GUEST MIX SERIES

Prague born, London-based DJ Ariane V is mostly known either as one of the driving forces behind inclusive collective Rhythm Sister, or as a friendly face formerly behind the counter at Phonica Records. Whether she’s bumping disco, UKG, Balearic house or jazz-rock, the Balamii resident has an ability to weave together sounds and styles, old and new, with consummate ease.

This is week's guestmix is no exception, "I just hit record and played whatever. Anything that looked good on my USB stick and a few records that happened to be scattered around my feet."... an effortless soundtrack for the start of your weekend.

@roof , aka brand designer Drew Kilpatrick (DrewDrew Design) and DJ from Sydney, Australia, is signed to @finerthingsrecords label. He's been spinning tracks for the best part of 13 years, where he's a regular part of the Australian club and festival circuit. Known for his diverse taste and silky smooth mixing, sit back and take in a solid 'Arvo Sesh'...

"Inspired by a classic Australian 'arvo sesh'. Let the mix take you on a journey... starting with pre-drinks in the spicy Sydney afternoon sun, immersing in the softer side of house music. As the sun goes down, it's an uber to the club to chase those big room rompers with a tease of old electro. Finally, we ease off the night with some slow burners as we roll on home with a well-deserved kebab in hand."

To honour the 100th release on Stay True Sounds, they invited South Africa's leading deep-house player, China Charmeleon, to choose 13 tracks from their back catalogue to remix... many of which have made it on to this hour-long, smoked out, hazy, deep trip.

China has fast become a favourite in the South African deep house scene with his non-stop work ethic (releasing 2 full albums and 2 Ep's in 2020!), consequently promoting his rise through the scene.

He crafted his trade from a young age, being raised in a church with his father allowing him to explore the keyboard.

China took the last six months remixing these Stay True Sounds classics and making them his own, as he would. Sit back, relax, and enjoy these recreations from SA's musical genius to celebrate one hundred Stay True Sounds Independent releases!

"I couldn't have asked for a better catalogue to remix," says China Charmeleon. "I am fortunate that Stay True noticed me when they did, and I hope you enjoy my remixes of so many quality tunes!"

Buy link - http://africori.to/remixesstaytrue

Berlin based Londoner, Nat Wendell plays records with the same unbridled passion and energy that he did back in '98. Since then, his connection with gritty, bass heavy sounds has been visceral, that demands you dance, and means the clubs he plays are always filled with energy and wholly locked into his groove. His up-tempo sounds draw on real emotions and feelings that always keep heads as busy as heels. From the deeper end of House the spectrum to more physical Techno offerings, he reaches for music that mirrors his own emotions and that never fails to hit the mark.

Nat has played all over the capital, London from 93 Feet East to Plan B, Crucifix Lane to Vibe Bar including Wire in Leeds, as well as further afield around Europe - more recently in Brno, Czech Republic & new hometown, Berlin. He translates these experiences of seeing how and why music moves people—as well as the lessons picked up on his worldly travels, to inform the music he makes. It is hardware-based machines that allow real and raw, hands on approach where Nat teases out subtle new sounds, refreshing textures and compelling grooves.

"I thought I’d take it back to my roots with this mix, Deep Soulful House - those who know my Soul Aspiration mix series [started over 10 years ago] know where I’m coming from.

Imagine a Sexy Deep House Sunday in your favourite club or a stage at a festival, in the sun..."

The mix was recorded live on 2x Technics with a old rusty mixer.

Mr Doris is something of an anomaly in music. A humbling example of what it takes to truly succeed within the framework of multiple fields. With a steadfast work ethic, an obsessively extensive vinyl library and the willingness to pursue the full extents of his roots (Latin, Soul and Jazz), foundation (Funk/Hip-Hop) and future (Electronic/Dance music)

without any restraints.

"As with most of my mixes, I tried to incorporate as much of my influences as possible. So you'll hear everything from soul, funk, disco and house to latin, afro and even a smattering of electro hip hop for good measure.

It's been an honour and a pleasure to mix this for you!

A big shout out to Graham Sahara for letting me invade his family home to record the mix on his setup!"

