Ryan Murgatroyd is starting to see the benefits of an entire lifetime consumed by, and immersed in, electronic music.
He found early success in 2004, with his first-ever release being selected as BBC Radio 1’s ‘Essential new tune’.
But shortly thereafter, took a break to focus on his South African projects, which included a chart-topping alias in the country and a string of successful music education ventures.
In 2014, after a decade long hiatus from releasing music in Europe, he returned with his first solo release, Bantwanas Piano, on Defected Records, which DJ Mag dubbed a “towering achievement in the landscape of modern house music”.
Shortly thereafter, he found a home at Berlin powerhouse Get Physical Music, where his Ikalimba EP was championed by a plethora of superstar DJs, and is still played to this day by Solomun, Adriatique, and many others
These successes found him on the coveted Boiler Room lineup in Amsterdam at the annual ADE conference, alongside his friend and countryman Black Coffee, and subsequently secured him resident spots at Mr. Coffee’s first Season at Hï Ibiza, and his residency at Shimmy Beach in Cape Town.
2017/18 saw collaborations and remixes for Lane 8, Super Flu, John Monkman and the release of the ‘Africa Gets Physical’ compilation on Get Physical. Super Flu’s remix of ‘Something Said’ reached Beatport Afro House Number 1, and Ryan’s remix of Lane 8’s ‘Stir Me Up’ accumulated over 3 million streams.
2019 was an even more powerful year for Murgatroyd. He started his record label Swoon Recordings, and his debut single ‘Wicked Eyes’ was voted Ibiza Top 10 Tracks by DJ Mag and supported by Solomun, Tale of Us and many other international artists.
Ryan brought his forward-thinking Live performance, containing only his original music, to the Mixmag Lab series, alongside Jonas Rathsman, Seth Troxler and Cassy, and shortly thereafter made his German festival debut at Fusion Fest alongside Artbat, Super Flu, and Marcus Meinhardt.
Now, heading into his most prolific creative year, a string of new releases are waiting in the wings. First up, the emotive single ‘We Go Walking’ which drops on Swoon Recordings on the 28 February, followed by his remix of rising African talent, Aero Manyelo due for release in March.
To top it off he will be headlining a series of Swoon Showcase residencies at leading venues in Cape Town, Berlin and Barcelona, and holding court on dance-floors the world over.
Gear List
Allen & Heath Xone:PX5
Akai Advance 61
Akai APC40 mk2
Akai MIDImix
