Mixtape #131

Orions Belte are a real treat. Playful, breezy and driving in equal measures, their music is fun as hell and instantly stood out to us. Earlier this year, the Norwegian trio of Øyvind Blomstrøm, Chris Holm and Kim Åge Furuhaug released their second album, Villa Amorini, an impeccable eleven track LP that feels fresh and infectious, drawing influences from disparate genres, with groove elements lurking beneath it all. We're thrilled to unveil the superb mixtape they put together for us, mirroring their array of influences. Not bound to a specific genre, their mix is a gift that keeps on giving. Press play and enjoy!

  1. Jim Sullivan – U.F.O [Monnie / Light In The Attic]
  2. Nas – Moments [Mass Appeal]
  3. Knxwledge – Koldjawn
  4. Sven Wunder – Natura Morta [Piano Piano/  Mr Bongo]
  5. U. Srinivas – Malai Pozudinile [Globe Style]
  6. Ryuichi Sakamoto – riot in Lagos [Alfa Music, Inc]
  7. Sonny Sharrock – Blind Willie [Enemy Records]
  8. Miles Davis – Maiysha [Columbia / CBS]
  9. Flukten – Pave Toten Totten [Odin]
  10. Mamman Sani – Kobon Lerai [Sahel Sounds]
  11. Mike Cooper – White Shadows [Room40 / Sacred Summits]
  12. The Shadows – Wonderful Land [EMI]
  13. The Electric Prunes – General Confessional [Reprise Records]
  14. Alessandro Alessandroni – Rocking Moon [Stella Records]

Mixtape #114

Exhibiting a fluid mastery of the dhol, talented and acclaimed Indian-American composer and drummer Sunny Jain is involved in a range of diverse musical projects that dip into the soundtracks of Bollywood classics and spaghetti westerns, jazz, Indian folk, hip-hop, surf rock and many other genres. Brought up in New York as the child of Punjabi immigrants, his music is rooted in Indian traditions and culture. A renowned and unique performer, with numerous accolades under his belt, Jain is best known as the founder and bandleader of 8-piece Bhangra party band Red Baraat. He released his phenomenal album Wild Wild East last February, a personal record that brings to the table his skills and unique palette of influences and identities, celebrating immigrant and diaspora experiences. We’re ecstatic that he put together this amazing genre-spanning mix for us.

“Here’s a short mix of songs that I’ve grown up, have influenced me and that I still love to this day. Coltrane to Squarepusher, Zakir Hussain to Rush and a Bollywood classic from 1951, plus more.”

  1. Zakir Hussain – Making Music [ECM Records]
  2. Rush – Losing It [Mercury]
  3. Fishbone – Freddie’s Dead [Columbia]
  4. Miles Davis – Ah-Leu-Cha [Columbia]
  5. John McLaughlin – Mother Tongues [JMT Productions]
  6. Primus – Tommy the Cat [Interscope]
  7. Talvin Singh – Butterfly [Island Records]
  8. Mukesh – Awaara Hoon [Odeon]
  9. Radiohead – Knives Out [Parlophone / Capitol Records]
  10. Squarepusher – Beep Street [Warp]
  11. Nitin Sawhney – River Pulse (Rain Mix) [Outcaste Records / PIAS]
  12. Genesis – The Lady Lies [Charisma / Atlantic]
  13. John Coltrane – Resolution [Impulse!]

Mixtape #104

Maurice Louca, as a solo artist as well as with his numerous and adventurous collaborations, had conquered our ears a long time ago. A stalwart at the forefront of Egypt´s flourishing experimental music scene, Louca is an incredibly talented and prolific composer and producer. Earlier this year he released Elephantine, his magnificent new album, and we simply can´t put it down. So we´re beyond excited he accepted to helm this month´s mixtape! Here's his gem-filled mix that will stimulate and delight your ears!

  1. Albert Ayler – Goin’ Home [Black Lion Records]
  2. Sunil Ganguly – Chupke Chupke Raat Din Aanso
  3. Alexandre St-Onge – Joseph Carey Merrick (Part Two) [Oral]
  4. Jerusalem In My Heart –  Thahab Mish Roujou Thahab [Constellation]
  5. Sote – Breadth Digit (Glass Lung) [Sub Rosa]
  6. Sun Ra and his Solar Arkestra – Other Planes Of There (excerpt) [El Saturn Records‎]
  7. Daphne Oram – Pulse Persephone
  8. Umm Kulthum – Ghana El Rabea (excerpt)
  9. Don Ayler – Prophet John (excerpt) [Revenant‎]
  10. Miles Davis – Live Electric and Brutal @Berlin 1973 (Excerpt)
  11. Albert Ayler – Our Prayer [Impulse!]

Mixtape #93

Based in Brussels, the mysteriously masked quartet that is Why The Eye? craft themselves unconventional instruments out of apparently random objects, then use them to perform their music. And what music! A trance inducing combination of relentless polyrhythmic grooves, frenetic analogue glitches and distorted squeals, the band's eponymous first album which came out last year immediately turned us into avid fans. So in a bid to uncover what inspires this tribal and celebratory feel, we had Why The Eye? summon this month's mixtape and out of thin air, here it is!

  1. The Residents – The moles are coming [Ralph Records]
  2. Erika Sulzmann (1959) – Percussions and vocals from Maï Ndombe Lake (Congo)
  3. Plasticman – Kriket [NovaMute]
  4. Esplendor Geométrico – Es Inaudito [Linea Alternativa / Geometrik]
  5. Francis Bebey – Di Saegi [Born Bad Records]
  6. Aphex Twin – Fz Pseudotimestretch+e+3 [Warp]
  7. Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention – Help i’m a Rock [Verve Records]
  8. Badawi – Dance of the Centipedes [Reachout International Records]
  9. Gede Manik – Bereta Yuda [Disjuncta]
  10. Miles Davis – Rated-X [Columbia / CBS]
  11. James Brown – Since You’ve Been Gone [Polydor]
  12. T.K. Ramamoorthy – Rasikapriya [The Gramophone Company Of India Ltd. / EM Records]
  13. The Junkman (Donald Knaack) – Abracadabra
  14. Liquid Liquid – Cavern [99 Records]

Mixtape #82

Experimental pop band Aquaserge, who just released their new album Laisse Ça Être, is what you would call a supergroup. Founded in Toulouse over a decade ago by Julien Barbagallo, Julien Gasc and Benjamin Glibert and now also comprising Audrey Ginestet and Manon Glibert, each member is an accomplished and astounding musician in their own right, lending their talents to many other stellar bands. We instantly fell head over heels into Aquaserge's musical world which effortlessly transcends genres to create thrilling and bold compositions. And we're over the moon to present this month's mixtape lovingly assembled by the band!


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Mixtape #62

From New York by way of Tel Aviv, the music of Yonatan Gat, inventive master guitarist, combines influences from every corner of the globe to create a bonkers and unique musical entity, firmly held together by an improvised free jazz approach and pure wild energy. To gain an insight into Yonatan's genre-crossing tendencies, we've asked him to curate this month's mixtape. And sure enough, from British rock punk to Portuguese fado, from South African choral music to Israeli rock and American hip hop to Brazilian bossa, to name but a few, his mixtape, just like his music, has got it all.


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