To promote the release of his wonderful debut album The Boat Party, Kyle Hall has prepared a very special edition of the Resident Advisor mix series. He has stated that the album comes as backlash against EDM’s current ubiquity in American mainstream music culture, and this intention is certainly reciprocated here. Whereas today’s chart topping sounds glisten and sparkle, here the songs are harsh and, for the most part, melody-less, making them the antithesis of radio friendly. To add to already rugged track selection, Kyle utilised much reverb and recorded the mix to tape giving it a beautiful warm and distorted aesthetic. When taken together, the mix allows one to gain an even greater admiration for his debut by hearing how tracks similar to the album cuts function in a set and they present a compelling vision of the raw, crunchy, free-form and beat-heavy sound for which he is becoming known.
Stream: Kyle Hall aka KMFH – Resident Advisor Mix (Wild Oats Music)
If you live in England, you may be constantly fooled into believing that summer is really here, that the foul jacket-wearing weather is finally over. But like the cruel mistress she is, England lives up to its rubbish weather stereotype, and lols in our faces every other day with a miserable, seemingly never-ending cloud of doom. But fear the fuck not. We can pretend. And if you don’t live in England, or the sun does decide to show it’s face, then all the better to enjoy this disco mix from Late Nite Tuff Guy. LNTG is soon to embark on his European tour and so graces us with a DJ mix to give us an idea of what to expect from his live set, reworking classics such as ‘Lovely Day’, ‘Nobody’ and throwing in his brilliant ‘Hold Tite’ rework, he’s living up to his name as “Disco Vigilante’. Also a big congrats to the man himself for his version of ‘Too Young To Die‘ being chosen by Jamiroquai as the winner of his official remix competition; 2013 is turning into a big year for him.
Stream: Late Nite Tuff Guy – Another Nite In A Disco
Liverpudlian grime don Slackk has really come out swinging this year. Alongside Mr. Mitch, Oil Gang and (Truancy Volume alumni) Logos, he has instigated what is shaping up to be one of London’s most intriguing new club nights ‘Boxed’, as well as dropping a killer EP of icy instrumental sino-grime on UTTU. With another 12” confirmed on Local Action, he has also been keeping us entertained on the regs with a monthly chronicle of the heaviest sounds to land in his inbox. Clearly enthused by the abundance of richly creative, forward-looking tracks cropping up from both established producers and newcomers, Slackk’s May mix showcases a similarly consistent level of freshness as previous editions, melded together with (largely) impeccable blends. What is perhaps most exciting about these mixes is that the beats that have you studying the tracklist for an ID most are coming from relative unknowns, with guys like Inkke, Rabit, Major Grave and Breen often providing highlights. The instalments are a telling vignette of the breadth of talent latching onto the more experimental side of instrumental grime right now, and are most definitely something to look forward to each month.
Stream: Slackk – May Mix
The Uncanny Valley camp usually traffic in the intersection between house, techno and vintage styles but their releases always suggest even broader tastes. During their monthly broadcasts for Dresden’s coloRadio they regularly cast their net beyond the 4×4 spectrum. The latest edition features tunes from Trinidad to Turkey and (literally) everywhere in between. Shangaan jams bubble alongside Indian disco, classic calypso and Polish Funk. It’s a choice addition to any Spring activity.
Stream: UV Funk 013: Exotica Special with Conrad Kaden (Uncanny Valley Dresden)
Dimensions Festival returns for its second outing later this year and their series of promo mixes from artists such as Mike Dehnert and Wbeeza has been whetting our appetites for the summer nicely. Perhaps our favourite of all comes from Mancunian Alex Coulton whose own unique and idiosyncratic interpretation of house and techno has made him a firm favourite at the Truants Mansion. Having already released on Bristol imprint Idle Hands in 2012, Alex has shown no signs of resting on his laurels with the exemplary “Adventures in 4×4 EP” one of our favourite releases of 2013 thus far. For his Dimensions mix, Alex collects his broad and seemingly disparate influences and fuses them seamlessly into an hour’s worth of music which will never fail to have you grooving. Track selection is well and truly on point with perennial Truants favourite “OAR003-B” a notable highlight. Highly recommended!
Stream: Alex Coulton – Dimensions Festival 2013 mix
Written by: Jess Melia, Stephanie Neptune, Matt Gibney, Oli Grant & Warren O’Neill.
