In his music DJ Densen connects the “do it yourself” attitude of Hip Hop
and the rebellious spirit of Reggae. An outstanding factor in his body of work is the use of live performed and recorded instruments. The Cologne-based DJ, producer and musical autodidact on guitar & keyboard is working with a variety of respected musicians. Equipped with endless energy to generate ideas, DJ Densen is a creative spirit by nature.
In his music the driven activist takes a stand for anti-racism. This is reflected in productions as “We Need Love” by Denham Smith & Treesha. The track embodies a call for more compassion and tolerance on multiple levels. Music is a tool for DJ Densen to spread an inclusive message. Therefore, the cultural entrepreneur is not just driven to push his music career as a producer, DJ, and event organizer. For many years DJ Densen has also worked as a social worker. Knowing from own experience the positive impact music can have on teenagers, bringing those two worlds together is a matter DJ Densen is deeply passionate about. In this context he has organized several socio-musical projects for institutions such as the Goethe Institute and the Cologne-based NGO V.I.N.A e.V. His own music career started out with some turntables in a youth club of a small town in the heart of Germany. Having the possibility to create was a strong motivation for his early music career which includes several Hip Hop & Reggae band projects. After moving to Cologne and mastering the art of turntablism, the impactful message of Reggae became a more vital part of his conscious way of living & creating music. Thanks to his natural ability to connect with people around him, Densen soon became a
live and tour DJ for several Cologne-based rappers. His turntable skills, sets and gigs as a tour DJ got him to perform at major festivals like Rototom Sunsplash, Summerjam, Splash, and countless club shows in Germany. DJ Densen ́s reputation for organic productions led to collaborations with several international artists like Lutan Fyah, Royal Blu, Kenny Smyth, RC, or German rappers like Trettmann, Veedel Kaztro, and Goldroger. He recently also gained attention as a remixer for his infamous Jorja Smith bootleg that even got played on BBC.
WSTRN feat. Lila Iké - Never Leave
"I'll like to start the introduction of my songs with a nice reggae song, which is on heavy rotation for weeks now. WSTRN is more know for his songs in the Rap and RnB scene, but this tune reminds me a lot of "Skanking Sweet" by Chronixx. This one is made for car driving in the summer! While it has lots of Soul and RnB influences, this one has somehow a magical vibe and simply makes me smile. Another reason for people to see that Reggae is not dead and definitely should have it's own place in the Pop world. What's special about my first pick as well is that Lila Iké , one of the most exciting jamaican artists for some years now, got featured on this. one. Her magical voice is simply always on point. I remember sitting next to her in 2019 while she was recording a dubplate. Instant goosebumps for real!"
Bugle - Style Smile
"Style Smile is part of the Different Level Riddim selection produced by Markus Records featuring Popcaan, Kranium, Chronic Law and many more. This riddim is in my personal top 10 of all riddims in 2021. To be honest, it's all a little bit plastic and cheesy, but somehow catchy. Also a good Riddim for the clubs - that's how we like it! I choose the tune by Bugle because it was on my mind for many weeks. The lyrics are on point. It's about too many fake smiles, style smiles and not many real people. Real music!"
LOJAY feat. SARZ - MONALISA
"Okay, I didn't need to dig deep for this, but this tune has so much style. Unbelievable! On a producers point of view, it's almost scary because this song really has not that many elements in it but it's still really sophisticated. Recently I have been listening to a lot of Amapiano and this is one of the Songs that stayed on my list. The offbeats, log drums, guitar riffs and these vocals make everything great again. Baby corner, corner..."
Demarco feat. Sarkodie - For You
"I heard this song randomly in my car and it simply stucked on my mind. Definietly the most heard tune of Demarco's Album. Sarkodie flows as usual like a King and the whole Song has a crazy party vibe! Good vibes from Jamaica to Ghana."
Romain Virgo - Good Woman
"This is my brand new production. I hope that's fine. It's also my biggest! I'm so grateful for this one. Romain has been one of my favorite Reggae artists and somehow it just happend. I produced this Riddim with my bro .MLND in May 2020 and had the vision of finding a big artist for this. At first, a small selection between Dancehall and Afrobeats was planned, but in the end it turned out to be a official single on VP Records. The first time I heard the finished release, It made me so proud. Romain simply gave his all on this and the journey just started!