Mixes 2012

Much of the excitement from writing this blog comes from the unknown. Almost every day we are introduced to something or someone new, whether that be the first tune from an aspiring producer or an entirely fresh sound which is making its mark in the clubs. And it was when Chris Smith aka Bop Gun got in touch with us about his ‘Hyper Boogie Mix’ that we found ourselves enlightened once again.

INTERVIEW W/ Bop Gun

Summer may now be all but a distant memory, but with the nights drawing in and the trees turning a glorious golden brown, there is great pleasure to be taken from those stolen moments of winter sun. Over the last few days we’ve found no better soundtrack to this than Barrientos’ ‘Deep Autumn Chill’, a perfectly mixed selection of grooving House to keep your feet moving while the cold snaps at your toes.

With the weekend in touching distance and Friday night beckoning our name, there’s perhaps no better way to sign off for the week than with a quality vinyl mix by one of our favourite DJs. NoFace is no stranger to this blog - signed to Mixed Bizness and resident at both Edinburgh’s Electrikal and Glasgow’s Mixkings, he has caused some serious chaos on the dancefloor recently.

If there’s one name that’s really got us excited this summer, it has to be TNGHT. Ever since the early leaks back in March we’ve been transfixed by the perpetual hype surrounding them, and after much anticipation their eponymous debut didn’t just surpass expectations, but shattered them with one utterly devastating 808. For those that are yet to catch up, TNGHT is the collaborative project between rapidly-rising Glaswegian entity, Hudson Mohawke and super-charged Canadian producer Lunice.

So here’s a nice way to kick off your week then. As part of the Sub Club’s ongoing anniversary celebrations, the highly regarded venue is throwing a number of one-off parties which have already seen the likes of Martyn, Kode9 and Mia Dora grace the decks. Inviting some of the biggest names from the leftfield and centrefold you can expect to see both Erol Alkan and Lone in the coming months.

10,000 plays on Soundcloud. Unless you’re David Guetta or someone else of equal dominance over impressionable ‘EDM’ fanatics then that’s quite an achievement, especially if your account consists almost completely of live recordings and mixes. Then again, it’s perhaps appropriate considering the soaring popularity of iAM in Glasgow.

Instruments of Rapture may have just released their final offering, but that certainly doesn’t mean they’ve gone quiet. Still very much causing a stir on the first Sunday of every month at the Sub Club, their flagship night of the same name is becoming increasingly popular with those who like to end their weekend on a high note.

We’ve always got time for Floyd. Apart from being impossibly nice, she’s also got a skill set which is seemingly inexhaustible. Ever consistent with her mixes, we were extremely happy to find her latest vinyl assault uploaded late last week. Representing the less strident slice of the bass music spectrum, ‘Short & Sweet’ winds effortlessly through House, Garage and Funky to deliver a comprehensive and compelling listen from start to finish.

Well, as we continue to slowly drown in what has to be the most miserable summer since last year, there is at least plenty of sunshine to be found in the pool of incredible mixes doing the rounds at the moment. Following on from a recent contribution to the Slow It Down series and a swift change of name, our resident Alex Caslano has delivered the third instalment of his ever-consistent Can’t Resist compilation.

Things just got serious. Following on from Dema’s exceptional Synth Presents mix yesterday, High Sheen resident and label co-host, Ben Martin drops something hot ahead of his appearance at this year’s T In The Park and a highly anticipated set at the notorious Slam Tent. With Mia Dora set to do the damage with their debut EP on the freshly established imprint, and the hype-o-meter maxed at 10, everything is building up very nicely for an incredible summer.

Since its Friday we thought it would be nice to end the week with something fresh from our ever energetic resident DJ. Having recently been asked to provide a mix for Glasgow’s premier edit team, Slow It Down, he's decided to use this opportunity to make a swift change of name, leaving Alaska behind to become the slightly less absurd ‘Alex Caslano’. When asked about the change, he said he was tired of answering the question ‘why are you called Alaska?’ with the response “because I closed my eyes and pointed at a map� (true story).

So it was the final episode of Synth on Subcity Radio this week before broadcast ceases for the summer, and with the sun finally making a long overdue appearance we had nothing but straight flavour to hit you with. Kicking things off with some exceptional new music from the likes of Esa & Mervin Granger, Mirrors and This Is I, we then launched head-first into a specially extended mix by Dominic Martin.

As people can probably tell, we’re somewhat excited about the weather here in Glasgow. Visitors from warmer climes may find it surprising, but at the first glimpse of sunshine, tops (or ‘taps’) will come off, there is a daily mass migration to the park and the happiness index increases tenfold. Considering we live in one of the wettest places on earth, even one day of unadulterated sunshine is somewhat of a novelty, so you must excuse us while we revel in this rare occurrence...

Whether it’s his Monday night residency at Burn, his massively on-point and hugely popular show on Capital FM, or simply one of his instantly gratifying mixes which we bring you today, you can always depend on MASH to deliver. Having been a stable on the Glasgow scene for some time, he has developed an ornate passion for both local and international talent, striving to showcase what he regards as essential listening.

So we were back on Subcity Radio last week for the penultimate episode of Synth before broadcast terminates for the summer and what a show it was! Taking to the decks we had 'hot-to-touch' up and comer, Illyus who has been bubbling under the radar for some time now. Recently claiming our Local Hero Award for forthcoming single 'The Rescue' as well as releasing on Southern Fried and collaborating with Dominic Martin, Illyus is very much a name to keep an eye on...

Damn, did you hear Rustie’s Essential Mix? Seriously, it was like stumbling across a live broadcast from an illicit rave at Lando Calrissian’s Cloud City, beamed directly from R2 D2’s perfectly polished dome and sounding just as slick. From the opening bars of ‘Guilded Jewel Case’ right though to the solar flare of Lunice and Hud Mo, this was two hours of blistering heat and a snapshot of a truly electrifying future.

Synth returned to Subcity Radio this week and we couldn't be more excited about it. Whether it was the unseasonal warmth or the fact we'd been sipping on MD all day (just because we have to work inside doesn't mean we can't get involved), it's always an incredible feeling bringing together some of our favourite tunes and this week's show was no different.

Ooh baby, things just got seriously sexy here at Synth HQ – there were granny pants flying everywhere (not that any elderly people were involved) - but as soon as the new mix from Slow It Down dropped in our inbox, the mood changed from frantic stress to full-on sexy time. Glasgow’s hottest edit team return today with a 50min selection of some of the finest sun-setting grooves and late night basslines available.

We can’t help but get excited when Mixed Bizness head honcho and all round nice guy, Boom Monk Ben drops a mix. Primarily it’s because he’s got skills to pay the bills, but it’s also because he almost always features some seriously exclusive promos which in turn get us frothing at the mouth. Incase you hadn’t noticed, Mixed Bizness have been responsible for some of the hottest nights going in Glasgow this year and it’s only bloody March!