Off The Record Mix Series

London-based independent record label Kalita is known for specialising in unearthing and re-releasing great music that deserves to be heard by all. They focus mainly on soul, disco, and West African sounds from around the world that they love and believe others will love as well. Kalita Records prides itself on two things: the quality of its musical output, and its focus on the musicians behind each release. Alongside a beautifully presented outer sleeve, their releases are often accompanied by liner notes, photographs and interviews with the artists, thus creating a far more interesting package all around.

Some of our personal highlights from the label’s impressive back catalogue include ‘If You Need Me, Call Me’ by Emerson, ‘Looking Up: The Complete Works’ by Carrie Cleveland, and ‘Getting Next To You’ by Randolph Baker to name just three. 

We got in touch with Kalita’s founder, Chris Webb, to see if he would be interested in putting together a mix for our Off The Record series - one that showcases the overall “sound of Kalita”. Check out the full feature & interview - bit.ly/3cmWY4H

Feature & Interview

Off The Record Mix Series 27: Kalita Records

Off The Record Mix Series 28: Athens Of The North

Japan-born, London-based digger, producer and founder of the phenomenal Time Capsule imprint, Kay Suzuki joins us for the 29th edition of the Off The Record Mix Series. Be sure to check out the full feature and interview over on offtherecord.net 🙌

Off The Record Mix Series 29: Kay Suzuki (Time Capsule)

Brussels based musical activist and collector/selector DJ soFa aka soFa Elsewhere joins us for the 30th edition of our Off The Record mix series after a short break, and what a mix to get it all back kicking off. Known for his excellent Elsewhere compilation series he curates, soFa shows his diverse selection here travelling from chuggy industrial and percussion-y rhythms to acid baselines and pumping house.

Off The Record Mix Series 30: soFa Elsewhere (Second Circle / Bongo Joe / Strangelove)

Claire Smith Cullum aka Voys has dedicated much of her years to the love of vinyl and independent radio. Having worked over the years in spots like Sister Rey and Rye Wax, she has surrounded herself in the heart of these cultures, gaining a vast ear for all things in UK sound and beyond. Now sitting as a buyer for Bleep specialising in electronic and dance we are glad to welcome Claire to our series to showcase her expertise, and this mix does exactly that. Commonly recognised as one half of the Souvenir collective with Elle Andrews of Mal Records, also hosting a killer NTS show together has found them providing nothing but quality mixes for some of our favourite labels and shows in the UK and all over(Left Alone, Kindred, LYL Radio etc) as well as dropping a very killer Trilogy Tapes tape not too long ago. For this mix Claire turns to a home listening perspective but still bringing broke down and trippy UK sounds into the cut. We talked to Claire about this excellent mix and a little bit about some project she's been working on lately:

Off The Record Mix Series 31: Voys (Souvenir)

These days lots of labels stick to what they know. They tend to have a sound and work into that, putting out record and record of the same thing until they fade into the dark space of discogs never to be seen again. This is not the case with @blankmindlabel . With a diverse selection of all things be it field recordings, ambient experimentations, bass heavy club anthems, dark dubstep rhythms or the legendary Shake Shakir remixing an underground tribal house and Socca masterpiece this label has defined a way to break the norm and keep us on the edge of our seat until we fall on to the floor. This curation all comes from the mind of South London native Sam Purcell. Sam has grown up around music being in the world of audio experimentations from his school years. Now with Blank Mind seventeen releases deep and running the incredible Pick A Sound night cementing his firmly well placed spot in the London underground scene it is only time we welcomed Sam to the Off The Record Mix series. Here we get a deep dive into what his taste is about and what inspires his mind musically in regards to curating his night and label. Recorded live from Pick A Sound at Ormside Projects this mixes brings us on a chuggy and bass heavy journey from the start of the night well deep into the dark hours. We had a quick chat with Sam too about his background and more about what he's got going on:

