441 Sean McCabe

Bristol-based producer Sean McCabe has amassed an impressive discography, delivering inspired releases and reworks for the likes of Local Talk, Z Records, Strictly Rhythm, Room Control, Tribe, Quantize and his own label Good Vibrations Music. Releasing his first tracks in 2003, he has fine-tuned a trademark sound that is effortlessly soulful and definitely house.

A quick listen to any of his productions or DJ sets will confirm this emotion-rich aesthetic. Constantly learning and evolving, taking his sound in different directions, McCabe admits to a love of vintage synthesizers – picked up from listening to classic New York boogie and ‘80s soul.

“I always like to play a mix of styles in a set to keep it interesting and represent the different styles that I like. I selected about 50 tracks that I felt like playing, to give me options, some recently released and some forthcoming. I made up the structure as I went along based on how I felt in the moment. It starts with a blend of soulful songs and funky/jazzy grooves, then delves into deeper driving tracks to build some anticipation, like a crescendo of some sort, then relieve the tension with music that has a resolving feel to it and end with some broken beat and jazzy ear candy. I think this is typical of how I try to programme my mixes. Like a very long chord progression or song structure; set mood, build tension, resolve, home, then repeat. I also like to make sure I don’t play too many vocals or dubs/instrumentals in a row. So I try to keep it varied in that respect too.” – Sean McCabe