Our inaugural mix for Sharp FM. Guest DJ Jen Monroe of NTS's Getting Warmer recorded a custom mix of classical music for the release of Octave, a reconsideration of the modern sans serif designed by Josh Finklea and published by Sharp Type in October 2022.

For full track list and further reading:
https://sharptype.co/news/introducing-sharp-fm/

001: Jen Monroe

We asked our friend and NTS GOAT Bianca Lexis to put together a mix for the Winter Solstice. 

"I wanted to put together intimate songs that remind me of going back home and spending time with loved ones gathered around our favorite comfort foods and a cozy fire," says Bianca. "Hopefully it gives the listener a similar feeling of nostalgic warmth :)"

For full track list and further reading: https://sharptype.co/news/sharp-fm-002-bianca-lexis-winter-solstice/

002: Bianca Lexis for Winter Solstice ‘22

Our first mix of 2023 has enough raw power to push a steamboat up a mountain. It's bracing, cold, and ultimately tender. Big love to Sam Clarke, a Brooklyn-based artist working within photography, design, music, and event curation. He is the co-founder of Dust Radio and the now-defunct rave series Nausea. 

“In thinking about the myth of the Capricorn, I playfully imagined myself to be a roughly bearded goat, scaling a massive and precarious mountain with icy wind scorching my face and reaching the peak above the clouds to finally see the sublime curvature of the earth.”

For full tracklist, please visit: https://sharptype.co/news/sharp-fm-003-sm-capricorn/ where you can read more about Sam, this mix, and our 2023 plans for Sharp FM. Thanks for listening.

003: Sam Clarke

Full track list and feature here: shrptyp.co/sharpFM004news 

We’re celebrating the tail end of the Lunar New Year with our fourth release, courtesy of Seoul-based duo Salamanda. Since 2018, they've carved out a unique niche for themselves, resulting in an expanding aural world that feels sensual, psychedelic, and whimsical. Uman Therma and Yetsuby explore new material here and put together something distinct within their own body of work: their first mix of all-Korean music.

It's a steady montage of UFOs that float on rather than zoom by, giving the listener time to take their measure as the songs fearlessly move through pop, noise, ambient, RnB, and classical. Featured in Pitchfork's 2023 "Best of" list: https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/best-dj-mixes-2023/ 

“This is the first mix we ever recorded with music by Korean artists only. Though the idea of making this mix felt challenging at first, we had fun weaving those different kinds of music into an hour long story. Hope this mix helps you start your new year fresh and with spirits full of good energy!”

Thanks for listening.

004: Salamanda

Sharp FM 006 coming in hot! We're honored to present a custom mix by Tim Reaper. As a venerable pioneer of London’s contemporary jungle revival, Reaper’s visibility in global electronic music culture feels perfunctory—this is just what happens when you put the music first, and you do it well.

Reaper anticipates the spring equinox and gives spark to Aries’ fire with an all-vinyl mix that displays jungle’s virtuosic syncopations and body high-inducing bass frequencies; he touches upon both classic and contemporary legends with customary deftness, zeroing in on the combustive rowdiness of the scene’s ragga subgenre. We’re primed for warmer weather.

Given his prolific output, it’s obvious that Reaper works quickly, but he surprised us by sending over a completed mix before we even knew he was onboard for the project:

"This mix was recorded on vinyl, me playing some of my favourite ragga style jungle tunes from ‘93-’96, as well as some newer style ragga jungle bits, including a new remix I've done for M-Beat. "

For full tracklist, visit https://shrptyp.co/TimReaper4SoraizAries23 where you can read more about this mix, Tim Reaper, and the Venn diagram of ragga jungle and parametric typefaces. Thanks for listening :)

006: Tim Reaper

Full tracklist and feature here: https://shrptyp.co/sharpfm007

A soft downtempo mix from one of NYC's finest techno DJs. In a post-pandemic New York that has witnessed an explosion of new talent, Emma Olson, who goes by Umfang, is by now a recognized veteran who is well-respected for her fluency in techno – and not just as a DJ, but also as someone engaged with its political history and contemporary social contexts. Her psychedelic all-vinyl sets move the body AND mind and are proof that the true skill of the DJ isn’t necessarily what one plays, but how.

“I have been wanting to make a slower mix for a long time which is hilariously challenging for me coming from mostly playing techno,” says Umfang. “I make subdued sparse music and have had a difficult time closing the gap between soundscapes I'm drawn to and the music I play in the club.” 

The result is the sound of a bridge. “This is a reflection of some intentional digging for downtempo, a desire to feature the music my friends are making now that excites me, and the one-off ambient tracks from techno artists that often don't find a place in the club.” Considering these new tempos and textures, the variety here is cohesive, and it also feels intimate — the sound of an artist earnestly building out new comfort zones.

