Truancy Volume 113: Where To Now?

We’ve been fans of Brighton’s Where To Now? for some time, writing some effusive praise for Morkebla’s Nowhere, OK last year. Since then they’ve put out stellar releases from Roger Tellier-Craig, Nadia Khan, Tom James Scott and Beatrice Dillon to name but a few, and they’re soon to release their first full-length LP from Eugene Ward. We asked the guys behind the label to put together a mix that was true to their eclectic yet singular vision, and they didn’t disappoint. Sparklingly diverse, it’s hard to put words on it. So we’ll let the boys do that instead.

It felt appropriate to approach this mix with the view to showcase a strain of works that influence and inform our label releases and identity, to provide a little history and context. ‘Strain’ however is the key word here – our tastes have mutated over the years – we thought about producing a completely dance-floor-focused mix but frankly neither of us can mix at all, despite being casual DJs for years, so I guess this is the easy option.

Where To Now? took its first baby steps into the world via Brighton hang bar ‘The Penthouse’ many moons ago. We’d have a nice little sit down and nerd out over obscure Post-Punk, Minimal Wave, No-Wave, early On-U kind of stuff – sometimes people would dance, the vibe was always nice, popularity grew and people were into it. We produced and packaged homemade CDRs to give out on the night, and eventually Where To Now? grew into a radio show, and then a record label.

Perhaps in a way this mix harkens back to those early days, an excuse for us to both dive in to our record collections and dig out some tasty obscurities that really shouldn’t be obscure. A chance to revisit some of records that started this whole thing, and a chance to include some more modern cuts that hint towards where we are now, and where we might be going. Sink in.

– Where To Now?

Tracklist:
Clive Oxford – Fading Star
Cabaret Voltaire – Jazz The Glass
Social Climbers – Palm Springs
Martin Rev – Parade
Eyeless In Gaza – Falling Leaf / Fading Flower; Goodbye To Summer
Anschluss – Age Of Crowds
Steven Brown – Zoo Story OST
Kevin Harrison – Chase The Dragon
Bill Laswell – Hindsight
Black Dice – Kokomo
Gravats – Îlot (Claves)
U – Let The Sun Shine In
Cru Servers – Tryll Reggoh
Lutto Lento – Sirena
Morgan Buckley – Weather Report
Hieroglyphic Being – The Electronic Belt
Boonlorm – Carpet people
Steve Reich – Drumming Part III

Aidan Hanratty

Dublin ...