always the smoothest mixes from gene tellem wow!

you're my new favorite dj I've found :) blessings

@genetellem: any chance I could grab an ID on this? such a nice track x

Hey Gene can you tell me the name of that tune here? Such a sweet mix!

all mixes

Full feature, interview and tracklist coming soon!

Off The Record Mix Series 23: Suzanne Kraft

As you all know we’re re-launching the radio with a brand new identity & content objectives. One of our new broadcasting system is called “Tiger Tapes”, this series will focus on international artists from every corner of the world. For our birthday & 1st of the series, we wanted it the be a very special mix. That’s why we went & got in touch with one of our biggest inspirations since our inception as a radio. 
He’s a big but hidden stage player, Amsterdam’s best-kept secret, an important figure in his native scene, you’ve guessed it, his name is Orpheu The Wizard.

And oh boy, how happy we are to have asked him to inaugurate our podcast series, he had carte-blanche for this mix & you can feel he went & dug up as deep in his record collection as he did his personal emotions. At first listen you are taken away by the mixtures of emotions that run throughout the 3 and half hour mix, a highly addictive touch helping you to unlock all spectrum of feelings. 

Filled with textures, glitchy but enticing drum patterns, voices from another dimension, pads that shine higher than the heavens, basses that reach untold frequencies. The mix is abundant with tracks that you will definitely be hearing for the first time, even us, diggers in the team, barely recognized any songs & that’s why he is called Orpheu The Wizard, his wand is the needle & we are his subjects.

Links:
https://soundcloud.com/orpheuthewizard
https://soundcloud.com/wakedream

Tiger Tapes 001 - Orpheu The Wizard

2022 kicks off with a mix by long time dear friend and Lullabies For Insomniacs mastermind Izabel (@lullabiesforinsomniacs) who recorded the mix live in Melbourne outdoors during a Wax'O Paradiso event. Interview (excerpt) down below.

www.musicfrommemory.com

MFM: Hey Izabel, nice to have you kicking off the mix series in this new year. You're in sunny Australia now but before that you'd been living in Europe for quite some years. What made you decide to move back?

IZ: Europe was home for almost 7 years, I left Australia in my early 20’s thinking I would be away for some months but fell in love in Amsterdam and spent years living in the city. In 2018, I moved to Berlin where I lived for a year, I found inspiration through all walks and was surrounded by great crew but grew tired of life in the big smoke. I wanted new challenges and yearned to be amongst nature, so left the city and travelled south to the Atlantic where I spent time in France, Spain and Portugal before heading to Corsica. I slept in a tent or stayed with friends and got on by doing seasonal work. I had not been back to Australia to see family and friends for many moons and was homesick, so decided to make my way across the Indian Ocean. Australia had heavy border restrictions, so plans to return were slow.

MFM: Your label Lullabies For Insomniacs had some busy times from 2016 to around 2019, after that it got more quiet and also the format shifted from vinyl to digital and cassette. What can you tell about this transition?

IZ: The transition happened naturally, I was traveling a lot which effected the label and my creative output. The tapes from Unearth Noise and Baldruin are recordings that we had been sitting on for some time but for various reasons kept delaying release. We decided to bring them out on tape as the music was better suited to this format. My sound world has been heavily inspired by the DIY music and tape scenes of Amsterdam and Berlin in the 80’s and there are great tape labels around today that were also motivating, my friend Etkin’s label ‘Kinship’ is one of these.

MFM: And now that you're settled in Australia again, what are your thoughts and plans with the label and music? Did the past 2/3 years change your perspective/vision?

IZ: Visions and inspirations come and go, some solidify and take root while others are fleeting in dream form. My focus has certainly changed as I devote more time to learning new skills and pursuing other crafts like furniture design, ceramics and writing. The music scene here in Melbourne is thriving, there are a lot of great artists and as I was
away for so long there is much to discover.

MFM: What can you say about the set/mix? Perhaps you can describe the setting it was recorded in?

IZ: The records I packed were chosen while isolating at home, this setting could not be more different to the glorious Sunday afternoon on the lawns at the Wax’o event. I played before OK EG who did a live set to celebrate their new record released as the debut on the Wax’o imprint. It was the second time I had the pleasure hearing them perform, their set made way for a great night. I thought a lot about European winter whilst making selections, I do miss spending the end of the year wrapped warm in Winters caress. These reflections and the recent passing of someone close to the family has brought me into a state of deep
introspect these last weeks, the session is both celebratory of life and a lament to lost life. This mix is a recording from the first hour, the second hour I played some psych, dub and percussive jams. 

