TuneLab
DJ Maseo (De La Soul)
Boiler Room London DJ Set
DJ Maseo of De La Soul presiding over a Boiler Room London set is a history lesson delivered with flawless taste and effortless swagger, a reminder that the original selectors operated on feel, not waveforms. The vibe is pure, unadulterated joy—a room full of people singing along to every word of classics they didn’t realise they knew all the words to. This is a masterfully curated soul, funk, and disco journey, rolling at a perfectly paced average of 110 BPM and bathed in the uplifting, classic key of 12A. The energy is all about that warm, inviting low-end (0.64) and soulful mid-range (0.32), creating a sound that’s rich, smooth, and impossible not to move to.
Maseo’s mixing is old-school and musical, using quick cuts and seamless blends that respect the song structure, letting the vocals and musicianship shine. The tracklist is a dream. Opening with Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway’s ‘Back Together Again’ is a masterstroke of emotional resonance. He weaves in Marvin Gaye’s eternal ‘What’s Going On’ in multiple versions, a poignant anchor.
Sly & The Family Stone’s ‘Runnin’ Away’ brings psychedelic funk, while Disco Tech’s ‘Walk On’ is a lesser-known boogie gem. Teena Marie’s ‘I Need Your Lovin’’ is a powerhouse vocal moment, and George Benson’s ‘Give Me the Night’ is a slick, jazz-funk finale in all its 6-minute glory. The journey starts with that flawless Flack/Hathaway duet, hits an emotional peak with the Marvin Gaye anthem, and comes full circle, closing with another version of ‘Back Together Again’. It’s a set that feels like home.