At FACT, we currently run two mixes a week. This might seem excessive, and in some ways perhaps it is, but the intention is to constantly showcase the breadth of the music that we think is worth covering.

Take this week, for example. Monday’s mix, FACT mix 280, was a session by Air France, one of Europe’s most brilliant and mysterious pop acts, that perfectly showcased the sleepy-eyed pop aesthetic that they’ve become known for while touching on a more rhythm-driven sound that appears to be where they’re going. FACT mix 281, in contrast, is a slamming live session by John Heckle, a Liverpool artist who’s fast-becoming the new great white hope for those who like their house and techno music heady, psychedelic and raw.

We’re yet to run a review of Heckle’s new album, The Second Son , but trust us when we say it’s a beauty. Released on Jamal ‘Hieroglyphic Being’ Moss’s Mathematics label, The Second Son is a glorious trip through rugged house, demented acid, tweaked ambient and at one point (the unforgettable ‘The Voyager’, which also features on this mix) peak-time disco. It’s heavily indebted to classic Chicago, of course, but more than that it plays out like an unstoppable stream of self-discovery from a musician immersed in various aspects of the past.

Heckle’s gone all out for his FACT mix, so we’ll let the man himself explain. “I’ve done a special live studio performance for you, using a [Roland TR-]707 in tap mode, a Roland Juno G, a Juno 106, an Alesis Microverb 4, a Roland SP-404 and a Mackie Profx12. Every track is sequenced live and includes live keys, and tracks are bridged live with short 707 drum solos [one thing you’ll notice about Heckle, he’s got a Hell of a way with those 707 toms]. Tracks performed include ‘What Once Was’, ‘Voyager’, ‘Life on Titan’, ‘Lunik (The Dream)’, ‘4^th Dimension’, ‘Ahead of Time’ and ‘R136’, as well as some tracks yet to be released and a couple of untitled jams.”

Sounds pretty special, right? Wait ‘til you hear it. Trust us on this one, whether you’ve heard of John Heckle or not, give this mix a try. Fans of Kassem Mosse, Omar-S, Hieroglyphic Being or Phuture might well find a new hero.