Erol Alkan
Erol Alkan is an English DJ and producer of Turkish Cypriot descent who grew up in Archway, North London, before establishing himself through Trash, the alternative club night he ran from January 1997 at The End in London. Trash became a fixture of the city's Monday nightlife, drawing acts including The Strokes, Grace Jones and the Pet Shop Boys, while Alkan's resident sets there mixed genres in a way that Face magazine likened to a new Fat Boy Slim.
His work under aliases including Beyond the Wizards Sleeve and Mustapha 3000 extended his production output beyond the Alkan name, while his Phantasy Sound label became a platform for further releases and DJ-facing material. Musicians associated with Trash, including members of Soulwax and LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy, have credited the night's atmosphere as formative to their own scenes, underlining Alkan's role as a connective figure across indie, electronic and alternative culture during the 2000s.
Beyond DJing, Alkan has worked as a radio host, remixer and collaborator across genres. He has continued to perform internationally since Trash's closure, carrying the eclectic, genre-blurring approach he developed there into ongoing club and festival bookings.