It's Friday afternoon – this isn't a time for work.
It's a time for endless cups of tea and coffee, polishing off the final biscuits in the packet and probing the the web for new music. It's time for our weekly mix round up.
– – –
Adam Beyer @ Panoramabar Berlin (as nominated by Angus Thomas Paterson)
This mix is something that actually hit the web back in November, but I've only just stumbled across it – much to my delight though. It's a recording from one of the epic Drumcode label parties at Berlin's Berghain, featuring Swedish stalwart and label leader Adam Beyer. Earlier in the evening he'd played one of his more trademark hard techno sets on the Berghain mainfloor, but this one sees him taking to the Panorama Bar upstairs for a different kind of performance – some incredibly tasty and incredibly driving tech house, it's a very bumpy, tough and groovy ride. It's delivered with all of his usual technical prowess, and if you haven't heard it yet I'd highly recommend jumping on it.
Slakk – April Mix (as nominated by Tomas Fraser)
Slackk's monthly grime mixes have proved a welcome and worthy addition to to the instrumental side of the genre in 2013. New producers often take the spotlight, with the focus seemingly on pushing exploratory eski-tinged sounds in and around the 140 mark, although albeit not exclusively. April's dose is probably the best of the lot so far, fusing heavyweight cuts from up-and-comers like Trends, Sublo and Inkke with hotly-tipped names like Visionist and Breen in what must be one of the darkest, moodiest snapshots of instrumental grime's new found wealth to date. Look out for tracks from Slackk's new UTTU release ('Seance' / 'Inland' and my personal favourite on the tracklist, Spooky's predictably tough rework of DJ Eastwood's classic 'You Ain't Ready'. Thoroughly essential listening.
Atlantic Connection – 'Cannibals, Criminals & Connoisseurs' (as nominated by Jenna Aranda)
North Carolina native, LA resident, and World class dance floor demolition man Nathan “Atlantic Connection” Hayes dropped his latest mix “Cannibals, Criminals & Connoisseurs.” It is comprised of all original material with remixes of heavy hitters like Kendrick Lemar, Janet Jackson, Tunde Olaniran, and The Weeknd. Atlantic Connection stamps his deep hip twisting soul, while bringing the bass pressure over the span of 60 mins. It goes from Icy crisp beats of Armanni Reign “Wai Hai” , to deep future soul drops of Seven Lions “Days to Come.” The title reference of Cannibals is right. AC shows his zombie side and devours you with Branko “Going in Hard” featuring Dominique Young, “Drip” by Faded, and smacking you with some truth on “Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe” by Kendrick Lamar. While most mixes end coolly, Atlantic has you turnt on your axis for the finale. Play it loud.
Jack Swift Presents: The History of House and Garage Part 1 (as nominated by Felicity Martin)
At a time when many are burying their heads in books for upcoming exams, Mr. Jack Swift puts on a musical history lesson. Even if you're not studying for a GCSE in the history of House and Garage, his epic mix spans 292 tracks in 5 hours, making it a pretty interesting – albeit long- class to attend. Kicking off in the days of 1991, the London producer/DJ traces the evolution of US and UK house and garage up until the millennium. Expect vast quantities of Todd Edwards, Hardrive, MK, Kerri Chandler, Artful Dodger, and to top it off, a cheeky bit of So Solid Crew. Along with a whole load of pure, unadulterated nostalgia from tracks you may completely have forgotten about. Do your revision.
Tristan Garner X Mix (as nominated by Andy Cowley)
Everyone loves a good mashup right? And bootlegs? And there's nothing better than a well crafted mix to get you in the mood on a Friday night, of course. Well, Tristan Garner knows this too, so he's created, for your delectation, the "X Mix", a blend of bootleg mashups. From Pink Floyd to New Order, Nirvana to Daft Punk, The White Stripes to Empire of the Sun, the man is an evil genius. Taking massive rock and punk anthems and adding his own electro and progressive flavours to it, Garner carves out a booming 55 minutes that disappear like gin and tonic after a 50-hour week. Paris resident Garner combines electronica with rock and punk records, to produce an abrasive amalgam that has tickled the fancy of contemporaries such as Swedish House Mafia, Armin van Buuren and David Guetta to name but a few. Think Daft Punk, but dirtier. This mix will have you dancing like Sid Vicious to dubstep and body popping to Kurt Cobain, and of course a cheeky selection of Tristan's own tracks.