"Genre: Not Applicable" says one of Bogatá-born DJ and producer @bitterbabe's online bios, and she's not wrong. She mixes up and blends global club styles from Colombian guaracha to Venezuelan raptor house with high energy and rich percussion on labels like TraTraTrax and is a member of the ECO and Latitudes collectives. She is focussed on amplifying electronic artists and labels across Latin America while herself being on a near-constant tour of Europe's finest clubs. After a long time entrenched deep in the Miami scene, she recently made the move to Berlin. 

On this week's mix, Bitter Babe takes you on a wild ride through her unique rhythmic world. Everything she plays is defined by big drums, but how they fall and where they take you is always a thrill. You'll recognise hints of jungle, there are nods to techno and flashes of rave intensity but mostly these are contorted in between sounds that captivate mind and body with equal intensity.

Dekmantel Podcast

Dekmantel Podcast 430 - Bitter Babe

Bitter Babe — live from Boiler Room x Cupra at Primavera Sound Madrid.

Bitter Babe | Boiler Room x Primavera Sound Madrid 2023

Reclaim Your City 564 | Tripeo (Nijmegen)

A true staple of the Dutch scene and beyond for the past fifteen years, Darko Esser alias Tripeo has constantly been at the forefront of what techno can bring to the table in terms of both innovation and raw power. Responsible for memorable platters on the likes of Clone Records, Curle, Cultivated Electronics, Rekids, Bassiani and his own imprint, Wolfskuil, amongst many others, Darko has always been ahead of the curve, not just in being an absolute technical beast or through his extensive knowledge of music - which reaches way out the niche realm of techno/electronics, but in beckoning techno onto uncharted routes just like the Detroit sound paved the way for a bolder, time-transcending approach. It’s with great honour that we welcome him in the series, this time under the Tripeo moniker, for two hours of absolute batshit 4x4 frenzy. A no-miss. 

Soundcloud: bit.ly/tripeo_sc
Instagram: bit.ly/tripeo_ig
Facebook: bit.ly/tripeo_fb
Bandcamp: bit.ly/tripeo_bc
Resident Advisor: bit.ly/tripeo_ra

01. M.R.E. - Groenendaal - Fluid Electronics
02. Timeblind - Interrupt - Communique
03. Hive Mind - Mycelium - GLXY
04. Rod20 - MoPo 1 - Rod20
05. Decoder - Kalpavriksha - Amotik
06. Shinedoe - Expressionisme (Truncate Remix) - Music That Moves
07. Knarz - Kind Der Nacht - Monnom Black
08. Jossy Mitsu - World’s End - Astral Black
09. Shawn Rudiman - Back To Front - Unreleased
10. Peverelist - Pulse V - Livity Sound
11. Lory D - Abruct Interruption - Elektronik Outboarding Cast
12. Reeko - Energia Magenta - Delsin
13. Laura van Hal - Moving Thoughts - Syncopated
14. Maccari - Deep Convolution (Blasha & Allatt Remix) - Mind Medizin
15. Dynamic Forces - Substance - Tar Hallow
16. Rod20 - White On - Rod20
17. Subradeon - Brothers And Sisters - Subradeon
18. Jay Denham - Growth + Development - Cosmic
19. Spectral Emotions - Art Mechanique - Monnom Black
20. Surgeon - Rotunda - Tresor
21. Tripeo - Misfit - Unreleased
22. Paul Damage Bailey - Vortices - Unreleased
23. Verraco - Escándaloo - VOAM
24. Surgeon - Depart - Tresor
25. Tripeo & Hemka - TripKa 9 - Nerudo
26. Fixon - Brutal Metaphor - Illegal Alien
27. 13130 Space Project - Lonely In The Shallows - Glazart
28. The Advent - Sonic Storm - Illegal Alien
29. Hive Mind - Assimilate - GLXY
30. DJ Shufflemaster - Bizarre - Illegal Alien
31. Verraco - Traicion (10mente Mix) - Insurgentes
32. Mark Hand & Neil Iceton - Binary System - Innate

Reclaim Your City  

Reclaim Your City 564 | Tripeo

Reclaim Your City 565 | Laura van Hal (Nijmegen)

Having started making waves the past few years, Nijmegen-based rising DJ and producer Laura van Hal has been getting accolades from some of the best in the game including Freddy K and DVS1, and deservedly so. Fresh off her latest release on German label Synergie, Laura drops by the series with two hours of music true to the high-intensity momentums and implacable dynamics she’s been laying down throughout her sets. Hypnotic yet clearly headed for the jugular, her buildups conjure up the rugged pulsations of tribal blends with the heavy-traction precision of Birmingham-style dubs and deeper folds of ambient-oid techno. There you go for a massive, hectic workout, so ready the gym outfit and towels for you’re going to sweat buckets as your mind elevates to higher spheres of consciousness. 