007: Umfang

Full tracklist and notes on creative murmuration here: https://shrptyp.co/sharpfm008

This is ambient music as a mode of transport, but the tracks are generous enough to sit in the background, too. Choose your own adventure, but here's hoping you take the immersive approach :) 

Ian Kim Judd’s long-running NTS show Fifth World is a far-out flight into the world of ambient music, serving as a monthly beacon of genuine optimism and ultimate freshness. We asked him to make the first in a new meditation mix subseries for Sharp FM, with a cover and tracklist designed by the inimitable artist Laurel Schwulst, which features her custom Energy Spheres and highlights Connor Davenport’s typeface Greenstone.

008: Ian Kim Judd

Full track list and feature here: https://shrptyp.co/SharpFM009

“The feel-bad mix of the summer!”

From Tornado Wallace: 
"It contains only music used in films from 1987-2001: Chungking Express, Lost Highway, Opera, Perfect Blue, Trainspotting, Leon: The Professional, Fallen Angels, Cruel Intentions, Hackers, Johnny Mnemonic, Cool World, Strange Days, Ghost In The Shell, and more. Perhaps there's some commonality there. I wanted to conceptualise this mix in this way as movies have really been resonating with my songwriting at the moment, and I wanted to celebrate particular films that have been extra inspirational for that process.”"

Tornado Wallace aka Lewie Day is a Berlin-based producer, DJ, and musician whose genre-spanning dance sets and studio releases are loosely defined by their generous ambience and cinematic immersiveness. Appropriately, every song here is pulled from a Letterboxd lover’s delight of international films.

You'll find your memory pleasantly jogged as these songs are given new context here. Sensual trip hop lamentations and shoegazing walls of guitar find common ground, and when’s the last time you heard Faye Wong and U2 in the same mix? These songs pull from the well of cultural nostalgia and, yet, the sum of their parts feels half a step ahead of the zeitgeist.

009: Tornado Wallace

Full feature plus "tracklist" here: https://sharptype.co/news/sharp-fm-010-triad-god-feat-palmistry-leo-23/

"I don't do many mixes, quite rare, it will have my influences, saving most new material for my next record but there will be some new stuff of course." - Triad God

Triad God is the nom de guerre of London-based rapper Vinh Soi Ngan. If you’re a fan, you know his output is minimal, so it’s all the more exciting that he made a mix for Sharp FM with some extra love from producer Palmistry. This is a wild one, moving from 90s Hong Kong pop to remixes of contemporary K-pop, gayageum instrumentals, and bits and clips from the world of gangster cinema: Andrew Lau's Young & Dangerous, Takeshi Kitano's Sonatine, Guy Ritchie's Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels. Triad does not disappoint and also includes edits of old songs and some brand-new material.

When we asked for a track list, the response was: "Track list is 黑社會", and the poem he sent instead was unexpected but beautiful and true to his unique voice: https://shrptyp.co/triad

010: Triad God feat. Palmistry

For tracklist and full feature: https://shrptyp.co/lovefingers

For our 11th release, pioneering selector Andrew "Lovefingers" Hogge presents a mix that feels like we’re listening to records with him in his backyard in LA. The music is cinematic, intimate, and easy to love. Perfect for the weather—inside and out—as summer blends into autumn.

“Some of my all time favorite oddballs. Not too much mixing, an ideal mix for just hanging out. Summertime vibes.”

Andrew's deft, intuitive approach to DJing extends beyond the decks: He runs the esteemed ESP Institute label and is a well-established graphic designer and creative director. His work is infused with a warmth and enthusiasm that was readily apparent in our exchanges as we discussed this mix.

011: Lovefingers' Lazy Summer Mix

Full tracklist and feature: https://shrptyp.co/sharpfm-jalbert-willaugustpark

A heady and heart-y stew of a mix from two of NYC's finest multi-instrumentalists that maps out their shared musical universe. 

From Jio: "This mix is a slurry of unreleased and/or unfinished recordings from Takuya Nakamura, Ex Wish, & myself with some of Will’s tasteful selections laced throughout."

Read more about how they chose the theme of language—relevant for us—as the jumping off point for this mix at the link above.

012: J. Albert & Will August Park

Full tracklist and feature here: https://shrptyp.co/yusu

Yu Su for Sharp FM!

A DJ, producer, live-band leader, and chef—Yu Su's place in music feels charmingly larger than the world of contemporary club culture. Her rural roots in central China and classical piano education preceded a conversion to electronic dance music after attending a rave in Vancouver during college. These biographical details combine with her no-nonsense confidence and dedication to craft, resulting in a sound that has a singular warmth and texture. This mix is appropriately varied, too. It's a mid-tempo ride where Bollywood covers and steel pedal guitar filigrees blend seamlessly, a dubbed-out montage that tours the gorgeous freak terrains of the Fourth World.

