Likes for Sonos

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 🙌

Feature & Interview

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

https://www.nts.live/shows/theo-parrish/episodes/theo-parrish-17th-july-2022

Theo Parrish 170722

LA based Hologram Teen (aka Morgane Lhote) has just released the latest outing on Ransom Note Records – a glowing sun kissed affair inspired by 80’s culture and a sphere of influence made up of Baroque keyboard parts, Neil Young’s “Trans”, French pop and beyond.

The tape is called ‘Day Glo Chaos’ and is her third album – a record which firmly cements her as an artist rooted in a sun kissed sound which meanders between funk, boogie, downtempo electronica, hip hop and beyond.

Considering the broad array of influences which impacted her creative process when crafting this release we felt it was appropriate to invite her to record a mixtape with a twist.
 
She explains the rationale behind her selections:

“I chose to focus on French Disco Funk music from the 1980’s with hedonistic themes. I was really influenced by 80s French pop for “Day-Glo Chaos” so this mix seemed fitting.”

This tape is a trip through a time when freedom and expression was flourishing in a way like never before, a throwback to a moment perhaps more innocent and care free.

Hologram Teen: The 'Wednesday Sleazy Side Of French Disco' Mix

Amsterdam selector Orpheu The Wizard connects oddball and straight forward jams from different decades and different record shelves in a monthly two hour show.

https://www.nts.live/shows/orpheu-the-wizard/episodes/orpheu-the-wizard-22nd-july-2022

Orpheu The Wizard 220722

https://www.nts.live/shows/pender-street-steppers/episodes/pender-street-steppers-26th-july-2022

Pender Street Steppers w/ Yibing 260722

Eazy-breezy dancefloor eclecticism from the DC wonder duo...

https://www.nts.live/shows/beautiful-swimmers/episodes/beautiful-swimmers-27th-july-2022

Beautiful Swimmers 270722

https://www.nts.live/shows/soup-to-nuts-john-gomez/episodes/soup-to-nuts-john-gomez-1st-august-2022

Soup To Nuts w/ John Gómez & Mount Liberation Unlimited 010822

Recording of Tako & Relmer's set at Dekmantel Selectors 2022.

Tako & Relmer at Dekmantel Selectors 22

Please meet London based DJ and producer, former Cafe Del Mar resident, and our long time close friend Phil Mison (@cantomamusic). Interview (excerpt) down below.

www.musicfrommemory.com

MFM: Hi Phil, many know you as one of the DJ's who has played all the best sunset spots across the globe. How did your summer look this year, still been scoring sunsets here and there?

PM: My summer was great. I travelled to Amsterdam, Cork, Copenhagen and Barcelona and had some nice gigs in the UK. My friend Deke has opened a bar on the seafront in Margate, you get pretty epic sunsets down there. I played a few records one evening and managed to fit in a few old cafe classics as the sun disappeared into the sea. 

MFM: Please tell us a bit about how it all started for you?

PM: I grew up in the 70’s, so there were quite a few different influences. David Bowie ‘Life On Mars’ was an early memory, and I was obsessed with Blondie. Parallel lines was the first album I bought. Later it was Northern Soul, Electro, nothing really that mellow! In 87 I met a couple of people who were really into House. I started going to groove records in soho to buy records like Adonis - No Way Back, Ten City - Devotion. Then as 88 rolled around I got into the more Balearic side of things. Later in 89 I’d pop into Reckless Records for second hand stuff and started to browse the New Age section where I got things like Kitaro  ‘Tunhuang’ and Paul Greaver ‘Joy’. Those records were the starting point really. 

MFM: DJing in clubs to make people dance never really attracted you?

PM: I’d say pretty much most of my DJing has been in clubs. I started at the Milk Bar in Soho in 1992 after giving Darren Emerson a tape. Even though I was doing the warm up and playing mellow stuff at the beginning, you had to build it up to a full dance floor by the end. In 1996 and 2000 I was the tour DJ for Lefttfield, playing in front of 1000 odd people. ‘Just get it going before we come on!’ Alongside Ross Allen and Rob Da Bank, I was resident at Bar Rhumba for our Next Level night in 1997. It lasted a year and we opened with Harvey and closed with Andrew Weatherall. I Have to mention Moonboots and Jason Boardman’s night Aficionado too. I always enjoyed playing to a dancefloor there, they’ve kept the Balearic flag flying since 1998. 

