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The breezy sound of the Canadian Riviera, from Mood Hut's Pender Street Steppers.

https://www.nts.live/shows/pender-street-steppers/episodes/pender-street-steppers-10th-january-2023

Pender Street Steppers 100123

‘Please Don’t Step on My Rainbow,” our latest mixtape and contribution to Jungles cassette series, is an escape into the Wax’o world of assorted balearica, sun-drenched psychedelia, downtempo and contemporary soul. Music both new and old, some rarities and some starterpack jams. Cassette available now via Bandcamp or Jungles webstore!

Jungles Mixtape: 'Please Don't Step on My Rainbow'

First up in 2023 is Los Angeles based Juan Izguerra (@juanizguerra) who runs his residencies at Dublab and Homage Brewing. Interview (excerpt) down below.

www.musicfrommemory.com

MFM: Hi Juan, welcome to the series. You're based in Los Angeles, right? Can you tell a bit about what keeps you busy? 

JI: Hey there! Super stoked to contribute. Well, I was born in Pomona, California and I started DJing about six years ago. I recently found myself as the event coordinator at Homage Brewing in 2021 and It’s been a great experience to be on both sides… I love being able to DJ at some of my favorite parties, and then host locals and out of town friends at my own events with Homage. My girlfriend and I made the move to LA in the summer of 2020. Early on in the pandemic rent was pretty much the same in Pomona as it was in LA so we thought we’d just live in the city. When clubs/bars opened up again I got involved with Homage. Since then I’ve been able to host parties at our space and focus on bringing people together for the music. 

MFM: What triggered you to initially get interested and involved in buying and playing records?  

JI: I’ve collected records since my teens but it wasn’t until I was 20 that I met one of my now super close friends Josh da Costa (Confusing Mix on NTS) who put me onto crazy records he found during his time living and touring in Europe. He showed me things like Roberto Musci, Thomas Leer, The Antennas, Cherry Red records, and weird compilations. Hearing things like that made me so curious. I saw Josh DJ one day and I was fascinated with how he made people dance. It made me want to learn how to do that! 

MFM: Nice. Did you have any other role models you felt inspired and motivated by?

JI: Definitely. My friends Josh (who I mentioned), Jimi Hey, and Shags Chamberlain were an early influence on me. They toured all over the world and would come home with bags of records, share their discoveries, and give a story about where they found it. I saw that as a way to connect with people and It inspired me to travel and want to find things of my own to share. As I got more curious on the DJ’ing side of things, I definitely got a lot of inspiration from my good friend Bianca Lexis. She’s one of my favorite DJ’s!

MFM: You've done quite some traveling yourself too, within the US but also intercontinental. How is LA nightlife compared to some other places you've been? What's the LA style?

JI: LA’s nightlife definitely needs some work. In New York, Europe, and Mexico City, there’s an audience for every genre and a club for it as well. I think that’s what we struggle with most. People have to resort to attending warehouse parties which involve a lot of financial strain on the organizers. Still, we do have a lot of people putting together great parties here such as Third Place and Moony Habits. Lots of great house/outdoor parties which are really fun and unique to LA. 

MFM: Where and how do you go finding new records and music? Do you have your secret or not so secret methods?   

JI: When it comes down to record shopping I typically like to leave LA. Visiting suburban areas is where I get the most luck. Something about those areas feels more zen since it’s less competitive. It puts me in a mental space where I’m able to focus on looking through records thoroughly. 

MFM: Looking forward to anything specific in '23? Any future plans you'd like to share maybe? 

JI: I’ll be visiting Tokyo for the first time in May so I’m super psyched about that. Also planning to be in Europe in August/September so I'm looking forward to setting up some gigs there!

MFM: Tell us about your mix! How did you approach selecting and recording it?

JI: I wanted to make it a bit cerebral but still keeping it rhythmic and having plenty of songs with lyrics. It has an ambient start that works into downtempo tracks and slowed down Italian house. Hope everyone enjoys!

MFM Mix 047: Juan Izguerra

We welcome Tornado Wallace (@tornadowallace), long time friend of the label and whose record 'Falling Sun' we released through Second Circle back in 2016.  Interview (excerpt) down below.

www.musicfrommemory.com

MFM: Hey Lewie, how have you been lately?

