Sahara Disco - Athens This Week's #FreeLabRadio Show

DISCOTECA INTERNACIONAL
is a fairly new project launched by PALE PENGUIN and 246DESIGN in Greece.

Not just Greece but Thessalonki. Try saying that out loud a few times with an accent on the 'o', it's so satisfying - Thessalonki.

Blending music and influences from the five continents the pair DJ in clubs and bars worldwide. They also design these awesome posters and flyers, but still use hackneyed terms to describe what they do such as Afro-Beat. This is negligible though, in the face of the other ingredients to their mixes: Afro-Funk, Boogaloo, Carribbean calypso, Pakistani Pop, Indian Vibes, Cumbia, Bossa Nova, Nu-tango, Tijuana Electronica and "many more sounds for the body and mind pleasure..."

Super quirky. We love it.


DISCOTECA INTERNACIONAL PRESENTS: SAHARA DISCO MIX

ZEB-Toe To Toe
MADIOKO ET RAFIKA-Minama
ACID ARAB-Samira
DJ DISSE-Egyptian Disco
EASTENDERS-On The Ride
MOHAMMED RUICHA-Bismillah (JOYSTICK JAY edit)
Berber Music In Sahara Desert
OMAR SOULEYMAN: Shift Al Mani (CRACKBOY remix)
DAMIAN LAZARUS AND THE ANCIENT MOONS-Lover's Eyes (DIXON remix)
DOLE & KOM: Phara On
THE SPY FROM CAIRO: Sufi Disco

Broadcasts Sat night 11-midnight repeats Thursday 2am 

SpaceDelica - This Week's Free Lab Radio: DJ Umb

Sometimes, you have to look back, to see the future.

A little background to this mix, by previous Free Lab Radio guest DJ Umb. The mix, originally in two parts, was triggered by a cassette mix tape: "The cassette is important because in a way it liberated me."

With retro cassette culture on the rise and labels that regularly launch on cassette (see our recent cassette-label show) it's apt that DJs and producers like DJ Umb give credit to how much these small recordables influenced our formative years.

Generation Bass blog and label founder DJ Umb explains what's behind his SpaceDelica mix:

My much older cousin who was so into Hi-NRG dance culture, gave me a hot mixtape many years ago on cassette. It was the first mixtape I had ever heard, and it blew my mind musically. Several of the tracks that I have now incorporated in this mix were on that tape cassette. The mix recreates that same vibe for me, listening to it, making it, I have that same euphoric feeling at that time. The feeling has not diminished one bit which is a testament to the timelessness of these tracks and the powerful effect of music on our souls.  

 Broadcasts Saturday Dec 19th 11-midnight GMT, repeats Thursday 2am. Listen on 104.4FM across London on you tranny dial, otherwise online with this handy player.

This Week's Free Lab Radio - Real Reggae with Earl Gateshead

Earl Gateshead MCing at Notting Hill

"Classic roots and dub meet new digital killers." A bespoke mix for Free Lab Radio by Earl Gateshead, selector for Trojan Sound System, of Trojan Records. 

Gateshead is a respected and long standing member of London's roots scene, and was the Roots Reggae resident at the seminal Blue Note and Fabric, both in Soho, London. 

Broadcasts Saturday nights 11-midnight, repeats Thursdays 2am on 104.4FM across London online elsewhere. Read his bio below. Tweet @FariBrad

Tracklist:

1) Ayatollah--Jackie Mittoo (Nefertiti 12)

2) This World--King Midious (Justice League 7)

3) Natty Dread Nar Run--Barry Brown (Strong Like Samson 12)

4) Rasta We Rasta--Danny Red (Youth And Truth 12)

5) Jah I--The Jewells (Observer 7)

6) Version to 'Institutionalised Racism'--Vivian Jones (Global Domination 7)

7) Bird In Flight--Carleen Anderson (Tuff Scout 7)

8) Babylon--Admiral Tibbett (Kings International 7)

9) Dubplate Fashion--Tradesman and Parly B (Reggae Roast 7)

10) Watch Them--Singer Tempa (Digi-Kal 7)

11) Mission Impossible--Nerious Joseph, Philip Leo, C J Lewis (Fashion 12)

12) Housebreaker (Rootikal Rebuild)-- Capital Letters (Reggae Archive Records)

13) Pure Rankin--Horace Andy and King Tubbys (Sufferers Heights 12)

14) Stop The War--Paul Freeman (Sunshine Records 7)

Since 1968, Trojan Records has led the way in presenting the very best in classic Jamaican sounds. The labels releases have featured the best of Jamaican talent, with the likes of Bob Marley and The Wailers, Dennis Brown, John Holt, Ken Boothe, Toots andThe Maytals and The Inner Circle all included on its illustrious roster.

