Serendipity is a wonderful thing, and when we looked ahead in the guestmix calendar, a certain number jumped out. 303. A number synonymous with the roots of house music, which presented itself with a (somewhat obvious) opportunity to get an old friend into the series... a man who saw it all unfold before his very eyes in the 90's, and who himself excels with the execution of mixes with an underlying concept. 

Welcome to JD Twitch's ode to the Roland 303.

"The Roland 303 is a little silver box of electronics that accidentally produced the squelching sound that became the foundation of Acid House. Pioneered circa 1987 in Chicago, Acid House exploded around the world and that sound spread through electronic music creating myriad variants.

Fundamentally the 303 is instantly recognisable by its squelch sound. This squelch can be euphoric, hypnotic, joyous, uplifting, sad, dark, cheesy, silly, scary, ridiculous, psychedelic, beautiful and anthemic. This mix aims to showcase many of these shades of the squelch. It is not the greatest hits of the 303, nor is it a collection of wilfully obscure forgotten 303 jams, it's just simply a paean to the majesty and never ending sonic possibilities of the squelch. Viva Acid!"

Artist: @twitch

SlothBoogie Guestmix #303 - JD Twitch

During 2021, to help get through the ongoing lockdown I made a series of 90 minute cassette tapes, one a month for ten months. I thought there would be a small demand but was blown away by the response. People really embraced them and copies went to every corner of the planet. They became a huge part of my year and really helped me through a tough time.

A little later I made them available digitally for a short period and all the proceeds raised went to Glasgow NW Foodbank. I was again blown away as thousands of pounds were raised.

i have decided to put the series on Soundcloud. I'll upload them sporadically over the coming months. 

This was the 1st one - ULTRAGOTH; my personal definition of Goth. It may or may not be up your strasse but hopefully some in the series will tickle your ears. 

OG Text from Feb 2021 below -

During lockdown I got really into walking and I now walk around 8 - 10 miles every day. I think it saved my sanity, helped me get my inspiration back, kept me fit and made me see Glasgow through new eyes. I have now seen almost every corner of this dear green place. 

Late last year I found my old personal stereo in a drawer and started listening to my small collection of tapes on these walks. I had thought my days of loving the tape format were long gone but I fell in love with them all over again. They have been a perfect companion on my walks and inspired me to put together this series of tapes. Each mix in the series was made for walking in that it is a collection of music I love that I have then mixed and road tested on my walks around Glasgow. I do love a project so decided to share them by making a series of them available, in a limited quantity. 


The first tape - 

OM Tape 01 - ULTRAGOTH. 

ULTRAGOTH is a very occasional JD Twitch solo night in Glasgow and is a celebration of my definition of what might be construed as Goth music, and more specifically what music is deserving in my opinion of the accolade ULTRAGOTH. It is a broad definition encompassing Post Punk, Synth Music, Dark pop, Ethereal ambience, Industrial electronics, North Yorkshire Cold Wave, unknown gems and even some well known hits. I think this has made for a great launch tape that is an excellent listen starting off deeply atmospheric before rising to a frenetic finale. 

I just finished putting together Tape 2 which will be "Hi tech electronic music from Japan in the 1980s". Further tapes will delve into a wide range of musics I love and all will be thoroughly walk tested. 

That's a lot of info! Thanks for reading and as ever for the support, JD Twitch, March 2021.

Artwork – Musheto Fernandez.

JD Twitch - ULTRAGOTH (Optimo Music Tape 001 - originally released March 2021)

Artist Margaux Williamson and guest curator Jessica Bradley discuss the exhibition "Interiors," and highlight specific paintings in the exhibition. They also explore ideas around collaboration, the written word, and working in the studio.

The solo exhibition Margaux Williamson "Interiors" continues until 30 April , 2023.
Organized and circulated by McMichael Canadian Art Collection.
Guest Curated by Jessica Bradley.
https://eskerfoundation.com/exhibition/margaux

Margaux Williamson was born in Pittsburgh in 1976 and lives in Toronto. Her first book of paintings, "I Could See Everything," was published by Coach House Press in 2014, alongside shows at the Mulherin+Pollard Gallery in New York, and Frith Street Gallery in London. Williamson completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at Queen’s University, Kingston, and was the recipient of an exchange scholarship to the Glasgow School of Art. Her work has been presented in solo and group exhibitions in Toronto, London, Los Angeles, Chicago, Montreal and New York, and recently Hong Kong. 

Her feature-length film, "Teenager Hamlet," premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and is archived on UbuWeb and she also contributed movie reviews to the cultural site Back to the World. She was artist-in-residence at the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto; Klondike Institute of Art & Culture, Dawson City; and MacDowell, Peterborough, New Hampshire. Her work has been covered by New York Magazine, The New York Times, Vogue, BOMB Magazine, The Globe and Mail, The Believer, The Huffington Post, and more.

