Lee van Dowski (CH)

There’s a certain implicit class and exuberance in the name Lee Van Dowski that carries over to the French - born, Geneva - based artist’s music. It is music couched in techno but with plenty of human soul; with an inviting rhythm that works its way not only under your skin, but into your deepest feelings. At times dark, at times stripped back, and always unique, Lee’s music has come on lauded labels like Luciano’s Cadenza as well as Wagon Repair, Soma, Rekids, BPitch Control and Dumb Unit, but nowadays he is most closely associated to the Mobilee family. Raised on rock and hip - hop, complete with an obligatory attempt to learn guitar followed by short - lived bands with schoolmates, Lee was the beneficiary of his stepfather's eclectic musical tastes. It spanned classical, jazz, funk, rock and even mosque concrete and academic electronic music. "I was fascinated by the metallic sleeves and their geometrical designs," he remembers, suggesting a possible source for the shimmering timbres and clever vectors of his own music. That deep rooted and far reaching social education surely accounts for Lee’s success as a DJ today. He's a regular fixture at some of the world's most celebrated nightclubs, including Panorama Bar, Goa, Rex Club, D Edge, The Arches, but is equally celebrated for his abilities to work dancefloors during the freaky afters. As the boss of two labels — Num, alongside Quenum, and 60Sec, with Agnès — he's released dozens of records and has helped to define the house and techno ze itgeist because of it. 2014 will see Lee make his mark once again in terms of production, this time on the Intacto label. The year has also seen Lee team up with Dean Demanuele with fruitful and frequently captivating results, with lots more to come. Having spent the last decade establishing himself and his sound,now Lee Van Dowski is moving in exciting new directions that keep him at the very top of the pile.