MFM: At what point did you got into making music on your own? 

PM: I’d worked on a project for Kenneth Bager in 1994. Then later on he started his Music For Dreams Label, and asked me if I would be interested in making an album.  So the first Cantoma album was started in Copenhagen in 1999, and finished in London in 2003. 

MFM: How do you come up with a new song, is there a certain Phil Mison way to it? Do you write the parts for the musicians?

PM: It usually starts with an idea that pops into my head. Sometimes a memory or travelling will get a melody going, and I’ll sometimes hum it into my phone and use that as a starting point. Ive worked with Engineer/Producer Robin Twelftree on all the Cantoma albums. I’ll go into Robin’s studio and usually start with some basic keyboards, then I’ll play a bassline in. I’ll take the demos away and think about what would work on the tracks. For some musicians the music is written down. Ive worked with Robin Lee from Faze Action on a few Cantoma tunes, and he usually transcribes my basic melodies onto sheet music. Other times I’ll play the melodies on a keyboard or hum the tunes for the musicians to follow along to. On some tracks I’ll write the lyrics too and get a singer to record on a track. There’s a lot of going back and forth until I’m happy with the final cut. The music rarely ends up sounding like the first version.

MFM: Making a mix must have been a piece of cake for you :) What is this mix like?

PM: I went back through my 92-94 selection and picked a selection of the lesser played records. Memories of magic times at the Milk Bar and warm summer evenings at the Cafe del mar.

MFM Mix 044: Phil Mison

Special Techno Mix "Rebirth" recorded for French magasine Tsugi in 2014.

DJ DEEP TSUGI Magazine MIX May 2014

Our own tropical cyberpunk tackles every other Monday lunchtime...

https://www.nts.live/shows/soup-to-nuts-ruf-dug/episodes/soup-to-nuts-ruf-dug-12th-december-2022

Soup To Nuts Ruf Dug 121222

Raphaël Top-Secret at Solstice 2022

https://www.nts.live/shows/theo-parrish/episodes/theo-parrish-31st-december-2022
Semi-regular feature length sessions from one of the greatest to ever grace the decks. Theo Parrish on NTS: you know it makes sense.

Theo Parrish 311222

Cacophony is by definition a collision of multiple sounds in discordance. Sounds that shouldn't go together basically. Bogotá, Colombia’s Felipe Gordon does this, but in euphony(bringing pleasure to ones ear)! Spreading himself blissfully across jazzy, disco, funky and soulful elements he pours this concoction into his cluby productions and sets which has now given him international recognition. Having put out forty plus 12" releases and an album since 2014, including his brilliant "Timeless EP" on our Karakul subsidiary, he has found himself on labels like Shall Not Fade, Razor'N'Tape, Toytonics and some of the most long standing greats more recently like Nervous records. For Phonica mix 104 Felipe walks us through what for him brings musicality into electronic music, what live elements bring humanity into our dance floors. We have a quick chat about more on this subject below and see what else the Colombian artist has up his sleeve.

Phonica Mix Series 104: Felipe Gordon

One of Rotterdam's finest music veterans and long time friend Robotic AF (@afrobot) presents his 'shroomsmix' for the series. Interview (excerpt) down below.

www.musicfrommemory.com

MFM: Hi Roeland, glad to have you on board. An important part of your musical journey shaped while studying in Eindhoven, where you also got to know Tako. Could you take us back a little?