MFM: Any plans, wishes or anything else for the near future that you'd like to share maybe?

IZ: At the moment I am taking each day as it arrives and am happy to continue on a journey learning and growing and enjoying time with family and friends. In February I will start a little party series in Melbourne with my friend Martha called Dub Cake. All the while my dream to move sea or country side lingers.

MFM Mix 036: Izabel

Up next are our dear friends The Zenmenn (@user-847972032) with whom we have a new 7" and more coming up soon. For the special occasion they came up with an unexpected mix extraordinaire while being generous in answering our questions. Interview (excerpt) down below.

www.musicfrommemory.com

MFM: When did the first idea for The Zenmenn project present itself? Did it start with a few existing songs, or is it a conceptual project?

ZM: A couple of years back we got the opportunity to join this cool studio run by a gentleman called Franz. We did some stuff with friends and at the same time we just began jamming and recording what we did, and eventually we had a couple of songs in our hands, that we thought sounded interesting, and it dawned upon us that we should spend our time working on our own stuff. The name The Zenmenn came later, probably most of the album was recorded by then. There are still some old jams on the Zenmenn hard drive filed under Pharaohs Lounge, which is one of the earlier name ideas stolen from an alcohol free coctail bar near the studio.

MFM: Quite some fans refer in their comments on the LP to the '80s and include terms like 'melancholic' and 'nostalgic'. What are your thoughts on comments like these? 

ZM: Oh that’s nice. It’s generally very nice to hear people describe our music. Today a guy told us he thought we sounded like an Ethiopian band played on 45 with John Mayer on top… could be something to it. 
But true - it’s not really a party record and some of the songs like topaz or homage to a friendship certainly have a nostalgic, melancholic tone. Also the 80s vibe is well helped along by the Dx7 that features on every song. The presets we use are mostly the legendary e piano which features in all the 80s power ballads and the amazing fretless bass that still sounds better than any of the other fretless bass presets we’ve come across. Harp and steel drum are also great.

MFM: If all your current equipment would break down and you'd have to work with newer instruments of modern technology instead, how would that affect your music? Do you think you'd still non-mistakenly sound like The Zenmenn?

ZM: Most of our keyboards are from the 90s or even early 2000s, like the Triton Le and the Casio Ctk900 with which we recorded this whole mix. The 90s stuff is way more affordable. In some way we would probably sound the same cause we don’t loop, quantize or produce music in a contemporary fashion, and we’re into certain chord progressions and grooves. If we wanna play one pattern for 5 minutes, that’s what we mostly do, and then you always end up with some embellishments and quirks. But making music comes a lot down to workflow and if we had some fancy new synth in your hands with a thousand effects, sequences and menu diving we would probably do something different. That could be cool too,  but at the moment we prefer the old school approach. 

MFM: Thanks so much for this very special "mix". Tell us about it please?!

ZM: We made a mix of tracks we liked but it didn’t really come across too original so we decided to take another approach. Magnus plays around on keyboards whenever he can, and the way we make music is mostly just jamming something and then giving it structure as we go along. Magnus made 2 jams and we put them together and chopped out things that didn’t seem to fit, but mostly everything is recorded in one go. Our friend Helen Wells came by and played some harmonica, guitar and tweaked some pedals. We overdubbed some Casio, cool voices etc. Ben had a couple of curatorial suggestions in the end and did some great spoken words. Since our first little tour this summer Magnus has been carrying around some small drawing books and has been noodling away. This has been a great influence on this mix where all the decisions have been quick, with a loose hand and not too many layers. We’re happy to have the opportunity to make a mix and we’re very inspired to do more just like this.

MFM Mix 037: The Zenmenn

This month we welcome Mari*, a driving force behind much beloved online radio station Worldwide FM. Interview (excerpt) down below.

www.musicfrommemory.com

MFM: Hi Mari, people might know you for being one of the driving forces behind Worldwide FM. Can you tell a bit about what you do there and how you ended up with that position?

M: I am “Head of programming and A&R” at Worldwide FM. I oversea programming, produce special guest shows and develop relationships with artists and labels. I’ve been working in radio for about 20 years. Starting with college radio in Boston, and subsequently I worked in New York and then Tokyo and now I’m based in London. So, I’ve always worked as a radio producer! From 2005, I produced Gilles Peterson’s daily show for 7-8 years on J-WAVE, one of the biggest FM radio stations in Japan. I also produced music events for the radio show and brought him over to Japan a couple of times, and this is how I started working with Gilles. 

MFM: How's the online radio scene in Japan actually?