Soundcloud: bit.ly/lauravanhal_sc
Facebook: bit.ly/lauravanhal_fb
Instagram: bit.ly/lauravanhal_ig
Resident Advisor: bit.ly/lauravanhal_ra

Reclaim Your City 565 | Laura van Hal

TVA002

Andromeda

Tripeo -  Andromeda (Original Mix)

Support here: https://syncopatedrecords.bandcamp.com/album/turning-point-va003

PREMIERE: Laura Van Hal - Moving Thoughts [SYNC008]

Reclaim Your City 571 | Rrose (London)

Ho ho ho, the mystery-shrouded Rrose - named after Marcel Duchamp’s eponymous persona, punches in right on cue for Xmas with an absolute monster of a two-hour jaunt into their exquisitely twisted headspace. Having served up some of the finest techno slabs of the past decade through the likes of Sandwell District, Stroboscopic Artefacts and now their own dedicated imprint, Eaux, Rrose steps in the series with a bonkers mix of dusty techno hustle-and-bustle, neatly alternating sequences of pumping 4x4 aerobatics, searing, noise-adjacent outbursts and eerie melodies to hypnotic effect. A constant balancing act of raw power and haunting score, Rrose’s RYC mix takes us on a deep and fascinating trip into genre-unbound territories, where only abandon and wildness reign supreme. Happy EOY celebrations, y’all! See you in 2024. 

https://rrose.ro
Soundcloud: bit.ly/rrose_sc
Instagram: bit.ly/rrose_ig
Discogs: bit.ly/rrose_dc
Bandcamp: bit.ly/rrose_bc
Resident Advisor: bit.ly/rrose_ra

01. Free Free Palestine! (chant)
02. Habits of Hate - Limelight Roles - Electronic Explorations
03. Ø [Phase] - module overload pt 1 - Cosmic
04. Regis - Cold Water - Downwards
05. Wata Igarashi - Haziest Just Before The Dawn (Svreca Remix1) - Bitta
06. Ma Sha - Are They Back - CEE
07. JK Flesh - Empty Words (Rrose remix) - KR3 (upcoming)
08. Metapattern - Assimilation - Mord
09. RS Tangent - Bovine Overbite - Trilogy Tapes
10. Bookworms - Bluephoria
11. CAIV - Shamanfreude - Tresor
12. Dj Deeon - Off - Dance Mania
13. Nikos - Metaturnal - Flippen Disks
14. Priori & Al Wootton - Leniency - Trule
15. Mad Zach - Tunnel Snare
16. CAIV - Ötzi - Tresor
17. Bias - Rest Energy - Diffuse Reality
18. Conceptual - 200 camels and a hot desert - Conceptual
19. Quelza - My Eyes Are Closed - Newrhythmic
20. Altinbas - Spoken Word - Token
21. WTCHCRFT - Shake It (Nikki Nair’s Shook Mix)
22. Azu Tiwaline - Blowing Flow - IOT
23. Rrose vs Octo Octa - unreleased
24. Rrose vs Speedy J - unreleased
25. Carrier - Fathom - Felt
26. Rrose vs Polygonia - unreleased
27. Rrose vs Polygonia - unreleased
28. Pocopo - Segre - AEDI
29. Tsimtsum - Konvoi
30. A4 - Optical Device - Faut Section
31. Mad Zach - Strangeloop
32. Skee mask - Cylo - Ilian Tape
33. Bas Dobbelaer - HSS-01 - Trule
34. Fergus Sweetland - Gangalang - Illegal Alien
35. Trolley Route - A Transcendence Of The Individual - Semantica
36. Al Wootton - Russell - Trule
37. Ruman - Three Butts Are Enough - Warm Up
38. Notzing - Molniya - Warm Up
39. Maurizio - Eleye - M1
40. Ladan - Knives - Sublunar
41. Potter Natalizia Zen / PNZ -  Magari - Ecstatic
42. Tony Conrad - Four Violins (Table of the Elements, 1964)
43. Cheryl E. Leonard - Frozen Over

Reclaim Your City 571 | Rrose

Available on Audio Cassette and digital download directly from the label’s Bandcamp: https://cclurl.bandcamp.com/album/a-night-in-the-skull-discotheque

Side A: Bass is Eternal
Side B: 2-step Mutual Dream

A Night in the Skull Discotheque by the beloved underground selector CCL is the latest offering in the T4T LUV NRG label’s highly limited DJ mix series of cassettes. This immersive journey through a wonderland of proto-dubstep sounds from the late 1970s through the year 2000 is a sonic sibling to CCL’s acclaimed 2018 mix Ode to Queer Steppas.

Inspired in part by Eris Drew’s use of “old records to create new styles out of fragments” on her Raving Disco Breaks Vol. 1 mixtape (T4T LUV NRG, 2019), CCL approached this recording with a parallel frame of mind. Created with 3 CDJs, one Turntable, and a Boss Digital Delay 200, the tracks included in the mix are deconstructed from their whole, and constituent parts are intertwined, sampled, and dubbed out while being further stretched beyond their physical limits. CCL mixed many tracks at the 'wrong speed', pitched beyond their original recognizable tone; others are recontextualized through imaginative layering.

