After a couple trips back in time to the super-clubs and warehouses of the mid and early nineties in the last four mixes, number thirteen in the series takes us a little further back to those hot and sweaty basements and cellars of the late 80’s underground house scene.

Mix thirteen focuses on the joy of the head-nodding dub and the sheer out-and-out groovetasticness of the old-skool MC. Africa Business with their track In Zaire and Psychotropic with their classic Hypnosis sum both styles up perfectly and point us down the stairs to the humid and hip place we’ll be heading for the next couple of hours.

Before getting stuck into the meat of the mix and whilst we’re in the ‘warm-up’ phase, a little nod to the Electro B-Boys and Girls who started this whole scene with a spin of Hip Hop Be Bop by Man Parrish and Don’t Make Me Wait by Bomb the Bass. Twin Hype provide the mid-point between the dub and the MC with their track For Those Who Like To Groove, followed immediately by a big time rare pink-label in the shape of Twisted Tambourine by Hibrid – one for the sample spotters out there!

The head-nodding dub section kicks off in earnest with Think Tank followed by a whole host of original basement classics from amongst others Reese, Neon, Landlord, Robin Wants Revenge and The Night Writers. No need to write any more about them here - absolute classics of their generation. End of.

Using Not Forgotten by the legends that are Leftfield as a transition track we head into the MC section of the set and straight away it’s time to get funky with tracks from both Royal House and Fast Eddie asking us to do exactly that. Thanks to our MC’s we’re then wiggling things, pumping things, getting jazzy, getting busy, not being held back, and rocking with the rest of the party people -  those alphabet kings from A to Z have us in the palm of their mics.

Haylom Halib by Capella and pioneering tracks from Corporation Of One and Acts Of Madmen take us towards our conclusion. With the lights coming on and with sweat dripping from pipes on the ceiling, the mix is topped off by Turntable Orchestra and their track You’re Gonna Miss Me; the party anthem that is Got To Keep On by the Cookie Crew and the original and much sampled Don’t Wanna Go by Sterling Void.

Who says thirteen is unlucky?

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Here's the full track listing:

In Zaire – Africa Business
Hypnosis (Original Mix) - Psychotropic
Hip Hop Be Bop (12” Mix) – Man Parrish
Don’t Make Me Wait – Bomb The Bass ft. Lorraine
For Those Who Like To Groove – Twin Hype
Twisted Tambourine – Hibrid
Hack One – Think Tank
Let’s Get Busy (Pump It Up) – Clubland ft. Quartz
Rock To The Beat (Hitman Mix) – Reese
Don’t Mess With This Beat (Instrumental) – Neon
I Like It (Blow Out Dub Mix) – Landlord
It’s Just A ! ! ! – House Without A Home
Well (Franklie) My Son – Robin Wants Revenge
Let The Music Use You (Club Mix) – The Night Writers
Not Forgotten - Leftfield
Get Funky (Club Mix) – Royal House
Yo Yo Get Funky (Original Mix) – Fast Eddie
Wiggle It (Club Mix) – 2 in A Room
Let The Rhythm Pump (12“ Pump Mix) - Doug Lazy
Let’s Get Jazzy (Unreleased Mix) – KC Flightt
Get Busy (Club Mix) – Mr Lee
Hold Me Back – WestBam
Party People (The Freak Mix) – The Mackenzie 
Haylom Halib - Capella 
The Real Life – Corporation Of One
The Dream (Mallorca Mix) – Acts Of Madmen
You’re Gonna Miss Me (12” Extended Version) – Turntable Orchestra
Got To Keep On (12” Version) - Cookie Crew
Don’t Wanna Go (Mike Dunn’s Vocal Mix) – Sterling Void

The Weekender Mix 13 - The Basement Nod

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Hailing from Manchester in the north of England, a producer and DJ who aims to make music that's a tiny bit electronic, pretty chilled and good for your soul.

The Weekender Mix 13 - The Basement Nod

Mike Leavy

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