Soul Shades is a duo built around Jersey City’s DJ DX — who handles turntablism, rap, and production — alongside multi-instrumentalist Julie Schatz on piano and violin, the two trading between the decks and live instrumentation.
In the Record§
Their breakout — a mashup of Nimino’s “I Only Smoke When I Drink” with Sting’s “Englishman in New York” — drew more than 10 million views across TikTok and Instagram, including 5 million on Ninja Tune’s own TikTok, and was publicly co-signed by Nimino himself; Ninja Tune and its Counter Records imprint posted it in late 2024, crediting Soul Shades.
The duo went on to further success with their release “Buzz In London.”
Sources§
- Oral history: Robert Van Liew (DJ DX), The Jersey City Sound, 2026
- Soul Shades remix credited by Ninja Tune / Counter Records (Instagram, Nov 8 2024) — link
- Soul Shades Music on TikTok (@soulshadesmusic) — link
- Soul Shades Music — official site — link
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