With a solid nod to seminal mixtapes of the early 90s, CCL references the namesake for Side A, Bass Is Eternal, an unreleased 1992 mixtape by influential Bristolian producers Smith & Mighty, an important sonic fulcrum amongst the musical tributaries of the hardcore continuum that continues to reverberate to this day. CCL experienced the after-effects of this ‘proto’ sound genesis in 2008, while living in Bristol, by which point its emergent whispers had coalesced into what became known as dubstep. Tracing a rich history of reference through the samples, basslines, moods, and drum patterns emanating from Bass Is Eternal while looking for connections that predate it became a long-term fascination for CCL. The result is a DJ mix that connects the oft-forgotten dots between proto eras and modern developments in bass and dubstep.

For the resulting sonic ride on A Night in the Skull Discotheque, CCL leads us to a fantastical place of timeless surreality – a majestic haunted dancehall soundtracked by a giddy rush of steppers and dubbed-out delights. Subs rattle through syncopated percs, and moody synths glisten in macabre glory. Fantastical dancers wriggle in wispy eternity, liberated from their corporeal forms in all their greatest spiritual wonder. Both extravagant and dusky, A Night in the Skull Discotheque is a world of seductive in-betweens, a place caught between the moodiest depths and the highest exuberance – A love letter to one of the most impactful formative sounds of the last decades.


***************************************************************************************
A portion for the proceeds from this release will go to fundraiser "SUPPORT PALESTINIAN SOLIDARITY IN EUROPE!". You can also directly donate via:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-palestinian-solidarity-in-europe
***************************************************************************************

Tape design: Nina Muro
Mastering: TJ Hertz
Additional tape mastering: Eris Drew
Photography: CCL 
Linear notes: Nevan Jio

A Night in the Skull Discotheque [T4T015]

CCL - A Night in the Skull Discotheque

If Bitter Babe was a perfume, her scent would be animalic—heavy musk, bergamot, worn leather and burnt spices. The Bogotá-born, Miami-bred and now Berlin-based artist has a heady, ultra-rhythmic sound that feels made for sweltering summer nights and feral fantasies. Combining pan-Latin styles with hard drum and industrial touches, she's crafted a singular mood that defines her DJing and production: hazy, high-energy and sensual.

Bitter Babe's ascent on the international circuit has been tied to her role in Miami's electronic renaissance. Whether it's proto-reggaeton, dense ambient or guaracha, her sets and productions are characterised by evocative low-end, darting synths and distorted frequencies that exude drama. With releases on TraTraTrax, Air Texture and SVBKVLT, she's cemented her position as an experimentalist, leaving the door open for more deconstruction and abstraction.

As cofounder of multidisciplinary project LATITUDES, Bitter Babe seeks to unify Latin America's electronic music communities. Her mixes are a great source for discovering under-the-radar acts from Peru, Brazil and beyond, some of whom are featured on her RA podcast. Starting with subby downtempo before moving onto swampy baile funk, technoid mutations of dembow and cheeky UKG, it showcases her expertise for trippy yet deeply kinetic grooves. 

@bitterbabe

Read more at https://ra.co/podcast/924

RA podcast

RA.924 Bitter Babe

‘’I went a bit deeper and mental for this mix, it slowly builds up as you go. You will hear old gems and new finds. Enjoy the 1 hour trip!’’

WWW.AWAKENINGS.COM​

► FOLLOW US
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Soundcloud: @awakenings
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Upcoming Awakenings Events:
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Laura van Hal's social links
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauravanhal_/
Soundcloud: @lauravanhal_
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/lauravhal
Resident Advisor: https://ra.co/dj/lauravanhal

Awakenings Podcast S292 - Laura Van Hal

OUT ON APRIL 20th 2018 (vinyl & digital)

Up next on Wolfskuil Records and as the title suggests we find some of Shlømo’s finest cuts on the Dutch imprint reworked by Oscar Mulero, Johannes Heil and Tripeo. Spanish techno master Oscar Mulero takes over the A-side, keeps the heat of the original and adds extra tension to offer a stand out rendition of ‘Obsession’, while in ‘Vanished Breath’ he goes deep and delivers fine electronica and a sophisticated, experimental remix where broken beats and haunting synths seamlessly blend to create ghostly atmospheres. 

On the flip side Johannes Heil transforms the beatless, synth-heavy beauty ‘M.U.M.’ into an euphoric, driving techno track, right before Tripeo proves ones again his strong command on the dancefloor with a solid, twisted version of ‘Avadon Part 1’.

Shlømo Remixed EP (by Oscar Mulero, Johannes Heil & Tripeo)

BIOGRAPHY TRIPEO // DARKO ESSER 2017

Still here

Bookinginfo:
World: Source Artists (Jeroen van den Broek) /// jeroen[at]sourceartists.net

Shlømo Remixed EP (by Oscar Mulero, Johannes Heil & Tripeo)

Darko Esser, Tripeo

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Laura van Hal

Darko Esser, Tripeo

Darko Esser, Tripeo

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