Osunlade
Osunlade is the American house and deep house DJ and producer born in St. Louis, Missouri, who has spent his career championing Yoruba culture through the label he founded in New York, Yoruba Records.
Now based in Greece, he built his reputation through a run of mix compilations that doubled as career milestones, including Offering in 2002, Re-Offering in 2005, Soul Heaven with DJ Spen in 2006, Passage in 2008, Mix the Vibe: King Street Goes Yoruba in 2009 and Defected Presents Osunlade in the House in 2012, the latter reflecting his ongoing relationship with Defected Records. His sets and productions draw heavily on his identity as an American of Yoruba descent and a priest of the Yoruba religion of Ifá, a spiritual thread that runs through albums such as Aquarian Moon, Elements Beyond and Pyrography.
He has continued releasing new material into the 2020s, including Basic Sketches for Beginners and INvite ONly, while remaining a festival draw, though a planned appearance at All Together Now was cancelled in 2023 amid controversy. Decades into his career, Osunlade remains closely tied to the deep and soulful end of house music worldwide.