As we head into autumn, we reflect on a summer that was a bit of wash out weather wise. However, we look back on various events and parties across Brighton that showed us that 2024 seemed to be the year of returning to almost normality again in the post-COVID world. No more restrictions on events, tickets have been selling, people have been out in force enjoying themselves. From parties on the beach, to Pride, to various club nights, festivals, terrace parties and more, this has felt like Brighton was back.
Brighton's music scene has always been brimming with great artists, be that home grown, residing, or coming here to perform. The electronic scene is perhaps not as big as the live music scene, but we certainly have a history of putting on superb events that people from afar flock to.
Various local collectives have been putting on events for many years, Berlin-Brighton included, and we like to see our scene thriving especially when it comes to variety. As our scene is quite intimate, most of us know one another, especially the DJs, venue owners and promoters who have been collaborating and orchestrating events across the multiple spaces in our city. Many of us have worked together, played together, partied together, loved together, danced together.
Therefore, when something happens to someone close to us it can have a deep ripple effect not only across the DJs and the promoters but also the regular partygoers who attend our many events and performances.
Back in January was just such a moment when we lost a dear friend. A person that many of us have played with and most definitely partied and danced with. Ten months on, we have been racking our brains as to how we can preserve our friend's memory. Someone that was forever present and added something unique and special to our scene. Today would have been his birthday.
Our dear friend Gabriel Ursu departed the Brighton shores at the turn of 2024 due to a severe chest infection which escalated into pneumonia. Paramedics were too late to save him and just like that a bright light, a joyous soul and incredibly skilled DJ was gone. Just like that. None of us could believe it. He was too young. Our scene was in shock, especially as he was taken from us so suddenly. So here we remember a friend, a talented musician and someone that made us laugh a lot. Included are some anonymised quotes from friends and partygoers alike.
Gabriel wasn't just a DJ, he was someone that brought a unique sound to our scene, a selection of underground sounds that no one else was playing. Every party he played at he would showcase his expert selections of tracks and sounds that would have every dance floor grooving and booty shaking. No one was doing what he was doing. Originally from Romania, Gabriel brought with him a unique blend of minimal deep tech and techno that was ripping up eastern Europe at various events, afterparties and festivals. A sound that was not so familiar here in the UK but every party he slapped his records on, people could not get enough.
Unique, grooving, different, fun. This was our Gabi.
"I had one of the best birthday parties at BLOCK (Brighton)! Gabi made my day as always with is amazing vibe! I will never forget you my dearest friend. My heart is sobbing."
Gabriel came to Brighton just over 10 years ago and made an impact early on, playing at underground nights on the seafront as well as many private and after parties, quickly making a name for himself on the circuit. Gabriel was not only a skilled DJ but his personality was infectious.
A well-renowned joker and someone who loved to giggle at life, Gabriel had a a skill to make everyone crease up with raucous laughter around him. He was someone that brought bundles of joy not only to the dance floor but also into any room. His infectious laugh would tag team anyone close to him to do the same, and before you knew it, you would find yourself deliberating the weird and wonderful with happy tears in your eyes.
"We always had the best laugh. We created a song called 'Mr Veins' (a parody from a Eurotrash song called 'Mr. Vain', all because he had veiny arms). We were literally crying with laughter."
Gabriel became a good friend to me during the early days of Berlin-Brighton, often hanging out together at the Green Door Store as well as with friends across Brighton. I loved Gabi's mischievousness, his twinkly eyes that loved to challenge any normal conversation and turn it into something completely random and absurd no matter what time of day. When you heard him laugh, you had to laugh, it was simply contagious.
"We discussed at length why there was no pork cheese. We have cow, sheep, and goats' cheese - but no pig cheese. Why? They are all farm animals!"
Gabi played for us at the Green Door Store for the first time back in 2017 and tore off the roof warming up for Berlin based Tigerlight. It was a great night, and I love looking back at those photos. We looked like we were having the best time. A silly time. Simply fun. And that was Gabi, 'fun'.
