Mixtape #144


There’s be no better way to kick off the year than with a very special selection of tracks handpicked by Sunda Arc, the duo of brothers Nick Smart and Jordan Smart, who are also famed as two thirds of jazz trio Mammal Hands. With two albums and one EP under their belt, Sunda Arc take in influences from techno, electronica, neo-classical, jazz and post-rock. Their shared love of electronic and dance music runs deep, and they seamlessly blend electronic and acoustic instrumentation, blurring the distinction between the two and creating a synergy between both digital and analogue sounds. We're ecstatic to unveil their mixtape, mirroring their vast influences. Press play and enjoy.

  1. Need for Storms – Clast
  2. 暗号零 – 虚空 [VILL4IN]
  3. Skee Mask – Rev 8617 [Ilian Tape]
  4. Mad Zach & Yunis – Moro Cut [Mad Lab]
  5. Clams Casino – All I Need [Type]
  6. Tirzah – Devotion (feat Coby Sey) [Domino]
  7. Malibu – Camargue [Joyful Noise]
  8. Bicep – Sundial [Ninja Tune]
  9. Andrea – Track QY [Ilian Tape]
  10. The Revolutionaries – Kunta Kinte (Version One) [Pressure Sounds / Channel One]
  11. Digital Mystikz – Misty Winter [Soul Jazz Records]
  12. Machinedrum – Gunshotta [Ninja Tune]
  13. Sky H1 – Elysian Heights [AD 93]
  14. AYYA – Second Mistake [Pan]

Sunda Arc tease second album with new single ‘Distant Siren’

Photo: Alex Kozobolis

Sunda Arc, the duo of brothers Nick Smart and Jordan Smart, have a new album on the way, following their 2020 debut Tides. Entitled Night Lands, it arrives on November 18th through Gondwana Records. A beautiful record, Night Lands takes cues from techno, electronica, neo-classical and post-rock and it “channels Nick and Jordan’s love of electronic and dance music, without losing any of their deep musicality”, as the press release describes.

Alongside the album announcement, Sunda Arc have released the first single ‘Distant Siren’. They comment:

“This was a track that went through many iterations, as we were playing with different moods to frame the main melody. We ended up settling on more of an urban and dark sound world, with the bass clarinet representing a more hopeful melody struggling to emerge throughout the track in different ways. This track I think feels like taking an early morning journey on a night bus; the thoughts and feelings and sights and sounds that emerge and fall back into the darkness.”

‘Distant Siren’ comes with an accompanying video directed by Daniel Halsall and you can watch it below.