Each week, FACT trawls through the untamed world of free mixes, radio specials and live blends so you don’t have to.
This week’s selection kicks off with a journey through the rave imaginary from Turner Prize winner Mark Leckey and ventures into Roulé-inspired belters, dank DIY techno, a freaky take on UK bass from Commodo and pure heat from Copenhagen’s Apeiron Crew. You’re welcome, once again.
Mark Leckey
NTS Radio, April 1
Fresh from releasing the soundtrack to his autobiographical film installation Dream English Kid 1964-1999AD on The Death of Rave, Turner Prize winner Mark Leckey appeared on NTS Radio. In keeping with the spirit of his classic short film Fiorucci Made Me Hardcore, Leckey fills his two hours with plenty of classics from the golden era of British jungle while detouring through garage, footwork, grime, and even a few showtunes.
Charles Drakeford
Upfront 062: FTD
Charles Drakeford hit Boiler Room’s Upfront series this week with an hour of unreleased heat from his From The Depths label and beyond. Mesmeric synth ambience and loose-limbed techno is on the menu, with new tracks from Beatrice Dillon, Huerco S, Call Super and other unknowns striking the perfect balance between club tackle and home listening vibes.
T_A_M
Silk/Sweat FM
Aberdeen producer T_A_M offers a window into his influences on a killer Radar Radio session to tie in with the Theo Parrish-meets-Roulé of his Silk/Sweat EP. It’s basically two hours of belters galore: Thomas Bangalter, DJ Deeon and Todd Edwards brush up against more recent names including Night Slugs newbie DJC, Finn and dJJ. There’s even some Radiohead thrown in for good measure.
Antenes
Phormix Podcast #44
Brooklyn-based modular expert Antenes has appeared in these pages before, but what can you do when the woman keeps putting out crushing mixes of tactile, gristly techno? If you like your dancefloor dank and murky and your synths to be sprouting moss, this is your jam. Also exciting: Antenes is currently collaborating with Moog Music to make a new synth which she’ll debut at Moog Fest in Durham, NC, next month.
Smokey and Solid Blake (Apeiron)
Nous mix
Emma Blake and Simone Øster from Copenhagen’s Apeiron Crew just put together a mix for the on-point Nous label that ticks a lot of our boxes. Weird little pounders, distorted-to-fuck basslines and chunky vintage drum machines all coagulate into a deliriously Escher-esque rave, and then they drop one from that wicked Neuroshima release on All Caps – not to be missed.
Commodo
Thump Mix
UK producer Commodo makes music rooted in grime, dubstep and hip-hop, but you know you’re in for something refreshingly askew when he kicks off his Thump mix with some spooky ‘60s exotica and a dash of dusty jazz from Leeds-via-Ethiopia. The energy soon ramps up, though, dipping into bass movements from Kahn, Mala, Gantz, The Bug and that sort of crowd – quality pickings. His album How What Time dropped today.