M: Unfortunately, Japan is super behind with anything got to do with playing music online due to the strict and old school music copyright laws. Even Japanese radio stations are not broadcast outside of Japan. People still love tuning into AM/FM radio which could be a good thing, but it’s hard for music to be heard outside of Japan if the copyright law is too strict. Japan is probably one of the most complicated places to start an online music platform which people can tune into for free.

MFM: It seems that the pandemic brought many new online broadcasting stations, likely due to a lack of a stage for artists. How do you feel about this development?

M: It’s great that people realised there is so much potential in online radio stations during the pandemic. Hopefully, listening to radio will stay part of people’s life. Now the norm is back, people are getting busier and artists are back in the studio and touring. It is impossible to run a station in the same way as it was during the pandemic, so stations need to keep up and make relevant adjustments in their programming to fit into this changing world. Continuation is key to success, and also “sustainability” is another essential element to be considered, especially for independent online radio stations.

MFM: How important do you believe online radio is in the current field of music? What do you believe should be its main purpose?

M: With online radio there are so many possibilities and more freedom of expression, whereas traditional radio has to deal with regulations and politics. Online radio can build a strong sense of community as most of them were started out of sheer love to support music and culture. The interesting thing is that online radio can build a community that is Worldwide! Also, online radio could be a good start for young DJs and a place to develop young and up and coming artists as the presenting skills you need are much less on online radio than the traditional radio. There isn’t any format how online radio should be or sound like so there are more possibilities to create something new. I hope to continue searching and developing the unique and engaging platform where people feel welcome and part of by tuning in from any part of the world.

MFM: As a host yourself, what do you seek for in a show? 

M: I like to insert unique content in my radio show which is not just about presenting new music. I like to have some humour and personality in my show, and make people feel great with my music tastes. I don’t have much to say about other people’s show but being original is very important, people follow personality, great content and like to enjoy a show.

MFM: Any future plans at Worldwide FM you'd like to share? A scoop maybe?

M: We are building a new studio which will allow us to do more including live sessions! I cannot wait!

MFM Mix 042: Mari*

The 43rd mix comes from Vio DJ (@vio-deejay)and is a rather melancholic one, perfect for the current short autumn days. Interview (excerpt) down below.

www.musicfrommemory.com

MFM: Hi Curtis, welcome aboard. What have you been up to lately?

VD: Thanks guys, happy to be a part of the series. I’ve been living in Berlin for ten years now and collecting records for about fifteen. I feel like my interests are constantly changing, but I always come back to records. Lately I’ve been reading a lot and spending more time in museums. I’m growing to appreciate the common thread between things and the way my interests intersect.

MFM: How are you connected to the Berlin music scene? 

VD: I used to throw parties in a space that’s future is now sort of uncertain. I would say I met most of my music friends there. I’ve also worked in music most of my life and am currently taking of the shop at ‘Record Culture Magazine’.

MFM: Do you think Berlin is still an interesting and healthy place for music and culture in general?

VD: Good question. I recently read that Berlin has experienced the sharpest increase in rent over the last five years (42% between 2016 and 2021) of all major European cities. This has lead to a sort of cultural homogeny that has largely erased the city’s distinctive character. That said, we still have an amazing sense of community here, where everyone involved in music supports each other; attending each other’s parties, buying each other’s records and generally just hanging out.

MFM: Word on the street is that you're a great digger. What does that mean to you? 

VD: Haha, my reputation precedes me, thanks! I think since letting go a little I’ve realised that the medium is far less important than the way in which it’s presented. Outside of my interest in collecting second hand records, there is a whole world of other types of music that I love. The stuff I listen to at home or on the bus is often completely different to the stuff I play out. I think blurring those lines can reveal a certain truth in what you do, it’s a purer form of expression.

MFM: What does collecting records mean to you these days?

VD: I have to say, almost none of the records I buy can be played (easily) in a club. For a long time, I was buying music almost exclusively for mixes, which is a habit I’m happy to have broken. Now I will only buy things that can’t be heard beyond the format, as well as the occasional LP for home listening.

MFM: Rumour has it that you've got a knack for organising your records :) What is that all about?

VD: Haha, yeah. So last year, during a year-long sabbatical courtesy of the German state, I decided to start a small web store. I wanted the records I was selling to be presentable for home visits and got tired of never being able to find where anything was. I built a shelving unit that could hold the weight, cut dividers and labelled them and found 12-inch-wide crates to sort the records. Everything is now upright and browsable by genre. 

MFM: How do you find new records? Do you have your secret or not so secret methods?

