John Barera
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. Supply Records boss, on-fire producer and Boston native John Barera is tasked with the third instalment. He comes through with a bumping house mix based purely on unreleased and forthcoming cuts all either made, refined or cultivated within the walls of a city on the rise.
About this mix
The motive behind this mix is to expose some of the talented producers I know, many of whom are based here in Boston. Salvatore Genovese and MDVS are European-based artists we have coming up on Supply Records, the label I run with Soren Jahan - who also appears on this mix with a track. Paul Morse is an old friend of mine who is also on Supply, and another old pal Brenden Wesley appears with a banging disco house track. Both of those guys believed in me from the very beginning and I have released musical collaborations with them.
Some of my other favorite Boston producers appear here, like Baltimoroder, my fellow resident at the Make it New party. Ali Berger appears twice with solo productions, as does my regular collaborator Will Martin - two of the finest producers in the city. The WIG & Panooc are some musician pals from New York who came up to Boston to jam out a track with me. "Black Snake" is the track I have contributed and it will be released on a label called Final Chapter, run by Berlin's Sean Dixon. My collaborations with Walter Jones, Ali Berger & Anton M will also be released on Zakim records, run by Boston's Nick Minieri. Finally, there are some killer tracks from up and coming locals who are just starting to hit their stride - Anton M, Matt Gavris, & Jack Novin.
Boiler Room says...
Boston is hardly short on musical merit: check Gang Starr's rough-edged wisdom; the quiet, trembling majesty of Galaxie 500; hell, even Bobby Brown knocked it out the park now and again. But cast an eye over the electronic music scene, and you can count the big hitters on one hand. Armand Van Helden, Kon and Soul Clap have all successfully flown the flag—but even then, it's relative. Perhaps chalk it up to long shadows cast by fêted hubs like Chicago, Detroit and the NY-NJ sprawl, but the city sells itself curiously short.
One benefit to underexposure is chance for a scene to iron out its kinks and develop organically without interference. The third mix in our Upfront series pays testament to the rich vein of talent ensconced snugly within Boston's walls. We're focusing solely on unreleased cuts either made, refined or cultivated locally, strung together by a man whose name is edging ever closer to the global spotlight.
John Barera is one of the city's foremost heads, as well as one of its loudest champions: glance leftwards and you get a taste of that passion and knowledge. He's also on a personal tear right now. For one, Supply Records, which he co-founded, is an increasingly sure 'buy on sight' label, dropping 12"s out the sky with a casualness reflected in the threadbare presentation. A slew of European dates are underway, off the back of several releases with musical partner Will Martin, including this year's Yen; four killer tracks that tipped a hat toward the all-action hitters found on seminal French touch compilations Waves I & II. The duo have a prominent supporter in Ostgut Ton's Steffi, whose Dolly imprint brought 2013 loopy stormer "Reality" wider prominence, and has signed on debut LP Graceless.
Anyway, enough words. Upfront 003 is 65m of goodtime house music, visiting numerous stops along the genre's evolutionary trail—tech-flecked rollers, bumping acid, deep and dubby disco, exclamatory gospel—mixed with a rough 'n ready flair. Barera streamlines it all into an effective and supremely fun ride, infused with the traditional warmth that seeps into his own productions. On this evidence, 2015 could well be Boston's year.
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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Synkro
Upfront 004: Mindset Records head honcho, Synkro, journeys through the atmospheric realms of bassweight via newness from himself, Djrum and Consequence.
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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."