Each week, FACT trawls through the untamed world of free mixes, radio specials and live blends so you don’t have to.
Optimo’s JD Twitch comes through with a genre-spanning Solid Steel mix this week, alongside Ethiopian folk music from recent RVNG signing Mikael Seifu, apocalyptic film scores from Clint Mansell, knackered ’80s jams from Brazilian producer Seixlack and a set of raucous club tracks from Teki Latex.
Mikael Seifu
The Zelalem Mixtape
Mikael Seifu’s Zelelam offering stirs Ethiopian and African folk into an organic brew that preserves the native songs in their raw form. Compared to the ethiopiyawi electronic scene of which Seifu is a part of, these are the kind of sounds preserved for quieter moments of discovery, where sublime choral voices and traditional instruments such as the masenqo are given the spotlight.
Clint Mansell
The Synth Show on NTS Radio, March 7
Clint Mansell, king of the dystopian movie soundtrack, makes a mix of his favourite dystopian movie soundtracks for NTS Radio. Well, he should know, right? John Carpenter, Tangerine Dream, Cliff Martinez, Delia Derbyshire and Blanck Mass all appear alongside some of his own compositions. Look out for our interview with Clint next week about his score for Ben Wheatley’s J.G. Ballard adaptation, High Rise.
Aimee Cliff & E.M.M.A. ft Toxe & Alx9696
Angel Food on Radar Radio, March 5
Aimee Cliff and E.M.M.A.’s Angel Food is one of Radar Radio’s essential shows, blending pop hits and abstract club music with ease. Alongside this week’s selection of Rihanna, Britney Spears and Brenmar is an appearance from Swedish DJs Toxe and Alx9696, who played some exclusives sourced from the Staycore collective. Expect unreleased heat from Mechatok, Dinamarca, Kablam and more.
JD Twitch
Solid Steel Radio Show, March 4
Optimo’s JD Twitch has crafted a “hybrid mix that is a cross between a radio type show and a club.” It’s essentially a groovier extension of his synth-heavy So Low compilation, warmed through with tempered tropicalia, pinches of power-pop and weirdo disco-funk, that he hopes will make people “feel like they may want to go out dancing sometime soon.”
Teki Latex
Mix for The Astral Plane
The ever-on-point Astral Plane blog celebrates its 100th mix with a session from Sound Pellegrino chief Teki Latex. He’s a truly great DJ, open-minded and able to see connections where others would see brick walls. He also sounds like he’s having some fun with the job, for god’s sake – Bronski Beat, Fiedel, Tarquin and Jean Michel Jarre all pop up, and there’s rarely a moment where he’s not blending and layering tracks for unique results. Worth hanging in there for the freaky finish line too.
Seixlack
Pinkman mix
São Paulo producer Seixlack makes dance music that’s crunchy and lo-fi, but unlike many of his contemporaries fills his tracks with colour too. His mix for the Pinkman label is the perfect antidote to grotty, greyscale techno, mixing knackered ‘80s jams that sound like they’ve been fished out of a dustbin with breakneck synth tracks that feel like pitched-up Italo disco.
