Me and Oldsy have been discussing the possibility of an exclusive Box Musique mix series since the beginning of time. Seriously, we sat there on the council with Zerb, Vultar and the Great Creator and theorised spicing up the annual Gods meet with a bit of funky music, but just never got round to it. Well, the time has finally come and I am now proud to present the first installment in our long-awaited series, compiled (like a boss) by Astor Bell head honcho Socket Science. Dubbed the Elegant Decay Mix, it comprises just over an hour of minimal goodness that, right from the slightly unsettling vocal snippets of the introduction, will have you glued to it like you were actually glued to something. From the euphoric landscapes of Max Cooper’s ‘Heresy’ through the quirky bounce of Klatraum’s ‘Lenny’ to the melancholic vibes of Ryan Davis and Transistor’s ‘Nature is The Law’ and the genius of Pig & Dan’s ‘Haai Jack’ remix, Elegant Decay is an orgy of lush, rhythmic indulgence that you should download immediately. If you don’t I’ll tell Vultar and you know what he’ll do, I mean, look what he did to Betamax and Enron. Exactly.
To check out more Socket Science, and offerings from the rest of the Astor Bell crowd head over to their official site and be patient, for new releases are on the horizon. Also, keep your eyes open for Socket’s upcoming collaboration with Giuseppe which should surface in the next couple of months and will certainly appear here at some point.
Listen to mix via Mixcloud below or download it here. The tracklist lies after the jump.
The last day of February saw Kahn’s first release on Punch Drunk and, characteristically for the seminal Bristol label, it was breathtaking. I reckon it might have even been better than one of the latest acts on Britain’s Got Talent and they’re like pretty good aren’t they? I thought the woman singing opera with her dog was amazing…or maybe, maybe I tried to kill myself halfway through. Anyway, the pistol from Bristol — as I shall call him, just this once — has compiled a mix for the folks over at Sonic Router and it’s a great listen. Progressing from chilled out to sinister then easing back to serenity, the 30 minute sojourn largely comprises Kahn’s own original tunes and remixes with a few choice additions from Peverelist, Zhou and Sorrow. The remix of Superisk’s ‘Find Your Way’ rears its powerful head as the undoubted highlight about halfway through and will surely have you cycling back to the drop every couple of minutes until your hair goes grey. If your hair is already grey, grab a Werther’s and lose your shit in the study while your grandchildren make muffins in the kitchen. I’m looking forward to when I can do that.
I wasn’t planning to post this — mainly because I think it’s already been pimped in every possible orifice of the internet today — but due to the fact that it contains a Hall & Oates track, I decided it deserved a little extra exposure. Jamie XX b2b with Oneman was always going to be a bit special and the choices here are as inspired as you would imagine, starting off with a selection of retro tunes and progressing onto the likes of Boddika, Joy O, DJ Zinc and Girl Unit. The mixing however is another story and proves a little bit dodgy in a few places, really letting the whole thing down, but I can barely stir sugar into my tea properly, so who am I to moan?
I am literally as tired as it is possible to be right now and this acted as a great soundtrack to the last hour and a half of lying face down on my bed, so I suggest you slap it on and zone out in a similar fashion. If I was energetic enough to dance…well, I wouldn’t have, because I’m too damn cool.
Compiled to drum up interest for the latest Red Bull Music Academy, this hour long mix by Finnish producer Desto is a thoroughly compelling exploration of dubstep’s murky yet unmistakably lush depths. Featuring tracks from Desto himself, Tes La Rok, Girl Unit, L-Wiz, Loefah and Breach as well as a few new heads, I stuck this on right after watching Toy Story 3 and its darkly engrossing texture lifted my sagging spirits (first the beginning of Up and now this? Pixar is trying to kill me). Listen below and watch out for Koala’s ‘The Woods’, it’s cooler than Zack from Saved by the Bell sitting on a chair backwards.
I’ve been rinsing Versa as of late, so I was more than I’ve-just-found-a-pound-under-a-sofa-cushion pleased when I discovered he’d put together a new mix for those of us who prefer depth and soul to the rasping vulgarity of the bass cannon. Compiled for Dubstep For Deep Heads, it’s a characteristically chilled out three quarters of an hour featuring tunes from the man himself, his long-time collaborator Rowl, Synkro, Biome, Eleven8 and various other producers with a penchant for the tranquil side of life. Don’t get me wrong though, it still contains a fair amount of booming sub, but it’s the type to envelope you like a warm blanket as opposed to punch you in the face and laugh as you stumble about, bloody-nosed and confused.
Laboured descriptions aside, grab a beer and have a listen. Tracklist after the jump.
I posted about this way back in 2010 (say whut) but the actual day of release is now almost upon us and jeepers creepers it’s making me shake in my boots. I am of course talking about Fabriclive56 and let’s face it, with Ramadanman/Pearson Sound at the helm, it was always destined to be brilliant. Mr Kennedy’s contribution to Dubstep Allstars Vol. 7 was better than a bungee jump into Kelly Brook’s lap and come March 21st, I’m expecting a mix that will blow my toupée clean off.
At this point I must note that I had actually finished writing the rest of the post when my inbox icon flashed and chirped “You got mail!” Contained inside was a link to a 30 minute stream (via The Fader) of the mix, so I deleted my statements of anticipation, attached the preview and instead of rewriting the first paragraph fell into a delirious stupor of intense listening. My linguistic integrity may have been compromised so this next part is probably gibberish…
As always, to mark the release of a new fabriclive, there’s a launch event and the line-up is bigger than the Elephant Man’s head. Ramadanman, Joy Orbison, Pangaea, Mala, Pinch, Julio Bashmore, Ben UFO and Midland will all be there, as well as a host of other DJs spread over three rooms. If that doesn’t excite you, then your heart is black and I’m afraid there’s no hope. Cast yourself into the sea like a stone and begin the eternal sleep! Wait…did I just suggest suicide? I meant sit on your sofa watch Jeremy Kyle and drink a Capri-Sun, that’s kind of similar though I guess.
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