Mantissa Mix 212: Eclecticist

"I took a different approach to recording this mix. I often get really tech and nerdy. I mix quickly and over utilise hot cues, loops and pad FX. On this occasion I let the music breath, I played almost every track in full mixing more towards the end of the track. For the past year or so, I have really been thinking about the music I really connected with 10 years prior. Around 2010 and 2011, I was captivated by what some called, ‘Future Garage’, others called ‘Bass’ and those who care about lineage called, ‘Post-Dubstep’. I was 18/19 but already had been DJing/playing about with music equipment for around 10 years at this point; inheriting bits of my Dad’s old sound system and trying to emulate what I heard on DJ EZ and Twice as Nice Mixtapes. I wasn’t immersed in any particular DJ scene, especially not one that was geographically or culturally accessible to me. Discovering music by artists like Deadboy (AKA Al Wooton), Joy Orbison, Mount Kimbie, George Fitzgerald and labels like, Hessle Audio, Hyperdub and Nonplus+, particularly when it felt like no one around me was, felt like a real significant moment in my journey as a DJ as music listener. I had DJed many times in commercial clubs up until this point, although getting booked to play a night at a night called ExtraCurricular at the Cellar in Oxford in support of George Fitzgerald felt like my first real gig as the DJ I am today. Fast forward 10 years, I am reminiscing on that time and that music. Re contextualising songs like the George Fitzgerald remix of Groove Theory’s Tell Me and Joy Orbison’s, ‘The Shrew Would Have Cushioned the Blow’ EP. and some of the ‘Post-Dubstep’ from Magnetic Man and ‘Purple’ from Joker. What I loved about that music was the use of vocal samples from familiar R&B tracks, euphoric synth pads and garage drum beats which sound like they’ve been low pass-filtered. With this, I have been really connected with music today which has a similar recipe. Two Shell released something this past bandcamp Friday which I have been really enjoying, they seem to cultivate that style. Sobolik is an artist I have only heard a few things from but I am really into the gliding baseline of the track Like Like taken from a recent 3024 compilation. There’s a Sputnik One track from a forthcoming Wisdom Teeth release in there that transitioned really nicely into that Cameo Blush track released on Scarlet Tiger. Speaking of Cameo Blush, he was the mysterious producer behind the first release on the unknown - untitled label, I opened with a cut from the next release on that label (it’s really hard to catch where the first beat of each bar is on that one). I played DJ Bogdan’s ‘Love Inna Basement’, it always feels really anthemic. Instinctively I followed that up with the Sonique classic, i first dropped that mix at BoomTown a few years back and it felt so good (pardon the pun), shout out OSSX who also released an edit of that this past Friday. I also dropped a couple of Jersey club tracks, around a similar time I was really into the energy of Jersey club, plus the tracks make great DJ Tools! Thanks for inviting me to do a mix :D Hope you enjoy x Silas (Eclecticist)" https://soundcloud.com/eclectivity