Margaux Williamson and Jessica Bradley in Conversation

A mix for a Ransom Note takeover on Brussels Kiosk Radio, 20/01/2023

JD Twitch Kiosk Radio mix (20/01/2023)

Artist: FIN
Album: Ice Pix
Releases: 3/24/17
Format: CD & Cassette

http://hausumountain.com/?page_id=2957

Ice Pix

FIN - Doghead

Divine of Form, Formed in the Divine (Medicine For a Nightmare) mix by Myth Paradise Music, Todd West and Nep Sidhu.

Created for the occasion of the exhibition 'Divine of Form, Formed in the Divine (Medicine for a Nightmare)' at Esker Foundation, 28 September to 20 December, 2019.

Divine of Form, Formed in the Divine (Medicine For a Nightmare) mix by Myth Paradise Music

I'm going to upload a series of 'mixes' over the coming weeks of music that I find particularly calming. I will try to make these one hour sessions filled with beautiful music that is helpful and calming to listen to while we get through this extraordinarily hard time. The music here definitely helps me feel less anxious. I have just segued it together so the credit is really all due to the wonderful souls who made the tracks I used. It is also available as a 320 download. Tracklisting -

Takashi Kokubo - A Dream Sails Out To Sea part 1
Mkwaju Ensemble - Lemore
Hiroshi Yoshimura - 小川にそって
Yumiko Morioko - Rainbow Gate 
Haruomi Hosono - Fujitsubo
Inoyoama Land - Glass Chaim
Inoyama Land - Pokala (remix)
Popol Vuh - Ah!
Justus Köhncke and Fred Heimermann - Albatros
Nuno Canavarro - Blu Terra
Erik Satie - Gnossienne No. 1
World Standard - Rozo, Du Pecoj
Testpattern - Souvenir Glacé

JD Twitch - Tranquility Mix 1

This Was Belgium 1987-89 - 2 hours of New Beat favourites

New Beat was born and initially exploded in 1987, went supernova (in Belgium) in 1988 and then the formula morphed a bit and was declared dead in 1989. It was slow and initially all about the atmosphere with industrial strength beats - the main form of rhythmic propulsion being the pounding kick and heavy snare. It was often mainly instrumental and when there was lyrical content it often became more about slogans and giving commands - "Move Your Ass And Feel The Beat!", "Let There Be Brightness!", "Shout Out Loud!". While not really New Beat, it's no surprise Technotronic's "Pump Up Jam" was produced by a crew who had produced a ton of New Beat gems.

In 1989 one of New Beat's founders, Marc Grouls said "New Beat is atmosphere, beats, no lyrics, and sure as hell not commercial!!!!!" But, it was already too late. A zillion bandwagon jumpers had diluted the music and flooded the market with too many sub standard 12" singles. New Beat temple, the legendary Boccaccio nightclub, in Destelbergen, near Ghent, had been closed down and it looked like it was all over, but really, it was just the beginning. New Beat morphed into Hard Beat (many of the tracks on this mix are from the Hard Beat era) which quickly morphed into Belgian Rave, which was huge and hugely influential in the UK and is an often overlooked part of the DNA of UK Hardcore, and all that came after. Then from Ghent, R&S Records established itself as thee European Techno label and a huge wave of incredible Techno records emanated from it and many other mighty Belgian labels, but that is another story. 

New Beat arrived just as I first started DJing and I played a lot of it in my DJ sets and built up connections with several of the leading Belgian labels who would send me 12" singles so I had records nobody else here had any idea even existed. I would compile New Beat charts for the music paper The NME which may have given the impression there was a thriving New Beat scene in Scotland. The reality was very different; people here, many of whom would embrace the rave just a little while later never really took to it in a big way.

This mix is comprised of many of my personal favourites that I have loved since they came out (and two I missed at the time and only heard later). I think the tracks have aged like a fine wine, often sounding as good if not better today as they did then. There is definitely a faint whiff of fromage and a big dollop of stoopid in several of these tracks. Of course, it is not all about the cheese and many of these adhere to the "atmosphere, beats, no lyrics, and sure as hell not commercial" rule mentioned above. Some of the best programmed 303 Acid basslines ever made can be heard here along with transcendental hypno synths and those Belgian beats going on and on....! Slow and low, from under 100bpm up to 116, New Beat doesn't chug, it swings in a very distinct way. If you get to see any videos of Belgian clubs of the era, the way people moved to this music is incredible and so different to any dancing we see today.

Many of these tracks are made by the same people under various aliases, which will perhaps be audibly evident. Most of the names have been forgotten, if they were ever even known outside their native Belgium at all, but all are legends to me. 

This mix isn't any kind of attempt to tell the story of New Beat but rather a mix 33 of my favourite 12" singles from that era showing many of the various strains of the New Beat and Hard Beat sound. A lot of love went into this and I hope someone somewhere discovers this music for the first time and falls in love with it as I did way back when. This was Belgium!

This Was Belgium 1987-89 - 2 hours of New Beat favourites

This edition of Esker's 'In Common' features Dooshima known to the world as  DJ Kimleestar sharing her inspirations and heartfelt connections to music, art and Esker.