VD: Nowadays I just go to the shop and listen to things that catch my eye. I used to obsess over how ‘known’ stuff was but now I’m mostly not bothered. I see records as a curiosity; those with an interesting back story or aesthetic quirk are always the nicest to own. This is usually what I look for when I’m in the store. The rest always works itself out.

MFM: So, please tell us about your mix! Is there a story behind it? 

VD: It’s for anyone who struggles with the shorter days. Autumn in the Northern Hemisphere always has me feeling pretty melancholic, and I wanted the mix to reflect that. It’s something that you might listen to as it gets dark at 4pm.

MFM Mix 043: Vio DJ

Segundo episodio de la residencia del @aliciacarrera para el proyecto RRWaves, un proyecto donde artistas que admiramos ahondarán en temas específicos de su propio interés.

"Espacio Singular es un lugar de exploración a través de distintos territorios sonoros seleccionados por Alicia Carrera. El primer programa es una selección de géneros como el psydub, downtempo, hip hop experimental y el rock como elemento conector

El segundo episodio de Espacio Singular va dedicado a covers de canciones. Desde Jefferson Airplane hasta Opus III, los Beatles o Mazzy Star en sus versiones más contemporaneas, haciendo guiño a la memorabilia popular."

https://radiorelativa.eu/resident/estado-singular

Alicia Carrera: "Espacio Singular" - 01/06/2023

Back by popular demand: Tako's wonderful Holiday Mix!
Here's what I wrote 7 years ago:

I was about to post this beautiful summer mix of Tako with the following words:

"What do you expect from a mix when it's done by a supernice guy with an excellent taste in music and a wonderful record collection? Yeah and that's exactly what you get here. Also make sure to get a copy of the first 12" of the Sombrero Galaxy, released on Lovefingers long awaited ESP Institute. Sombrero Galaxy is the collabo between Tako and Jonny Nash and their "Journey to the center of the sun" is one of my favourite releases of the last years, cheers!"

That was yesterday. In the meantime something terrible happened. Tako's friend Petros Malevis from Athens passed away without a warning. This mix is dedicated to Petros! He will be missed. Rest in peace, Petros.

Tako - Holiday (Guest Mix, 2010)

Gene Tellem is a Montreal based DJ and radio host whose taste we have come to love. Her sound is low slung and dusty, and fruitfully embodies a vibe that can often be hard to pull off without becoming too 'deep' and monotonous. Here she has compiled an absorbing mix of house music with a comfortably introspective atmosphere which is occasionally offset by some cheeky percussive jams. Open wide.

You can follow her here: @genetellem

music for... a daze - Gene Tellem

Conjuring memories of daydreaming in the midsts of suburbia. A new mix from @priori-ties

Some words from Priori: “I grew up in a working class neighbourhood of Longueuil, Quebec, Canada. Being an only child in the suburbs meant I spent a lot of time daydreaming and contemplating my environment. I was a bit of a melancholic kid so post-punk and ambient music made a lot of sense to me when I discovered them. I stumbled upon an album called Strike by 154 by accident, probably wanting to download something else off of Kazaa. It really changed things for me as a teenager and I still hold it dear. There's a song from it in the mix, along with a bunch of other things that bring up similar feelings for me.”

“As for news:
Alex (Dust-e-1) and I are putting out a new record as ANF on NAFF, should be out April 26th.
Some more collabs and solo things coming out in the summer.”

music for... growing up in the suburbs - Priori

“Influenced by Melbourne and musical experiences with a group of friends. The image of being above the clouds from flight or mountains always came back to me. I’ve been working on some new music that has a bit more energy than my most recent music but still has the laidback pads and melodies I'm drawn too. These tracks should be out in the coming months.”

@djarloski is a Melbourne based producer and DJ and definitely, one to watch - can check his recent ‘hypnosis’ release over at https://djarloski.bandcamp.com/

music for... high altitudes - Dj Arloski

E2E:The mix is different from the high energy you’re known for, is there a particular environment or context you had in mind when putting it together?

KM: I wanted to make something different for you as I feel like the mixes on your site tell a story, and this is something I aim to do with my mixes (unless it's a full on club mix where I just want to make people dance). 
A theme, image or idea helps me direct the development of the mix. Sometimes when I am at home and want to relax, I watch train rides from the driver's perspective (my favourite is the Oslo to Bergen video), this has inspired a few of my previous mixes. 

Lately, I've started watching diving and submarine videos. I put on music while I watch the bubbles rise and fish come into focus and try to find something that accompanies these images. So this mix is inspired by that. Plunging underwater, diving deeper and exploring the ocean floor. I'm definitely inspired by artists like Valentino Mora, Dorisburg and basically, anyone who has played at Organik Festival in Taiwan - they have such great bookings. Also, Johanna Knutsson who plays and makes the most beautiful, understated dub techno. 

