Omid is more terse in his response.
“Let’s put it this way, you’re not even heard me playing the vinyl rips off the CD, good few hours!” Omid cackles Thus, the three were formed into SOS,
allowed to film Deadmau5’s hands. There and they’ve actually said, ‘I’ve never mischievously. Demi met the two later, The Collective, and set about combining
is a reason for that!” heard it sound that good!’ I think that’s when he became a regular fixture at other their individual strengths into a towering
because a mastered piece of wax copied to parties where they began to play together. musical triptych. With each of their ears
While they see Ableton as a great tool for CD still has the same mastered quality. “Demi used to come down with his finely tuned to certain flavours, they
production (it was used for editing the Digital’s not all that bad, a lot of it’s just girlfriend who was also a DJ. Des went to realised that they could bring each of
mixes after they’d been recorded), when unmastered.” me, ‘That’s that guy I told you about’. their tastes to bear and create a more
it comes to playing out, they’re CDJ Demi would stand in front of the decks all potent concoction as a trio.
stalwarts, and even insist on dropping a night, trainspotting everything almost! “It’s like a meal you’re cooking, you bring
little vinyl into the mix from time to time. Connection Before we knew it, we’d end up in the in the different ingredients,” Demi says.
In fact, Desyn points out, if you’re not Demi, Desyn and Omid have been friends same parties together. He used to fall All that remained, then, was for the trio
playing vinyl at all, then you’re missing as well as work colleagues for many years asleep a lot at parties and we used to muck to invent an appellation for themselves.
out on some hidden gems and neglecting and that shows in their ease around each around with him quite a bit,” Omid grins. SOS seemed like an appropriate name —
your duty as a true DJ. other — and in the constant joking, “It wasn’t long after that we thought, a fusion of Omid and Demi’s label names,
“Vinyl is still a source of music that you joshing and taking the piss that makes ‘This guy’s so lovable, man’. There was an Sexonwax and Deeper Substance,
can’t buy anywhere else. There’s a lot of being around them a lot of fun. Desyn and energy about him, that Des and I had, but became Sex On Substance.
music that only comes out on vinyl, Omid met 18 years back at a party, hit it we weren’t as naïve about it. We all had “It sounds pretty bad!” grins Omid. “But
especially bootlegs,” he reflects off, and have been tight ever since. our own technique of playing, and it just it also stands out, you see it everywhere,
“We play it at Ministry, quite a lot, because “Des was DJing at this party and I brought felt right. We’d been in groups together emergency signs!”
they’ve got decks. There’s a big debate some records to play, but he was doing before but nothing gelled together the Demi continues: “It’s a global entity.
about vinyl versus digital, but I’ve been such a good job I just left all my records. same way. That became something We’ve all toured pretty much all four
copying it to CD for eight years now, and He disappeared actually at one point in accidental, we were friends long before corners of the Earth so it is relevant.”
I’ve gone into clubs where people have the night — I won’t say for what — for a the parties started.” Indeed, it’s not just their melting pot of
ethnicities that makes SOS such an
atlas-spanning act. To say they’re
globetrotters is an understatement —
fast-forward to now and they’re a regular
fixture in the best clubs across Australia,
South America and Asia; but their
favourite place to play outside the UK is
currently Japan.
“We had a very special night at Ageha in
Tokyo, Demi remembers. “It was pretty
spectacular, it was the benchmark. As far
as a club space and the sound, it’s the
blueprint of what everyone should
follow.”
Throughout 2010, they’ve plans to step
the SOS DJ sets up to the next level,
incorporating live instruments and
blurring the boundaries between DJing
and live performance.
“The idea is to mix DJing with live
material. We’re using more instruments,
not being a traditional band, but making
it a bit more interesting for the crowd to
watch. It could be something quite
exciting!” Omid notes, and mentions that
his label Sexonwax is due to be
re-launched with a series of new tracks
from him, as well as upcoming artists Da
Billa and fresh Macedonian producer
Latenta Project. His original label Alola
has been brought out of cryogenic
storage too, and re-releases of his classic
albums and singles are promised in
digital format.
We’re also one step closer to seeing that
much-mooted, and anticipated, SOS
artist album.
“I don’t think that SOS should keep doing
mix compilations. We’re a bit more
adventurous than that. An artist album is
the next stage, but it has to happen
naturally,” Omid ponders.
Meanwhile, Demi signs off with a pearl of
wisdom.
“We don’t talk about the future that
much,” he says. “There’s a chaotic
element to the group — and we like that
chaos!”
028
www.djmag.com
DJ481.SOS feature.indd 28 11/12/09 13:30:15
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