Spontaneous Affinity

My first DJ experiences were as a radio DJ on my college radio station back in 2007 - 2011, when my music taste ranged from more indie sounds, to HypeMachine remixes, to some of my earlier forays into dance music. Lately I've been trying to dig back deeper into my library and connect the dots between various influences. 

For this mix that first aired on 9/25 for @KEXP's 'Midnight In a Perfect World' radio series, I tried embrace the radio format to mix some sounds from disparate eras of my musical progression, and to reminisce about my early days as a radio DJ.

[tracklist]
1. Yeasayer - Love Me Girl [Secretly Canadian, 2010]
2. Sputnik One - Connected by a Wall [Grid, 2022]
3. Karenn - On Request [Voam, 2020]
4. Escaflowne - I Remember 2 Step [Somersault Records, 2022]
5. Red Rooms - Black Holes [Planet Rhythm, 2022]
6. 2562 - Morvern [Tectonic, 2008]
7. McKenzie Wark + Body Techniques - We Go (Mycelium Mix) [self-released, 2022]
8. Blu Mar Ten - Voidfield [Good Looking Records, 1999]
9. ASC - Nimbus [Auxiliary, 2019]
10. Stenny - In A Distant Light [Ilian Tape, 2019]
11. Furtive - Blue Spirit [self-released, 2022]
12. Kia - Blue Rain [Nous'klaer Audio, 2021]
13. Coe - Lemonade Spaces [All Centre, 2022]
14. natural/electronic.system. - Noctiflora [Semantica, 2021]
15. Fever Ray - Mustn't Hurry (Tzusing Remix) [Rabid Records, 2018]
16. Low Jack - Light [Les Disques De La Bretagne, 2018]
17. VC-118a - Silver [Acid Test, 2021]
18. Relaxer - Licking (Pent Suspension Rework) [Lovers Rock, 2022]
19. Faye Wong - 阿修羅 [Asura] [EMI, 2000]
20. Gil Scott-Heron & Jamie xx - Piano Player [XL Recordings, 2011]
21. Jonas Kopp - 55 Dias [Ilian Tape, 2014]
22. Colleen - November [Thrill Jockey, 2017]
23. Kenya Kanazawa - Fog In The Floor [Unimatrix Zero, 2022]
24. Liars - Protection [Mute, 2007]

✩ midnight in a perfect world ☽ radio mix for KEXP

Perhaps best known for his association with beloved dance music blog Truants, @riccardovillella is also one of our favorite DJs—with a streak of mixes that always feel like instant classics—and a staple of the broader dance music scene in his own right. Villella's penchant for community began on early dance music forums and extends into today's social media networks and elevating others through mixes and in-depth interviews on @truants. His mix for us, inspired by timeless mix CDs like those of Fabric and a 'spiritual successor' to his mix for our friends at @sure_thing, is also a vivid memory of teenage bike rides along the beach in 2006.

Read the interview and see a tracklist:
spontaneous.zone/051-villella

"For the last 11 years I’d been living in London and for a long time, I had no desire really to leave. People say you can call somewhere 'home' after living there for a duration of seven years, so I was well past and on my way. The last three years though, I had really burnt out quite hard creatively, and was kind of just trudging along. It took me a while to realize that I’d maybe needed a break away from London and the constant living for the weekend parties. Work had gone remote, so the option of moving back home to Brighton on the seafront for a temporary reset and to save some money seemed like the logical next step.

I was quite excited about moving back, as one of my friends Bobby had moved back home from London a year prior to also work remote, my friend Sean was still down there and had been making some really cool art recently so we’d been reconnecting, and my friend Sam who moved to Australia 10 years ago was going to be back for a short trip in Brighton this year for a couple weeks. This felt kind of important to me as, as we’d all be in the same city for the first time in a very long time, and these were people that made up my favourite summer ever - the year 10 one in 2006.

