FMB MIXTAPE 226 | DAISY MOON

FMB MIXTAPE 226 | DAISY MOON

FMB MIXTAPE 226 | DAISY MOON (iTUNES)

FMB MIXTAPE 226 | DAISY MOON (320 DOWNLOAD)

This week’s mixtape guest is Bristol-based Daisy Moon. She has a background in contemporary performance, leading her to be the curator of the mix series ‘Off-Kilter’ and has released music on Rhythm Section International and Control Freak Recordings. But you know we had to chat to her first to hear more about the mix & what she’s been up to recently…

It’s been a really busy time recently! I spent some time in Copenhagen running workshops with theatre maker Rachael Clerke as part of the Live Art Danmark festival – we worked with teenage girls and formed punk bands in just a day. They performed as part of the festival, it was tiring but very empowering and super fun! I played at Macadam in Nantes recently which is a club I’ve always wanted to play… and have just got back from doing an all-night Off-Kilter show in Berlin. My time in Bristol has been spent in my studio finalising an EP which will come out next year. I’ve been doing a lot of mentoring for aspiring producers/DJs, we launched a Mix Nights intermediate DJ course and I’ve also been working on Mix Nights takeovers for next year.

The mix was recorded in my living room on my little but trusty XDJ700s and an Allen and Heath Xone 23 mixer straight into Ableton using my soundcard. I didn’t play any records in this one, most of the music is new stuff I’ve been playing recently.

I wanted to do a driving techno mix that represents the kind of stuff I like to play late at night. I’ve had a few peak and closing club shows recently and this energetic, trippy, fast techy sound is something that I’m enjoying getting stuck into atm. The kind of stuff that suits the season.

And up next?

Got some Housework parties coming up which should be fun. First one is this weekend with Josh Caffe at Strange Brew. I’ve just about finished up an EP due to come out next year, and am halfway through another one so my focus is on finishing that. Doing some live Off-Kilter shows next year so I’ll also be planning and preparing for those.

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FMB MIXTAPE 225 | LA LA

FMB MIXTAPE 225 | LA LA

FMB MIXTAPE 225 | LA LA (iTUNES)

FMB MIXTAPE 225 | LA LA (320 DOWNLOAD)

All the way from Glasgow, we have La La on the mix this week. She has her own imprint, Brand New Records, which empowers Scottish artists and where released her own mixtape this year. The sister label, Sound As, exists as a platform for people further afield. We caught up with La La to see what she’s been up to recently and hear more about the mix…

This year has been non-stop, I just finished my Radio 1 residency which was a phenomenal experience, something I’ve always dreamed of being a part of. I released my 10 track mixtape “give yourself a try” which came out on my label, Brand New Records. 2023 has been about pushing myself out of my comfort zone, which hasn’t been easy but to say it was a worthwhile endeavour doesn’t quite cut it. People often shy away from shouting about their accomplishments but I am really proud that this year I walked on new terrain and it’s pushed me to go even further in 2024.

I was meant to record this mix while I was in Dublin last week, in true form I ended up having to rush to the airport onto the next show. In short I landed back in Glasgow and went straight to Pirate Studios at 12 am in a full tracksuit only to be met by a room full of boys on the decks.

Playing in clubs is my safe space, it’s where I get to really let go. But trying to create the same atmosphere for someone listening to a mix or radio is a challenge I love. My passion is helping people discover new tunes that make them want to dance, whether that is on the dancefloor, in their car, sitting at home, wherever they are. If I can evoke that intrigue, that ‘wait, what is this?’  feeling then I know I’m on the right track. All puns intended. I discover most of my favourite songs sitting on my laptop and I love the idea I can then pass that onto someone else who is maybe just dancing around their bedroom like I am.

And up next?