013: Yu Su

Full feature and tracklist here: https://shrptyp.co/sharpfm-princelanguage

With this mix, we complete our first full year of Sharp FM. "While it's a detour from the dancefloor, I'd love to imagine someone moving to this," says our December DJ, Prince Language. This hour is a rarely-heard side of his musical repertoire, full of gorgeous ambience that will have you soaring.

014: Prince Language

“This mix is about the possibility of being in love while international war rages on.” –Ivan Berko

Full tracklist and feature: https://shrptyp.co/ivanberko

Big thanks to our friend Ivan Berko for jumpstarting the year with our first Sharp FM mix of 2024.  The opening soft battalion of soaring, warming vocal-driven gems is highlighted by Bronski Beat's 80s classic "No War"; Jimmy Somerville's levitation-inducing vocals set the tone before things really take flight—the percussive second half peaks with the synth-fuelled neon boogie of Roberto Lodola's ode to Paul Renner, "Futura's Dreaming". 

Ivan's been a fixture and guiding light within the New York music scene for many years. His blend of all things synth-y, sleaze-y, tech-y, proggy, and, of course, Balearic are always surprising and have an unmistakable depth of feeling. Ivan's inexhaustible love for music really comes through in his sets, which showcase his ability to recontextualize dance classics alongside contemporary deep cuts—the man is always on the pulse of things. "Come early, stay late, leave sweaty!"

Read more about Ivan and the mix here: https://shrptyp.co/ivanberko

015: Ivan Berko

An exclusive mix of unreleased material from one of club music's limitless innovators: DJ Nigga Fox, aka Rogério Brandão, is a key figure amongst the crew of DJs and producers who have emerged from Lisbon's Angolan diaspora; they are responsible for the kinetic, pioneering current of sound that truly represents a time, a place, and a culture-in-the-making. This mix comes ahead of Rogério's new LP, which will be released on Príncipe on March 15th.

"This set is particularly special for me because I used a few (all unreleased) tracks produced by my brother, Mano Jio, the person that gave me a lot of support and strength to keep doing the thing I love most. Music has no rules." - DJ Nigga Fox

Even amongst his peers, Nigga Fox's timbre is unmistakable. Often described as an amalgamation of kuduro, afro-house, Angolan deep, and tarraxinha, Rogério's unique spin on the batida sound gets more specific because of his love of techno. The opening track, “Má Rotina”, is a new song from his upcoming album, but the calm ambience is a feint; this mix highlights his penchant for weaving warped beats and hypnotic hooks into something sensual and serpentine. Nigga Fox manages to achieve that rarest of combinations: being original and being good.  

As a language, this music is fresh, informed by the compression of global culture, the texture of digital music software, and the intertwined threads of colonial history. The trademark blend of frenzied polyrhythms— a rollercoaster of inversions, switchbacks, and corkscrews—and pulsing melodies—delirious, sinister, elemental—is fully present, but grand piano refrains and pastoral synth-scapes expand Rogério's musical world in new directions: "Any comparison in mind? Flip through history books and you won't find this chapter."

Full tracklist here: https://www.instagram.com/p/C3kykRhL7BR/?hl=en&img_index=1

016: DJ Nigga Fox

Our latest guest mix comes from harpist Ange Halliwell. Based in the verdant countryside of Southwest France, he continues to make harp music with hypnotic arpeggios and sung, spoken or shouted voices. Halliwell's compositions are intimately linked to nature and have a contemporary consciousness of tradition.

Featuring unreleased personal material in addition to selections that unexpectedly glide from pastoral instrumentals to gauzy halcyon pop and grinding black metal, this is a mix that offers an intimate window into an artist's interior world.

"These music are precious to me. Some of them are from my childhood, where my parents or my brother used to listen to them. I discovered the others from my personal listening. They inspire me a lot and I love when they create an emotion inside of me. Here is a little compilation of my favourites of the moment." -Ange Halliwell

This mix comes ahead of Sharp FM’s first concert on Friday, April 26, taking place in a gorgeous church sanctuary in Brooklyn and headlined by Ange, who is visiting NYC. Tickets and more info here: https://ra.co/events/1910399

Cover art features Sharp Fraktur Thin
Artwork by Chris Lloyd
Design by Kimberly Bager

017: Ange Halliwell

Sharp FM is the audio channel of Sharp Type, a global type design studio.

We collaborate on each mix with a DJ, producer, or musician and offer them a platform to share something unique and new. We design the covers and tracklist graphics to showcase our typefaces.

Curated and produced by Theodore Jahng and Justin Hunt Sloane.

Thanks for listening :)

Sharp Type Co

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