... We spent most of that summer going on these really long bike rides from Shoreham-by-Sea, past the cement factory before reaching Brighton beach, and just cycle as far as we could until the sun went down. Me and Bobby would pack our little MP3 players (think I had a Creative Zen Touch then) the night before with as much ‘feels’ music as we’d like to call it, anything that would make our cycles feel like an extended Michael Mann movie, or "LA Action" we’d say. There was just something quite life-affirming as a 16 year old, headphones in, cycling back as the sun sets after exploring some beach cave and you’ve got either of Fila Brazillia - "Subtle Body", Groove Armada - "Paris", or DJ Shadow - "Blood On The Motorway" playing in the background. It was all very Stand By Me in the most musically liberating way possible. I’ve caught myself thinking of those times a lot lately.

I’ve tried to channel a lot of those feelings quite subtly into my studio mixes over the years—hopeless nostalgia, bittersweetness, a sad euphoria—more so on ones where I’m trying to achieve something other than a club-mix. The Sure Thing mix comes to mind especially, but that was also very influenced by the techno aspect of the series and certain life events. Whilst this feels very much like a spiritual successor to that mix, I didn’t want to be so subtle with this one. It’s a straight ode to a single perfect 24 hours that summer, and all the tunes that I was listening to back then, plus some that capture that perfect world-at-your-feet, carefree, teen vibe for me. It covers many moods and feelings of a hot day down at the beach and the transition as the sun sets and you’re getting ready to dance the night away.

I’ve wanted to record something like this for a long time, something that kind of felt like a timeless mix CD, and think you gave me the best opportunity and timing in wanting to put it together, especially as I’ve been doing that same cycle route every other weekend whilst down here."

@riccardovillella / @truants

Interview + Tracklist

Spontaneous Affinity #051: Villella

With roots in Pittsburgh and a recent stint in Denver, Paul Fleetwood @fleet412 is both a beacon and a connector within the North American dance music community. A co-founder of Hot Mass with hands in events such as Honcho Campout, Lot Mass, VIA Festival, the Great American Techno Festival, and Humanaut, his DJ sets and productions blend a classic, grounded Midwest techno sensibility with a modern edge, always infused with emotion and sincerity. In 2021, Fleetwood launched his own label, Perimeter Junk, which has already cemented itself as a forerunner in predicting the next wave of dancefloor heaters for kind-hearted weirdos.

Read the interview and see a tracklist:
spontaneous.zone/050-paul-fleetwood

"I knew I wanted a mix that featured mostly four-on-the-floor music, upbeat but smooth and not too aggressive. I imagined a much deeper and more emotive mix than what I originally intended but that didn’t make me any less happy with how it turned out.

This was recorded Saturday, October 8th, 2022 at my apartment in Denver, CO. I used two XDJ-700s and a A&H Xone:92 rotary mixer. I compiled a playlist of roughly nine hours of music from which to choose. Experimenting from that list, it took around seven takes to nail a flow that felt right.

The interview questions brought Molly Nilsson’s 'Never Coming Home' to mind so I decided to include it. I couldn't come up with a smarter way other than to place it as an encore so there ya go, my creative apex at work."

@fleet412

Spontaneous Affinity #050: Paul Fleetwood

One hour of my set at Pulse in Milwaukee on December 17, 2022 - wiggly, playful, driving, and hypnotic techno. 

