Each week, FACT trawls through the untamed world of free mixes, radio specials and live blends so you don’t have to.
Dance music fans across the globe were united in grief this week following the news that Fabric has been forced to shut down for good. But rather than wallow, let’s celebrate the UK clubbing institution with a rave-ready Nina Kraviz set, recorded at the club earlier this year. If that isn’t enough squelch for you, make some room for a two-hour snapshot of metamorphic Aphex Twin, lovingly prepared by musical collaborator Planet Mu boss Mike Paradinas. There’s also a hip-hop special from Robert Hood and an insight into the tunes that make Murlo tick.
µ-Ziq
VF Mix 63: Aphex Twin by µ-Ziq
A two-hour vinyl-only retrospective of Richard D. James’s career, mixed by one of his long-time pals and collaborators? Things are starting to look brighter already. This 32-track blend covers James’ many aliases, from Caustic Window to AFX, with his 1993 remix of Saint Etienne’s ‘Who Do You Think You Are’ also making an appearance. Whack it on and feel the burn – the only requirement for listening is good taste.
Nina Kraviz
Rinse FM podcast: #SaveFabric
Nina Kraviz’ face-melting, 303-friendly monster of a mix unleashes the indomitable spirit of Fabric that has always been hard to keep down. Broadcast on Rinse FM as part of a Fabric takeover on September 3 to raise awareness of the club’s plight, the hour-long homage rolls through acid belters and deep house bangers, always keeping two feet firmly on the dancefloor.
Robert Hood
Weather Festival live hip-hop set
The Detroit producer swaps synths and snares for scratching with this live hip-hop set recorded for Paris’s Weather Festival back in June. Effortlessly stitching together tracks from Nas, Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth, it proves the techno veteran is a killer DJ no matter what genre he’s spinning.
Murlo
Solid Steel guest mix
This Solid Steel guest mix from Murlo reads like a badge of his musical influences. From Missy Elliott to Ashanti and Sinjin Hawke, the Midlands-born producer says that “the majority of the mix is made of tunes that have had a big impact on me and the way I approach making music for the past few years.” It also features unreleased cuts from Murlo himself.
Wonja
Bandcloud Guest Mix
As perfectly cosmic as you would have hoped from Bandcloud’s weekly roundup of stranger sounds, Californian DJ and producer Wonja flits through a heady and eclectic selection of Indonesian gamelan, avant-dancehall from FACT-approved duo Equiknoxx, while also piercing the ambience with wonkier techno cuts. A blissful note to end the week on.