The ex-mathematician, with the mysterious moniker – Shonky has carved out a signature sound amongst an overcrowded musical landscape, and is now on the cusp of a new era with the launch of coveted imprint and DJ outfit, Apollonia.
Swapping a maths degree for a pair of decks, Shonky admits at first he had no idea what to do with them. A dedicated clubber since his teens, his first real inception into the underground scene as a DJ came at the infamous Batofar afterhours in Paris. It was here he discovered a passion for the sounds of 90’s San Francisco house being played by then resident Dan Ghenacia, and it was the start of a long-lasting friendship between the pair, along with fellow Parisian Dyed Soundorom.
Ghenacia recognised Shonky’s gift for production early on, “he’s a natural talent, I know when he does something it’s going to be perfect,” like his early EP on Freak n’Chic ‘Olympia’, or his massive remix of Danton Eeprom’s ‘All I Can Say’. In 2008 he released his full length album ‘Time Zero’, while hit tracks ‘Coco Feel & Love Shonk’ and ‘Roudor & Capulet’ marked a musical crossroads in his passage towards a new sound – one that revealed sonically groovier house dimensions infused with hypnotic vocals. A couple of highly productive years passed with EP’s on Crosstown Rebels, Contexterrior, Culprit and Real Tone, in particular ‘Le Velour’ became a Shonky classic that was later re-released as a remix package including Mr. Fingers, Delano Smith and The Martinez Brothers.
Having already played around the world at the likes of Rex Club Paris, Gipsy Moscow, Louche Leeds and Club Der Visionaere Berlin, plus being a regular guest at one of his favourite clubs Panorama Bar, he is now even more hotly in demand as part of recently formed DJ outfit Apollonia. A venture with Dan Ghenacia and Dyed Soundorom, the trio play one vinyl each back-to-back for special extended sets of five hours or more. Hosting showcases at DC10 Ibiza, Movement Torino, BPM Festival Mexico and Fabric London, to name but a few, the latter calling on them in 2013 to mix the Fabric 70 comp..