There aren’t many of them left, but Jace ‘DJ/rupture’ Clayton an old fashioned Renaissance man.
Clayton helms the mudd up! blog and its accompanying WFMU radio show, both of which offer a thorough and diverse survey of global music developments (plus the occasional percipient book review to boot). His ambit is astonishingly broad: kuduro, Moroccan grime, Mexican beat music and chopped’n’screwed hip-hop all get sensitive and smart coverage. As a software programmer, he’s created his own pan-global plug-ins series; as a journalist, he’s written for everyone from The Wire to Frieze; and as a DJ, he’s as likely to play contemporary art conventions as dark clubs. He also leads the Nettle ensemble, best known for last year’s El Resplandor: The Shining In Dubai, an imaginary soundtrack to a hypothethetical remake of Kubrick’s classic film set in the UAE.
That same spirit of inquiry oozes throughout his mixes as DJ/rupture, a number of which have earned semi-legendary status over the last decade. As The Fader report, Clayton has now made all of his major mixtape releases available for free through his blog, plus a clutch of lesser-known sessions and bonus treats.
Among the mixes included is 2001’s breakthrough tape Gold Teeth Thief, which plots a precarious path through Missy Elliott, Kid 606, Shabba Ranks and John Wall. 2002’s influential follow-up Minesweeper Suite is part of the bundle, as is his high watermark, 2008’s dazzling commercial mix Uproot, which offered an exciting alternative reading of the development of dubstep. Other highlights include a live mix from Dubai (2004’s Bidoun Sessions) and a cumbia mix for BBC Radio 1.
In Rupture’s words: “Yeah, I have tinnitus by now but it’s not so bad.. I’ve DJed a lot of parties and made a lot of mixtapes over the years… And now you can listen and download most of them right here. The best place to begin is 2001′s game-changing live 3-turntable mix, Gold Teeth Thief. This influenced A LOT of people & opened many ears; over a decade later, the world sounds a lot more like I was hearing/blending it back then”.
Head here to download (and, if the festive spirit wills it, give a donation while you’re there).
