Sidney Charles

Raw house

Sidney Charles was born Sidney Charles Hurricane Vieljans in Hamburg. He started DJing at fifteen on turntables, playing hip-hop, soul, funk and breakbeat, and was drawn to the turntablism scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s before moving to house and techno for the higher tempos. He describes his style as a raw house sound of jacking beats, heavy kicks and gritty highs, and says he is highly influenced by the early 1990s. He calls himself a collector of culture and experiences rather than a musician.

He began releasing in 2011, early on labels including Avotre, 8bit, I Am A House Gangster and Suara, and he is the A&R for Sante's Avotre, founded in 2012. Mixmag's 2015 profile grouped him with Sante and Darius Syrossian as the new Ibiza Rat Pack, with a summer residency at Privilege's Vista Club, and mentions a debut album, House Lessons, featuring Patrick Topping and Pan-Pot. ADE and Electronic Groove state he topped Resident Advisor's most charted artists list for 2013. "All Night Long" with Sante on Hot Creations was first played on NTS on November 25, 2014.

He launched his own label Heavy House Society on October 31, 2019, with Hollow by Barem as its first release, saying the time was right to evolve his take on the high-energy house sound he loves playing out. The Reso Riddim EP (HHS041V, 2024) has four tracks: "Reso Riddim", "Objection", "Rawline 98" and "Charles List". His 2025 releases include "Disco Bumpin" with Aleya Mae on the Hot Creations Spring Sampler 2025 and "Hyper Rave" on Heavy House Society. Sources disagree on whether he is based in Hamburg, Berlin or London.