Each week, FACT’s Mixtape Round-Up trawls through the untamed world of free mixes, radio specials and live blends so you don’t have to.
We’ve now decided to break this into two features: the week’s Best Free Mixes (think Soundcloud, Mixcloud) and the week’s Best Mixtapes (think DatPiff, LiveMixtapes). Naturally, there’ll always be some level of crossover between the two, but for now we’ve split the columns up, with Mixes running every Thursday, and Mixtapes every Friday.
On our third outing with the new format, we’ve got a death-defying mix of styles: there’s a retrospective of Japanese electronic pop, the requisite selection of nu-grime, a pummeling selection of industrial techno, some Jersey Club and loads more.
Mix of the Week:
TALKER
ELECTRONIC EXPLORATIONS 324
Talker might be a new name to most, but Karl Meier and Jonathan Krohn are hardly fresh faces. Meier’s been involved in the scene for decades, even setting up shop in the home of industrial techno itself – Birmingham, England – for a spell back in the early ‘00s, so it’s hardly surprising that he ended up with releases on Downwards and Sandwell District. Krohn, on the other hand, is responsible for his own brand of frazzled electronics as Stave, and the Chicago duo have put together this expertly selected mix for Electronic Explorations.
Kicking off with Substance’s unfuckwithable rework of Monolake’s ‘Alaska’, the mix goes from strength to strength, lapping up recent grinders from Lakker, Terrence Fixmer and Objekt, and expertly blending them with classic cuts from Sleeparchive, Marco Passarani, Lil Louis and loads more. If you’re interested in the darker side of electronic music then you should have clicked the link already, this is frankly unmissable.
Head over to the Electronic Explorations site to check it out.
MR. MITCH
HYPONIK 184
We don’t mask our love for grime don Mr. Mitch very well here at FACT HQ. Only a few weeks back we were singing the praises of his ‘Peace Edit’ of Mumdance’s anthemic ‘Take Time’, and now we’re in awe of his latest blend for Hyponik. The man’s a veteran, and manages to expertly drag us through the dazzling state of nu-grime with fresh drops from Dark0, Inkke, Murlo, Lollingo, JT the Goon and of course a humble smattering of his own productions. It’s the curveballs that set it apart from the rest though a careful drop of Eomac’s ‘Forest’ is a welcome diversion, and the inclusion of Swifta Beater’s trap belter ‘Choir Gang’ is like a hadoken to the balls.
ULRICH SCHNAUSS
THE RANSOM NOTE MIX
Ulrich Schnauss’s brand of electrified shoegaze music has been resoundingly successful over the years, and it’s a pleasure to hear him sew together this riveting patchwork of Japenese electronic music. The touchstones are here in full force, with Yellow Magic Orchestra making up a good half of the tape (including solo work from Harry Hosano, Yukihiro Takahashi and Ryuichi Sakamoto, that is), but there are plenty of lesser known gems here too, and everything is assembled with an expert level of knowledge in the subject. It’s also surprisingly summery stuff, so if you’re sick of all the drones, industrial techno and bass excursions, maybe a bit of zippy Japanese electro pop’s just what you need?
SLAVA
CIROC MIX4LOGO
Russian-born New York club weirdo Slava heads to the triple point of art, music and commerce for a mix (allegedly) inspired by luxury vodka brand Ciroc: “Tracks have been triple-distilled into a cool sound,” writes LOGO. “Sit back, turn it up, and take it chill.” With or without the commentary on glossy, pro-grade commercialism, the mix should suit the needs of anyone searching for chilled-out club vibes, from R&B favorites (Aaliyah, Cassie) to dembow-kissed ferocity (DJ Leo, Rizzla and False Witness). Slava has spent the last few years mutating club styles — this mix is a brief example of what he can do.
KAYY DRIZZ
#ROYALTY: THE MIXTAPE
Newark’s self-proclaimed “Club Princess,” Kayy Drizz is part of the city’s leading Jersey club clique, Thread. Her #Royalty mixtape is a rarity: an hour-long club mix comprised of only her productions, collaborations and remixes. Expect amped-up takes on rap hits (‘Honest’, ‘Nana’, ‘Gas Pedal’) and re-workings that focus on only the best elements (Rihanna on ‘The Monster’, Sampha on ‘Too Much’). The mix closes with a handful of originals that fuse New Orleans with Jersey (‘Twurk’, ‘Giddy Up’) and a certifiable trap banger in ‘Ressurection’. Usually these mixes have us trawling Soundcloud and Hulkshare, but she’s saved us a trip by dropping everything on Mediafire. What a pro.
STAR EYES
NIGHT BASS X THUMP MIX
On one of FACT’s final East Village Radio shows (RIP), Trouble & Bass co-founder Star Eyes took control of the decks for an earth-shaking (if abridged) set of bassline, grime and all things ruthless. In the same vein, this hour-long set is a relentless mix of UK-meets-US club music with a focus on the low-end. Much of this is super-contemporary (or unreleased), but even if some of these tunes are familiar, they’re presented in new ways (that mash of Zinc’s ‘Blunt Edge’ and Route 94’s ‘Forget the Girl’, for example). Star Eyes is always on point, and we wish we could make it to the Night Bass party this mix is promoting.