Gabriel continued his journey in Brighton strongly by pairing up with Jamie Bawn from Beatsworkin, for a lengthy spell, playing at various events across the city, sharing the stage with the likes of Christian Burkhardt, Prok & Fitch and many others.
Gabriel also travelled with Jamie to other destinations across Europe, most notably DJing at the infamous Halloween castle parties on the outskirts of Barcelona. This was very much a joyous break as we spent many fun times in the backstreets of Barcelona discovering various bars before heading to the mysterious castle the next day to play at an all-night and next day event supporting Jay Haze.
The next day was very much a chilled affair once the dust settled, the sun was shining, it was warm, it was October in Spain. It was lush. We had a castle to ourselves. Most of the partygoers had left. Jamie recalls:
"We were in Barcelona at one of my castle parties and the next day we had a Techno mix playing. Over the music, Gabriel and I, plus a few others, created a whole album full of tracks from singing and making stupid noises over the top. It was brilliant. Shame we never recorded it. Could have been a Beatport number one!" (he laughs)
The pair also spent some time in Thailand playing at nights in Koh Chang. Gabriel continued on a trajectory with Jamie, creating their Rebel Beats brands, which included a radio show on Trickstar Radio. The team also included Matt Bethel and Al Hossner on the shows and together they also organised events under the same brand at various venues in the city.
Gabriel, as well as playing for Berlin, also covered a couple of our own Berlin Radio Shows alongside Jamie on Trickstar Radio. The show had its home there for three years (before moving to 1BTN Radio in 2020) and the two of them combined expertly on both shows providing a great mix of deep tech, progressive, melodic techno, Gabriel's unique minimal sound and techno.
We have lovingly restored the shows and you can listen back to them here:
Mixcloud:
Soundcloud:
Whilst Gabriel wasn't much of a social media poster of DJ sets, you can nevertheless still enjoy a few golden oldies on his Soundcloud page here. My personal favourite is this one Gabriel Ursu - September 12 Undercast. Pure class.
Gabriel sometime later teamed up with local Spanish legend Pedro de Diego AKA Peter Grand, creating a star-studded team that focused on DJing as well as playing live instruments. Peter and Gabriel took Brighton by storm, playing at various minimal events and securing their own radio show on Trickstar Radio called the 'Vibrations' show.
Fans could now tune into the show not only via the airways but also engage with them both on livestreams as Trickstar started to broadcast its radio shows across Facebook Live.
The show quickly went from strength to strength and gained a loyal following in the process. Relive some of the great livestream shows here:
The last radio show in the above list attracted quite a crowd and the Trickstar radio studio certainly turned into a Boiler Room style stream.
"We called him 'Boogie Bear' due to his great moves on the dance floor. We used to get together every weekend at Sugar Cube."
It has been emotional collating the stories and the sounds that Gabriel has put into the world. I've loved listening back to old shows and simply watching him bounce in the Trickstar studio with fluidity and ease, just loving what he did and grooving along with it.
His Soundcloud statement simply says, "crazy about music" and this pretty much sums it up. Gabriel loved music, he loved to move, he loved to laugh. He made us laugh. He made us dance and we miss him dearly. Coming back to the start of this article where I reminisce about 2024 being the year the event and party scene seemed to have returned to some sort of normality, remembering the parties that Brighton has had this year, the fun times we have had despite this wash out of a summer.
But something was missing, we missed someone on the front lines of the dance floor, we missed some of those minimal, groovy, bouncy beats. He was a pleasure to have around, and those poignant Brighton parties we have every year, for the first time missed a recognisable face. We couldn't hear your laugh. We missed your mischievous face. Therefore, we remember you for all the good times and hope you are bringing much joy and rhythm to the folks wherever you are now. This Brighton Mixtape has been compiled by his partner in crime Peter Grand, who has cherry picked some of the tunes they used to play together as a duo, as well as tracks that Gabi loved.
Rest easy brother. Thank you for the memories. Always loved and never forgotten.
Comments