RA: Yes, I met Tako at the Design Academy, we started in the same year 1994. We became close friends, had regular gatherings, mostly at his place and we would endlessly listen to music, to all kinds of music. I remember we were drinking Chateauneuf-du-Pape from 1974 for a while, and I’d bring some of the best hasj I could get my hands on, and we talked endlessly about the music and we talked about school, and about our very different weekends: I was active in the illegal acid/rave scene, and I worked behind the bar in De Effenaar, the main concerthall of Eindhoven, where I witnessed many (rock) concerts, but also heard many of the producers of those US and UK house and techno records dj live. Later I worked at Cafe Le Beat International. We kept discovering new music, always...

MFM: 25 or so years later and you're still involved in music, that's quite the achievement! How do you keep motivated and interested? 

RA: I guess because I can’t imagine a life without music. Music is the most ungraspable, the most mystical, the most mythical, the most direct, the most abstract and the most emotional form of arts (imho).

MFM: The world (also around music) has changed quite a bit since you stepped in. Are you one who easily adapts to changes or did you always stick to your guns regardless what happened around you? 

RA: Haha, deep question, luckily I’m old enough to have learnt to take it, as it it comes: so I (try to) adapt (of course). Like at the end of this period at the Design Academy, towards 2000, I/it (?) felt like world peace lay ahead, the only thing we had to fear was the millennium bug - we were on ecstasy :) but a lot of things happened after that / 9-11 / becoming a father / getting divorced / businesses going up and down / pandemic / identity politics / the climate crisis and a new big war… / we have to adapt / isn’t that the definition of life? what else can we do? The only change I distrust is our increasing virtual communication (screen time) at the expense of real human interaction.

MFM: If you'd have to name one particular highlight so far (could be anything), what would it be? 

RA: I think that would be all the moments when you fall in love, with somebody or something (like music), or with a group - when shared moods are generated - when you are feeling it - when you can direct it - in your work (while creating), or in a room full of people (while dj-ing or dancing), when you can direct it upwards - whenever you can feel that connection - those magic moments, when you’re in the moment! Each moment with such an energy is a highlight!

MFM: What is keeping you busy right now? Any exciting future projects with Robotic AF and the label you could share with us? 

RA: I want to focus more on mixed media projects: combining visual arts with sound - and music. I’m working on a proposal for a video / social media / artivist project with a musician from Rotterdam (still very fresh), and I’ll do 2 more releases on AM Records this year: 11PM and 12PM / follow my https://afrobotic.bandcamp.com/ And I’m changing my dj sets more towards listening experiences - like this mix - in stead of keeping the (party)beat going constantly, I want to develop new styles of story telling as a dj.

MFM: Tell us about the mix! The file says shroomsmix, haha, does that mean what we think it means?

RA: Yes! I did shrooms with my girlfriend on a Sunday morning in October, we went walking in the autumn sun that afternoon, and while chilling at home in the evening, I selected these tunes, moving up and down from comforting to confronting - the next day I recorded this mix.

MFM Mix 048: Robotic AF

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

Crumbling the antiseptic beauty with the Electric Minds, Aus & Man Make Music contributor, Fold.

https://www.nts.live/shows/fold/episodes/fold-1st-june-2023

FOLD - love letter to liquid pt. 1 010623

Apiento, a.k.a Paul Byrne runs the invaluable Test Pressing blog and releases music on World Building, World Unknown and more. His show has that esoteric techno thing and whatever suits the mood…
 
Find the full tracklist and related episodes on NTS: https://www.nts.live/shows/test-pressing/episodes/test-pressing-31st-may-2025

Test Pressing 310525

Full feature, including interview and tracklist over on our editorial site Off The Record: bit.ly/0TRMIX16

Tracklist

Off The Record Mix Series 16: Manu•Archeo

Italian ambient music pioneer Gigi Masin joins us for the 20th edition of the Off The Record Mix Series. Just tipping over the 2-hour mark, Gigi’s gorgeous mix recording takes us on a trip through all things ambient, electronica, soul, jazz, pop, Balearic, and beyond, featuring tracks by everyone from Brotherhood Of Breath and Van Morrison to Hiroshi Suzuki and Anoushka Shankar. 

Full feature including interview and tracklist over on Off The Record. Enjoy the journey! ✨ bit.ly/3rXgg69

Likes for Sonos

Ronan Fitzgerald