Luke Fair’s Top 5 All-Time Luke Fair Promos
By barney :: Saturday, December 26th, 2009
Not many can say they’ve done what they love for a living for as long as Luke Fair has been a DJ. He’s definitely been on an incredible run throughout the past decade. In that time, as many have veered off their initial path in either search of success or because of it, Luke has remained a steady force in front of the dance floor, spinning the tunes HE digs the most.
With three successful compilations to his name (In House We Trust 3 [Yoshitoshi], Original Series: OS_0.3 [Bedrock] and Balance 011 [EQ]), a super impressive production resume, and a gigging schedule on par with most full time musicians in the world today, it’s safe to say the Luke Fair story, is one of success. He’s one of the originators of our little niche and remains one of its leaders. Right now his style may not be the most popular in the biz, but Luke’s one of the few that can say it’s his.
To us, he’s an underground legend, and in large part that can be credited to his seemingly infinite number of promo and live mixes. With an inordinate amount of space dedicated to his music, it would be impossible for us to choose only our favourite five. So to commemorate our first ever New Year’s Eve with Luke in town, we’ve past the task onto him.
Here, in chronological order, is Luke Fair’s Top 5 All-Time Luke Fair Promos. For the long standing fans, prepare for a funky melodic trip down memory lane. For the new crew, here’s what you’ll be pissed you missed.
The legend began with the Spring Promo; a mix of a lot of firsts for us as well as Luke. This was the first of many promo sets we sent to Mercuryserver to include in their Special Downloads section. MS has since grown to be the top messageboard for anything progressive house and we like to think Luke has had a big hand in putting them on the map. The mix was also timed for release around bringthebeats’ first trip to the WMC. As you can tell by the summery vibe, it was the perfect sound for South Beach.
“My first proper studio mix and the one that really gave me a boost. Some very special tracks in that one that are attached to some great memories.”
Download (left-click and unzip):
Luke Fair – Spring Promo Mix – March 2004
It’s funny; this live set from Villa Gesell in Argentina is one that we always kind of resented a bit. But in the end we soooo appreciate what it represents. Earlier that holiday season Luke played a stellar Boxing Day event at Footwork, a party none of us will ever forget for its killer energy and Luke’s mastery at using it to enhance his own performance. We begged and pleaded for him to release that set, but when this Argentinean gig game around, he decided this was the one he needed to put out… and understandably so.
“A crazy night with my crazy friends from crazy Argentina. Great times before, during and after the club.”
Download (left-click and unzip):
Luke Fair – Live @ Villa Gesell, Argentina – January 17, 2006 – 01
Luke Fair – Live @ Villa Gesell, Argentina – January 17, 2006 – 02
Luke Fair – Live @ Villa Gesell, Argentina – January 17, 2006 – 03
I honestly can’t think of a set of Luke’s that better represents what he can do to a dance floor on a consistent basis. This was the time when our scene was ruling the roost on this side of the pond and in much of the world for that matter. Luke had tons of groovy, melodic gems AND big dirty, digital bombs at his disposal. For me personally, this was about the end of my long, extended nights on the dance floor. I’m not sure if this is because I became more entrenched in promotions or if it’s because the nights just don’t sound this hardcore anymore.
“The night wasn’t packed by any means, but the people that were there made it a great night. The mix turned out much better than I expected when I heard it after.”
Download (left-click and unzip):
Luke Fair – Club Seven – Barranquilla, Colombia – Dec. 28, 2007 – 01
Luke Fair – Club Seven – Barranquilla, Colombia – Dec. 28, 2007 – 02
This mix was made to support bringthebeats’ last trip to the WMC. To this day we still have pressed copies we use to lure newcomers into what’s going down in our underground. Again, a promo tailor made for the sexiness of South Beach and one that turned out to be very accessible to a mainstream audience.
“I hadn’t released a mix in ages, so it was due! I was really happy with how it turned out.”