Earl began DJing in 1979 when he played reggae records between punk bands in Brixton and was heavily influenced by the Trojan releases of the time. Today Earl Gateshead and Trojan Sound System tour the globe playing records from the extensive Trojan catalogue, spreading the original message from Jamaica’s golden era of Reggae music. Recent shows include Glastonbury, Outlook, Boomtownfair, Bestival, Rototom Festival and club events at London’s biggest venue; Fabric.

In the late 70s, in the spirit of the times Earl built his own sound system at the world famous Dive Bar in Soho, where he established a reputation across London. Earl had a 20 year residency at The Dive Bar, which was sadly bought to an end in 2002 when the venue was closed. Throughout the later part of his Dive Bar years Earl became the Saturday night resident at clubs such as the internationally acclaimed Blue Note and later Fabric, where he was the resident Roots Reggae specialist.

In 2000 Earl organised and performed at a series of events called “Reggae Nights”. These legendary series of concerts received world wide attention, with performances from international legends such as; Alton Ellis, Dennis Alcapone, Adrian Sherwood and Saxon Sound System. This run of great success gave Earl a huge boost in profile, which lead him to be one of the most sought after DJs in the country and in high demand from international Reggae artists. He then went on to tour Europe and Australasia with Big Youth, Dr Alimantado and Cutty Ranks amongst others. 

Invited to give a lecture at the prestigious Red Bull Music Academy in Sao Paulo, Earl gave a comprehensive lecture on Reggae DJing and recorded a radio show for Red Bull.

Lepke B "Rover: All My Friend's Are Dead" This Week's Free Lab Radio

Sat 11-midnight Free Lab Radio plays out a mix of exclusive sounds from Lepke B- Bricoleur, who presents:

"Mush, brevs excused, goer. Featuring two exclusive new mixes for broadcast, both 15 mins long. The decompositions entitled Rover / the second part, cheerfully called/ Death by Rover. "

Listen on air 104.4FM (London) or HERE online. Repeats Thursday 2am.

More sounds from sonic plunderer and visual artist Lepke B: 

Two Fingers in the Air - This Week's Free Lab Radio Show

Fake fur massacre

At still from ISAM

11-midnight tonight we're airing the one and only mix put out by DJ Two Fingers this year. The reason it merits attention, apart from being a great mix, is that it's the only thing Two Fingers has produced this year, claiming "a year in the studio". This would not normally be significant but that Two Fingers is an alias for super-producer Amon Tobin. Tobin was on tour last year with his hyper-surreal DJ 'experience' ISAM. We caught the show at Camden Roundhouse, it was impressive, all enveloping and distant. The team working with Tobin created the most astounding projection mapping show perhaps of all time, while the DJ himself was mostly hidden inside the wall in a cube, only partially visible at moments during the show.

Two Fingers was originally a collaboration with fellow producer Joe “Doubleclick” Chapman. Their first eponymous release came out in 2009 and heavily featured UK vocalist Sway.
The second album, Stunt Rhythms was a solo work by Tobin and was released worldwide by Big Dada in 2012. The most popular track from Stunt Rhythms is Fools Rhythm, included in Ninja Tune's 20th anniversary "XX" box set,
Recent works include the theme music for the BBC America/Space original series Orphan Black, composed by Two Fingers and also the release Vengeance Rhythm which comes with the most brilliant teddy-bear slaughter video (pictured, and posted here at the time) in 2012.

Tonight's mix "TF DJ SET SEPT 2013", is a self-released free download made available in January 2014. It was produced by Tobin in Montreal, and comes with this proclaimer: "As this will be mainly a studio year for Amon we are posting one of 2013's Two Fingers DJ sets for you to download. Fond memories, good times. Thanks to all who stepped out and got down to this!"

He's still tweeting, however his musical silence is even louder after ISAM's echo. Broadcasts Saturday 11-midnight on 104.4FM (London), repeats Wednesday 2am. Listen live online with this handy RadioPlayer.

This Week's Free Lab Radio - Chico Correa Bespoke Mix

Sat July 5th 11-midnight, repeats Wed 2am

A bespoke mix from Chico Correa of his Nordeste Mix of old recordings from around Nordeste Brazil, records from 1938 to 70's. Chico Correa is a producer, DJ and musician from Northeastearn Paraiba state of Brazil.
His productions combine Brazilian folk melodies and rhythms like coco, baiao, samba, carimbó mixed with eletronica and audio processing. Correa performs live with electrosamba and also in The Chico Correa & Electronic Band.
List in on 104.4FM in London www.resonancefm.com/listen otherwise, or use this handy widget

New #FreeLabRadio Podcast - Sleeve Notes

Free Lab Radio - Sleeve Notes by Fari

This show's all about the sleeve notes, in the age of the mp3 that comes without a real gift that can be touched and physically enjoyed, we play tracks from CDs. Features are Jerome Bourdellon, album Trajet Solo, track: Papaoel. Sudori -the album by Pino Minafra, the track Trib-Bal.  Plus author /musician Kirk Lake, the album The Black Lights, two tracks Clarke Vs Tyson and "Finish your drink so I can get your glass to the wall there's something more interesting happening next door." Plus 'Kymatik' with their album Dars Al Sulh, Dentists for Mice.