Off The Record Mix Series 32: Sam Purcell (Blank Mind)

its's peak time at Dekmantel main stage and Palms Trax is letting the crowd have it and he's dropping a fairly addictive and unheard edit of "Sidi Mansour" by Cheba Yamina. Thus is to say as the weeks after went on this tune would become viral. The artist: Jamal Sulaimani AKA Moving Still, a producer and DJ coming fast up out of the woodwork recently because of his out there and dynamic culture crossing sets and musical knowledge that he incorporates into his own compositions. 
Jamal's roots to music are quite interesting too. His heart lies in two places, one in the sweltering heat of the beautiful city of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, one in the prosperous rainy Irish capital of Ireland; Dublin (Which is where he resides today with his loving family). It has been this cross of culture where Jamal found his love for music and where he has solidified his unique sound. 
Moving Still's music is a mixture of tape collected Arabic music samples with punchy club cuts usually leaning into the disco, italo and house regions and wouldn't sound a miss in one of Sound Metaphors all night long sets. It is with these productions he finds the starting line of harnessing this energy while also finding equally fantastic gems to seamlessly blend into his well thought out sets. And this is what Jamal has done for us here. 1hr and 25mins of pure party energy while showing his trademark sound throughout without you evening noticing, sure... what would you know..., you're already dancing..., you're lost in it..., you're not coming back....HEY come back! ....Too late you're gone!
...
Sorry lost my train of thought, we sat down with Jamal to chat about some releases he has in the pipeline and a little about his background in music:

Off The Record Mix Series 33: Moving Still

Brian Not Brian is a man of many stories, I enjoy someone with many stories. In the short time I've been in his presence I have been given countless facts, stories and been spread a wide variety of the musical encyclopedia to which of chapter's I didn't even know existed. Brian is a man who lives and breaths this industry, from digging in the furthest crates in the vast corners of the world reissuing never before seen or forgotten gems on his Midnight Drive, or more noticeably to finding some of the most interesting new talents coming up via Going Good. 
On top of all this he's an excellent DJ, a skill which has seen him play worldwide alongside underground greats like DJ Sotofett and Hashman Deejay to name a few. For his Off The Record Brian brings us on deep dive of various club sounds in house, disco and more. So get your pint of Guinness and have a quick once over of the chat we had with the man emself here:

Off The Record Mix Series 34: Brian Not Brian

Transmigration means to pass into a different body after death and in terms of the labels policy it does just that, it takes something passed and gives it a new lease of life. David Fogarty aka Louis Satori has carefully curated the identity of his imprint using sounds of the past and with the name sake of the label, keeps that mind state in play. Fogarty has reissued such artists as Susumu Yokota(under his EBI alias), Drum Club, Alien Mutation, Downlink and more and this has seen these releases pass into some of the biggest DJ names giving them even more exposure that they may not of had the first time in some cases. As expected with such deep rarities given second life can only be exposed by someone who deep digs. Having played all around Berlin and recently after making his debut in Berghain we are honoured to have Louis Satori take over the Off The Record mix for a cosmic selection of EBM, industrial, ambient, acid and more. We had a quick chat with Fogarty about the label, Susumu Yokota and what he has coming up.

Off The Record Mix Series 35: Louis Satori (Transmigration)

For the next in our Off The Record mix series we invited DJ, radio host and music consultant Sam Don or known to his close friends and family, Sam Donnison. Sam is a DJ's DJ, having proved himself and the world over as a man of many styles, tempo and moods. Having shared the airwaves with highly regarded talent like Danilo Plessow aka MCDE and constructed mind soothing mixes for podcasts like Mr Bongo its quite hard to pin point what direction Sam will go in a set. This also shows the sign of a true digger and if Off The Record knows anything its deep diggers. This digging helped Sam curate one of the most captivating compilation series' to come out this year in our opinion; "For The Love Of You", a journey through Lover's Rock across two brilliant volumes on the ever amazing Athens Of The North. For this mix Sam has tapped into a deep dig of fun yet raw house numbers, stemming with vocals, hypnotic acid, heavenly kicks and cunning blends throughout. We had a quick sit down with Sam about the mix and what he has been up to lately. This is Off The Record 36: Sam Don!

