ARTIST HIGHLIGHT: DION’S HOUSE KITCHEN

Dion's House Kitchen, a seasoned DJ and producer with deep roots in house music, shares his journey from his early days as a bedroom DJ to his latest release on Dobar House, reflecting on his inspirations, memorable gigs, and what lies ahead in his musical path.

Who are you, and what do you do?

I’m Dino, a world-traveling seaman by day and Dion, a DJ and producer by night. 😊 Dion came to life somewhere around 2002 as a bedroom DJ, with the name being an anagram of my real name. My first gigs and residencies followed soon after, in 2004, at local clubs like Fun Academy, La Noche, and others.

By 2006, I became part of Chromidome, an international DJ and production duo, playing in clubs and festivals across Croatia and Slovenia. In 2010, I took a long break from my music career. For years, I felt like I was missing a vital part of myself—music had always been a part of me. Realizing this in 2022, I decided to pursue my dream again, making up for lost time and dedicating all my free moments to diving deeper into music production.

This led to my new project, Dion’s House Kitchen—a journey through house music, free from rigid sub-genre labels but deeply rooted in the sounds of Chicago, New York, the UK, and France from the '90s and '00s.

In my DJ sets, I strictly play vinyl because I believe music in physical form is timeless. It gives music that eternal presence, supports artists and the electronic music scene, and, most importantly, makes DJing so much more enjoyable for me. 😊

How did your latest release on Dobar House Gruv came to be? Tell us about how you started the track, what inspired you etc.

For Ritaam, I was inspired by some of the latest hip-house tracks and wanted to capture that techy vibe by adding a fast sequence of cymbals. I had a rough idea, and as with most of my tracks, I started by playing around, fitting all the bits and pieces into a certain key, then just going with the flow. 😊

For Jump Up, I drew inspiration from Cinthie’s track Push It. I’ve been a fan of acid and those iconic 303 sounds for a long time, so I wanted to create an acid house track of my own. One day, while waiting in a hotel for my ship to arrive at port, I pulled out my TD-3, built a sequence, dropped in a dirty, saturated kick, added 909 and 808 percussions, tweaked all the knobs, and wrote the track in a day. The flow was perfect.

Soon after, I sent it to Tom—and the rest is history.

Where was your favourite gig so far and why was it special for you?

Looking back, one of my favorite gigs was playing at K4 Klub in Ljubljana. The sound system was one of the best I’ve ever experienced, and the crowd was massive. And the best part? It was a Wednesday—midweek madness! 😊

From my more recent gigs, playing for the Stereophonic event on a boat cruising around the island of Krk was an absolute blast. People started dancing from the very first beat and didn’t stop until the very end.

And Nemo in Rijeka is always a vibe—a small club with a great crowd, making every set feel special.

If you had to choose: DJ-ing or producing?

DJ-ing, always. I’ve always found so much joy in playing music, selecting tracks, and connecting with the crowd on a musical level. There’s nothing like that feeling when you can sense the energy of the dance floor and see people fully lost in the music.

Lately, I’ve also been enjoying producing a lot. It requires constant learning and improvement, but the satisfaction of hearing the final product and being proud of the result makes it all worth it.

What's next for you in the coming months?

This spring, my EP will be released on PEZNT’s label, Blacksoul. It features three tracks—one inspired by the early Detroit movement, while the other two are my exploration into the world of old-school synths, with shuffled rhythms packed with percussions, snares, and a touch of vocals. 😊

I also have some unconfirmed releases that I’m expecting updates on soon. As for the rest—let’s see what the future brings. I write music every day and simply enjoy the process.

Why is Dobar House the best label on the planet earth?

The first time I heard about Dobar House, I was amazed by the parties and the vibe they created on the dance floor. It instantly took me back to when I was a kid, falling in love with house music for the first time—feeling that groove on the dance floor.

I truly believe these are some of the finest house parties you can experience in the region, always bringing top names from the global house scene. On top of that, Dobar House and Dobar House Gruv consistently showcase some of the best talents from the region and beyond, always delivering quality music.

Becoming part of this was a dream come true, and now all I can say is thank you to Dobar House and Tom Bug for having me here and for continuously keeping house music alive in Croatia!

LISTEN TO RITAAM EP HERE.

Catch Dion's House Kitchen on the 8th of Feb. - Dobar House at Peti Kupe