JG Wilkes * Freak House Mix.

Jonnie Wilkes is probably better known as one half of Glasgows 'Optimo' who were, untill a few years ago, operating out of the legendary Arches club. Since calling time on their weekly jamboree on Jamaica street they've not been sat on their laurels though. Oh no. They've busy'd themselves on a number of projects as well as keeping up with their DJing commitments.
A fair chunk of their time and focus has been on their Optimo Music label. Assisted and abetted ably by their colleagues Jill Mingo and Andrew Beltran and again based in Glasgow, their remit is to support and expose the music that they discover and excites their ears! Be that local or those shaking up far from their fair home city. There's no genre, no dogma, just music they love and want to share. With releases from the likes of Factory Floor, Chris Carter, Space System, Den Haan under their belts and a new Boot & Tax LP just dropped, the label are having something of a purple patch.
Add to that lot they release a brilliant looking new compilation 'Now Thats What I CAll DIY (Cult Classics from the Post-Punk Era 1978 - 82) on their Optimo Music label in early July (you can hear a handfull of snippets from it here) and before long they will have built up a very tasty looking back catalogue.
Amyhoo, enough talk and onto the music.  A cracking mix here from a couple of years back with Wilkes in full on party mode, bending, bumping and generally bullying a bunch of freaky house records for your listening pleasure.
He loves your ears.

Till next time.
Big love. Mark. X

Andrew Weatherall's new Moine Dubh record label and launch party.

On Saturday 20th June Andrew Weatherall will be launching his new label, Moine Dubh (pronounced 'moyn doo') in what I'm assured is the beautiful chapel at The House of St Barnabas in London. You will have the chance to see a selection of artists signed to the label.
Entrance is strictly limited to only 75 people and costs £20 plus the booking fee and you can get tickets here.
All surpluses generated by ticket sales are donations and will be restricted to supporting the House of St Barnabas Employment Academy, helping those affected by homelessness and social exclusion back into employment.



Moine Dubh is just one of the great independent labels they'll be celebrating. All year there'll be a mixture of new and established faces helping to champion developing and growing dynamic fresh talent. Each label will present a beautifully curated night to showcase the label's individual style mixing new signings with current artists.
Moine Dubh is to be a subscription based vinyl record label curated solely by Andrew and for those of you who would like to subscribe to the first batch of releases (5 x 7" singles) more information will be posted on the Moine Dubh Facebook soon, so get over there and check it sharpish.

Till next time.
Big love. Mark. X

The best DJ you've (probably) never heard of #3. TRAXX.

 

Melvin Oliphant III (a.k.a. Traxx) is most definitely a freak for the Jakbeat! We assume you’ll be in the same boat after absorbing the first few cuts from this mix! We serve up 3 hours 46 mins of Traxx madness at the Phonographe Corp's 3rd Birthday, held at the Batofar club, recorded on the 31st October 2013. As you  will hear Traxx is a man who's on a most singular mission. Uncompromising, wild, and most definitely NOT for the faint hearted he plays records like a man possessed. Moving deftly from anular disco cuts and frantic techno to NY post punk-funk and coldwave ina wild four hour selection of un-chained melodies and his own material while also rounding up elements of Chicago house, dark-core electronics, and of course his beloved jakbeat. Listen, then seek him out. Traxx is MOST DEFINITELY the real deal.

Traxx/Nation website.
Traxx On Discogs. 

Till next time.
Big love. Mark. X

Andrew Weatherall & Ewan Pearson. live @ Elita. Milan.

To continue our recent trend of posting incredibly long mixes we've decided to re-up this gem from a couple of our favourite DJ's/producers/human beings, Andrew Weatherall and Ewan Pearson. Recorded last year at Milan's 'Elita' club it's a 5 hour banquet of weapons grade vitals, albeit trimmed into 3 more manageable mouthfuls, to keep your audio appetite sated. We recommend a nice red to wash it down with.
Enjoy.

