James “DFA” Murphy
DFA / LCD Soundsystem
vs.
Tim “PYT” Sweeney
Beats in Space
the Panther Room
Mike Simonetti
Pale Blue
Cooper Saver
Far Away / Los Angeles
James Murphy
“Prior to starting the DFA label with production partner Tim Goldsworthy, James Murphy had played in indie rock bands — Pony, Speedking — and produced, engineered, and mixed records by Six Finger Satellite, Turing Machine, Les Savy Fav, and the pre-DFA Rapture. In addition to releasing routinely well-received material as/with LCD Soundsystem (which featured him on virtually every instrument while also juggling production, songwriting, and vocal duties), Murphy established himself as a club DJ, recognized by a volume (the 36th) in the Fabriclive mix CD series. Put together with LCD Soundsystem drummer Pat Mahoney, it was released in late 2007.” – Andy Kellman, AllMusicGuide
Tim Sweeney
Tim Sweeney and Beats in Space. The story of the man is synonymous with that of the radio show. Over the course of a decade, Sweeney has built Beats in Space into an iconic brand. In return, BIS has launched Sweeney’s career as one of New York’s most sought-after DJs.
It’s hard to believe that, ten years ago, Sweeney was an 18-year-old student at New York University, helming a little-known radio show on WNYU’s AM dial. The show started small, airing on an obscure frequency during the wee hours of the night. However, Sweeney understood the huge potential for a dance-music radio show broadcast from the heart of New York City. He envisioned a genre-breaking format, showcasing the best dance music whether disco, new wave, Chicago house, minimal techno, Krautrock, funk and soul, or post-punk found anywhere in the world, anytime in history. He took cues from groundbreaking disc jockeys like Detroit’s Electrifying Mojo, who thought nothing of following up Prince with a Kraftwerk or Depeche Mode record. Armed with this vision, Sweeney began pulling in heavy-hitting guest DJs on BIS, prompting WNYU’s producers to move him to the FM dial with increasingly prime timeslots. Sweeney quickly attracted a strong international following for the diverse range of artists and styles on his playlists. Guest artists who’ve appeared alongside him on the show range from avant-techno stylists Carl Craig and Superpitcher, to Australian turntablists the Avalanches, to Nordic disco producers Lindstrom and Prins Thomas.
Says Sweeney, “Since I need to do something different for each show, I’m forced to go out and discover new music every week. It can be recently released or unreleased records, or older songs that people haven’t heard before. I try to find the best music from all different genres, and then make them fit together in ways that appeal to people who might not have liked, say, disco or techno, before now. For me it’s always fun finding tracks that people don’t know about, but that sound amazing.”