"How did it go so quick": Saoirse takes us behind the scenes of her Phonox residency

For every Friday in January, genre-hopping luminary Saoirse delighted crowds at Brixton's Phonox. The Irish DJ had a hell of a 2021, launching her imprint trUst Recordings alongside her first EP 'Trust', the successful debut of her Hackney Wick queer festival Body Movements and an electrifying Radio 1 Essential Mix. So it must have seemed like a pretty natural step to have her take on one of the most sought after residencies in the capital — following the likes of Palms Trax, HAAi, Moxie, Midland and many more. For Saoirse's four Fridays, she went down the tried and tested route, inviting friends Peach and Andrew James Gustav consecutively sandwiched between two stellar all-night-longs.

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To really mark Saoirse's January in South London, she put together a behind-the-scenes diary for us here at Mixmag — capturing visits from familiar friends, some naughty graffiti and pre-show digging. "This photo looks good" she commented on the image above. "But you definitely should not hold a record like this. Shame on me."

Check out some of Saoirse's best bits from her Phonox residency below.

"Definitely one of my favourite parts of this job is educating my taste buds from all the different cuisines around the world. Making the effort to meet the promoters and listening to them talk about their cultures and nightlife, gives you such a better understanding of the dancers, atmosphere, issues they face and all the different nuances that come with running club nights and festivals."

"Gluten free tacos at Boquiera before me and Peach get started. A good but light meal is essential before a long night, I try to avoid the big carbs but when they drop those triple cooked chips on the table, how could one say no?"

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"Fed, watered and ready for our six-hour b2b. I love playing with Peach we always have naughty giggles and cheeky whispers and sometimes she twerks. I’m still working on mine. There is a change in energy on the dancefloor when you’re DJing with your best mates. The fun you’re having together is infectious and the dancers really buzz off it."

"Someone stopped by to give me a little reminder of who the OG Phonox resident is and I best not forget it! :p"

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"A sexy little Madonna edit from an amazing producer called Bodin. I’ve been hammering this one out for some time now. Guaranteed showstopper. It’s due for release very shortly, but more importantly, be sure to check out Bodin's back catalogue. Some really killer club tackle in here, I bought most it!"

"This is the face of utter 'where the f*ck do I start' when planning for an All Night Long set. I usually bring two bags of records and maybe have about 500 digi tracks prepared for it. This is time you get to experiment with those weird records you bought but never knew when you’ll play. Take risks, be bold. :)"

"Feeling bittersweet at the start of my last show at Phonox. Thinking… How did it go so quick? Why did I drink so much? I don’t want it to be over but my back is sore. Do they like my new jacket? Hey Ho."

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"Some mature graffiti art from me on the back of the office door in Phonox by and as you can see i’m in good company too. Not sure why I just randomly said Omnicron but it felt right at the time."

"An acidy wobbler I’ve been playing every set recently, my pal Nicolas Lutz actually showed me this record when he melted my head with it at Gottwood one year."