Each week, FACT trawls through the untamed world of free mixes, radio specials and live blends so you don’t have to.
We’ll take any excuse for a dive into the world of Yellow Magic Orchestra, and this week Joakim comes through with a dreamy selection from band member Haruomi Hosono.
Elsewhere, French DJ Betty becomes one of our favorite under-the-radar DJs with an eclectic Trax session, while former FACT mixer Josey Rebelle steps up for a Discwoman mix. We’ve also got a set of niche R&B jams and a journey through some African gems.
Betty
Trax 203
Betty Bensimon might just be the best DJ you’ve never heard yet – and if you have had the pleasure of experiencing one of her sets before, you’ll already be strapping in for this monster session for Trax. The Rinse France selector flies between techno, grime, gqom, acid house and the emergent “Bérite” vibe, which you’ll remember from her partner Teki Latex’s essential Bérite Club Mix from the other week. This is how you do “eclectic”, okay?
Rob Pursey & Tom Lea
Lovers & Friends #001
This Radar session from R&B nerdos Rob Pursey and Tom Lea is a trove of under-celebrated sex jams and super-smooth ‘90s and ‘00s boudoir’n’b. Yes, there is a lot of R. Kelly, but you also get Diddy-Dirty Money, Nivea, Elektrik Red, Ray J, the mighty Cassie and many other lesser-known lovermen and ladies.
Shy Layers
Metron Musik Mixtape 037
Atlanta-based multi-disciplinary artist JD Walsh released his debut LP as Shy Layers last year – a breezy avant-pop album that took its cues from the percussive draw of highlife-style guitar playing as much vocoder-laced synth experiments. For this new mix, Walsh wears his pan-African influences on his sleeve to capture three decades’ worth of music across the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s. It packs in everything from Mogadishu legends Dur-Dur Band and Ethio-jazz maestro Hailu Mergia to Ghanaian hero Ata Kak and Nigeria’s crowning Afro-rock heroes The Funkees – just under an hour of star power.
Josey Rebelle
Discwoman 18
A fierce mix from London’s Josey Rebelle, who admits she was “maybe in a bit of a dark mood when I did this. The world feels fucked.” Featuring records from all corners of her huge and varied collection, from Ikonika and Lone to James Mason, JJ.Fad and Awesome 3, the mix also includes wise words from activist Angela Davis.
Joakim
Haruomi Hosono mix
Haruomi Hosono isn’t as widely known as his Yellow Magic Orchestra collaborator Ryuichi Sakamoto, but his solo career is just as illustrious. In this mix for The Vinyl Factory, Hosono superfan Joakim picks out some of his finest moments, including YMO’s ‘Fire Cracker’, ‘Sports Men’ from his 1982 solo classic Philharmony and his forays into video game music, which saw him arrange the music for Pac Man and create a synth-pop version of the theme from arcade shooter Super Xevious. Essential listening for fans of Japanese pop and vintage electronics.