Next month I’m releasing an extended version of my mixtape ‘give yourself a try’ as well as working with so many talented artists on my labels ‘Brand New’ and ‘Sound As’ Records. It’s such an honour to be carving out a space for quality dance music, whatever the genre. Right now as I write this I’m in the studio creating some new work and I’m excited to see where that takes me…

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FMB MIXTAPE 224 | YRAKI

FMB MIXTAPE 224 | YRAKI

FMB MIXTAPE 224 | YRAKI (iTUNES)

FMB MIXTAPE 224 | YRAKI (320 DOWNLOAD)

We have London-based artist and producer, Yraki, on the mixtape this week. He released his debut EP ‘Argento’ last year, but first up, we asked him more about the mix and what he’s been up to recently.

I’ve been working on a lot of new club-oriented music, which this mix represents as well as more experimental / ambient stuff. I’ve also been soundtracking some cool multimedia projects and started sharing my Max for Live devices, which are getting a really good response also from big name producers. Recently, I released a remix for Barker and Baumecker’s “Strung” on nd_baumecker’s Freundinenn label, a highlight for me as a long-time fan of their work since I discovered Ostgut Ton!

I’ve recorded this mix at my place, borrowing some standard decks from a friend for a few days. Most of the tracks I used had been pre-edited in Ableton as I enjoy making subtle structural tweaks to them – always with respect for the original artists – I just change things that I think will make them fit better in the mix.

Ever since I got into music, I’ve always been djing from hip-hop to techno but with my new alias, I’ve predominantly focused on live performances featuring my own productions (mostly ambient / electronica). Anyway, I never stopped loving djing, probably it’s because I stumble upon so much incredible music from fellow artists every day, and I’m always itching to spin it in a club setting. This mix is a reflection of what you can expect from my DJ sets, traversing heavy-bass tracks, transitions to softer melodies, and more unpredictable and less dance-centric tunes.

What are you up to next?

I’ve been involved in diverse projects, including bespoke composition, sound design, mixing, and mastering. Excitingly, I’m nearing the completion of my first ambient/electronica album, alongside a fresh left-field club EP planned for release in 2024.

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FMB MIXTAPE 223 | BEN SLEIA

FMB MIXTAPE 223 | BEN SLEIA

FMB MIXTAPE 223 | BEN SLEIA (iTUNES)

FMB MIXTAPE 223 | BEN SLEIA (320 DOWNLOAD)

We have French-born Ben Sleia on the mixtape this week. She has since spent years living in the UK with a residency at Liverpool’s 24 Kitchen St before blessing the dancefloors of Berlin! We asked more about the mix and what she’s been up to recently…

I’ve been travelling a fair bit these past few months, for work, fun, and also to just relax. September was quite busy gig wise which was great, and I was able to play a couple of back to backs with some friends. That was particularly fun as that’s not something I’ve had the opportunity to do much these past few years. Apart from that I’ve been doing an intensive German course alongside working full time, and I was also lucky enough to get a place in an Ableton course ran by Femme Bass Mafia (a FLINTA collective from Berlin which focuses on knowledge sharing and platforming artists from their community, check them out) to finally learn how to make music. It’s been an intense few months to be honest but I’m feeling super inspired lately! And I’m loving being able to explore a new creative side by making music myself. It’s a hard process but it also feels very rewarding.

I recorded the mix in my flat in Berlin on my home set up which is 2 XDJs 700 and 1 Xone 23. I’ve been finding this set up kind of limiting recently and I would love to upgrade, but actually being limited probably makes me more focused on what I’m doing.

I think the main thing I wanted to achieve with this mix was to show who I am musically. As a music listener, I am always drawn to artists who manage to showcase all the different facets of their personality through their music, be it as producers or as DJs, and this is something I’m also trying to do constantly. I listen to a lot of different kinds of music, and I’m always looking for ways to connect the dots between all my influences to represent who I am. This is exactly what I did for this mix; I did not want to limit myself as to what genre, style, atmosphere, or anything else I could go for, but rather create something new with all the tracks I picked together.

And what’s next?

