LISTEN: Denis Sulta Releases New LP
Adorned in heavy eye make-up and fluorescent nail polish, Denis Sulta’s latest project showcases his evolution…
On Mon 11th March 2019, Hector Barbour, more commonly known as Denis Sulta, earned my undying respect. I can tell you the exact moment too. The clock had just struck 6 pm at Pitch Music & Arts, I was 4 UDLs deep, and magic was in the air. I watched on as one bleach-blonde-haired and bright-eyed Sulta, perched behind the decks of the gargantuan main stage for the festival’s closing set dropped the iconic track ‘I Remember’ by deadmau5 & Kaskade. Holy shit. Thousands of punters sang in unison the lyrics that 16-year old me listened to on my Sony Walkman for hours on end, “hold to the time that you know, you don't have to move on to let go”.
Playing to a sea of punters, whose sonic palette favours vinyl-only limited pressings and underground, almost impossible to find tracks (hey, no judgement), it was refreshing to see a closing set packed to the brim with cheesy hits. Following in the footsteps of previous festival closers CC:Disco! and Motor City Drum Ensemble, Denis Sulta ditched the rulebook which dictates ‘thou shalt not play mainstream bangers’. His set oozed with a sense of authentic confidence throughout, ultimately saying ‘who fuckin cares, just enjoy the music’.
‘This record for me is about being okay with the fact that, like, I might have shellac on my nails but I'll terrify the fuck out of the biggest, scariest, techno bro… That's how I like to go out, like to look, and that's cool’ - Denis Sulta, Red Bull Music Interview’
Denis Sulta shares the same sentiment throughout his creative pursuits, his latest extended EP ‘Aye Spoake Te Sumwuhn & They Listenhd’ being no exception. Sulta’s ongoing struggle with mental health has certainly been no secret. An insightful 2018 interview with Mixmag delved into the depression he slipped into during his youth, and how he learned to cope with this. Recently, DJ Mag’s recent article discussing mental health within the industry used Denis Sulta as an inadvertent ambassador. The music industries struggle with mental health, identity, and fame, primarily built upon the foundation of late nights at clubs and party culture, seems to be an inevitable equation. But Denis Sulta’s relationship with identity, mental health, and acceptance seems to be steering more and more in a positive direction, with his music following in suit.
‘Aye Spoake Te Sumwuhn & They Listenhd’ – that’s me talking to myself. The record is about listening to who it is that you are.’ - Denis Sulta
From the opening track ‘In~Narito’, filled with minimal hard-hitting percussion and soft dreamy synthesizers, through to tracks ‘It’s Tough, But Not As Much As The Dream Is Worth’ which are more guttural, gritty, and brooding, the entire project is quintessentially Sulta. Strewn with titles that allude to thoughtful, personal insights into his own life, the 8-track project maintains the cheeky Glaswegian’s club-ready elements we’ve come to love Sulta for. Large, dance-floor ready and infectious productions that demand your attention. If you’re thirstin’ for some new belters to listen to at pre-drinks, and we mean tracks which also doubles as political anthems for self-acceptance and embracing identity, ‘Aye Spoake Te Sumwuhn & They Listenhd’ is for you.
Oh, here are some beautiful parting words to remember Sulta by: ‘My mother said to me one day, remember that it’s not about you. There might be people there saving up for a year to see you play because they like your shit. Imagine if that was you’. The honourability of his intentions is the purest thing. If dropping deadmau5 at Pitch Music & Arts didn’t quite win you over to team Sulta, then this album might just do the trick.