“I am, above all, a DJ,” states the always captivating Lea Lisa. The French selector is also a vinyl addict who never stops digging and hasn’t since she first started in 1996. From emotive deep house to driving techno, warm and soulful sounds to jacking club tracks, she has it all in her arsenal. Her sets always effervesce with passion and have lead to high praise from greats like Kerri Chandler and Jovonn. They have also taken her from clubs everywhere China to Copenhagen, New York to Paris, as well as high profile festival stages at Nuits Sonores, Southern Soul Festival and Polaris.

Lea’s much-loved No Boundaries Radio Show on Universal Rhythms offers an even broader window into her collection. Each episode finds her share many different sounds and stories from her eclectic collection as she joins the dots between the past, present and future. This well-informed knowledge and understanding of dance floor dynamics also play out in the music Lea makes, which has so far been spun by the likes of tastemakers such as Ron Trent, Tyree Cooper, Laurent Garnier or Anthony Nicholson to name a few.

They say 'house is a feeling', and it's a feeling which courses through Lea's very bones. This one is very much for the headz, but in a manner that's enjoyable for all.

Artist: @lea-lisa

Anyone familiar with the work of HDSN has seen him make big waves, leading the line so brilliantly for his own imprint NUTHIN BUT A SOUL THING over the course of its twelve physical releases. If you've heard his most recent EP 'Break Ups 2 Make Ups"' or the outstanding debut release "We Must Protect This House" on his new sub-label (which received an overwhelming response from the likes of Pete Tong to Shadow Child, Cinthie and many more of the scene´s true heroes) you will know he is an artist unconfined to the restraints of the norm, and he displays this once again within guest mix edition #287. fill your boots people, it's the weekend once more.

Artist: @hdsn_music

"The last months felt like time was standing still. But now I feel some new energy and motivation to dig for music. The last year was super challenging for the music scene but I feel that we will head to some better days now. So this mix is driven by a positive feeling but still includes some mellow moments. I love to melt melancholy with optimism."

If you want to picture the sound of Sarah Wild, you have to combine pulsating 80s-wave with driving avantgarde house, add a few servings of acid (-techno), and some trippy live saxophone elements. Sarah is a professionally trained saxophone player and also versatile on the piano, and this all comes through in today's mix.

She is part of the labels "Tal der Verwirrung", "Feines Tier" and "Love Foundation Global" while working on creating her own imprint "Midnight Operators".

Artist: @wildsarah

"While putting the mix together I had an early morning slot in mind, taking over the decks to accompany the crowd after an already long night out - A situation which I miss like nothing else for more than a year now. As I am kept my daily routine finding new tracks, I have mixed my current favorite pieces of music out of my collection and tried to build a journey that will hopefully take place in reality again very soon. I recommend listening to the mix in one take! Thanks for having me and greetings from Cologne!"

Hailing from Bonn, Germany - Jonathan Kaspar is an integral part of the scene in Cologne. He is a resident at the city's renowned Gewölbe club and also one of the current main figures at the legendary Kompakt label. While Kaspar is constantly reinventing himself, he continues what he loves the most - being a DJ and producer!

Kaspar loves to play extra-long DJ sets building up a journey together with the crowd. Holding a residency at one of Germany's main spots in regards to underground electronic music clubs, Gewölbe, he regularly invites national and international guests to play extended nights with him while his busy DJ schedule has been built around that. 2021 started off with his much-acclaimed follow-up EP for Kompakt, including the track "Beton" which reached #1 in the Beatport Indie Dance chart for several weeks.

Artist: @jonathankaspar

We're pleased to welcome to the series this week, a true legend of the scene, and a personal hero of ours... Mr Dicky Trisco!

"This mix was recorded one night in my basement studio using 2 Pioneer CDJ 2000s, a Pioneer 800 feeding direct into an old Yamaha CD recorder I've had forever, a few cold beers and a couple of Don Julio Terquila shots. I prefer to record them that way with no computer involved as the vibe and sound always feels better to me.

I love that blend of raw House and Disco that defines the SlothBoogie sound. So I grabbed a load of stuff I love old and new with that feel and banged it into a folder. I always had in the back of my mind as a guide to get to that Joe Cleen cut Give You All I Got which was a big tune for me at gigs around the world before the pandemic cancelled the social life. And it also featured a lot during my lockdown basement live jams.

The rest was just a matter of going with the flow which I believe is always the best way to travel.

Hope you all enjoy the music x"