Rabit
The first in a new audio mix series where we call upon the most interesting artists/DJs/record labels and ask them to peer into the near future. How they take it from there is entirely open to interpretation. Texan grime producer Rabit kicks us off, venturing down a wormhole of warped instrumentals and dark electronic wares.
About this mix
With every mix I've been doing lately, I try and reframe some of the music I love in order to give context to the world I'm creating with my own work. Like the first song in the mix: it's like finding pieces of childhood and using them to set a mood or a place where the story starts and patching things together to paint a bigger picture. Common threads, feelings and things that are indefinable. Colours and strokes, a jagged stab. The underdog. That's what interests me.
Collage by Lane Stewart.
Boiler Room says...
Rabit’s raucous recastings of old grime motifs have gained much credit over the last few years. Hearing "Wolf Spider", from last year’s Double Dragon EP was an alluringly perverse experience. Then there are tracks like "Scope" or "Satellite", a warped take on "Pulse X" that feels like a physical yank on the back of the neck. Further back, the Sun Showers EP concreted a love for grime from Japan's Diskotopia label (formerly best known for releasing house and techno mutations by the likes of Mau'lin).
Equally as abrasive and alluring is the Houston native’s entry for this week’s Upfront mix. Kicking off with a slow mo Bone Thugs N Harmony joint, the hour long slot dips and weaves between the Transformer-esque machinery of Bloom’s “The Menagerie” and Wen’s unreleased “Flashbulb” with oil-like sleekness. On that note, there’s a treasure trove of fresh question-marked tracks to bob the head to.
All this to precede his forthcoming vinyl-only EP for Soundman Chronicles, a contribution to Mumdance and Logos’ newly-minted Different Circles outfit and the pending TriAngle material due in 2015.
Tracklisting
Upfront mixes
Our weekly audio mix series where we call upon the most interesting artists/DJs/record labels and ask them to peer into the near future. How they take it from there is entirely open to interpretation.
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John Barera
Upfront 003: the third in our forward-facing mix series comes from Supply Records boss, on-fire producer and Boston native John Barera, tearing through the city's unsung house heroes.
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Air Texture
Upfront 002: the next instalment in our forward-facing audio mix series comes from Air Texture, one of the best labels around dedicated to ambient and soft experimental. "Air Texture celebrates the global community at large who create music out of category: some call it ambient, others experimental; off the dance floor but still in the electronic music family, it’s an important foil to the all night rave."