Something I’ve been meaning to check out for a while is the Munted! Monthly! blog/website, but I finally got around to it while catching part of last Saturday’s show. It looks like Dyzphazia/Chip’s doing a fine job on the updates so far, and there’ll soon be MM5 links for the non-facebook crew. The other sets are also archived there, including the very interesting MM4 (which is top of my ‘to listen’ list at the moment).
UK
Now it’s Beezee’s turn to demonstrate the power of the Horse with his set for Pearsall’s Sonicrampage. From the moment this set kicks in there’s no mistaking the Beezee selection, with classic FINRG filters from beginning to end – not that I’m complaining. In between are trancier sounds with tunes like I’ll Bring the Storm, Nephila and Moment of Wonder (excellent use of I’ll Bring the Storm’s long intro, by the way), and even a bit of Lab 4 in the nastier, more experimental section towards the end.
Pearsall has even included a great interview with the man himself – we’ve mentioned this before, but it’s always nice to hear a DJ talk at length about his/her own mixing style, influences etc. Hopefully this and his recent Freeformaniacs sets will give Beez a bit more exposure and the chance of showing off his style in a few more mixes here and there.
1. Pain On Creation – Pain control
2. Grimsoul – I’ll Bring the Storm
3. DJ RX – Frozen Flame
4. Epilim – Plasma
5. Alek Szahala – Pink Magic
6. Substanced – Geneva pt 2
7. Furyan – Galaxias Glaciere
8. Grimsoul – Moment Of Wonder
9. Ephexis, RX, Carbon Based – Decimator
10. Ephexis – Elements
11. Endemic – Hurricane
12. Substanced – Shadows Of Tomorrow
13. Aryx – Nephila
14. Grimsoul – Bad Boy
15. Lab 4 – Uprising
16. Betwixt + Between – Phase 6
17 Epyx + Cyrez – Polar Energy
18. Substanced + Alchemist – Skullcrush
Thanks to Alderz for pointing me in the direction of his most recent set, excellently titled Heavy Hearted. It has to be one of his best mixes for quite a while, with a very nice selection of darker tunes and some inspired oldies. I really liked the use of Ziggurat from the halfway point – as nice a track as it is, the intro does drag on a bit, and this way the set starts off with plenty of energy.
Other good selections include Galaxias Glaciere (which I’ve been playing a lot in practice recently, too) and the amazing Entangled to finish things off. Plus points too for the Dragon Form – Skullcrush mix, really rough and effective, that one. Many will have heard this set already, but if you haven’t the less common choices, quality mixing and general nastiness really make it a good one to check out.
Remember your favourite tunes from last year? Well four months late, here’s a roundup of what the Japanese crew were listening to in 2011. Once again, the number of DJs playing freeform has fallen, but at least we’ve seen some new faces like raqhow and Le Dos-on (who’ll make his Top 3 debut this year, I suppose), while the selections here show that the remaining DJs are pushing some really quality sounds. Dust off memories of yesteryear, and feel free to throw in your own choices at the end of the post.
One of the biggest developments since I’ve been away has been the start of another new label, Smiling Corpse. Following on from Watchtower, this is another new project that aims to support the darker, deeper side of freeform, but this time with free CD releases.
I’ve been lucky enough to hear a few of the upcoming tracks, as well as some work in progress stuff while I was in Finland, and it’s looking like SC is really hitting its stride right from the first release. Coaxing Twisted Freq/Kreatrix out of retirement is obviously a good start, but there’s also an amazing new Alchemiist track, Qygen’s wonderful Earth Shine and plenty more.
Thanks to the SC crew for including TYFTH is the links section – there’ll be more news here as the first album takes shape.
Right then, here we go – I’ve got a lot of catching up to do, so as well as bits and pieces from my trip I’ll be posting up some of the other great stuff that’s been going on for the past month.
First up is Pearsall’s incredible tribute to FINRG, timed to coincide with the 10 year anniversary. Being a vinyl-only man, Pearsall has done a wonderful job of mixing up the old anthems with some less well-known classics, and I’d go as far as to say the opening sequence of 6 or 7 tunes is one of the best I’ve ever heard in a freeform mix. I’m often banging on to anyone that’ll listen that we DJs in the freeform scene should really step up a level to match some of the stuff going on in other genres, but here’s a set that could easily go toe-to-toe with anything I’ve heard for a long while.
It would impossible to maintain the level of that first section (especially for 2 hours), but the rest of the set is still excellent, with some lovely transitions through the sounds of Nomic, Pain on Creation anf Re-form, as well as another surge at the end with Superstition and Man Eaten. A worthy successor to E-NRG’s seminal Welcome to FINRG mix, then, and a must-listen if you haven’t already.
Here’s the tracklist, but check Pearsall’s original post for the download link and all sorts of reminiscences from his own trip to Finland.