The next big thing for me is the launch of my new project: Bruits. In reality, I was already working under ‘Bruits’ for a long time as it was the name of my first radio residency on Melodic Distraction Radio (RIP) all those years ago, and it was also the name of my subsequent radio residency on Refuge Worldwide. I’m now taking it further and to the club as I’m launching our first event on November 25th 2023 at Zur Klappe (in Berlin) for which I’ve invited MELANIN to play, who is this incredible DJ based in Paris who plays the flute over her mixing, as well as my friends Impurity and Blume. I’m really excited to be back in the curator seat, and these events are actually only the first phase of this project. In the new year, I’m hoping to take it out of the club and around with me, but I’ll give more information about this later on. I’m very excited about it all anyway!

Tracklist:

Azemad – Halal Rage

Simo Cell – blow the conch

Verraco – jajaja

Toma Kami – Quad

Howie Lee – Flea

RAVL – Outrenoir

uu008 – a1

Diessa – Boiling Over (feat. Grove) – Original Version

Sepehr – At The Gates Of Heaven

Hojo – 16 O’s feat. Novelist

Pete Cannon & Denham Audio – Off Me Pickle (lmAjors cOMPLETELY pICKLED mIX)

DJ Zinc – 138 Trek (POLO LILLI 145 Edit)

Ma Sha – Myrtle Warp

From The Depths – Neutral Buoyancy

Dawn Razor & Confluence – Decollerate

Joey Beltram – Energy Flash (Original Mix)

Mani Festo – Plunk

Ayesha – Buzzz

Fango – Rectum

Klahrk & Stolen Velour – Fight Me

Jokes Kultüros – Split

Daniel 58 – Dirk Nowitzonski

Bell Curve – Quicksand

 

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FMB MIXTAPE 222 | 1-800 GIRLS

FMB MIXTAPE 222 | 1-800 GIRLS

FMB MIXTAPE 222 | 1-800 GIRLS (iTUNES)

FMB MIXTAPE 222 | 1-800 GIRLS (320 DOWNLOAD)

This week’s mixtape guest is London-based producer & DJ, 1-800 GIRLS. He’s a multi-instrumentalist having previously performed in live bands, before most recently self-releasing his new single “Looking Back”. You know the drill, we caught up with him to find out more about the mix…

So I’ve spent the last year or so focusing on building a live set, I moved out of London and up to Scotland into the hills in the middle of nowhere so I could focus on it.. so it’s been quite a long and slow process. The first gigs are at the end of October/early Nov so it’s in the final stages now though!

It’s a pretty emotional one and quite personal, a combination of old and new songs I wrote especially for the set – the first tracks ‘Looking Back’ & ‘Because Of You’ are out around the same time as the debut gigs at the end of the month – quite a few of the others forthcoming that can be heard in this mix too (no titles being revealed just yet though).

I recorded the mix at home on my living room set up, nothing too fancy just a couple of cdjs and some hifi speakers.

It was very much put together around alot of my unreleased stuff, so it’s sort of sad and sexy like most of my tracks. Genre wise I think it’s pretty eclectic but sonically I think it all sits within the same realm of emotive electronic sounds. Lots of stuff from family and friends in there too :).

Up next?

Next up is the live shows, the first of which is 24th October in Bristol, followed by a date in London on the 2nd November. There should be a run in the new year as well – hopefully with some visuals to align with the next release. Have quite a few new EP’s scheduled for the new year too which is exciting!

Tracklist:

Lord Of The Isles & Ellen Renton – For a Burning World

Jennifur – When We Looked At Each Other

1-800 GIRLS – ???

1-800 GIRLS – By Your Side

Yunè Pinku – Heartbeat

Babystar – Miles (Babystar Version)

1-800 GIRLS – ???

Jasper Tygner – So Unknown (Feat Dj Boring)

1-800 GIRLS ???

Cameo Blush – Ultimate Grey

1tbsp – Material Boy

1-800 GIRLS – ???

1-800 GIRLS – Looking Back

Tropics – Idle Away (Aleksandir Remix)

Pepe – Goma (Prime Mix)

1-800 GIRLS – Because Of You

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