December 18th, 2009. By Martin
Last Mixin’ It Up of 2009 and we’re definetely going out with a bang with this one. We’re honoured to present the extremely talented Braiden of Rinse FM fame who gives you a soundtrack for the Christmas holiday. Braiden ranks up there with the top underground DJs in London at the moment. Don’t sleep.
“About me, well, I am deathly passionate about the whole art of DJing. I really put all my energy into doing my studio mixes and hopefully that shows. I’ve been playing on the London pirate station Rinse FM since 2007, originally making a name for myself by playing dubstep. These days I find myself playing less of that sound and my selection seems to get more varied by the week, though I find it very important to find a flow and cohesion between the genres that I play in a mix. I’ve always approaching DJing as a form of music creation in itself, using the tracks as tools to build a new sound rather than simply playing some tracks i like… though thats important as well of course. I’m honoured to have been chosen to participate in the Red Bull Music Academy in 2010 amongst some very talented names.
I found this picture of an absurd technicolour utopia on a Jehova’s Witness pamphlet in a changing room in South London and it reflects this mix better than any picture of my face could. I’ve put together a varied mix of electro, techno, grime, and whatever you want to call this 130bpm uk bass music. Some old, some new, some unreleased, mixed with decks and Serato, clocking in at just over 35 minutes. It’s unlikely you’d see me play such a wide range of genres and tempos within half an hour in a club scenario, but that’s the beauty of studio mixes.
I play on www.rinse.fm and my show is every other Tuesday 1-3pm at the moment. Keep up to date with my mixes, radio shows and other doings via these sites below:
TWITTER: www.twitter.com/stevebraiden
MYSPACE: www.myspace.com/djbraiden
MIXCLOUD: www.mixcloud.com/braiden
I’m also a photographer, having recently completed a degree in the practice. Always looking for collaborations on that front as well. I’ll let the photos do the talking: www.stevebraiden.com.”
Download: Braiden – Mix For Discobelle, December 2009 (zShare)
Aphex Twin – Windowlicker [Run Jeremy edit]
My friend said to me “so I was listening to Windowlicker the other day and just stopped and thought about what it was that I was listening to”. He had a point. Listen to those sounds. A unique and timeless piece by that weirdo Richard D James.
Deadboy – Ifuwantme
Big one by the man DEADBOY. Morbid name; life affirming melodies. One of the most Asked About tunes that I’ve played recently; usually via “oi wots that tune you play that sounds like that kode9 tune”. Yes he wears his influences on his sleeve here but they are good influences and it’s a great standout tune. 2010 your time db.
Japanese Telecom – Japanese Animation
Quick mix into this funk analog electro masterpiece by one half of Drexciya. I have an unwavering love for this kind of sound always have. Serato loop to set up a melodic blend into….
Little Jinder – Youth Blood [Bok Bok remix]
A brilliant piece of work by my man Bok Bok. Stand out track for me on his Night Slugs 2009 dubplate mix. Love the disco vibes and the vocodered vocals. Very good as a remix and a track in its own right. I could go on.
Mark Henning – Sick Note
Ok. Lets get movin. Here’s where we step up the pace a bit. British techno expat (guess where he moved to) Mark Henning delivers a pacey groove laden number which delights my ears and mind. Everything works together in rhythmic cohesion.
Greena – Actual Pain
Greena!!! Go buy this track now it just came out on Apple Pips records. Tight production, gives an almost staccato yet very fluid feel. Also goes well with the techno track before it to add some syncopation to the proceedings.
Alden Tyrell – Disco Lunar Module
A driving epic piece of electro by my Dutch mate Alden. He’s not my mate at all actually I’ve never met him. I don’t even know what he looks like. But his music resonates with me to such an extent that I think we could get on well enough to hold a conversation for as long as it takes to drink half a pint of Heineken.
Major Lazer – Pon De Floor
One of my favourite blends on this mix i think. An unlikely pairing but that swooping synth suddenly sounds so epic with ol’ Aldens bassline behind it. Brilliantly done track by itself anyhow, there’s a reason this track was so big this year.
Housemeister – Rambo
Housemeister what a joker. This track is a gem. Snares coming at you from all angles which gel with that stabbing bassline. I would say “funky on crack” if I said those sort of things but I don’t so I won’t and I didn’t. Had to edit it and add a bit of sub to it, the original is criminally subless, the tune’s crying out for it
Martin Kemp – No Charisma
Still lovin this track by Martin Kemp on the Blunted Robots label. Swooping rhythmic synths and percussion is particularly on point. Keep an eye on this guy in 2010!
L-Vis 1990 – Untitled
Lush is the word!! Big lush melodic beatless section breaks down into a tight groove with skillfully manipulated vocals. Beautiful piece by L-Vis. Sly ramping up of tempo here, tracks like this keep me playing 140bpm.
Pangaea – Sunset Yellow
Pangaea’s EP coming out on Hessle Audio has some amazing music on it quite simply. Synth work on this is great, a mutating and haunting piece. Takes the mix on a dark one to set up the listener for some of this (via a little teasing loop):
Dizzee – Stop Dat
Back when Dizzee was a true artist through and through. In his prime easily one of the best MCs grime ever saw. And the production! Raw and energetic, all about the bass stabs on this. And the cat sample. I think its a cat.
Crystal Fighters – I Love London [Brackles remix]
I love mixing vocals like this. Straight into this one by my good man Brackles, picks up the pace even further, immaculate stuff.
Ruff Sqwad – RSMD
I wasn’t even going to draw for another track but got an itchy finger at the last second and went for the double drop. Andy C was the first DJ I was influenced by and it shows sometimes. Solid track by one of my favourite crews to come out of scene
