Now we’re fully alive and kicking in 2015 we’ve got another treat lined up for you for our second Truancy Volume of the year. If you’ve been lucky enough to catch Freerotation resident and UntilMyHeartStops label co-head Leif Knowles DJ before you’ll know all about his ability to craft an atmosphere with his sets. If you haven’t, not to worry, as there’s plenty of Leif to dig into. His label UntilMyHeartStops, which he runs with Joe Ellis, has had a stellar few years housing the likes of Joey Anderson, Freerotation co-founder Steevio and Truancy Volume 65 creator October. Leif’s guest slot alongside Joe Ellis on Ben UFO‘s Rinse FM show was named as one of the best mixes of the year by Resident Advisor and having him on board is a definite cause for excitement for us.

In terms of releases, Leif’s debut LP Dinas Oleu on Fear of Flying was one of the finest albums of 2013, coming a solid decade after he started releasing music. With it we were offered his vision of just how luscious and personal deep house can be. As his multitude of EPs and singles he’s released since 2003 prove, most recently his Nour & Light EP on Sudden Drop, Leif’s sound is as comfortable on headphones as it is on a system. It was a no-brainer for us, then, to bring him in to offer up the 109th edition in our mix series. We’re extremely excited to share this Truancy Volume as Leif has given us a delightfully varied and ascending mix as the perfect antidote to the chilly weather. This is one you’ll keep coming back to.

How did you record the mix? “The mix was recorded at home with Technics 1210s, A&H mixer, vinyl, some unreleased digital bits and a guitar reverb pedal (which in hindsight I probably went a bit overboard on).”

Is there any idea or theme behind the mix? “It’s quite varied, I guess. I had a few tricky mix transitions I wanted to play around with – some broken beat stuff, old trip-hop records on 45 instead of 33rpm / techno records slowed down to -8, etc. The first half is fairly chilled, the second half ramps it up a bit. There are some old favourites in there from artists like Terrence Dixon, Sensate Focus, Maxmillion Dunbar and Grimes Adhesif, mixed with a few forthcoming unreleased bits from myself, Duckett, Lubin and The Marx Trukker.”

Besides what’s in the mix, what else have you been feeling recently? “Awesome modular techno from Steevio, transcendental melodics from Oren Ambarchi, rhythmic meanderings from Burnt Friedman; there is so much good stuff out there at the moment.”

What’s next for you? “Production-wise, I’ve got a 12″ EP of some more broken-beat stuff coming soon on the Idle Hands label, a remix for Kimochi Sound and I’m working on another album for later this year. Aside from that, me and Joe are working on getting the next few releases ready for UntilMyHeartStops which we’re really excited about!”

Tracklist:
Maximillion Dunbar – Polo
HOT10TOT10 – R1Z1 (DJ Nozaki’s Don’t Come A Chick Mix)
The Marx Trukker – Clear Water Fishing
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Peshay – The Real Thing (90bpm version / at 45rpm)
Grimes Adhesif – The Last Three Minutes
Duckett – Let’s Have Sex
Leif – Life Through Analogies
Sensate Focus – Sensate Focus 5
Lubin – Mediation Garden
Grain – Untitled
Duckett – Flex
Terrence Dixon – Splendour
Lubin – Untitled
T-Polar – Southside Construction
Stéphane Laporte – Tears Plant