Till next time.
Big love. Mark. X

Less a horoscope, more a necessary blood letting.

Uncomfortable living in this post-hypnodog era? Why not let a shithouse who looks as though he buys his petrol, groceries and shirts all from the same shop tell you whats in store for you in the future!! Over to you, Daniel.

Capricorn:
The full moon in the 12th brings the ability to levitate. Use this while it lasts to impress a lover.

Aquarius:
Doing your family tree will uncover Nazi sympathisers. Do a jigsaw to take your mind off it.
Lucky stone: Tiger’s Eye.

Pisces:
Mars violently enters your sign on the 26th and then leaves at 4.35pm on the 27th. Try to get all your Christmas shopping done during these hours.

Aries:
You have a poltergeist in your small back bedroom. That’s not a euphemism. You need a priest with some holy water, and fast.

Taurus:
You will find out you are barren this week, but remember: a lot of people’s lives have been ruined by having kids. Buy new carpets instead and look on the bright side.

Gemini:
Your wisdom teeth will implode this week, but your inherent racism lands you your ideal job. Wear yellow for energy.

Cancer:
You are very psychic. While in a trance you will feel an Irish gypsy come over you.
Your fortune lies in the back of a blue Ford Cortina.

Leo:
A sponsored walk ends in disaster this week when someone falls off a cliff. However, a lipstick you buy from an Avon catalogue will have magical powers. Swings and roundabouts.

Virgo:
You need to rein in your spending; You are not Princess Anne. Get the Megabus and know your place.

Libra:
A family pet will have to be put down this week. Fortunately it is not yours.
Wear moonstones for more free shit.

Scorpio:
You will be possessed by the spirit of dead monk this week. Play Buckaroo until it passes.

Sagittarius:
You will become romantically involved with a man who looks like a Crimewatch photofit. Don’t be so quick to judge; he can bodypop and put up shelving.

Till next time.
Big love. Mark. X

Blood In The Music: NYC's experimental post-punks.

“In the ’80s, it’s difficult to identify any particular rock avant garde sound likely to develop into a major movement, as the scene is so fragmented it almost defies definition.”

A bastion of culture on British television for over thirty years, this episode 1989 of Melvyn Bragg’s South Bank Show has become a .New York artefact' in its own right – showcasing an experimental, patchwork documentary by NYC film-maker Charles Atlas called 'Put Blood In The Music'. A collage of street-scapes and cut-up talking heads that reflect the “frenetic” and “self-conscious” scene at its most disparate, the film now feels like a work of video art in its own right.

Featuring a brilliantly whacky interview with experimental jazz man John Zorn (reclining cheekily in front of his masses of vinyl) and some pretty incredible rehearsal footage with Sonic Youth, it’s a DIY romp the likes of which you’d never see on primetime TV these days. Even Melvyn Bragg doesn’t seem completely sure what to make of it.

Either way, we think it makes for some fantastic weekday viewing.

Till next time.

Big love. Mark. X

The Best DJ You've (Probably) Never Heard Of #2: Solar.

It's been a while since we last did one of these (over a year in fact!) when we featured Vladimir Ivkovic as the first in our series of 'the best DJ you've probably never heard of' and as such we move along without any further fuss to the second mix from San Francisco's 'Solar' that we've featured recently.
Actually that should read 'The second BRILLIANT mix from San Francisco's, Solar we've featured recently'. Another absolute stormer from the lad who's rapidly becoming one of our favourite DJ's.
Though he's been DJing for two decades now, until recently you would have been forgiven for not knowing who Solar was if you lived outside of California. You can find him more recently playing through Europe and further afield. His streamline sets never less than an education, taking in the more adventurous areas of techno, drone, industrial, electro and house without ever sounding too obscure or reaching too left of centre. In short, its an absolute masterclass and we implore you to check him out at any opportunity you get. You have been warned!!

Check out Solar on Soundcloud.



Till next time.
Big love. Mark. X