jerome continued to craft a series of remixes such as Carl Craig’s ‘Angel’ on Planet E, Adam Beyer & Joel Mull ‘Forming Dies’ on Drumcode, and another for Planetary Assault Systems ‘GT’ (Function & Jerome Sydenham Remix) on Mote Evolver. Even with all this success in Techno, Jerome never forgot his roots, as represented by his Kerri Chandler-esque ‘Flora Cruz’ hit remix in 2009. Collaboratively, he’s been as active as ever remixing Dennis Ferrer’s ‘The Red Room’ with The Martinez Brothers on Ferrer’s Objektivity. Ibadan’s 100th release ‘White Light’ co-produced with another NYC Techno veteran, Function, has been one of the label’s most sought-after contemporary release.

A&R Achievements

Jerome Sydenham received the follow Gold and Platinum records during his A&R involvement at Atlantic Records and East West Records:

Gold Records

Platinum records

Label Management

Jerome Sydenham and his label, Ibadan Records, managed together with Christine Pedersen, is principal to several labels including:

Selected Discography

Ibadan Records EPs

Apotek EPs

Avocado EPs

UK Promotion EPs

Other Recent Releases

Selected Remixes

DJ Mixes/Compilations

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Biography of Jerome Sydenham". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  2. ↑ "Jerome Sydenham – True to His Roots Interview". soso magazine. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  3. ↑ "Jerome Sydenham: Whatever makes you happy Interview". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 28 April 2012.

External links

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