A “whirlwind trip” through the contemporary club landscape from one of Vancouver’s best and brightest.
Bethlehem Mulat has us right where she wants us. Citing psychological thrillers and their soundtracks as a key inspiration, the producer, DJ and vocalist plays with a virtuosic grasp of tension and control, flexing formidable technical skill while constantly probing for joyous chaos and ecstatic surprise. “This mix features songs from some of my fave musicians, some of my all-time favorite songs, and some hidden gems from my homies,” she says of her Fact mix. “I tried to maintain an unrelenting momentum with this hybrid mix while experimenting with tension by oscillating between intensely percussion-heavy, high-octane drum patterns, driving bass lines and syncopated rhythms.”
“It’s a whirlwind trip,” she concludes, “intense and angular.” Serving as both a whistle-stop tour of the contemporary club landscape, highlighting razor-sharp drum styles and giddy pop edits from the likes of Nick León, Ozwald and Galtier, as well as a homage to some of her more foundational influences, including the primal technoid frazzle of Datapunk Rockstars ‘Klartext’ and prolific electro pioneer Anthony Rother, the session stands as a testament to Venetta’s personal approach.
Yet it’s the unexpected territory that yields the most profound thrills. Cruel Youth’s ‘Everything Was Beautiful’ left to drift peacefully over an unusually serene cut from Nazar. An irresistible Basement Jaxx flip from Philly club legend DJ Sega gleefully smashed into Gwen Stefani. Tzusing’s ‘Residual Stress,’ perhaps the most widely deployed club artillery of recent months, slingshotted straight through Lady Lykez and Scratchclart’s UK gqom and grime concoction and DJ Babatr’s raptor house anthem ‘HA DA HE HE.’ It’s these moments that spotlight Venetta as a special talent and one of the best selectors around.
You can find Venetta on Instagram.
Tracklist:
Cruel Youth – ‘Everything Was Beautiful’
Nazar – ‘Mother’
INVT – ‘ISLA HUNDIDA’
Nick León – ‘Grillo’
Lemonick – ‘Paramite Temple’
Ozwald – ‘Swarms’
Datapunk Rockstars – ‘Klartext’
Lag – ‘Nemir’
Tribal Brothers – ‘Pana’
Peder Mannerfelt – ‘Für Immer’
TenTwentySeven – ‘Cogs’
DJ Sega – ‘Where’s Yo Head At’
Gwen Stefani – ‘What You Waiting For’
Drum Thing – ‘Warp Skin (NKC Remix)’
HOT ‘N’ SPICY – ‘Oops, Get Low (KA WAI Lil Jon x Tweet edit)’
Ozwald – ‘Lord of the Buss’
Luke Vibert & Jean Jacques Perrey – ‘Moog Acid’
Anthony Rother – ‘Space’
Ozwald – ‘Sex Drum’
Osheyack & Nahash – ‘Hold Pattern’
Tzusing – ‘Residual Stress’
Lady Lykez & Scratchclart – ‘Drmatic’
DJ Babatr – ‘HA DA HE HE’
Galtier – ‘Dancing On Ruins’
Total XTC – ‘Unreleased’
Forest Drive West – ‘Greed’
Tati Au Miel – ‘Unreleased’
Listen next: Fact Mix: Piezo