Off The Record Mix Series 36: Sam Don

Butter Sessions is one of those labels that can go absolutely anywhere and still make sense because theres an element that tags it down to the ears of Sleep D aka Maryos Syawish and Corey Kikos. The two label heads behind the absolutely iconic institution straight outta Melbourne, Australia have worked with aritsts like Roza Terenzi, D.Tiffany, Tornado Wallace, Yuzo Iwata and more creating a platform for upcoming and solidly established artists to broaden their sound and explore into the unknown. Like the artists they represent Sleep D as DJ's and producers have touched all sides of the club and eclectic spectrum having dropped many anthem filled 12's(including a very solid LP on Anthony Naples' Incienso) as well as experimental outings on labels like Play On Records. 
For Off The Record #37 Syawish and Kikos have dropped us straight into the elements of the main room. A smoke machine filled warehouse of house, techno, bass and percussive club rolling excursions. Strap yourself in(or don't?). 
We had a quick chat with Sleep D about the mix, the Melbourne scene and Butter Sessions and more!

Off The Record Mix Series 37: Sleep D

A Psychic Yes is the alias of British, Berlin based artist, carpenter and DJ, Timothy Crombie. Timothy has released records on some of the most interesting and out there labels at the moment, most recently Nummer's self titled imprint and the ever impressive, ear to the ground; Kalahari Oyster Cult. His music touches off blends of percussive UK techno stylings with a nod to DIY bleep and yet has an air of leftfield ambient if that makes any sense? Either way, its with these stylings too that Timothy constructs sets, be it live or DJ, with these inspirations in mind and takes Off The Record 38 into similar patterns.

Off The Record Mix Series 38: A Psychic Yes

One of Dublin's most regarded heads takes the reigns for our 39th Off The Record mix. Nevan Jio over the years has found himself in many aspects of Ireland's striving underground scene, mostly Dublin, where he helms the ones and twos nearly every weekend in the cities hot spots the likes of Tengu, Wigwam, Izakaya and more. He has also found himself abroad on many occasions most noticeably opening the year supporting don Ben UFO in The Cause's new beloved DIY warehouse venue alongside EMA. Nevan has also applied his experience of working in All City records and collecting records in general to go on to running label's like Pear (With fellow Dublin wiz Fio Fa)which saw an array of house, breaks and tech house from names like Regularfantasy, New Members, Fio Fa and Big Miz as well as more recently the Irish club focused reissue label Aris which has so far seen classics take new light from Fish Go Deep, Bumble and Rob Rowland. 
For this mix Nevan has given us a vast genre spanning call card of a mix that shows the selectors diversity and range showcasing some home listening dashed with the club in mind and well into the afters for a few White Claws! We have a quick chat with Nevan to hear about the concept behind the mix and what he has coming up:

Off The Record Mix Series 39: Jio

40 mixes in and the Off The Record series has seen a wide spanning in range of artists and styles. Its dug deep into DJ's record bags and has let us hear some of their holiest gems. Our 40th mix comes from one of the most solid selectors Amsterdam has to offer; Olf van Elden aka Interstellar Funk. 
Having started off working at the Dutch institution that is Rush Hour Records as a label manager and playing sets year in and year out at the monumental Dekmantel, Interstellar Funk has taken himself worldwide as well as releasing records on labels like L.I.E.S, Berceuse Heroique, Rush Hour, Dekmantel along with his own Artificial Dance label. A label he has run with a keen ear since 2017 releasing artists like Genetic Factor, June, Black Merlin and more. 
For Off The Record 40 Interstellar Funk takes us in the realms of home and club listening with a well crafted mix that builds and warms us into the floor beautifully. We had a chat with the artist about the mix and about what he has going on:

Off The Record Mix Series 40: Interstellar Funk

Off The Record this month takes a dive into the mind of Chicago artist and musician Beau Wanzer. 
Wanzer is commonly known for records on Ron Morelli's L.I.E.S. imprint as well as working with labels like Brew, L.A. Club Resource, iDEAL, Natural Sciences, and Nation. His in touch ear with industrial, electro and experimental music has seen him work alongside the likes Traxx and Steve Summers as the excellent Mutant Beat Dance, Dan Jugle as the head banging Juzer and more recently De-Bons-en-Pierre with Maoupa Mazzocchetti. 
For this mix Wanzer goes no holds bared into the world of tape culture with noisey and hissing electro and synth tunes as well as some chuggy industrial moments. We had a quick chat with Beau about the mix and what he has coming up!

