Our weekly audio mix series where we ask the most distinctive artists & labels from across the globe to give us a look into their future.

Boiler Room Upfront

"The sound of CPU reflects Sheffield's musical heritage, forged with that of Detroit Techno and Braindance (Rephlex et al.) But there's a strong syncopated beat influence over the curation which has dominated, hence CPU being known and lauded as an electro imprint.

Another thing you will notice about CPU is the stark and brutal sleeve designs. Each sleeve has an 8-bit binary* catalogue number** on the front centred in an Alien-esque logo, the number being the only thing that visually distinguishes each release.

This mix contains upcoming releases, demos and unreleased tracks on CPU and its sub-label Computer Club, a more experimental branch which also doubles as a club night in Sheffield. I think the mix gives a clear representation of the label and its direction. It was an absolute pleasure to do as I rediscovered some old favourites during the process. I hope you enjoy it and check out the label sometime.

*256 catalogue numbers in total are possible using 8-bit binary.

**This Boiler Room Upfront mix has its own CPU catalogue number so fans and completest heads-up!" - @cpsmith

Upfront 071: Central Processing Unit

Tracklist + Download: http://blrrm.tv/teklife

"Exclusive footwork mix by @djearlteckz from the @teklife57 family, including tracks from the @djrashadteklife 'AFTERLIFE' album as well as plenty of brand new unreleased material and forthcoming tracks on Teklife Records." -@ashes57 / @teklife57

Upfront 072: Teklife

"This is my new mix. I found some tracks without hi-hats that I love to play out and put them all together. I did some tracks for it as well, I play them too sometimes. The first layer is something that I recorded at home, while the second layer contains several drone tracks I did at the studio on top of the mix to glue everything together and make it more like a short story.

I did the drawing too. I was just having dinner and had some carrots. Thanks for listening." - @Bambounou

Download + Tracklist

Upfront 073: Bambounou

"Big things can come from the smallest of place. Nijmegen might not be the largest or most famous city in The Netherlands, but from this modest historic town has come one of the most exciting labels of modern electronics: the pioneering Shipwrec." @shipwrec

Upfront 074: Shipwrec

"This exclusive mix includes a diverse splurge of demo tracks, unreleased, soon to be released and recently released tracks, as well as some other tracks by artists connected to Clone Records in one way or the other. It's obviously focused on the Clone Jack For Daze Series, as I had to find a balance between personal taste and what Clone Records has to offer for the near future. Hope you enjoy." - @AldenTyrell

Upfront 075: Clone Records (Alden Tyrell)

For download, tracklist & more info on this/other Upfront mixes head here — https://boilerroom.tv/upfront/upfront-076-voyage-recordings/

"At the start of the month, this small label turned two years old. That doesn’t really mean anything in the grand scheme of things, but it has given me a chance to reflect on how the hell we’ve ended up here.

As a concept, Voyage existed for some time before we released the first record. I had a clear idea of the aesthetic it would take on, but it wasn’t until Sam/Sprinkles brought my ramblings about artwork, record sleeves and sci-fi to life that the label became something tangible, something real. Since then, Voyage seems to have evolved in parallel to my musical tastes and Sam’s visual interests as the records speak through their artwork more and more with each release.

This mix is loosely based on a narrative of the label and the past two years, featuring an upcoming EP by Youandewan, unheard Ausländer meanderings as well as a remix made especially for the mix by Urulu. I’ve also included some bits of my own that will see a release in some form on the label as well as a few things made this month to tie the whole mix together.

Peace and thanks to everyone who has supported the label."

- Andy Hart (@AndyHart)

Tracklist + Download

Upfront 076: Voyage Recordings (Andy Hart)

Download, tracklist & more info: https://boilerroom.tv/upfront/077-youandewan

"This mix contains unreleased music I’ve written over the last two/three years. Some from my forthcoming album on !K7 and Aus Music – which is out soon – and also tracks from forthcoming EP’s on Andy Hart’s Voyage Recordings and Cab Drivers’s Eclipser Chaser.

Initially I had planned to record my LP in a blended, uninterrupted fashion, but decided against it for numerous reasons. It was great to get the opportunity to do this mix – to blend a good chunk of the LP tracks, along with some of the more club-orientated tracks I’ve also got coming out soon.