Aired on Radio Raheem January 13, 2023.
https://www.radioraheem.it/shows/lychee/

1. Sunil Sharpe - Amun [BPitch Control, 2020]
2. Otik - Sometimes The Nights Last For Months [Solar Body, 2022]
3. Ectomorph - Magnetic (version) [Interdimensional Transmissions, 2000]
4. 2Lanes - Charger Muzik [Autoshop Sounds, 2021]
5. Maara - Spiral 2 the Other Side [X-Kalay, 2022]
6. Zenker Brothers - Stratusphunk [Tresor Records, 2014]
7. Shed - That Beats Everything! [Ostgut Ton, 2008]
8. Headhunter - Sex At The Prom [Tempa, 2009]
9. Cadans - Samsa [Balans Records, 2013]
10. LLX - Recall (Sobolik Remix) [audio bambino, 2022]
11. Rhyw - Cthulu Tool [Tar Hallow, 2018]
12. DJ Deep - Stressed [Deeply Rooted, 2016]
13. DJ Hockey - Buoyancy [Model Future, 2022]
14. Mion aka Edit Select - Fused (Shifted Remix) [Select Edits Records, 2012]
15. Trevino - The Dismal Truth [Klockworks, 2015]
16. Kai van Dongen - Down the Middle [Enemy Records, 2022]
17. Donato Dozzy - Gol [Dozzy Records, 2006]
18. Iori - Anemos [Non Series, 2022]
19. Skudge - Waveless [Skudge Records, 2016]
20. DJ Sodeyama - Makura [Rekids, 2022]
21. Aurora Halal - Joey [Mutual Dreaming Recordings, 2020]

Lychee for Radio Raheem ❋ Recorded Live at Pulse Milwaukee, Dec 2022

Nothing In Moderation with DJ Voices @ The Lot Radio 01 - 04 - 2023

Gladstone Butler is a New York based artist working with percussion and electronics. His work takes form in recorded music, installations and performances.

While percussion is often only tied to the act of striking an object, Gladstone sees percussion as an expressive manifestation of time architectures that bind humans, framed by the larger rhythmical walls of sun-rise and set. In Gladstone's work, musical rhythm becomes a unique tool for celebrating nonlinearity, asymmetry and difference in society.

----------

Recorded live at @hot-mass - July 16, 2022
@gladstonedeluxe

DETOUR Podcast 20: Gladstone Deluxe (Live at Hot Mass)

Name: Davis Smith
Alias: DJ Heaven (@davis-smith-1)
Pronouns: they/them
Location: Chicago

Influences: nature, red lights, anything dreamy, the psychedelic experience, love, friendship, detroit, all my amazing dj friends and producers <3

Affiliations/Residencies/Projects: I have a vinyl record incoming on Leisure Records entitled 'Dream Phases' under my alias Ephemeral. The record should be out in the next few months so keep your eyes peeled! I use to do a bi-weekly radio show called Spirit Radio, it is currently on hiatus but I am looking to start back up again :).

Favorite Quote:  "god is the spiritual power within yourself"

Advice for the DJs, producers and artists of our community: don't compromise on your vision, learn from others but make your own rules

With this mix DJ Heaven asks to please learn more about and consider donating to:
❁ chicagoland pig rescue (https://www.chicagolandpigrescue.com/#/)
❁ afrorack (https://www.afrorack.org/)

Daisychain

Daisychain 263 - DJ Heaven

Gremlin b2b Gremlin with Faited (Envelope Soundsystem, Oakland) and Lychee (NYC)

https://www.instagram.com/faited.fdotf 
https://www.instagram.com/lycheefrut

Faited b2b Lychee @ The Lot Radio 02 - 19 - 2023

also as a movie on youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HPKp82a9dE

previously available only on the club’s patreon, this is now public for everyone to enjoy. created for Virtually Nowadays at the beginning of the shutdown in April 2020 the movie was created by Jay Ivan as we drove through the empty streets of the NYC area, he filmed with a handheld DSLR and then aligned the audio after editing. 
programming this mix was emotional..i did my best to hopefully help people process positively while enjoying a "dance music mix" during a time of overwhelming uncertainty.

love and respect to Nowadays, Kristin (DJ Voices) for inviting me to participate in their livestreams, to my husband Jay Ivan for his patience and support for my professional goals and to you for your attention and kind appreciation 💜

RON LIKE HELL VIRTUALLY NOWADAYS MIX from 2020

aka-Sol (@acaciabaila) is an Ecuadorian DJ, producer, and multidisciplinary artist based in Brooklyn. Through their Acacia Baila label, they're also a connector: they've released their own tracks and collaborations alongside releases from their friends and community, as well as thrown events at spaces like Mansions and their involvement in the Dripping event series and festival. As a DJ, their sets are genre-defying and psychedelic, bridging the gap between heady, trippy sounds and groove and percussion that go straight to the body. Their mix for us is deftly controlled chaos — a fresh, freaky take on 'fast' that's as floating and expansive as it is frenetic.

