Ö’s set for The Space Between, summer 2020
Photo by Ella Yarnton

Ö (Richard Akingbehin)- Laidback Heatwave [00:08:24] - The Space Between

First up in 2023 is Los Angeles based Juan Izguerra (@juanizguerra) who runs his residencies at Dublab and Homage Brewing. Interview (excerpt) down below.

www.musicfrommemory.com

MFM: Hi Juan, welcome to the series. You're based in Los Angeles, right? Can you tell a bit about what keeps you busy? 

JI: Hey there! Super stoked to contribute. Well, I was born in Pomona, California and I started DJing about six years ago. I recently found myself as the event coordinator at Homage Brewing in 2021 and It’s been a great experience to be on both sides… I love being able to DJ at some of my favorite parties, and then host locals and out of town friends at my own events with Homage. My girlfriend and I made the move to LA in the summer of 2020. Early on in the pandemic rent was pretty much the same in Pomona as it was in LA so we thought we’d just live in the city. When clubs/bars opened up again I got involved with Homage. Since then I’ve been able to host parties at our space and focus on bringing people together for the music. 

MFM: What triggered you to initially get interested and involved in buying and playing records?  

JI: I’ve collected records since my teens but it wasn’t until I was 20 that I met one of my now super close friends Josh da Costa (Confusing Mix on NTS) who put me onto crazy records he found during his time living and touring in Europe. He showed me things like Roberto Musci, Thomas Leer, The Antennas, Cherry Red records, and weird compilations. Hearing things like that made me so curious. I saw Josh DJ one day and I was fascinated with how he made people dance. It made me want to learn how to do that! 

MFM: Nice. Did you have any other role models you felt inspired and motivated by?

JI: Definitely. My friends Josh (who I mentioned), Jimi Hey, and Shags Chamberlain were an early influence on me. They toured all over the world and would come home with bags of records, share their discoveries, and give a story about where they found it. I saw that as a way to connect with people and It inspired me to travel and want to find things of my own to share. As I got more curious on the DJ’ing side of things, I definitely got a lot of inspiration from my good friend Bianca Lexis. She’s one of my favorite DJ’s!

MFM: You've done quite some traveling yourself too, within the US but also intercontinental. How is LA nightlife compared to some other places you've been? What's the LA style?

JI: LA’s nightlife definitely needs some work. In New York, Europe, and Mexico City, there’s an audience for every genre and a club for it as well. I think that’s what we struggle with most. People have to resort to attending warehouse parties which involve a lot of financial strain on the organizers. Still, we do have a lot of people putting together great parties here such as Third Place and Moony Habits. Lots of great house/outdoor parties which are really fun and unique to LA. 

MFM: Where and how do you go finding new records and music? Do you have your secret or not so secret methods?   

JI: When it comes down to record shopping I typically like to leave LA. Visiting suburban areas is where I get the most luck. Something about those areas feels more zen since it’s less competitive. It puts me in a mental space where I’m able to focus on looking through records thoroughly. 

MFM: Looking forward to anything specific in '23? Any future plans you'd like to share maybe? 

JI: I’ll be visiting Tokyo for the first time in May so I’m super psyched about that. Also planning to be in Europe in August/September so I'm looking forward to setting up some gigs there!

MFM: Tell us about your mix! How did you approach selecting and recording it?

JI: I wanted to make it a bit cerebral but still keeping it rhythmic and having plenty of songs with lyrics. It has an ambient start that works into downtempo tracks and slowed down Italian house. Hope everyone enjoys!

MFM Mix 047: Juan Izguerra

A snippet from the warm up set performed by Miss Hocus Pocus herself Alicia Carrera at the recent HORRORSCOPE at Sameheads..

Aired live here - https://www.nts.live/shows/elena-colombi/episodes/elena-colombi-30th-october-2023

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🔮🔮🔮🔮🔮🔮🔮🔮🔮🔮🔮🔮🔮🔮🔮🔮🔮🔮🔮
Reposted @aliciacarrera___ 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐞 7 this Friday ~ the lucky number 🍀🎲

Music by @ujdeto @adriaankriska @sanjinnesimi @transmigration.berlin & myself.

Visuals by @hypnagogia.tv

Starts early, come dance with us at @sameheads 🖤
🔮🔮🔮🔮🔮🔮🔮🔮🔮🔮🔮🔮🔮🔮🔮🔮🔮🔮🔮

Basement parties

Alicia Carrera Live DJ Set - HORRORSCOPE 7 @ Sameheads 20.10.23

Cloaked in his immutable den, sonic dweller Marius Georgescu evokes haunting soundscapes that trigger distorted colours of thought.

Often described as "kind of Enigmatic", in a shocking coincidence, recent rumor has it that he is the unwanted son of Michael Cretu (aka Enigma).

Beneath a horizon that is forever out of reach, Marius unveils uncharted sonic territories through his Youtube channel that keeps growing out of proportion.


@marius_georgescu

LIO Press mix #18 ~ by Marius Georgescu · 'Drifting off the Vapour'

Recorded live at @zmarfestival 2024 in the magical sandstone pit in Mšené-lázně, on Saturday night before full moon.
Artwork: Pája Smékalová & Alexandra Šliková
🌚🖤🌝

Andrea Ida at ZMAR Festival 2024 [Chill-out tent, Saturday night]

Phase Group (3/11/24)

Co-Label Owner of Avec Plaisir, full blood Selector and good friend since more than a decade now @hendrik_stein gifted us with a 3 hour deep dive and answered some questions about his musical socialization & his youth. have the full read on our website.

--> https://riolabel.com/riocasts

INTERVIEW

RIOCAST14 Hendrik Stein - Guten Flug Baby

4h intro DJ set recorded at Karmakoma (Belgrade) for the NYE 2025 with Francesco Farfa.
Vinyl only - No tricks ;)

Sacha Mambo @ Karmakoma NYE opening set 31.12.2024

Inner Spaces w/ Margaux Gazur 24-02-2025

🎧 Fixer Daily Drops, Vol. 39 – Fixer in Africa
MR FIXER MUSIC • 2025 • 10 Tracks
Feel the heartbeat of the continent.
From tribal rhythms to modern electronic pulses,
Fixer in Africa is a sonic journey through savannas, deserts, and spiritual lands.
Featuring rich percussions, organic textures, and cinematic atmospheres, this volume is where ancestral groove meets futuristic production.
Let the drums guide you. The story begins here.

FDD397_Drums of Serengeti

@aliciacarrera has been quietly working away in the underground for a number of years. She is Barcelona based after a spell in Berlin, and is a multi-disciplinary talent who works as a graphic artist, photographer and editorial designer all while managing the cult Hivern Discs label and (in other times) spinning weird and wonderful DJ sets all round Europe. She has a penchant for sounds that come from opposite ends of the spectrum - colourful and psychedelic, dark and experimental, slow and cosmic or more hard and techno - and hearing her join these up is always a thing to behold, as are her radio shows for the likes of NTS Radio amongst others.

This week, no doubt mindful of the fact many of us are spending most of our time at home, she takes on a far-flung journey through mid tempo grooves and cinematic sounds. It's a mind-expanding trip that opens with worldly ambiance and takes you through a number of wide open spaces littered with sombre trumpets, gently tumbling jazz drums and cosmic drones. It's pensive and absorbing as it slowly shifts through the gears, and is a perfect catalyst for escapism.