Boiler Room: Folamour, Streaming From Isolation, May 9, 2020 (DJ Mix)

Boiler Room: Folamour, Streaming From Isolation, May 9, 2020 (DJ Mix)

Folamour discovered funk and soul the way many diggers do: through the hip-hop he listened to as a teenager. As he traced his favorite records’ samples back to their sources, he quickly became obsessed, he told Boiler Room Radio: Funk and soul were “exactly the kind of music I wanted to listen to when I partied.” In the years since, the French DJ has built a formidable reputation for both his deep crates and his impeccable timing. That might mean opening with an obscure Afrobeat 7-inch to whet dancers’ appetites—or dropping ABBA’s “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!” for a jumping festival crowd in the middle of the afternoon, delivering exactly what they wanted before they even realized it. When Folamour played Boiler Room’s Streaming From Isolation series from his home in France in May 2020, he used the unusual context as an opportunity to take risks. “Knowing that I didn’t have an audience in front of me let me feel more free,” he said. “I just focused on a set that would make people dance in their living room and make them happy.” The resulting lockdown special was just the thing for cooped-up listeners, with plenty of upbeat funk and disco to inspire involuntary shut-ins desperately in need of dancing. The set—a feast of silky, soulful cuts from artists like Bunny Sigler, Peaches & Herb, and Mystique—remains just as inspiring for posterity, thanks in no small part to Folamour’s deft touch on the consoles. The opposite of a flashy mixer, he makes do with the occasional EQ cut now and then, directing his focus on the all-important priorities of selection and sequencing. Folamour’s passion and generosity are apparent in every blend, making this Boiler Room set a proven day brightener under any circumstances.

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