Thanks for the invitation, and hope you enjoy!" – @youandewan

Upfront 077: Youandewan

Download, tracklist & more info: boilerroom.tv/upfront/078-spokes

"The aim of the mix was to showcase a bunch of mostly unreleased dubs, edits and forthcoming bits from various producers who I'm into right now... plus a nuts re-edit of Desiigner's "Panda" courtesy of Strict Face." – @SpokesLS

Upfront 078: Spokes

Download, tracklist & more info: http://blrrm.tv/FarragoL

Music is like a breath of fresh air. We need more feelings and breathing space. It’s a great honor to spread some vibez for BR. I hope that this mix lights up your day in any way or means. - @farragol



Upfront 079: FarragoL

Download, tracklist & more at: https://boilerroom.tv/upfront/080-ital/

"Human misery is not inspiring and it weighed on my mind. It was not cool, and I found myself picking songs that circled these themes: "Dirty Needles," "User," "Substance Abuse," "Off the Grid" etc.

The result captured some of the mood, if not of the primary participants, than of my own sideline perspective." – @i-t-a-l

BOILER ROOM

Upfront 080: Ital

Download, tracklist & more info: http://blrrm.tv/willandink

"Some might know me - Frits Wentink - for my contributions to the Wolf Music recordings and Detroit Swindle’s Heist label, or even as the label owner of Bobby Donny. What is probably unknown is that I have been releasing music from close friends on another vinyl label called Will & Ink. The focus for this outlet is mainly techno, but with a playful and forward thinking approach."

- @FritsWentink

Upfront 081: Will & Ink

Download, tracklist & more info:  https://boilerroom.tv/upfront/082-no-bad-days/

“A little snapshot into the coming months of No Bad Days.
Let it transcend you from deep in the African forests into outer space, lassoing around Jupiter and back again.” – @hollick_nobaddays

Upfront 082: No Bad Days

"This is a mix I made of friends' music. A lot of it is unreleased and from producers that may not be known outside of Japan just yet. Boiler Room, thank you for the opportunity to make this happen and for shining the light on this scene." - @Sashoco

Tracklist

Upfront 083: Chocola B

Tracklist & more info: blrrm.tv/savefabric

"I was given the final masters just last week. It was a lot to digest but was immediately blown away by the standard everyone delivered over such a short period of time. As a resident of the club of 17 years, it has meant so much to me to see all these artists get behind us, so it was actually a bit of an emotional process recording the mix.

Ultimately the track selection came down to my choice of what I felt worked within the mix and still reflects all the different sounds of fabric over the years. I feel bad for not being able to include them all on here but with over nine hours of music that would be been an impossible task." - @terry-francis, @fabric

More Info

Upfront 084: #savefabric (mixed by Terry Francis)

"The mix is a collection of stranger and more ambient improvisations I recorded whilst setting up for my recent live shows in Bristol and London. I added a few layers of synths and field recordings to a couple of sections, but most of it is just as it was recorded." - @Phaeleh

Download

Upfront 085: Phaeleh

Tracklist & download: blrrm.tv/banoffee

"We bring you an all encompassing approach to the many moods and styles of dance music, in all its various forms. An open minded outlook that correlates closely with the ethos of our label. We hope to voice an increasingly important message: that the music is the focus, and the title or artist should always fall secondary to prioritising quality." - Ell & Sandy, @banoffee-pies

Tracklist & Download

Upfront 086: Banoffee Pies Records

Tracklist & download: https://boilerroom.tv/upfront/087-lokiboi

"This Upfront mix is dedicated to modern sound of Eastern Europe. Love, peace and unity." - @lokiboi

Upfront 087: Lokiboi

Tracklist & download: boilerroom.tv/upfront/088-rioux

"This mix gave me the opportunity to explore my vaults of ambient and dance music, tangentially related to the more song-oriented world of my album Fragmenta. My artistic intention is to create a space in which one can both move and meditate." - @rioux

Upfront 088: Rioux

To be honest, it's criminal that New Jersey native, Flamingosis, hasn't made a Boiler Room appearance yet. The now Brooklyn-based producer has been on our radar for a while, most notably via Sean Keating's regular office stereo plays — this year's future funkified 'Bright Moments' and the hazy brilliance of 'Pleasure Palette' from 2015 especially.

Both of those releases nonchalantly tread the tightrope between hip hop and disco/funk; often smooth and late summer afternoon-themed with the analogue punch of boom bap.

As he's noted in his description, this 50min blend comes after a similalry warm experience in more ways than one. Upfront 089 is blessed with incredible music that is custom-made for afternoon and late evenings spent horizontal. Gritty funk/rap knockers are shock absorbed by downtempo (sometimes saxophone-laced) jams from Flamingosis and his clearly talented group of friends.

Upfront 089: Flamingosis

Full feature, tracklist & download: blrrm.tv/crammeddiscs

"True to the label's spirit, here is a tapestry of sounds, beats and styles created by artists hailing from the world over, all affiliated to Crammed Discs." - Marc Hollander, @crammed-discs

Upfront 090: Crammed Discs

Connecting club culture to the wider world, on screen and irl through parties, film and video.