Off The Record Mix Series 41: Beau Wanzer

We take a plane over to Madrid for the next Off The Record mix to hang with Mario G.R. AKA Glossy Mario, the head honcho at Glossy Mistakes; the record label that has been reissuing and unveiling the undiscovered.

With legendary names like Finis Africae, Susumu Yokota and Akira Ito recently getting some of their cult favourite releases reissued, this has proven Mario's ear is a thriving force of wisdom and knowledge showcased through his label with love and care. For this mix Mario focuses on percussive sounds and older gems with modern takes to combine together a mix that is intuitive as well as club ready! He sat down with our own Alex Egan for a quick chat about the mix as well as what he has coming up!

Off the Record Mix Series 42: Glossy Mario (Glossy Mistakes)

For this months Off The Record mix we humbly rest our hands and our ears with Death Is Not The End. Luke Owen's long running label digs up the oldest of the old, serving up your gospel, blues and folk with a crackle. The label has been known for its deeply dug out tapes and records in the forgotten and unheard from the early years of records on gramophones to the London Rave era advertisements. For this mix Owen dives into some well sought after rare groove and soul / blues. A change of pace in this series for sure but a very welcome one from a keen London selector who we have had on our list for this series for a long time. We had a quick chat with the man behind the mix and the label to see how it all came to be and what the future holds.

Off The Record Mix Series 43: Death Is Not The End

After a short hiatus to focus on our 20 Years Of Phonica celebrations the Off The Record mix series is now back! Stepping up for our 44th mix in the series and closing it out for the year is a selector, event runner and radio-host that has been making scenes in the celebrated European capital of clubbing; Berlin for years now. Maryama Luccioni aka Maryisonacid is recognised for pushing her event series and label African Acid Is The Future(alongside long time partner in crime Dauwd) as well as hosting her show Comme à la Radio on Berlin's Refuge radio! For this mix Maryama takes us on a in dept look into her selections from mellow to driving club sounds. Think of it as an all night long set summarised in the best way over an hour and a half!

Off The Record Mix Series 44: Maryisonacid

Not many have covered the ground like London's Richard Sen has. Starting his deep dive into the underground scene by being the much recognised Sen graffiti writer he has moved on over the years to be considered one of the UK's great selectors and DJ's. Having also released music under several guises, not only under his own name (which he also has wealth of huge remixes for artists like Bryan Ferry, John Grant, Unloved and LCD Soundsystem), but most notably under the phenomenal Padded Cell and the excellent Bronx Dogs. With his excellent weekly radio show on Charlie Bones' Do!! You!!! Radio station as well as dropping the award winning Dream The Dream (UK Techno, Breakbeat And House 1990-1994) compilation on Ransom Note, Sen finds himself with an even larger wealth of fans. With that being said we are delighted to welcome Richard Sen to the Off The Record mix series where he provides us with a 3+ hour journey taking us on a deep dive into his record selection providing styles of all kinda throughout. We had a quick chat with Richard about the mix and what he has coming up. This is Off The Record 45: Richard Sen.

Off The Record Mix Series 45: Richard Sen

Italian label-head, radio host and DJ Elena Colombi has been holding it down on platforms like NTS and stages like Dekmantel for close to up to a decade. Their ear for the out there crossings of experimental, industrial and techno sounds is truly next to none. Not only does this show their skills on how to blend these styles to accuracy world wide but reflects on the music they pick for their excellent Osàre! Editions imprint since 2019. We are very excited to have Elena on the Off The Record series with a live recording of them at UBU club. A power hour of acid, bleep and techno sounds. For full interview hit the link above!

READ INTERVIEW HERE

Off The Record Mix Series 46: Elena Colombi

London's leading independent record shop. Also home to labels Phonica Records, Phonica White, Phonica Records Special Editions and @KarakulRecords.

Full features, including interviews and tracklists, for our Phonica Podcast and Phonica Mix Series on our editorial platform Off The Record ⬇

http://offtherecord.net/