The Floor Fillers: Ten Meets Batu

While the future of nightlife remains clouded by the smoke of uncertainty – with the ripple effect of lockdowns, strict council regulations and financial demands from landlords leading to the shuttering of 65 UK clubs in 2024 – our dance floors have never been more exciting. Inside 10 Men Issue 61, we spotlight a series of DJs that are experts in their craft, taking eclectic sonics born on the British Isles to the biggest stages globally and providing soundtracks to the sort of nights out you’ll be telling your grandchildren about.

Going to see Batu? Except to be mind-boggled. The Bristol-based DJ is the founder of the Timedance label, a home for experimental electronic wizardry. He’s known to thread his extended sets with sounds pulled from across the world, treating crowds at the likes of Berghain’s Panorama Bar and Houghton Festival in Norfolk to a heady genre collision set to blow your socks clean off.

Batu wears jacket by EDWIN, trousers by MKI MIYUKI ZOKU

What’s one track that’ll never leave your USB?

Florentino, Isabella Lovestory and MC Buzz’s Fuego ft. Baby Perigosa, the Bitter Babe & Nick León Remix.

What track never fails to fill a dance floor?

Charlotte Bendiks’s Hjemme Erotic. I’ve played this so many times, it’s a certified energy bomb to a stale dance floor.

What makes a great DJ?

It’s all about empathy and being generous to the dancers while also daring to assume they will follow you. You can’t be condescending to your audience.

What’s been the best night out of your life?

In Fabric’s Room 1 on a Sunday afternoon with [Ricardo] Villalobos and Craig Richards.

What’s a project you’ve worked on that you’re most proud of?

My Bristol festival En Masse. Myself and Sam, my partner, have grown the team so much for this project. I’m really proud of how we’ve delegated and recruited amazing people to work with. It really is all about teamwork.

What does music mean to you?

It’s a vessel for self-expression that’s deeply ingrained within the human condition.

What shaped your musical tastes?

My dad and uncle, most importantly. Having music nerds in your family is a massive advantage.

What’s the craziest thing you’ve seen from behind the decks?

A giant huntsman spider crawling over the mixer on the side of a mountain in Japan.

What makes a great night out?

Good conversation and music before the club makes a huge difference.