After that is Boogie Balagan, with Mojo Lady 75 and Dalida Blooz (the Baboosh Remix).

Plus tracks from the CD by Flame Proof Moth (previously The Boycott CocaCola Experience) Album: Women Should be in Charge; Retail Opera and Gas. Kate Bush with Ariel from the double album, called Ariel. Secret Archives of the Vatican, with the track Isa Al Hamid.
Lastly Salif Keita, with his track Nou Pas Bouger, meaning Don't move us, or Don't shift us.

About Time - Gary Newman Back in the Spotlight with Superb Retro Video

Logan Owlbeemoth's video for this song by Numan features effects by artist/musician Omebi Velouria. Superbly, this video comes with an explanation of how it was made, the nod to the Numan's roots in the analogue age: it was made with a Tachyons + video glitch synth effected live via a HI-8 camera and a CRT television "to create triply, blurry, VHS-style images of Gary Numan as he sings the song." No computer-based post-production was used at all. Fab!
Numan's recent-ish album - his 17th studio album -, Splinter (Songs From A Broken Mind) released worldwide in October 2013. It was his first album to reach UK Top 20, since the early 1980s. Numan announced that there will be a special one-off live show in London in his birthplace of Hammersmith, November 2014 at the Hammersmith Apollo. Where has been all this time? In USA with his family, he married a member of his fan club from Sidcup and they named their seocnd daughter Persia. Sounds right! If you're only a teenager now or not from UK you might not have heard of him, he was really just a shy kid with a lot of spots who became known for wearing a lot of white makeup (only administered to cover said spots apparently) and for the excellent song and what was to become his trademark almost robotic performance below - ARE FRIENDS ELECTRIC?

Footprints in Your Milk - This Week's Free Lab Radio

Time to clean our ears!

A taste of the latest free releases and experimental tracks for the discerning listener. Featured are GTA Hoffman, Sophia Mitiku, Nostalgia 77, Mohamad Azimi, Nostalgia 77, [XRS] (Xerxes de Oliveira) Chinawoman and Natural Self. If there's time, we've a classic to spin.

Thanks to then to these artists for the free and more importantly worthwhile, music.

 Each Free Lab Radio is comprised of hours of listening and surfing, plus plenty of silence; all the tracks we don't play. What ends up being selected has a supranormal quality, either related to interpretive dance or sonic merits that are over and above average. Always. Brand music, commercialism kills art.

 Broadcasts Saturday 11-midnight on 104.4FM across London and online otherwise. The repeat is Thurs 2am.
Appreciate us on Facebook, on Twitter it's #FreeLabRadio @Faribrad
Podcasts on www.mixcloud.com/Fari

This Week's Free Lab Radio - Arabic, Turkish and Iranian Pop Cassettes on Resonance104.4FM

DJ K Sets compiles tape cassettes from 80s Middle East and North Africa, arranged here in 3 genres:
"taxi tapes, electro tunes and hippie age". He calls his mixes "selected working class cultures". We've had a long interest in DJ K Sets as his other incarnation DJ Cinnamoon, possibly since 5 years ago. He's superbly underground, you have to chase him!

Turkey, Iran, Iraq and beyond. Long live cassette culture!


Saturday night 11-midnight on 104.4FM Listen live also on Radioplayer: http://radioplayer.resonancefm.com/console/

Tonight's Free Lab Radio - Bobby Azarbayejani as "Sighup"

11-midnight March 1st on 104.4FM in London, online elsewhere

Tapdup Logo, dropping vowels is in

A bespoke mix for Free Lab Radio from the half-Azeri producer 'sighup' aka Bobby Azarbayejani, co-founder of Tapdup Records in Seattle, WA.

'sighup''s music is deeply inspired by religious and spiritual thought, especially of radical Islam, and tonight's mix explores these elements. 'sighup’ just released a cassette single titled “OBE(T)/ARMY” on Tapdup Records. ‘sighup’ is an electronic musician based in Seattle, WA. As co-founder of Tapdup Records, an outlet for digitally produced electronic music, his sound is influenced by Chicago Footwork, ambient music, and non-Western music.

