transmissions...

a mix from outer space & musings on growth

The end of the year is always stressful but this December has been exceptionally tiring. We threw a dope inaugural Karachi Community Radio show here in LA, I’ve officially confirmed a monthly show on dublab next year (!!) and I’m preparing for a sabbatical from work for the month of January. Even with positive forward motion, I tend to dwell more on perceived shortcomings and less on progress.

The LA KCR show was truly incredible. I was inspired by the amount of work that Jahanzeb puts into production and it was a blast helping out where I could. But I was hoping we’d sell more tickets and I felt responsible for that. Another reminder that I’m still finding my community in LA and that maybe this city just doesn’t really fuck with me.

I was set to have my final dublab guest spot of the year last night but, after working on it tirelessly, I didn’t get the pre-record in on time (I was unaware of their timelines!) and so it didn’t air as intended. I shouldn’t have waited until the morning of to send it.

I am so excited for my January sabbatical but it’s only added to the stress of the regular the pre-holiday crunch. And, in brief moments, the whole concept of taking an extended break fills me with shame. Ten years of corporate fiefdom has clearly done a number on my brain.

This has been my most creatively fulfilling year, but sometimes it’s hard not to view growing pains as abject failure. My Virgo is showing!

Anyways, I am proud of this mix and wanted to share it with you even if it never made it to the airwaves.

transmissions

Themes of vast, open and eerie spaces are deeply ingrained in my music taste. My 2020 Outer Space / Deep Ocean BFF.fm episode is one of my all-time fav mixes. A few weeks ago, I caught the experimental jazz outfit SML play two entrancing sets at Zebulon and was inspired to re-visit these themes for my last radio episode of the year.

The first hour spans cosmic jazz, psychedelic alternative and space-d out hip-hop while hour 2 gets more into dance music starting with dubby house moving into heavier techno/experimental beats fit for an alien attack or deep sea adventure.

You can find the track list at the bottom of this newsletter and I’ll officially be on dublab third Wednesdays of every month from 2-4PM PST starting January 21st!

selectz

Joe Harvey-Whyte, Bobby Lee & Swimming - “Smoke Signals”

To be honest I wasn’t really aware of pedal steel guitar as an instrument before being put on to Joe Harvey-Whyte and Bobby Lee’s album Last Ride (Apple Music | Spotify). It’s a psychedelic experience that sounds like Joshua Tree looks. A perfect way to ease into the transmissions theme.

Anna Butterss - “Bishop”

Anna Butterss [Spotify | Apple Music] is the bass player for SML so naturally when I found out they had two solo albums I had to dig in. It’s very much in the same world of cosmic jazz but feels more influenced by the psychedelic hip-hop of Flying Lotus.

Move 78 - Don’t Become What You Hate

Shout to Lish Grooves for introducing me to Berlin collective Move 78. Their latest project, In the Age of Data [Apple Music | Spotify], “is an expansive, intricately detailed and often psychedelic exploration of the intersection of jazz, hip-hop, and experimental audio collage.” There’s a lot to unpack if you choose but it’s also just a beautiful collection of songs.

Melody’s Echo Chamber - “In the Stars”

This song title was pretty on the nose but it was a great excuse to highlight Unclouded [Spotify | Apple Music], which has quickly become one of my most played projects of the year. French artist Melody’s Echo Chamber isn’t necessarily inventing anything new but she does psych rock/pop really damn well.

K-LONE - “sslip”

I’m used to UK producer K-LONE serving up some of the most consistently great dance music but his latest album, sorry i thought you were someone else [Apple Music | Spotify], shows a more tender, introspective side to his sound. Well worth a full listen and perfect for focus time.

Point G - “Underwater”

I Shazam’d this track during DJ Python’s eclectic opening set for Nick León a few months back and have been looking for a home for it in one of my mixes. True house mastery with flawless tension and release.

Daystar - “Thrust”

As I’ve mentioned before, I stalk the NYC dance music scene and I first came across NYC Techno producer Daystar on a Bossa Nova Civic Club lineup. My friend Miles and I occasionally rent out a Pirate studio for DJ sessions and I brought in a bunch of newly downloaded music that I hadn’t event listened to yet. This one just absolutely ripped and it really does emulate traveling through space at light speed.

Abadir - “Mutate”

Abadir is yet another incredible Egyptian artist pushing the boundaries of heavy dance music. His album Mutate [Apple Music | Spotify] seems like a breakthrough. In his own words, his approach was, “collecting different types of Arabic rhythms and cooking them with Jungle, Jersey Club, Reggaeton, Footwork, etc. It’s an irreversible equation, like a chemical reaction, where the output is a melted piece which cannot be broken down into its separate inputs.” To be honest, his music might be a bit too hard to even fit into my club sets but I do love it and this felt like the perfect place to share.

tracklist

Federation JI - Scrubmedaddy

Loraine James - December Blues // -_- (w/ML Buch)

Excentrik - Ha’it al-Buraq

Joe Harvey-Whyte, Bobby Lee & Swimming - Smoke Signals

SANAM - Habibon

Moor Mother & YATTA - Dialing Up To You

Teebs - Mirror Memory

Anna Butterss - Bishop

Rejoicer - Cloud of Me

Move 78 - Don’t Become What You Hate

Priori - Moonstone ft. Ben Bondy

SML - Stepping In / The Loop

A.R. Kane - A Love From Outer Space

Melody’s Echo Chamber - In the Stars

Archy Marshall - Swell

Nappy Nina - Bout a Month

ODA & john six - WALA LA

Rainy Miller & Space Afrika - Sweet (I’m Free) [feat. RenzNiro & Icebox Violent]

Automatic - Terminal

Ian Fink - Circular galaxy

K-LONE - sslip

Roza Terenzi & D. Tiffany - Gravity Bongo

SW. - Untitled 3

Rico Scott & Leigh Hunt - Node 2

Point G - Underwater

Patrick Holland - Fly

Bambounou & Priori - C.R.U.S.H.

rRoxymore - Dub Me Somewhere

LWS - Many Request

SEL.6 - TRIO 99’

Daystar - Thrust

Lyo XS - Resolucion

Carré & Danny Goliger - Tricky One

Batu - Frostbite

Abadir - Mutate

DJ Counselling - Breathing Underwater