Read the interview and see a tracklist:
spontaneous.zone/052-aka-sol

"I wanted to create a mix exploring the 150-160 bpm pocket. I feel like I have only landed in playing around these tempos a few times while DJing live, and had definitely not recorded a mix up there before. I was itching to submerge into it after a crucial year in my DJ career, where I have widely expanded the limitations of the things I feel comfortable playing.

It’s been refreshing to understand more and more that I am not an artist/DJ that could be defined by a music genre, but rather by the sensibility in which I lace the different styles and sounds I use to create narratives when constructing my sets. Another important challenge I presented to myself for recording this mix was the curiosity of understanding what kind of tunes I would select and blend for this as a non DnB nor hard techno DJ. I feel like by going through this challenge, I have opened a world of possibilities that I can’t wait to incorporate when playing out there.

In terms of feelings explored, I would say that expansiveness of the body and the mind are a recurrent element in my practice and it was very present in this mix too. I wanted to build something that could feel both complex yet fluid. Entering into deeper introspections while feeling your body being pulled in all possible directions at once until the point of surrendering into a floating state of slow movements is the only possible solution to cope with the amount of information being received.

In terms of gear, I used 2 Pioneer XDJ-700s and a Pioneer DJM 450 mixer. For the recording I use a Zoom H6 recorder."

@acaciabaila

Spontaneous Affinity #052: aka-Sol

Vancouver's @djhockey brings a sense of playfulness, groove, and emotion to a realm of psychedelic, twisted techno that can often take itself too seriously. He regularly appears at Vancouver venues like Dolly and recently played at the inaugural Osmosis in the Trees festival in Oregon. In addition to DJing, he co-runs record label and mix series @pprzrecords alongside Adam 2, uplifting emerging artists from across the underground and most recently releasing his own latest EP, Celestial Pursuit.

Read the interview and see a tracklist:
spontaneous.zone/053-dj-hockey

"This mix combined parts of various gigs I was working on that fell through. The gigs had quite differing musical lineups and set times, which I combined with some tracks that had been sitting in my wishlist on Bandcamp but never seen a fit for a particular project as of yet. It quickly turned into my favourite mix I’ve created thus far, as I feel it closely represents my favourite aspects of dance music all in one.

I have been working on trying to incorporate a wider range of my style into my podcasts so that each one doesn’t get tunnel vision, while still telling a slow burning story. I’ve also been pushing myself to make each individual blend something unique. Lots of tracks work well together, but is it something special and new? These are questions I have been asking myself more lately. I like the playfulness of this mix, but it also has moments where you may question what emotion you’re feeling."

@djhockey @pprzrecords

Spontaneous Affinity #053: DJ Hockey

As Seunghee @seungheeworks prepares to make a move back to Europe and Seoul after a stint based in Brooklyn, we feel lucky to have connected with her range of creative output. She has hosted events under the banner of Yulheim Electronics alongside DJ Snail at intimate, audiophile venues like Jupiter Disco and Mansions, showcasing artists with a taste for dance music that builds layered, dreamy soundscapes, a descriptor that could also apply to her own DJing. With a patient, colorful, emotional approach and a penchant for abstracted kicks and polyrhythms, Seunghee's sound somehow feels as evocative of an urban landscape as a forest ecosystem, organic and full of life, even when that life may be struggling.

Read the interview and see a tracklist:
spontaneous.zone/054-seunghee

"Every time I make a mix, I just put in all the tracks I really like and play them by the BPM, and sort out the ones that mix well. After finishing the mix, I hear it and realize what thoughts and intentions were being made.

This time, it sounded like I was trying to build a conviction. There’s a virtual character and she is trying to say something without losing her tone or deviating from her angle. There are a lot of forces trying to convince her out of her own narrative but somehow she maintains it. At least it shows the struggle.

