Awake All Hours

In this episode of INSIGHTS, I am joined by Dis Fig, who’s genre bending blend of  industrial, dub and ambient has formed an  impressive catalogue of solo and collaborative efforts, notably her 2019 debut album ‘PURGE’, as well as ’In Blue’ with dub legend The Bug and her staggering new album entitled ‘Orchards of a Futile Heaven’, which sees her monumental vocals and power electronics combine with the crushing doom of formidable avant-metal giants The Body. It gives me great pleasure to welcome Felicia Chen to the show!

Over the course of this interview, Felicia discusses formative experiences and influences ranging from karaoke, choir and MTV to Cantopop, Rancid and Destiny’s Child, as well as discovering the club music that would go on to influence her DJ style including Digital Mysticz, footwork, Jersey club and layering genres to create new forms. Next, Felicia reflects on the making of her debut album ‘PURGE’ five years on, working with The Bug and the making of ‘In Blue’, collaborating remotely and discovering a sound together, before discussing collaborating with The Body, the making of 'Orchards Of A Futile Heaven', bringing her vocals to the forefront and the album’s themes and imagery, concluding by highlighting some favourite music selections, future projects and forthcoming tour.

Clips of ‘To Walk a Higher Path’ and ‘Orchards of a Futile Heaven ’ by Dis Fig & The Body from the album ‘Orchards of a Futile Heaven on Thrill Jockey Records are used in this podcast.

SUPPORT DIS FIG:
Bandcamp: https://disfig.bandcamp.com/album/orchards-of-a-futile-heaven
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dis_fig/
Buy Music Club: https://www.buymusic.club/list/awakeallhours-insights-033-dis-fig

SUPPORT AWAKE ALL HOURS:
Patreon: www.patreon.com/awakeallhours
Instagram: www.instagram.com/awake.allhours/

In this episode of INSIGHTS, I am joined by the singular and brilliant DJ Haram, who’s eclectic DJ and production style leaves almost no corner of the globe unturned, with influences from strains of US and UK club sounds, rap, noise, Arabic and Middle Eastern music to name a few. Highlights in her discography include 2022’s incendiary album ‘Nothing To Declare’ as 700 Bliss, her collaboration with Moor Mother, as well as her latest EP on Hyperdub, ‘Handplay’, which came out in December last year. Embarking on a series of live shows and building towards her debut solo album, I am honoured to be joined by Zubeyda Muzeyyen.

Over the course of this interview, Zubeyda discusses her early years and the influence of Middle Eastern wedding music and Turkish psych on her as a multi-disciplinary artist, settling in Brooklyn following the Covid-19 pandemic, reflecting on the difficulties and enduring effect of lockdown, representing the underground on her Monday Night Raw show on The Lot Radio, her approach to production and collaborations with Billy Woods / Armand Hammer and Moor Mother as 700 Bliss, signing to Hyperdub and exploring the themes of borders and a global passport on ‘Nothing To Declare’, embracing vulnerability on her 'Handplay' EP and forthcoming debut album, concluding by highlighting some favourite music selections and future projects.

Clips of ‘Handplay’ and ‘No Funeral’ by DJ Haram from the ‘Handplay’ EP on Hyperdub are used in this podcast.

SUPPORT DJ HARAM:
Bandcamp: https://djharam.bandcamp.com/album/handplay-ep
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/djharam/
Buy Music Club: https://www.buymusic.club/list/awakeallhours-insights-032-dj-haram

SUPPORT AWAKE ALL HOURS:
Patreon: www.patreon.com/awakeallhours
Instagram: www.instagram.com/awake.allhours/

Minirig foder, mean Owl City and pop curiosities with ambient side-quests is the order of the day in this episode of Awake All Hours, as we review the latest albums from big-hitters Nia Archives, Sega Bodega and Julia Holter. We conclude with a ceremonial What’s In My Bandcamp Basket, which includes fresh heat from Alix Perez, Gaffaci & Sam Interface, Emily Jeanne, Bait, Mike Parker, Cocktail Party Effect and more!

