Midweek Mixes (17/07/24)
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.
Apologies for the sparse MM coverage over the past few months, but as you might have gathered I’ve been rather busy. This selection features four sick DJs I’ve had the pleasure of hanging out with since April, plus one hour from me.
Welt Discos w/TaoFu, Kiosk Radio (13/07/24)
The most recent instalment of my Outsiders residency on Kiosk Radio features Savage/The Observatory resident TaoFu, who I saw play twice in Vietnam back in April. At Equation Festival she played a pitch perfect warm up before me in the Garden, with tunes like Vermelho Wonder and Mario Reyes that really put me in a good mood. The week after I saw her in clubbier mood in the Red Cube at Savage, which was also excellent, so I invited her to do a guest mix.
She delivered a session that shows of her versatility, confidence and supreme good taste. The mood is thick and exploratory for the first sub 100bpm section (Schuttle’s soupy ‘Junkman’ is representative), then gradually opens up through dreamy electro into funkier 4/4. It’s expertly controlled, the sound of weekend after weekend of experience at two of Vietnam’s best clubs. Thank you TaoFu for this stunning mix!
As a complement, I contributed a second hour of dreamy bliss. Being away from home, I was forced to put this together on my computer, hence the rather more collage approach than usual. I originally wanted to build the hour around the stunning new track by Omer ‘Of Sea’, but being on my computer and in an unfamiliar place I got distracted during the process and totally forgot to include it, so consider this a shout out for Omer’s wonderful drifting synths.
Here’s the tracklist for my hour:
Drance – Fuck Line, May 1993 [Spotlight, 2020]
Ceephax Acid Crew – Meadow Track [Waltzer, 2021]
Raiders Of The Lost Arp – Polydemo [Nature, 2008]
Schatrax – How It Is [Schatrax, 2017]
Pawel’s Bar – Point Of View [OK Spirit, 2020]
Cola Ren – Firefly [QEONE, 2024]
Duckett – Read Between The Lines [Accidental, 2024]
Chico Blanco – Major Q Ayer [Mareo, 2024]
FLVXXX – Chant [Local Knowledge, 2024]
Cola Ren – Lost In Bamboos [QEONE, 2024]
B12 – Untold [CPU, 2016]
Photonz x Madonna – Idealize My Love [Solar Phenomena, 2024]
Raiders Of The Lost Arp – Freeze [Distant Future, 2024]
Sangre Voss – Smyyre Myyrgu [Third Place, 2024]
Alien D – Swamp Thing [1432 R, 2024]
Alex Kassian – E2-E4 [Test Pressing, 2024]
In August I have a special guest related to the new release on Welt Discos…
Siblings w/Leeon, Kiosk Radio (22/06/24)
Another Kiosk show, this time from Bxl’s hip new queer party Siblings featuring one of the guest DJs from their most recent party, Leeon. After the opening track exhorting us to “touch yourself…to the drum”, we duly get a whole lotta drums: the firm pound of this year’s summer anthem, ‘Above The Skyline’ by Mr Barth & A.D.; the clatter of the track 24 mins in, which sounds like Syclops but I don’t think is; Freaky Chakra’s druggy syncopation on their huge ‘Come Back Here’; and the pots-n-pans workouts in the final third of the show. Enrique takes his time, some transitions extending over two minutes or more, before leaving us on an ambiguous dubby-housey note. So classy.
(This is a good moment to revist Stephen Howe’s SH-101 show dedicated to Freaky Chakra, too.)
Abena played the last Welt Discos party in Lisbon and had a small but dedicated crowd of people freaking the fuck out during their set. Here they are with a new mix for Crack, channelling a 140-150bpm vibe that would go down a real treat in Room 2 at Freero - JUST SAYING. (No, really, anyone with any influence on the Freero bookings for next edition please make this happen.) As you can see by my comment on the set, “drummmsss” is also the theme with this mix, all kinds, tumbling and cascading over each other and sounding fit. (In addition to the newly inaugurated #Abena4Freero campaign, I’d like this to mark the start of the #bringAbenabacktoLisbon campaign too. Thanks.)
Bitzer Maloney - People & Places 054
Remaining on the feral/queer Manchester scene tip, if Jorg Kuning is this crew’s froggy Pied Piper, Bitzer Maloney must be its local mage, a role you could have seen him in last weekend when he played all night at The White Hotel for his label Bakk Heia’s 8th birthday. Listening to this set for People & Places, I can just imagine him in TWH’s ritual DJ cage, summoning spirits, invoking lore and generally getting gobliny for six whole hours. This set condenses that all-night vibe into one CD-length mix, from amphibious ambience (I’m calling it “amphibient”) through hazy dub, bleepy breaks and hints of mind-tunnel trance.