New single by Freda James ~  D i a m o n d s

Diamonds

A downtempo mix from Italian artists to guide you through a slow summer day

Allora | Italo Tranqui Mix

Horrified

Written by Freda James

Produced by Freda James, Ryan Henry & Nick Rosen

Soft

Written by Freda James

Produced by ChromeSparks & Dave Weingarten

Just Like Wind

Written by Freda James
Produced by Tara Rook , Freda James, Nick Rosen

A Woman Alone

A hymn to soothe the soul & place one in a lovely trance. 
With love, 
Music & Artwork by Freda James

Her Hymn

From the City of Angels it is our friend Bianca Lexis (@biancalexis) representing the 22nd mix. Interview (excerpt) down below.

www.musicfrommemory.com 

MFM: Hi Bianca, nice to have you on board. How's your day so far?

BL: Thanks for having me! Slow start to my day today, just woke up, worked out, and cooked myself some eggs and chorizo with pears and tahini. I’ve been hand modeling for extra money for a year now... LA is a crazy place.

MFM: ...hand modeling?

BL: Yes hand modeling! Like that episode on Seinfeld hahaha. It kind of fell into my lap at the perfect time.

MFM: Haha, wow. So, you've been doing quite a lot of radio, with regular shows at Dublab (where you've worked) and NTS too. What is it about radio that you like? 

BL: Yes, I volunteered at both stations for a while. It’s really cool to be a part of a larger community and easily find like-minded people all over the world who share a similar passion. A lot of times, being into music that’s not exactly top 40 can feel quite isolating. Because I feel so strongly about the music I love, to feel like I have an outlet to share that. Also, radio is a lot different than performing. I love feeling like I can play whatever I want. Mixes feel more personal. There is no pressure to cater to or pay attention to a live audience, which is a completely different form of DJing and also something I enjoy. 

MFM: Was it through the radio shows that you started playing dance floors too? You had a residency in a bar quite fast after you started, correct?

BL: Yes, I learned to DJ at my college radio station, then my friend Daniel T had enough confidence in me to let me play records with him in bars. Quickly after that, I secured a residency at the rather notorious bar, Tenants of the Trees, where I played records every Saturday night for a year. During this year, my collection grew, and I started playing proper dance floors at after hours parties. When I was let go from my day job at a greeting card design studio, I decided to try DJing full time. 

MFM: How's living in LA as a full time DJ? It is a rather big and spread out city, does that influence its scene(s) somehow? 

BL: I grew up here and never travelled until recently, so I wasn’t able to fully contextualize the city and its place in the global music community. Now that I’ve travelled a bit, I can appreciate how culturally fertile it is. There are so many different scenes, lively subcultures, countless parties. Liquor license restrictions make it so that bars and clubs have to close at 2am, so most of the scene gets pushed to risky illegal warehouse spaces. We don’t have clubs or reliable spaces to settle and nest in, which I think makes the scene feel a bit precarious. Also in order to cultivate a stronger local dance music community, booking local talent is extremely important. There are a lot of talented people here, but LA promoters tend to lean on bringing in bigger acts from other cities. Regardless, I truly love it here. 

MFM: You were supposed to be touring Europe a second time this year. Do you feel the world's lockdown has put your goals and dreams at risk?  

BL: Yeah definitely. I was really looking forward to that. This year has not been easy, especially for music/event workers. It’s comforting to talk to others in the same boat and to know I’m not alone though.

MFM: What are you hoping for once this situation is behind us and things pick up again? 

BL: When clubs start to reopen, it will be gradual and awkward. I think the pandemic will leave behind lingering psychological impressions - I feel uneasy just thinking about stepping in a crowded club right now. But all I can hope for is that a strong community emerges on the other side, with more fervor and hunger than ever to get back. I don’t think it will change my perspective to DJing much. Admittedly, I’m not listening to as much dance music as I was before, but I miss the club so much and I can’t wait to play and hear bangers at the club once again.

MFM Mix 022: Bianca Lexis

Practice Four: Altar of the Heart

Practice Two: Waves of AUM

Practice One: Grounding Deep Relaxation

disco kissed soul grooves

Contact:  fredajamesmusic@gmail.com

Just Like Wind

Freda James

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