SUPPORT THE ARTISTS: https://www.buymusic.club/list/awakeallhours-ep-084-nia-archives-sega-bodega-julia-holter

SUPPORT AWAKE ALL HOURS: www.patreon.com/awakeallhours

Hailing from Tokyo and now residing in Bristol, in this episode of INSIGHTS, I am joined by the wonderful Saki Yamada, who’s spellbinding music brilliantly treads the sonic lineage between both cities. Here to discuss the bond between Tokyo and Bristol, production techniques and even Denis Villeneuve’s ‘Arrival’, her debut album entitled ‘es’, which came out in February, found a snug fit on the UK’s finest exporters of all things left of centre, Accidental Meetings.

Over the course of this interview, Saki discusses growing up near Tokyo and moving to Bristol, comparing the rich cultures and music scenes of each city, drawing inspiration from dub and soundsystem culture on her 2023 EP ‘Depth’, the making of her debut album ‘es’, musical influences, using field recordings and synthesis to create a musical diary and the enduring inspiration and wonderment of Dennis Villeneuve’s sci-fi/human drama ‘Arrival’ and the score by Jóhann Jóhannsson. Saki concludes by highlighting some favourite music selections and future projects.

Clips of ‘Biophoton’ and ‘Tack’ by Saskia from the album ‘es’ on Accidental Meetings, are used at the beginning and end of this podcast.

SUPPORT SASKIA

Bandcamp: https://accidentalmeetings.bandcamp.com/album/es
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saskia.n3/
Buy Music Club: https://www.buymusic.club/list/awakeallhours-insights-031-saskia-the-bond-between-tokyo-bristol-the-making-of-es-arrival

SUPPORT AWAKE ALL HOURS:

Patreon: www.patreon.com/awakeallhours
Instagram: www.instagram.com/awake.allhours/

In this episode of Awake All Hours, we review a cluster of albums exploring the fringes of electronic and experimental music; more boundary pushing footwork from Jlin on 'Akoma', truly essential listening in the form of Moor Mother's staggering experimental opus 'The Great Bailout', sprawling choral, pipe organ and brass meditations from Kali Malone on 'All Life Long' and black metal/hard dance hybrids on Violent Magic Orchestra's 'DEATH RAVE'. We finish with a focus on our favourite new curiosities and club-leaning picks in What’s In My Bandcamp Basket, featuring releases from Klahrk, Valentina Magaletti, Daniel[i] and more!

SUPPORT THE ARTISTS: https://www.buymusic.club/list/awakeallhours-ep-083-jlin-moor-mother-kali-malone-violent-magic-orchestra

SUPPORT AWAKE ALL HOURS: www.patreon.com/awakeallhours

TICKETS FOR 4TH BIRTHDAY AT AVALON CAFE : https://ra.co/events/1847480

In this episode of Awake All Hours, it’s de Casier season bby!! So we waste no time getting stuck into album reviews for returning podcast favourites - ‘Still’ by Erika de Casier, ‘GRIP’ by serpentwithfeet and ‘Orchards of a Futile Heaven’ by The Body and Dis Fig. We finish with a focus on our favourite new club-ready record picks in What’s In My Bandcamp Basket, featuring releases from Jurango, Ivy Lab, Intellagama, Polar Inertia and more!

SUPPORT THE ARTISTS: https://www.buymusic.club/list/awakeallhours-ep-082-erika-de-casier-serpentwithfeet-the-body-dis-fig

SUPPORT AWAKE ALL HOURS: www.patreon.com/awakeallhours

In this episode of INSIGHTS, we are joined by Nyksan, a mastermind behind one of the most influential labels of this decade, Colombia’s TraTraTrax, alongside Verraco and DJ Lomalinda. Back in 2020, while the label was still in its infancy, we had the pleasure of interviewing Verraco to coincide with the release of his album ‘Grial’ on Insurgentes. We could never have predicted TraTraTrax’s trajectory then. In the space of just three and a half years, the label has curated an era-defining roster of artists and releases, from the likes of Nick León, DJ Babatr, Bitter Babe, Luca Duran, Doctor Jeep, Badsista and many more, putting the breadth and brilliance of Latin America’s music and culture at the centre, whilst also plotting a course via Africa and Europe. We are so excited to discuss the past, present and future of the world-beating imprint, as well his solo endeavours, with the one and only Nicolás Sánchez!

Over the course of this interview, we begin by discussing the story of TraTraTrax so far, talking about the label’s origins, writing their own story, an unwavering approach to quality, significant releases and the unknown tale behind the monumental track of 2022, ‘Xtasis’, their passionate and dedicated approach to curating remixes, bucket-list remixers and expanding with the latest in their annual compilation series 'no pare, sigue sigue 2' (don’t stop, keep moving). We also discuss TraTraTrax’s Dekmantel 2023 showcase, the label’s reaction to their reception in Europe and doing things on their own terms while giving something back to their community.

