Dave Seaman has packed in a fair bit during his four decades in the acid house trenches. Editing clubbing bible Mixmag at the tender age of 18; approaching one hundred countries rocked as a globe-trotting DJ; curating more than a dozen seminal mix compilations; helming three influential record labels; and sharing studios with such luminaries as Kylie and the Pet Shop Boys.
…there was one itch left to scratch. His own artist album. And now, at long last, it has arrived – a sultry, shimmering beauty, a career milestone, ‘Mirrorball Sleaze’ is finally released on his own Selador Recordings imprint on 13th November in both digital and physical (vinyl/CD) formats.
The album is a heady mix of both new and old recordings, all created, revised and / or re-purposed especially for this project, with Dave determined to fight back against our current “here, today, gone tomorrow culture”. The resulting assemblage represents the best of his sprawling oeuvre, joining the dots between some of his most celebrated past glories right up to the present day, where he remains on the frontline of club culture.
From the opening, intricate electronica of ‘Loco Hermoso’, a collaboration with Argentina’s DJ Paul (AR) the scene is set for a magic carpet ride through the more refined reaches of electronic club music.
Contemporary Tribal and Melodic House flavours emerge throughout the expertly crafted ‘Thonk! and ‘Rapscallion’s Revenge’ before the title track arrives in all its majestic beat-free glory – brooding, euphoric and achingly beautiful in equal measure.
Dave’s love affair with the haunting vocal refrain from The Ananda Project’s ‘Cascades of Colour’ has lasted for a quarter of a century, and now that inescapable vocal hook is back, via a deep, breaks-driven, spellbinding version of ‘Nightfalls’.
For ‘Rockets & Rainbows’, Dave enlists recurrent studio partner Quivver and invites Brianna Price to take on vocal duties on an organically enriched incarnation of the cut which originally appeared on Steve Bug’s Poker Flat imprint. “I love that deep, dirty chugging vibe – this is a good example of what I consider to be Mirrorball Sleaze.”
Thomas Gandey joins the fray with a characteristically idiosyncratic guest vocal performance on the low-slung Indie Electronica of ‘Heavyweight Residue’ before the album’s most dancefloor-targeted segment ensues in the shape of the evergreen ‘Everything Comes in Threes’and the seismic, soul-stirring vocal cut ‘Promise You’, in tandem with AIKON.
One of the album’s standouts is Seaman’s new rework of Poloroid’s ‘So Damn Beautiful’. Dave first heard Danielle Rowe’s dulcet tones wrapped around the infectious title hook when it took centre stage on his lauded Global Underground 12: Buenos Aires set. Now newly re-energised to place it at the heart of the 2026 soundscape, Dave dubs it “a cinematic orchestral opus.”
Closing the album is ‘Under the Knowledge’, which sees two of Dave’s most celebrated collaborations joined at the hip. “It’s the collab with my Selador partner Steve Parry and vocalist Yulanda as Nunchi Coup, ‘Under the Scars’ and my collab with Hernan Cattaneo, ‘Napkin Knowledge’ morphed together. It’s a perfect closing track.”
“I wanted to shine fresh light on these tracks which I’m very proud of and really think stand the test of time,” concludes Dave. “I was also keen for people to be able to digest it as a carefully curated full album package, a true listening experience. More than anything, I hope people enjoy it!” Mission accomplished.
