It’s already been a while since the big announcement, so it’s maybe time for an update on what’s been going on this month.

The bad news is that a release next month was predictably ambitious, and so January 2016 is now the target. Though the tracks have been mastered, graphic design and production of the CDs is going to take a fair while, and it’s sure to be another big step into the unkown as I prepare to start taking orders. I’m not brave enough to set a firm date yet, then, but towards end of January sounds doable at the moment.

Another reason I’m busy right now is that there’ll actually be a second CD in the first release, mixed by yours truly. Aiming high again, the other inspiration for the project was one of my all-time favourite albums, the original Logical Progression from Good Looking Records. The first CD (or cassette, in my case) was an unmixed compilation of forward-thinking tunes, while the second featured a mix by Bukem himself, an amazing set that showed what a journey an hour of intelligent jungle could be.

The mixed CD will (hopefully) do something similar, then, as in my opinion a selection of tracks in isolation only tells half the story of a genre like freeform. It will also be a show of solidarity with all the other labels that have supported the scene and our sound over the years, and so for a while now I’ve been busy licensing tracks for use in the mix. The tracklist is almost decided, and I think it’ll be pretty representative of some of our favourite artists and labels over the years. Of course it’s also supposed to serve as an intro to the genre for those who might be just joining in.

Rest easy though, as I wouldn’t dream of expecting people to pay for one of my sets – I’ll absorbing the cost of the CD, and so essentially the eventual price will be for CD 1 alone. Plus I’m working in Japanese yen, and the continuing collapse of the economy here likely means a very reasonable price for most other countries.

My job over the next couple of weeks is to get the set finished, and if the art has been finished up by then we’ll be almost set for production. Please feel free to give me a shout if you have any questions or opinions, and I’ll let you know how it’s all looking in another week or so.