Midweek Mixes (15/03/23)
A run-down of some of the mixes and radio shows that have been soundtracking my existence – from the box-fresh to the tried-and-tested – all guaranteed to brighten up your week.
Hannah Holland - Do!! You!!! Radio (22/02/22)
Hannah Holland - Do!! You!!! Radio (10/03/23)
The first of these two shows was an edition of Hannah Holland’s regular Wide Screen To Clubland radio show on Do You Radio, where she puts together a fantasy film score for listeners. Right from the heatwave twang and drone of the opening number the air is thick with atmosphere. Guitars in fact feature heavily through the first half of the show, reminding me of the glorious moment when Hannah dropped a Pixies tune to finish her set at Adonis on New Year’s Day. Things get dancier later on — with a particularly satisfying electro/breaks/jungle finale — but never losing that feeling of a fantasy soundtrack, each new record conjuring images of films that may or may not really exist. (Along the same theme, check this previous Midweek Mix from Ricky Moslen.)
The second show was, according to Hannah, a bit of a tribute to the Adonis dancefloor at 4am the other week in London. Sadly I wasn’t there but, listening to this banger of a show, I can well imagine the pure VIBES. An early highlight is the chugger that comes in at 10 minutes with a moody guitar and military drums, vocals and acid lines. When I was listening live it instantly reminded me of the Chris Cruse remix of ‘Boys’ that I played all through last year, and actually the whole first half of this show mines a similarly druggy yet groovy vibe. Hannah herself pops up on the mic to announce this tune as one she had been working on in the studio just the previous day, that is, fresh out of the oven. The response in the Do You chat room was unanimous: FIRE!
She mixes it into Mike Servito’s pumping acid mix of ‘I Call Upon’ by Love Letters, also freshly out on Bunker, and things only get hotter from there on. Filtered disco house, bare rhythm tracks, acid techno and even a bit of Kylie, all mixed deftly and with supreme energy. Big ups to Hannah for providing this much-needed energy boost during that mid-afternoon lull on a Friday.
Sam PV - Work Out @ NTS (03/03/23)
Covering for Sofie K’s NTS show, Sam PV brings us an hour’s tribute to Erol Alkan’s epoch-defining Trash party, held every Monday night at The End in London from 1997 to 2007. If you’re not familiar with the history of Trash you can read an oral history of sorts here. As Sam says in his introduction, this radio show is an interpretation of the early hours vibe at Trash using releases from today, with a few classics sprinkled in. Indeed, as the electroclash/bloghouse revival gathers pace (it’s gathering pace, OK?), this feels like a timely reminder that the punky vibe and attitude that made those genres so thrilling for a time can be found in all kinds of music being made today, if you just listen properly.
Sam’s ear is finely tuned as he takes us on a tour from Jakarta to Rio, and from the Bay Area to good old Manchester. Mytron’s remix of ‘Bateria’ by Thomas Von Party and Dominican singer Mera De La Rosa is the epitome of silly yet compelling electrohouse, while A Certain Ratio’s ‘Yo Yo Gi’ proves that some musicians are simply above genres and epochs (45 years and counting!). The show finishes with DJ Giant’s ‘Fatal’, which samples Portuguese band Poke’s 1984 electro-pop masterpiece ‘Digitalmente Afectivo’. The original’s refrain goes “Podia ser real/Podia ser fatal”, which means “It could be real/It could be fatal”. Just the kind of lyric you’d expect to hear at Trash!
Tracklist here.
Rizmi - Healing Futures @ NARR Radio (26/02/23)
An hour of healing sounds from Birmingham (UK)-based Rizmi, a regular on Midweek Mixes. It opens with two ambient pieces by composer Dylan Henner, whose track titles evoke ideas around ageing/death and colonisation: ‘A Spring With The Remains Of A Fire’ is the indigenous name for a location in Australia that was subsequently renamed by colonisers. Sault provide an orchestral moment worthy of an overture for a musical in ‘Time Is Precious’ and there’s music from Uganda, Tibet and Pakistan. Rizmi herself contributes with the ambient/spoken word track ‘Secrets Of Divine Love’ from her new self-released Expansion/Contraction EP, before closing with a track by fellow Brummie musician Chandra Walker.
Tracklist here.