Oliver James is one of the hottest things to hit the recent London club scene, and hails from the northern musical hotbed of Manchester, UK. He draws a great deal of inspiration from the city’s dance music golden era of the 1980s and 1990s, which was embodied by Factory Records and the Haçienda nightclub.

When Oliver discovered electronic music, Manchester’s club scene had already become legendary, and so what could be a better backdrop for his insatiable quest to find the best tracks? He also quickly discovered the dance music pioneers from elsewhere in the UK, finding a particular fondness for the works of Digweed, Sasha, Orbital, Chemical Brothers and Underworld.

Experiencing his first ever live electronic performance by none other than The Prodigy (and losing his glasses in the process!) cemented his faith in the dance music phenomenon, and from that point he never looked back.

Fast-forwarding to 2002, we find Oliver James moving to the Capital and jeopardising his student loan by investing in his first pair of Technics, which provide the much-needed output for his passion and soon-to-be-discovered natural gift for DJing. The end result was a series of crowd-pleasing live sets around London venues, as well a home-baked mixes which showcase his skilful and eclectic ear. After experimenting with breaks and house he finds his strongest connection to the melodic progressive house and trance of the era, from artists like James Holden and Sasha.

In 2005, he enters the UK Daily Telegraph Student DJ competition, where he reaches the national final and drops musical bombs on the world-renowned main room of Ministry of Sound in London, landing himself 2nd place in the process. He was the only entrant in the competition to mix entirely from CD decks, which demonstrated a bourgeoning interest in the latest DJ technology.

In December 2006, alongside Marcus Robson and Jon Passey, Oliver creates one of the top DJ groups in London – Nuestra Casa - who strive to bring the sexy sound of deep and progressive house to the Capital’s dance floors.

Their nights, the first of which was held in the modest surroundings of Juno Bar in Shoreditch, instantly send ripples across the London house scene. In January 2008, Oliver joined forces with fellow Nuestra Casa resident Cosmique and delivered an unforgettable set at T2 in Turnmills, after which they realised how much they have in common in terms of music taste, DJ style and passion. At this point they decided to utilise their combined skills to play together, creating a unique double act, which has proved to be a great success on the club circuit since then.

Whether he is DJing alone or with Cosmique, Oliver James hopes to continue to push Nuestra Casa towards its long-term goal of becoming the premier house club night in the world. And with Nuestra Casa’s 2011 sell out London Boat Party featuring house music legend Desyn Masiello proving to be a huge success, it looks like they are well on their way to achieving it.

www.nuestra-casa.co.uk