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 list has it all: grime from Boy Better Know’s debut Radar Radio show, kuduro from Portuguese artist DJ Marfox and an Egyptian-themed visual mix from World Unknown’s Andy Blake. For something a little more subdued, there’s also a primer to the career of Ennio Morricone from London create-digger Cherrystones.
Boy Better Know w/ Maximum, Skepta, JME, Frisco and more
Radar Radio, February 9
If you need any more proof that Radar Radio is killing it right now, look no further than who the station has picked for its new latest monthly residency: Boy Better Know. Skepta, JME, Maximum, Frisco, Jammer and Shorty were there with special guest Novelist, with a two-hour debut show that proves grime’s pirate radio spirit is still very much alive in London.
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Andy Blake
Egyptian Kings mix
From Camberwell to Cairo in one fell swoop. If you like your mixes with visuals and you like your visuals with a trippy Egyptian theme, this is the one for you. A collaboration between World Unknown’s Andy Blake and Camberwell cohort Z Lovecraft, its blend of lightly-toasted grooves and tempered acid house is about as far removed from the Necronomicon as you can get.
Cherrystones
Ennio Morricone special on NTS Radio, February 9
Italian composer Ennio Morricone is one of the undisputed greats of film composition, but his broad catalogue is a lot to digest. In this highly listenable homage, London crate-digger Cherrystones picks some of his personal highlights from the mountain of Morricone scores and frames his own mini snapshot, one he hopes will “bring you to your knees.”
DJ Marfox
NTS Radio, February 7
Lisbon’s DJ Marfox stepped up to the decks of NTS Radio’s Manchester outpost this week, blasting through an hour of kuduro sounds from the Portuguese capital. If you like your club music hot, humid and fast-paced, this 60 minute mix is essential listening.
Traxman
Maurice White tribute mix
There have been many tributes to Earth, Wind & Fire founder Maurice White since he died, but none quite like Traxman’s. Instead of putting together a standard mix of the funk and soul group’s tracks, the Chicago producer put together a mix of footwork edits of their music. It’s only a short and sweet 30 minutes long, but recommended whether you’re familiar with the band’s music or not.
De Leon
Blowing up the Workshop 55
De Leon is the latest in a long list of relative unknowns to be highlighted by Blowing up the Workshop. Like many entires into the must-check mix series, De Leon’s offering ploughs the deepest recesses of avant-garde electronics, minimalism and vintage sounds across its 43 minutes, creating something that sounds like it’s been plucked from Shackleton’s subconscious.
