The first time I heard Joe Burrow’s (Braga Circuit) music was thanks to Tom VR, who played his track “Higher” at a show I was programming in Sydney. As he mixed it in, I was up the back by the sound desk with my business face on. Seconds later, I was front and square, yelling over the decks to Tom and asking for the ID.
“Higher” is hypnotic house at its absolute best. It is part of the 2024 album Splash. I very much recommend hitting play on it.
Joe spent the first four years of his life in Hong Kong, living on the street that is now his pseudonym. As he says, “I lived in Hong Kong at such a young age that the memories are quite vague, even dream-like. Maybe the name is some weird way of showcasing my connection to that place.”
From there, he was raised in the seaside town of Margate before moving to the big smoke of London. In his teenage years, he started DJing with his friends Jamie, Simon, Owen, and Alex. Gradually, he started dabbling in writing his own tunes, and over the last few years, he has self-released albums This Time Every Time, the aforementioned Splash, and a smattering of EPs.
As Joe mentions, “I absolutely love the process of self-releasing longer playing projects. There can often be a bit of naivety which sits with it, but I feel like that’s part of the charm.”
His debut physical project, Fall, is not far away. It was crafted alongside his closest confidants. This EP will be released on the Air Miles label and features a remix by Leod. In addition to Braga Circuit, Joe is also involved with the Vertical Rhythm collective alongside his brother Dan. Vertical Rhythm embraces 90s club sounds, sprinkling them with touches of R&B and 70s folk.
Below, get to know Joe and his recent musical inclinations as we cut the tape on TROVE 015.
This is such a unique track. I don’t know anything else quite like it. It has so much groove, and it’s super fun to play out.
