Hot new mix from a recent session at Jardin Studios!

Jardin Studios Party Mix Summer 2023

Recording of our set from Beat-Herder Festival 2014 where we opened up the magical Toiltrees stage on the Sunday x

1. The Chemical Brothers - Where Do I Begin
2. Gatto Fritto - Lucifer Morning Star
3. Begin - Bassballs
4. Laidback - Fly Away (Poolside Edit)
5. Roisin Murphy - Ancora Ancora Ancora (Severino &Nico De Ceglia Remix)
6. Unknown - Dreams (Oyama ∆ Edit)
7. Eddie C - Descent
8. Ray Mang - Look Into My Eyes
9. Kaine - Love Saves The Day (More Piano Instrumental)
10. The Gino Fontaine - Revnorev
11. DJ Steef - Unknown
12. Fernando Pulichino - Best Is Yet To Come
13. Femi vs KCRW - Eh Oh (Liza Richardson Remix)

Toiltrees Stage, Beat-Herder Festival 20.07.2014

Luke Una live from The Beach Stage at Love International 2023.

Live from the Adriatic 2023: Luke Una

Optimo live from The Beach Stage at Love International 2023. 

First 3 hours of their 6 hour set on the Beach.

Live from the Adriatic 2023: Optimo

Recording of Optimo's All Night Long Set at Club Zukunft in March 2023.

@https://on.soundcloud.com/T7D2t
@https://on.soundcloud.com/9et3e

Optimo at Club Zukunft - 25.03.2023 - Part 1

Optimo at Club Zukunft - 25.03.2023 - Part 2

Daniele Baldelli: The Crosstown Mix Show 087

From the "Poptimo" side of the Optimo sound, the second in a series of weekend mixes of music for partying, in isolation. Available to download as a 320 mp3.

JD Twitch - (Isolating) House Party mix 2

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

Next up on our podcast series, we have the great JG Wilkes.
 
DJ and producer, born in Belfast and now based in Glasgow, JG Wilkes, a veteran is renowned for his adventurous sets both under himself and as one-half of Optimo. The duo used to run the Iconic Optimo Espacio ('Optimum Space') parties at Sub Club, Glasgow and now play and release under the legendary banner.
 
In this 1-hour journey to the beach stage in Tisno, Wilkes takes us through all the emotions, from New Age to House to Reggae. Johnny’s thoughtful selection leaves us in awe as we truly appreciate his cult status as he plays homage to our home in Croatia.

Love International Mix 029: JG Wilkes

No words for this mix by one of the best DJs out there. JD Twitch is an absolute legend and definitely one of the most interesting record collectors in the world. Just sit back and listen how it is done [period]

Toiltrees Stage, Beat-Herder Festival 20.07.2014

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