Dixon
Few artists walk the line between past and future as well as Dixon.
As a DJ, he cuts a striking figure behind decks, rising from Berlin beginnings among the original pioneers of electronic music. Over a career, he has evolved his sound into something visionary, running renowned record label Innervisions with Frank Wiedemann and Kristian Rädle of Ȃme. His ear for the perfect mix eventually brought down Resident Advisor’s Top DJs Poll, after taking out first place for its last four years running. However, Dixon’s ambition has driven a calling into wider fields of fashion and technology, expanding what it means to be a contemporary innovator.
Early on, a young Dixon was already remixing for the likes of Femi Kuti with his version of “Victim of Life” in 2000. His reputation as a remixer sprung out of edits hidden within his sets, adjusting tracks to give his own mixing an edge. Dixon’s edits were for himself, but became infamously in demand for friends and high profile artists, with takes on The XX’s “Tides” and Disclosure’s “Boiling” in 2013. Major recognition came in 2017 when Depeche Mode asked him to remix their iconic anthem “Cover Me”, and the following year reworking LCD Soundsystem’s “i used to”. Recently, Dixon’s 2019 interpretation of Kelsey Lu’s “Why Knock For You” revealed his genre-bending take on today’s dance music.
Translating this view into running Innervisions earned success from creating constellations within the label’s universe. To distribute their carefully crafted sound, Muting The Noise came to be in 2010. Dixon remains key in their music selection, always saving unreleased tracks to bump his own sets above the rest. Throwing parties from Innervisions’ essence led to Lost In A Moment forming as an events agency. Leaving no trace behind, offbeat locations are prioritised as the backdrop for the label’s otherworldly showcases. To gather other like-minded artists, a booking agency Temporary Secretary was born in 2017, where Dixon still sits among an impressive roster of talent.
However, his holistic interest in nightlife culture meant pushing the clubbing envelope further. In 2017, he co-founded fashion label Together We Dance Alone, with its creative director Ana Ofak. The brand’s vision translates clubwear into the digital age and gazes at a future melded with machines. All designs are co-created with collaborators and friends in unique capsule drops, linked by the core concept of layering. Dixon’s fashion conscience has since synced up with some of the best in the industry. He was asked to provide soundtracks for four seasons of Riccardo Tisci’s Givenchy runway shows and in 2018 was handpicked as a muse for Virgil Abloh’s first season of Louis Vuitton’s Men’s.
In 2018 Dixon even caught the eye of video game giant Rockstar. A 3D-mapped Dixon mixed his way into the Grand Theft Auto V 2018 expansion pack GTA Online: After Hours. Sparking his interest in the digital, he became the first of four DJs to enter virtual reality for players to choose as a soundtrack to their online nightclub.
With these projects building up a layered approach to clubbing, Dixon set to work on his technology platform Transmoderna i n 2019. Its concept co-exists as a physical and digital space for music, art, fashion, technology and club culture to overlap. Now, as an established sphere for creatives of mixed disciplines, Transmoderna has moved its Ibiza event space from Pacha Ibiza to DC-10. Amidst COVID-19, Transmoderna’s online persona expanded with an immersive mixed reality stream for Boiler Room, with Dixon now set to take the venture even further into undefined club territory online.
Using music to melt through other art forms, Dixon’s strength is found in his transcendent dance floor moments. Echoed in a flawless aesthetic, his performances feel both safe and unpredictable, with this singular sense of balance seeing his global appeal widen year after year.
