James Zabiela follows up his Masters Series mix for Renaissance with his new Darkness EP set to drop on April 13. First up on the three-tracker is Darkness By Design, a track which has had messageboards going nuts since James started roadtesting it at gigs. It’s also the result of James first viewing of the Joy Division biopic Control. “I was really inspired by the film,” he says. “My iPod is filled with Joy Division, Depeche Mode and Nirvana and I just wondered if I could put some of those elements into my own track. It was basically an experiment to see if I could pull it off. I surprised myself, but was further taken aback by the reaction it got on the dancefloor. Even then, I still had no plans to release it, but after I put it on my MySpace I had a load of messages asking when it was due out – I had no option but to change my mind.” After completing the track, James went into production mode for the Masters Series, but he hit a snag… “Try as I may to work it in, Darkness By Design just didn’t fit with the general feel of the mix. So with a bit of time in hand I decided to remix it myself, and Darkness.2 was born.” And that now forms the second of the tracks on this EP. The package is rounded off by Luke Dzierzek’s remix of Perseverance.
Darkness EP is out on Renaissance on April 13. Visit www.jameszabiela.com and www.renaissance.com