01. Carbon Based – Kraateri (Finrg)
02. The Mexican – The Land Of The Pharaohs (Carbon Based Remix) (Electrolysis)
03. Carbon Based – The Choice (Electrolysis)
04. Carbon Based & Nemes – Heaven N Hell (Electrolysis)
05. Proteus & Carbon Based – Heavy Fusion (Finrg)
06. DJ Proteus – Metal (Teflon Bullet)
07. Paocala – Starfall (Electronic)
08. Carbon Based & E-NRG – Illuminate (Electrolysis)
09. Carbon Based, E-NRG & Nemes – Prologue (Electrolysis)
10. DJ Rx – Hellfire (Finrg Hard)
11. Re-Form – Extremely Dangerous (RFU)
12. Nemes & Blender – Without Fear (Camel)
13. Alek Szahala – Dryad Machine (Finrg Hard)
14. Alek Szahala – Unicorn Grove (Electroplates)
15. DJ Rx – Killer Instinct (Finrg Hard)
16. Carbon Based – Underworld Species (Electroplates)
17. Carbon Based – Anger Ball (Nu Energy)
18. Pain On Creation – Mortality (Electronic)
19. Pain On Creation – Lush (Carbon Based Remix) (Finrg Hard)
20. DJ Proteus – Venla (Teflon Bullet)
21. Alek Szahala – Lumi (Nu Energy)
22. Re-Form – Schizophrenic (Electroplates)
23. Re-Form – Blackmailer (Hard NRG Mix) (Electronic)
24. Carbon Based – Fatal Flashback (Electronic)
25. Nomic & Pain On Creation – Make Me Real (Camel)
26. Alek Szahala – Invitation (Finrg Hard)
27. Nomic – You Have A Dream (Nu Energy)
28. Carbon Based – Ultimate Protection (Electronic)
29. DOK – Mental Ward (Carbon Based Remix) (Electroplates)
30. Carbon Based – Cyclone (Electronic)
31. Alek Szahala – Superstition (Electronic)
32. Alek Szahala – Man Eaten (Finrg Hard)
TYFTH is almost back! As much as I would have liked to do a few ustream sets, post about 10 Years of FINRG and everything else that’s happened, I’ve unexpectedly been without internet for almost all of my trip. As you can imagine, I’ve had to use any online time for planning and other practical stuff…
Tomorrow I’m heading back to Tokyo though, so in the next few days things will start moving here again. I’m writing from a hotel in Helsinki right now, and as the internet connection is pretty good I’ve taken the chance to upload videos from the various events I’ve found myself at during the last month or so. Of course there’ll be a long post on the way soon, but take a look at my YouTube channel if you’d rather cut straight to the interesting stuff.
We’ll be back in business next week then – for now here are a couple of photos of Helsinki in early March and the wonderful Portmeirion in Wales.
This will be the last post before I head off to Helsinki tomorrow – sorry I haven’t been able to post as much as I would have liked this past week, but predictably I underestimated how much time it would take to plan a set as well as my month-long trip. I’ll be posting again from Finland/the UK, but until then, big thanks to everyone for their Hybridize track suggestions, and I hope to bump into a few Horsers this weekend!
In case you haven’t heard it yet, here’s Substanced’s fabulous Anniversary set – the perfect warm up for this weekend, and now with added tracklist.
- Dave 202 & Dumonde – Singularity (Substanced Remix)
- Transcend – For The Reaper
- Lukozade – Concorde
- Nomic & Pain On Creation – Make Me Real
- Substanced – Geneva Part II
- RAF – Evilution
- Devastate – Mood Music (Oli G Remix)
- Substanced – The End Of All Things (Aryx Remix)
- Substanced – Exodus
- Carbon Based – Anger Ball
- Endemic – Loki
- Substanced – Stockholm Syndrome
- Lost Soul – The Answer
- Alek Szahala – Man Eaten
Just time for a couple of posts tonight – first of all is a long-awaited next mix from Alderz! Just a glance at the tracklist shows this is well worth a listen, a great combination of old and new.
- Alek Szahala – Sunray
- Betwixt & Between – The Wander of Hesotarou Tankobu
- Substanced & Grimsoul – Harder Than You Think
- Carbon Based & DJ Rx – Titor Quantum Theory
- Lab 4 – Requiem (DJ X’s Heart of Darkness remix)
- Substanced – El Orfanato
- Grimsoul – Moment of Wonder
- E-NRG & Carbon Based – Jerk Awake
- Alek Szahala – Solar Hive
- Betwixt & Between – Zusammengehorigkeit
- Rank 1 – Airwave (Betwixt & Between bootleg remix)
- Aryx – Chaldea
- Alek Szahala – Last of the Mohicans
Well done to Aldz on a great set. Incidentally, make sure to keep an eye on Pearsall’s Sonic Rampage, as there’s a very exciting all-vinyl FINRG Anniversary set on the way!