A mix for a Ransom Note takeover on Brussels Kiosk Radio, 20/01/2023

JD Twitch Kiosk Radio mix (20/01/2023)

A very special recording from our 10 years of MFM event at Fairfield Amphitheatre last September between Jamie and Lauren. It was beautiful to see two close friends throwing down tracks, lost in the music and the thing that they love. You know things are going well when an hour into their set, Jamie and Lauren both asked if we were recording the set. Yesterday was Jamie's birthday and we and Lauren felt it was the right time to release this mix, as a celebration of Jamie and his music. Jamie Tiller b2b Lauren Hansom, live from Fairfield Amphitheatre ~ 4 hours of bliss ~ Jamie Tiller forever.

Jamie Tiller b2b Lauren Hansom (10 Years of MFM)

live recording from Public Records, NYC.

@publicrecordsnyc

27 September, 2024

Gee Dee live @ Public Records [2024.09.27]

Tornado Wallace B2B Telephones All Night Long. Recorded live at Savage in Hanoi on 01.11.2024. Huge thanks to the Savage and (RE)TREAT Festival crew 😍

Tornado Wallace B2B Telephones All Night Long @ Savage, Hanoi - 01.11.24

Brothers and sisters! Rejoice!
After our baptism in the sonic pulpit of the Church of Acid in October, we realised who better to ask for a mix for our Wrong Side Of The Tracks mix series than Zillas on Acid?
For those of you who were there at The Flying Duck you'll remember it was one of the best sets ever heard at one of our nights. For those who weren't, make sure you're there on the floor next time. It was truly incendiary!!
With this mix Zillas take us on a cosmic journey that shows they're masters of the art. This is psychedelic dance music of the finest order. ENJOOOIIIIII!!!

Wrong Side Of The Tracks #004 w / Zillas On Acid

BIG DISH GO were great parties in Dublin about 15 years ago and the basement at Kennedys some kind of legendary place. The boys found back a few old recordings of our nights. They are what they are :)

IVAN SMAGGHE & ROMAN FLUGEL - BDG KENNEDYS OCT 2011

Full recording of WrongParty's festive freakout with guest Jamie Paton. It was a blast! Enjoy...

Running Order: 
@kevncasey
@illogical_operator
@sidneydevine
@g-k-machine
@cage-aviary / @jamiepaton-1

LIVE MIX @ Wrong Party 27/12/24 w/ Jamie Paton

Savage Club in Hanoi Feb 7, 2025

A LITTLE NOISE

recorded live at Trouw, Amsterdam, 3-3-12. BLACK MAGIC.
THANKS TO PATRICE BAUMEL AND ALL AT TROUW...

SEE YOU ON THE 24TH AT FABRIC, LONDON.

LIVE, just edited to 80 minutes!!!!!

CHECK: http://afewthingsfromivansmagghe.blogspot.com/2012/03/few-thing-frompatrice-baumel.html

SEE



IVAN SMAGGHE from Trouw to Fabric.

This Was Belgium 1987-89 - 2 hours of New Beat favourites

New Beat was born and initially exploded in 1987, went supernova (in Belgium) in 1988 and then the formula morphed a bit and was declared dead in 1989. It was slow and initially all about the atmosphere with industrial strength beats - the main form of rhythmic propulsion being the pounding kick and heavy snare. It was often mainly instrumental and when there was lyrical content it often became more about slogans and giving commands - "Move Your Ass And Feel The Beat!", "Let There Be Brightness!", "Shout Out Loud!". While not really New Beat, it's no surprise Technotronic's "Pump Up Jam" was produced by a crew who had produced a ton of New Beat gems.

In 1989 one of New Beat's founders, Marc Grouls said "New Beat is atmosphere, beats, no lyrics, and sure as hell not commercial!!!!!" But, it was already too late. A zillion bandwagon jumpers had diluted the music and flooded the market with too many sub standard 12" singles. New Beat temple, the legendary Boccaccio nightclub, in Destelbergen, near Ghent, had been closed down and it looked like it was all over, but really, it was just the beginning. New Beat morphed into Hard Beat (many of the tracks on this mix are from the Hard Beat era) which quickly morphed into Belgian Rave, which was huge and hugely influential in the UK and is an often overlooked part of the DNA of UK Hardcore, and all that came after. Then from Ghent, R&S Records established itself as thee European Techno label and a huge wave of incredible Techno records emanated from it and many other mighty Belgian labels, but that is another story. 

New Beat arrived just as I first started DJing and I played a lot of it in my DJ sets and built up connections with several of the leading Belgian labels who would send me 12" singles so I had records nobody else here had any idea even existed. I would compile New Beat charts for the music paper The NME which may have given the impression there was a thriving New Beat scene in Scotland. The reality was very different; people here, many of whom would embrace the rave just a little while later never really took to it in a big way.

This mix is comprised of many of my personal favourites that I have loved since they came out (and two I missed at the time and only heard later). I think the tracks have aged like a fine wine, often sounding as good if not better today as they did then. There is definitely a faint whiff of fromage and a big dollop of stoopid in several of these tracks. Of course, it is not all about the cheese and many of these adhere to the "atmosphere, beats, no lyrics, and sure as hell not commercial" rule mentioned above. Some of the best programmed 303 Acid basslines ever made can be heard here along with transcendental hypno synths and those Belgian beats going on and on....! Slow and low, from under 100bpm up to 116, New Beat doesn't chug, it swings in a very distinct way. If you get to see any videos of Belgian clubs of the era, the way people moved to this music is incredible and so different to any dancing we see today.

Many of these tracks are made by the same people under various aliases, which will perhaps be audibly evident. Most of the names have been forgotten, if they were ever even known outside their native Belgium at all, but all are legends to me. 

This mix isn't any kind of attempt to tell the story of New Beat but rather a mix 33 of my favourite 12" singles from that era showing many of the various strains of the New Beat and Hard Beat sound. A lot of love went into this and I hope someone somewhere discovers this music for the first time and falls in love with it as I did way back when. This was Belgium!

This Was Belgium 1987-89 - 2 hours of New Beat favourites

I started DJ'ing in 1987, am 50% of Optimo (Espacio) and I also run the Optimo Music record label.


“We are here to help each other get through this thing, whatever it is.”
Mark Vonnegut

Email - kmcivor@me.com

Optimo Music Soundcloud here - https://soundcloud.com/optimo-music

DJ bookings (worldwide) - caroline@spunoutagency.com



Press - optimopr@mac.com


Discography - http://www.optimo.co.uk/discography/