TW: I dipped out to East Asia and Australia for the infamous Berlin winter and now I’m back ready for the euro warmth. Though it’s in no hurry to arrive here just yet.

MFM: There's a new record coming on Basic Spirit, the label you run with Jamie Tiller, and it all looks rather secretive... Can you tell us more about it Lew E? :) 

TW: I made these tracks when I was holed up sick for a week. Not being able to go to the studio I relied strictly on samples and software, which was fun to change the workflow up a little bit. I wanted to make some very club ready tracks, without any intention for a release. They (rather obviously) sample two well known tracks, but there’s a lot of new ideas too. I use a different name as it felt like a different style and approach to how I usually go about things. I think there will be more Lew E things on the horizon though :D.

MFM: Previous releases on Basic Spirit also had this '90s touch to it. What is it that you like about (music from) that era?

TW: I grew up in the 90s so a lot of the music coming out then really hits the nostalgic feels. But also, really interesting things were happening with technology, and it became a lot more affordable to put together a record. So there were a lot of - for lack of a better term - laymen releasing electronic music. Some of which had very new and out-there approaches to processes like sampling, mixing and arranging. But trends and technology all moved along so quickly that some of these sounds and ideas never had a chance to get fully fleshed out. Which is why it’s nice to pick up where some left off. People are currently very responsive to this late 90s/early 2000s sound, which is great for me because that’s a time when I really fell in love with electronic music. As a DJ, I’m playing these really personal tracks that I discovered as a teenager, and for the first time since I began playing parties/clubs 18 years ago, people seem to really understand them. It’s a very cool feeling.

MFM: You've also started a new more pop oriented project called a.s.o. together with vocalist Alia Seror O’Neill. Has it always been a dream or goal of yours to start a more band kind of project? Does it require a different writing/recording approach compared to when making dance music for the clubs?

TW: I like making music that I like listening to. And with the pandemic in full swing in 2020, I was having a little break from club music, and diving deeper into other styles of music I enjoy. Both from a listening and producing perspective. I found it to be a very different approach. It’s more melody/hook driven and focuses on getting ideas down quickly as they’re forming. A lot of the time I would use a basic keyboard and guitar to record, and Alia would add vocal melodies and harmonies on the fly. Sometimes it could get difficult when we would both want to put our fleeting ideas down at the same time! On that note, collaboration is never easy for me as I like to have full creative control of whatever it is I’m working on, and sometimes the creative paths divide and compromises have to be made. Sometimes the compromised path is thick and thorny, and sometimes it is paved gold and smells of roses.

MFM: How did you go through the selecting and recording process, any specific record or mood you had planned?

TW: I came across a bunch of really nice tracks all in a relatively similar downtempo/shoegaze style, and wanted to make a mix of music like that. For moody home/car/train etc listening. I also included a forthcoming Cousin remix of an a.s.o. single which I love and wanted to share early!

MFM Mix 049: Tornado Wallace

An hour long mix of LeftField Bass, for a grey and stormy day

LazerGazer @ Refuge Worldwide 22.09.2023

Catch Olympe4000 every 4th Thursday of the month from 19h to 20h [CET] on rinse.fr

Rinse France Podcast

Olympe4000 invite LazerGazer - 19 Octobre 2023

Whatever Floats Your Boat 2Y Anniversary w/ Wax Cap 15.01.24

Kiosk Radio is an online community radio streaming 24/7 from a wooden shack in the heart of Brussels’ historic “Parc Royal”. More info and music: https://kioskradio.com

LazerGazer @ Kiosk Radio 16.03.2024

Known for her blend of contemporary club music, featuring breakbeats, bass, Electro influenced, and percussive sounds.

www.operator-radio.com

CTCE w/ Sarkawt Hamad & LazerGazer - 14th January 2025

Live recording @ the Future Intel headquarters in The Hague. Streaming live on Youtube and futureintelradio.com.

LazerGazer╚═ Future Intel X topo2 ═╗ 27 02 2025

╚═ Future Intel ═╗
Future casts from the present — your weekly music and art intel — Streaming live on futureintelradio.com & Youtube every Thursday and Friday night.