Download (left-click and unzip):
Luke Fair – bringthebeats – March 2008
Of course we have to end with something fresh, because we’re all still proponents that the music itself continues to get better and better as the years pass by. It’s inevitable that funky, groovy, emotional house will soon return to the foreground, and when it does, artists like Luke who have held their ground and stayed true to their sound, will continue to rise in the ranks. And the new breed’s like the ‘Out To Lunch boys who hosted this mix and have used Luke’s talent as inspiration for their own, will be the ones to watch out for while we bring our scene back to prominence.
“One of my personal favourites, beginning to end.”
Download (left-click and unzip):
Luke Fair – Bed and Breakfast on Proton Radio – November 12, 2009
December 27th, 2009 at 3:51 am
Isn’t that second picture from the Nerve Bedrock party?
December 27th, 2009 at 12:35 pm
This is a fantastic read and, obviously, listen too. What memories and what an ascension (yeah, thats right I went mystical theological with our boy Luke) for Mr. Fair.
Couldn’t be more proud of him and honored to join him on his journey. Thanks for an awesome memory lane guys.
December 28th, 2009 at 9:18 am
Nope Mode, that’s at Cafeteria for the Balance Party. The Nerve party was in ‘04. Luke didn’t have facial hair back then… LOL!!
December 28th, 2009 at 4:05 pm
Nerve’s DJ booth was raised so it couldn’t have been there. That pic was at cafeteria.. that place was tiny and yet there were so many amazing parties there during conference.
I wish I could be there for the NYE party with all of you guys. Sadly, I’m actually gonna be stuck in Indiana studying for more stupid exams.
Enjoy the party and make sure to record the set!!!
p.s. I still haven’t been able to download a single one of Luke’s sets. I guess everyone is trying to remember the best that Luke has put out in the past decade.. Hopefully the next decade will be just as good or better!
December 28th, 2009 at 6:45 pm
Robert you slacker. Are you makin it to WMC this year? It’s a big ole’ reunion.
December 30th, 2009 at 7:56 pm
spring promo 04 still in my car! gives me goosebumps still lol!!!
January 2nd, 2010 at 12:37 am
I thought that after Neil’s set last Saturday there would not be a set that would surpass this year’s expectations in terms of quality. Well, the old saying that the tomorrow brings a better future might as well apply to this case scenario.
I’m still a little bit in state of awe after Luke’s set on NYE. What a musical treat. In retrospective, the entire experience was awesome. As usual, women were dressed to kill and also talkative, although the Canuck girl policy of ‘No effin’ around’ was implemented in full effect. That is ,
” If you are gonna bark, you better go to the playground”. And rightly so.
Leaving gender dynamics aside, let’s get to the musical experience. After having seen Luke on several occasions, this has been by far the best experience. He did a good job in bringing out a different facet that I had not seen before. Simply put, I’m familiarised with Luke’s funkier sound, and that, indeed, is what he is most known for.
However, one of the reasons why this guy still has steadily increased his status throughout the years is due to the versatility that he injects to his sets. This time he brought a more deep and melodic tone to the journey. Some would call it twisted. But it was really twisted? Not at all. That was progressive in its purest form. O, What metaphors Luke threw down! That was progressive in its essence, forward-looking change advocacy, whether social, cultural, political, or even artistic.
Overall, the party was a total success. The room had the fittest size. The crowd was really well-behaved. No drunkards or problems of any sort. Is it a dream? No, it’s not. This proves, once again, that the interest is not fixated in how $$$$ can we get out of this, but rather, in how can we improve in order to provide a better experience to the attendee while enhancing btb’s reputation. At this point, lads and gents, the ball is on btb’s side. Get it rolling a couple more times.
January 6th, 2010 at 5:08 pm
Uhm, someone forgot to pay Luke’s website host… his website has been suspended. DOH!
January 7th, 2010 at 12:36 am
I would definitely agree with those Argentina sets! By far, those are some of my most loved and listened to still to date. BIG UPS Luke (and Gregor) as always for pumping out another fine year of incredible timely mixes. You never cease to amaze. So wish I could have been on that side of the globe for the epic NYE!!
February 9th, 2010 at 2:03 pm
i still hear the spring 2004 promo mix