Although he’s been DJing since the 90s, Nick Craddock is as popular as he’s ever been.
Hailing from the north of England but based in South London, his Gateway to Zen clubnight has become a noted home for techno across the board, and co-signs from the likes of Hessle Audio and Karenn (he’s featured on the former’s Rinse FM show, and supported the latter’s Boiler Room) have led to a raised profile. We also included him in last year’s 100 Underrated DJs feature.
Craddock describes his FACT mix, which draws from spaced-out, experimental techno from the likes of STL and Population One before closing on a blissed-out acid section, as “a strange one”, which hardly surprising when you consider this is the third version of it that he sent. “I spent ages hammering away at a loose track selection – recording lots of takes over several weeks, which is very counter-intuitive for me,” he says. I pretty much rinsed any enjoyment of the tracks themselves in the process. Then a week before submission was due, I was getting some music together for a forthcoming gig. I had a lot of new tracks – freshly bought and a few promo bits, but I felt like there was enough of a thread running through the selection to have a bash at recording a mix.
“Because it was mostly new music,” he continues, “I was very much feeling my way through it as it happened, but that’s often how my mixes come together. It’s nice to work with the energy of the tracks and your reaction to them in the moment. And I still like the tunes when it’s finished!”
Gateway to Zen’s next party is on August 14 at Rye Wax, with sets from Leah Floyeurs, Tom Whatmore and Diskomo Oblast. The club has also recently implemented a safe space policy, which you can read about here.
Tracklist:
01. Library Tapes ‘Fragment VIII’ [Kning Disk]
02. STL ‘2 Deep’ [Something]
03. Kit Clayton ‘Kalu’ [Scape]
04. Mannerfelt/Haydo ‘Stepping In’ [Avian]
05. Population One ‘3.26.2013 @ 11:40pm‘ [30drop]
06. U ‘Our Place’ [Technicolor]
07. Eduardo De La Calle ‘The Sudama Song’ [Nonplus]
08. Nima Khak ‘Nebulosa III (Swedish Naan Boys edit)’ [SAND]
09. Post Scriptum ‘Gliese 581’ [Infrastructure]
10. JP Enfant ‘Subconscious Leverage’ [Les Enfants Terribles]
11. Psyk ‘Aumento’ [Mote Evolver]
12. Staffan Linzatti ‘Dizziness’ [Balans]
13. Inigo Kennedy ‘Requiem (Efdemin ‘Journey To The Stars’ Mix)’ [Token]
14. Ø [Phase] ‘Internal Conflict (Acts 1-3)’ [Token]
15. Artefakt ‘The Fifth Planet’ [Delsin]
16. Tissu ‘4 #2’ [Mörk]
17. MHP ‘Anticrepuscular Rays’ [Nightvision]
18. U ‘Easy Prayer’ [Technicolor]