Next, we discuss what Nico is up to in his spare time between running the label, which includes working for a quantum computing company, his sprawling ambient project ‘Sacrificio’ with collaborators Juan David Figueroa, Carlos Serrano and Daniel Brusatin, creating sound installations, metaverses and, finally, TraTraTrax’s new ambient sublabel Ambie—Tón.

We conclude by discussing plans for TraTraTrax's future, including twelve new releases already on the map, another new banger orientated series and showcases and parties all over the world!

Clips of 'Aló ma' by Nyksan and Moa Pillar from the compilation 'no pare, sigue sigue 2', as well as 'Jardin privé' by Nyksan from the EP 'Sacrificio', are used at the beginning and end of this podcast.

SUPPORT NYKSAN & TRATRATRAX:

TraTraTrax Bandcamp: tratratrax.bandcamp.com
TraTraTrax Instagram: www.instagram.com/tratratrax/
Nyksan Instagram: www.instagram.com/nyksan_/
‘Sacrificio’: nyksan.bandcamp.com/album/sacrificio

SUPPORT AWAKE ALL HOURS:

Patreon: www.patreon.com/awakeallhours
Instagram: www.instagram.com/awake.allhours/

In this episode of Awake All Hours, there are tales from the first month of club season in 2024, featuring homegrown party debuts, big eff-off soundsytems and no-holds-barred backroom voyages, with standout sets from aya, Susu Laroche, Bruce b2b Nosedrip and OKO DJ. Next, there's album reviews for Astrid Sonne, Saskia and Burial, before we finish with What's In My Bandcamp Basket, rounding up our favourite new club-ready scran from the likes of Eastern Distributor & Jörmungandr, DJ Kolt, Cartridge, AceMo, Erika and more!

SUPPORT THE ARTISTS: https://www.buymusic.club/list/awakeallhours-ep-081-astrid-sonne-saskia-burial

We’re well and truly back for 2024 with all the usual chatter - part coherent music discourse, part utter nonsense but 100% dedicated to the music and culture we love. Following a January string of INSIGHTS interviews with the wonderful Dual Monitor and Gonubie, we humbly present to you a bog-standard, back-to-basics discussion and reviews show, featuring the new albums from Donato Dozzy, 33EMYBW and MoMA Ready. We finish with a traditional What’s In My Bandcamp Basket? which features essential loot from DJ Haram, Nat Home, ASC, Yan Cook and more!

SUPPORT THE ARTISTS: https://www.buymusic.club/list/awakeallhours-ep-080-donato-dozzy-33emybw-moma-ready

Last Autumn, we had the absolute joy of sitting down with two of the loveliest people in dance music, Dual Monitor, in anticipation of their new EP on Hardline Sounds. Two established names in their own right and already boasting releases on N-Face, Amity, EC2A and CloudCore, the synergy of Fliss Mayo and Zebb Dempster has been taking the club and festival circuit by storm, from venues and events such as Glastonbury Festival, Meraki, Boiler Room and sharing lineups with the likes of Eliza Rose, Mall Grab, Yung Singh, Chloe Robinson, Hamdi and Pinch.

Over the course of this interview, Fliss and Zebb begin by discussing their contrasting formative experiences growing up in London and the countryside, the formation of Dual Monitor and getting their first breakthrough at Gottwood Festival. Next, they discuss their workflow and the triumphs and trials of producing as a duo, the making of their new club-ready EP 'Hardline 19' and embracing inspirations from TraTraTrax and Minor Science to Australian progressive house and techno. Finally, we discuss Fliss and Zebb's performance highlights of 2023, including their opening for Eliza Rose at Boiler Room Liverpool, tips for navigating the music industry and some of their defining tunes, edits and bootlegs of the year - Buy Music Club Below.

Clips of 'Fractal Submission' on N-Face Records and 'Switch It' on Hardline Sounds are used at the beginning and end of this podcast.

SUPPORT DUAL MONITOR:

Bandcamp: https://hardlinesounds.bandcamp.com/album/hard19
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/dualmonitor?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_dualmonitor_/
Buy Music Club: https://www.buymusic.club/list/awakeallhours-insights-029-dual-monitor