Norwegian duo Smerz smash together noisy beats and abstract melodies on this woozy FACT mix.
It was four years ago when Norwegian friends Catharina Stoltenberg and Henriette Motzfeldt decided to quit school and dive headlong into music. At the time, they were studying Latin, law and mathematics at the University of Copenhagen, but the academic life was beginning to take its toll.
The duo looked back to their musical training in classical violin and theater and began to forge a path forward, using Ableton Live to spin their vast array of influences – from DJ Rashad to Rihanna – into unique slices of underground pop.
Last year, Smerz released a slew of singles on the esteemed XL imprint, which were compiled into this year’s acclaimed Have Fun EP. And their FACT mix shouldn’t surprise anyone swayed by Smerz’s crunchy DIY club swing. Noisy delights from Rabit, Klein and Astrid Sonne slide up against bangers from Christoph de Babalon, Eartheater and Jesse Osborne-Lanthier, and of course there’s plenty of original material peppered in for good measure.
Tracklist:
Igor Wakhevitch – ‘The Smile of Wolf on the Beach (for Jorma)’
Rabit – ‘Possessed’
Erika de Casier – ‘Rainy’
Klein – ‘Collect’ Feat. Diamond Stingly
Sturm und Drang – ‘Zingaresque’
Rosalia – ?
ML Buch – ‘I’m a Girl You Can Hold IRL’
Pierre-Laurent Aimard – ‘Ligeti: Musica ricercata: XI. Andante misurato e tranquillo’
Eartheater – ‘Curtains’
Code Walk – ‘Wrist DSC’
Smerz – unreleased
Astrid Sonne – untitled
Igor Wakhevitch – ‘Sets (Transition)’
Transjoik – ‘Vele vele (tending)’
Christoph de Babalon – ‘Are You Talking To Me?’
CANTUS & Frode Fjellheim – ‘Njoktje’
Smerz – unreleased
Bulgarian State Television Female Choir – ‘Trakiisko Nastoenie (Thracian Easy Mood)’
Smerz – unreleased
Pavel Milyakov – main loop
Per Henderak Haetta – ‘Eira Ašlak’
Per Henderak Haetta – ‘Qarja’
Jesse Osborne-Lanthier – ‘The Zika Slam’
Smerz – unreleased
Christoph de Babalon – ‘Nostep’
Smerz – unreleased
Smerz – ‘Iso’
Read next: Heartache hits: Why XL’s Smerz ditched classical training for field recordings and footwork