She is one half of Tigerstyle DJs and is a Supreme Hustle DJ. She is also the founder of the monthly Umoja Sessions. www.soundcloud.com/umojasessions 

DJ Kimleestar created and shared beats and dance tracks by live stream on Friday 15 May, 2020. 

Track Playlist

1. Get Down On It (Tony Tonka Remix) - Jam & Tonic
2. Rhythm Is Gonna Get You - Gloria Estefan
3. Gafacci - Trotro Kquesol Remix 
4. 1999 (Foundation Mix) - Ministry of Funk
5. Gafacci - Trotro Kquesol Remix 
6. Café Com Leite - Poirier & Flavia Coelho 
7. MARLIANS - Razaq El Toro 
8. Badmindself - Madd Again! 
9. Act I, Scene II (Danger Daz Remix) - JHNN
10. House of Silk - Jaymie Silk
11. Get Down On It (Tony Tonka Remix) - Jam & Tonic 
12. Freakunique_1 - Hitmakerchinx
13. Stranding - High Rise 
14. Yenkyi - Hagan 
15. Gqomu 5 - Griffit Vigo
16. Hear That - Gorgon City ft D Double E
17. Something Special - Gioli & Assia
18. Losing It - Fisher vs Holl & Rush
19. Crowd Control - Fisher
20. REVOLUTION 909. - Daft Punk 
21. Soca Land - Jamesy P
22. Savannah Grass - Kes
23. Holla - Lexxicon
24. KILLIN DEM SHA- Razaq El Toro
25. Last Night a DJ Saved My Life (WMC Miami Studio Club Edit) - 54
26. Rapture (Koffee) - DJ Q
27. We Need A Resolution - DJ Q
28. Nguwe Lo - D JCndo
29. Weh Mameh - Moonchild Sanelly 
30. Wakanda Forever ft. Ycee  - Should Majodzi 
31. As'Jableni - Rudeboyz
32. uBusted - DJ Maphorisa, Bryann, DJ Bongz
33. Electric Turtle Dreams - Sean Beaver 
34. Don't Go (Lee Parrish's en Vogue Electro Edit) - Yana
35. Life (ft. Killa P, Trigganom, Sinjin Hawke & Zora Jones) - Famous Eno 
36. Ranting (ft. Gafacci) - Famous Eno 
37. Na Quebrada (feat. Rincon Sapiência) - PEDRO 
38. POP THE PUSSY - Natalie Storm 
39. Night Crawlers Push the Feeling On Edit - Gafacci 
40. Watch How Mi Dweet feat. Logan - DJ Tess 
41. Buzz Lightyear (Prod by Scratchclart) - Lady Lykez  
42. Sleepy Prescient (PRSN Edit) - Roska 
43. Trotro Noaipre Remix - Gafacci 
44. Rapazes - PEDRO 
45. Duppy Show - Champion 
46. Black Coffee (The Wideboys Espresso Mix) - All Saints 
47. Ego Extent - Ouri 
48. Move (Time To Get Loose) (Star.One Club Mix) - Sweetie Irie, Young Romantic
49. Stuck On You - PEDRO feat. Bryte 
50. Cochiloco (ft. Marvelito) - Ase Manual 
51. MITZI - SNØW
52. Boyz (Radio Edit) - M.I.A 
53. 7 Day Weekends - UNIIQU3
54. Trotro God Full Effect Remix - Gafacci 
55. Bawlout - Madd Again! 
56. Take On Me (De Lorean Radio Mix) - Ammonia

Friday 15 May, 2020

Kimleestar x Esker - In Common mix

A new visual art exhibition at Calgary’s Esker Foundation called Presences, is using constructed and found objects to consider our contemporary material knowledge. Visual artist and UBC Okanagan professor, Samuel Roy-Bois spoke with us about the concepts behind his latest project: https://ckua.com/listen/visual-artist-samuel-roy-bois-explores-human-experience-and-manufactured-things

Samuel Roy-Bois presents 'Presences' at Calgary’s Esker Foundation

In the latest Esker Foundation exhibit, 'The Garden', viewers are asked to see how our environment and societal norms shape and transform us. https://ckua.com/listen/yvonne-kustec-shares-the-garden-at-the-esker-foundation

Yvonne Kustec shares 'The Garden' at the Esker Foundation

Esker Foundation is a privately funded contemporary art gallery located in Calgary, Alberta. Esker Foundation connects the public to contemporary art through relevant, accessible, and educational exhibitions, programs, and publications. Esker Foundation reflects on current developments in local, regional, and international culture; creates opportunities for public dialogue; and supports the production of ground-breaking new work, ideas, and research. Founded in 2012 by Jim and Susan Hill, Esker Foundation is a new model for institutional relevance, curatorial focus, and audience engagement. Admission is free.

Margaux Williamson and Jessica Bradley in Conversation

Esker Foundation

Related tracks