I'm always impressed by techno DJs who don't feel pressure to play anything too obvious but rather confidently lull the audience into a trance state with layers of lush textures. I'm not really a techno DJ, I usually play anything with breaks, and this mix actually isn't actually so straight-forward either, but it's definitely inspired by that idea and I love staying open to all genres and finding openings to understanding and exploring them.

E2E: Any news or projects you’re working on at the moment?

KM: My partner and I who do the Oscillate events at about blank in Berlin started a label, Oscillate Tracks, last year and our third release with Johanna Knutsson and Karen Gwyer is coming out in August! I'm absolutely in love with all the tracks and can't wait to share them with everyone.

I also just got a studio and have been focussing on production but I'm not in any rush to get anything out, just learning and experimenting at this stage which is really fun.

music for... subaquatic travel - Kate Miller

@earlgreyradio

E2E: Did your move to Melbourne influence the mix? 

A little bit, yes. I have been feeling particularly nostalgic lately and that probably came through in the selections. Last week, I drove from Glebe to Brunswick in a 12 seater bus with my cat Romeo. We listened to this mix together to see how it sounded on the road. Unfortunately, Romeo did not like it and he did not like much that day. 

E2E: Were there any environments or contexts that you had in mind when putting this mix together? 

As the title of your mix series suggests, music can be a wonderful accompaniment to activities. When I have watched a film that has really affected me I’ll often listen to the soundtrack for weeks after and sometimes make my own imaginary soundtrack of songs that fit with the world of the film. While I was reading Cormac McCarthy’s ‘Border Trilogy’, I wanted to find ways to stay in the novel when I wasn’t reading it. The novels are set at the southwest border of the United States and the characters spend a majority of the novels riding on horseback, often alone and usually on a quest to avenge a loss. I found myself preoccupied imagining the sort of music the characters and their horses could be listening to, riding under lonesome skies, contemplating their place in the world. 

I don’t expect that much of your audience owns or has access to a horse. Still, I hope some of them can enjoy these songs on journeys of their own. 

E2E: Any news or projects coming up with Best Effort, Ken Oath Records or Rimbombo?

Nothing is planned on the release front and my bank account implies that maybe it’s time for a bit of a break. Best Effort Dance Parties will continue every few months at Freda’s and I’m looking forward to some summer parties in Sydney with my Rimbombo buds Adi and James at the end of the year.

music for... horse and rider - DJ Earl Grey

E2E: Any particular environment or context you had in mind when recording this mix?

Myles Mac: Elaborating on the theme, I've been living down on the Mornington Peninsula for the last year or so which is home to some of Australia's coolest birdlife, recently prompting me and my girlfriend to go buy some binoculars and join the fray as amateur birdwatchers. Just from my place here, you can often see some pretty funky birds like the brightly coloured Eastern Rosellas and Rainbow Lorikeets, and we also get the odd visit from a cheeky Laughing Kookaburra looking for a quick bath. There's even a family of Wedge-tailed Eagles that circle around above. I'm sure one day they'll discover some pretty cool birds in outer space too, and I think this could be a nice soundtrack for all the interplanetary birdwatchers out there.

E2E: Any new projects you're working on or milestones with MDC? 

Myles Mac: MDC is into its 10th year now which is a bit of a trip! Just hope to continue sharing memorable listening journeys from all over the place but would like to focus a bit more on emerging locals as there are some incredible DJs down here that don't always get the recognition they should.

Will also be collaborating on a few tasty club shows with the Slow Burn crew next year which I'm quite excited about.

music for... birdwatching in outer space - Myles Mac

For my Maika,

I miss you. 

Love forever, 
Lauren.

- - - - -

I pay my respects to the traditional custodians of this great southern land, the Gadigal of the Eora nation and their Elders past, present and future. I acknowledge their culture and relationship with the land and water. Aboriginal land; always was, always will be.

For Maika

For our second installment of the Musik Mix series we are joined by 5ive from japan and Samo from Sweden in a remote joint effort.
Tupplur simply means - to take a nap in swedish. 
Taking an afternoon nap is happiness!

artwork by Tobias Centerwall

Sattaoja Musik Mix - Episode 2-  5ive & Samo - TUPPLURS MIX

musical storytelling with context and environment in mind

by @oli-is-wright & @tobiasdelamerevogel

contact: eartoear.eartoear@gmail.com

music for... a daze - Gene Tellem

ear to ear

Recent comments

Jacob Koffler

Doc H

k2k

dj Domë

Related tracks