I am currently making a lot of difficult and big choices in life. These choices will determine my survival. It helps to remember where I come from and which direction I am going. It’s not just about my own wants. I think everyone has a name, background, and roots that connect them to their own destiny. I feel I am in a stage of life where I understand myself better. (I am in my thirties) and the mix is about moving forward without compromising. Hopefully it relates to others who are going through changes.

I used a pair of CDJs and Xone92 mixer with a pair of KRKs & Audio-Technica headphones."

@seungheeworks / @polyrhythm_portal

Spontaneous Affinity #054: Seunghee

Limited CD

outlaw circuit

Bianka - Alextrem - Antracks HS 10 - Bass Addict 03

Bohemian Ravesody

https://www.lychee.club
alyce@spontaneous.zone

@spontaneousaffinity
http://spontaneous.zone

2025 —
12/3: TBA, NYC
11/12: TBA (b2b threehz), NYC
10/5: TBA, NYC
9/7: The Lot Radio (b2b T.Wan), NYC
8/1: Public Records, NYC
7/26: The Great Beyond, Minnesota
7/19: Club Dyke fundraiser, NYC
7/18: Million Goods, NYC
7/8: Café Chat [panel discussion], L&SD, NYC
6/28: Moonshake, Space, Portland, ME
6/21: Evening Tea, Silence Please, NYC
6/5: Nowadays (b2b Sobolik), NYC
5/31: Earth Dog, NYC
4/3: The Lot Radio (b2b threehz), NYC
4/5: Groovy Groovy, NYC
3/29: Nowadays Nonstop, NYC
3/7: PHREAK THE BOXXX!, Earthly Delights, NYC
2/26: Distrikt1 Finale, Bossa, NYC
1/28: Dance Practice, NYC
1/9: Sonic Junkie Radio with Nutrition Facts

2024 —
12/31: Shelter NYE, Los Angeles
12/28: Last Saturday Dance (b2b Sobolik), NYC
10/26: Osmosis in the Trees (b2b Aaron J), Oregon
10/23: Hybrid Identity, Earthly Delights, NYC
10/11: BETA, Timisoara, Romania
9/27: Million Goods, NYC
9/8: Dehanta, NYC
9/5: Middlesex Lounge, Boston
8/31: Earthly Delights w Carlos Souffront, NYC
8/30: Meridian (b2b Aaron J), Jupiter Disco, NYC
8/11: Antidote, NYC
7/26-28: The Great Beyond, MN
7/24: Distrikt1, Bossa, NYC
7/19: Meridian (b2b Aaron J), Jupiter Disco, NYC
7/11: Present Sounds, NYC
7/6: STEAMROOM x BASE SEVEN, NYC
6/28: Meridian (b2b Aaron J), Jupiter Disco, NYC
6/8: FIBER, secret location, NYC
5/30: Hands Off Rafah!, Living Gallery, NYC
5/25: Club Toilet, Detroit
5/24: Meta Ta Physika, Detroit
5/10: Reclaim Your City at Basement, NYC
5/2-5/5: Ever Afters, CA
4/21: Bass Factory, NYC
4/14: Antidote (b2b Sobolik), NYC
4/4: dripping, Nowadays, NYC
3/27: Distrikt1 (b2b Pastels), Bossa, NYC
3/24: Plants Love Bass, NYC
3/14: Party Planner Journal Launch, NYC
3/9: Flash, DC
3/7: UXZ-03 Release Party, Mansions, NYC
2/10: Wrecked, NYC
2/3: DEEP, Miami
1/27: Merge, NYC
1/24: Distrikt1, Bossa, NYC
1/19: SutroFM at Underground, SF
1/12: House of Yes (b2b Ne/Re/A), NYC

2023 —
12/31: Woodbine Fundraiser, NYC
12/25: Bossa Xmas, NYC
12/23: OFFWRLD, The End, NYC
12/17: Antidote, NYC
11/25: Kissa Mode, The End, NYC
11/18: Fog City Pack OMEGA, SF
11/18: SutroFM Radio, SF
11/12: dream/self (b2b threehz), The End, NYC
10/25: Distrikt1 x Pure Immanence, Bossa, NYC
10/15: Antidote x Harmony Rec., Jupiter Disco, NYC
10/13: Mizz Softee, NYC
10/4: Reservoir Release Party, Trans Pecos, NYC
9/30: Madre, Toronto
9/14: Sustain-Release, NY
8/26: Good Room, NYC
8/23: Distrikt1, Bossa, NYC
8/19: Honcho Campout, Pennsylvania
8/6: Antidote (b2b Nutrition Facts), NYC
8/5: Recursive (b2b Aaron J), Owl Room, DC
7/28: The Great Beyond, MN
7/20: Bossa Nova Civic Club, NYC
7/13: 12 House, Trans Pecos, NYC
7/8: Basement, NYC
7/8: Covert Junction, NYC
7/1: Fourth World, NYC
6/23: Harmony Rec., Ankali, Prague
6/22: Harmony Rec., Infame Radio, Prague
6/15: HÖR Radio, Berlin
6/14: Refuge Radio, Berlin
6/4: Soft Reset, Wonderville, NYC
5/28: Katalyst.313, Bert's Warehouse Theater, Detroit
5/17: Distrikt1 Anniversary, Bossa, NYC
5/13: Meridian (b2b Aaron J), Jupiter Disco, NYC
5/5: Mind Xpansion, NYC
4/22: Antidote @ Hex House bday, NYC
4/21: Paragon (b2b Ne/Re/A), NYC
4/19: Intersection (b2b Nutrition Facts), House of Yes, NYC
4/15: Hotflush 20, Good Room, NYC
4/13: Facetime, Trans Pecos, NYC
4/9: Antidote, Secret Location, NYC
4/8: Basement (b2b Guilt Attendant), NYC
4/1: The Bunker, Good Room, NYC
3/25: Nowadays Nonstop, NYC
3/15: Rekordbox workshop, Nowadays, NYC
3/4: Wrecked 12-Year (b2b Furtive), NYC
2/23: Zone 1, Elsewhere, NYC
2/19: The Lot Radio (b2b Faited), NYC
2/18: Dance Planet @ Paragon, NYC
2/17: Basement, NYC
2/8: Mimisabishii, Mansions (b2b Sobolik), NYC
1/27: Meridian (b2b Aaron J), Jupiter Disco, NYC
1/25: CCC Radio, X Pizza, NYC
1/20: Stream Informer Anniversary, Good Room, NYC
1/20: Stream Informer @ Razor N Tape, stream
1/18: Distrikt1 with Starrk, Jahveri, Bossa Nova Civic Club, NYC

www.spontaneous.zone
monthly mix + interview series
annual zine
sometimes events

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newsletter:
https://mailchi.mp/9865c8be5d69/spontaneous

year two zine + comp:
https://spontaneousaffinity.bandcamp.com/merch/spontaneous-affinity-year-2-zine-plus-compilation

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by @lycheefrut

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SPONTANEOUS AFFINITY is about the communal nature of the dancefloor. It's about communication and feedback. Spontaneous Affinity isn't for the isolated bedroom producer, although we love them, too—it is for those of us who understand music and dance as one of the most powerful sources of personal growth and interpersonal empathy, who are driven by the need to support and elevate one another, and as a result experience the evolution of our creative and connective selves.

Spontaneous Affinity isn't about ego, knowledge, paraphernalia, or exclusivity of any kind. It's about PURE SENSATION. It's about losing track of yourself and merging with a moment. It's about temporary autonomous zones and ephemeral connections. It's about forgetting to Shazam that track or fix your hair. It's about the hours far past dawn when everyone left on the dancefloor has laid their soul bare but still looks beautiful under the harshness of sunlight.

Spontaneous Affinity is NOT A UTOPIAN VISION. It's about understanding how to let go. How to let go of a person. How to let go of a place. How to break a routine even if it hurts. How to appreciate a feeling that can't last forever as if it were eternal, and how to appreciate challenging moments—and challenging sounds—as catalysts for growth.

Spontaneous Affinity #050: Paul Fleetwood

Spontaneous Affinity

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