1. Ya Makkah - Traditional Arab Naat (‘sighup’ edit)

This piece is also known as Ya Taiba. I don’t know who the singer in this sample is, but I’ve gotten the tune stuck in my head pretty much every day since I first heard it, so I figured it would be fun to play with.

2. Hengameh Paykareh (“Time of War”) by Sadiq Ahangaran (‘sighup’ edit)

This is a song from around the time of the Iran/Iraq war, and I can only assume the crowd singing along are a bunch of young soldiers off to go to war. Sadiq has a ton of other music, and it’s mostly about Husayn, martyrdom or Karbala.

3. UNKNOWN. (‘sighup’ edit)

Unfortunately I lost the original name of this song. I think it’s a Hezbollah propaganda song I found on YouTube.

4. Darāmad (Homāyun) by Akbar Seyyed Hoseyn Tāherzādeh

This is a piece appearing on the 2014 Honest Jon Records compilation titled “Let No One Judge You”. My dad was so excited about this release when I told him about it.

http://www.honestjons.com/label.php?pid=43149&LabelID=14815

5. SSPORTS - 36MAFIAVGROUPER

This is a “mash up” of sorts by my Tapdup label mate SSPORTS. As its title suggests it is a mix between Three Six Mafia’s “Late Night Tip” and Grouper’s “Wind and Snow”. Personally, I think it’s away better than the original Three Six Mafia song.

https://soundcloud.com/ssports/36mafiavgrouper

6. C_L_E_A_N_E_R_S - “Real Raga Shit Pt. 1” (Excerpt)

This band is great. They’re from Brooklyn and have been putting out amazing stuff. Loads of beautiful found sounds. Check out this release on Bootleg Tapes.

http://bootlegtapes.bandcamp.com/album/real-raga-shit-vol-1

7. A phone call from Aghayeh Karbalaii

Bahram Moshiri runs a radio show called “Sarzamineh Javid”. Aghayeh Karbalaii called in to recite an excerpt from Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh.

7. Cedaa - Tiffany

Cedaa is a producer from the San Francisco Bay Area. This track came out in 2010, which is like a decade ago in juke terms, but it has really stood out to me since I first heard it three and a half years ago.

https://soundcloud.com/cedaa/tiffany

8. Millie & Andrea - Stage 2

Millie & Andrea are Andy Stott and Miles Whittaker. This track has been described by my roommate as “what SSPORTS would sound like if any of his songs were longer than a minute”. 

http://boomkat.com/vinyl/905801-millie-andrea-stage-2

New Podcast - Bow down ya ear on #FreeLabRadio

Free Lab Radio - Bow down thine ear by Fari on Mixcloud

Tonight a long guest mix by Jad Atoui, with his Black Sea Series but not before we sample everything from choral arrangements of Hindi traditional songs to 'experimental' dance tracks made in Romford, Essex. Featured are the Calgary Boys Choir, Vessels - remixing Satteliti, Persian Dubplates and the Juice Vocal Ensemble on the label Non-Classical. Tweet us with the hashtag #FreeLabRadio www.freelabradio.blogspot.com NB - there's a 20 second breather fade at 15'45".

#FreeLabRadio Podcast - Deep White Sound

Free Lab Radio - Deep White Sound by Fari

deepwhitesound (DWS) an international online label of free experimental music, sent us the best and the breadth of their collective works for this week's show.

DWS promotes more challenging work available for free download than most sites at the moment. A community of artists working at the fringe of art, technology and society - their practices range from interdisciplinary work in new media, installation and performance to generative and web-based mediums that "expand the possibilities of how sound-based art is experienced, distributed and discussed." This way they do this is not just apparent in the audio, but many works are accompanied by imagery or feature as part of longer listening experiences, or are live takes from performances.

DWS mission statement: Female, queer and ethnic minority experimental artists comprise a woefully under-represented and under-supported demographic and thus are also of particular interest to DWS. That stated, DWS seeks and supports work from all people, everywhere, who wish to broaden the scope of what is possible.

Thanks to DB Amorin for the selection. Amorin is founder of deepwhitesound, born in Honolulu, HI USA and currently lived in Portland, OR USA. An experimental artist himself he supports a small, but evergrowing international community and, in an age when many working with digital distribution fight for copyrights Amorin works to "propagate the ideology that art should be free to access and share". 

He currently works for ProjectGrow, an art studio and urban farm for adults with developmental disabilities and The Creative Music Guild, an all-volunteer non-profit organization facilitating creatively experimental performance in Portland, OR. As a visual and sound artist, his work typically deals with perception, identity and representation, using cheap reproduction methods and DIY techniques to explore malfunction and abstraction in form. For information visit www.dbamorin.com

Playlist 

Pregnant Spore (Chicago, IL USA) is the noise/audio collage/electronics project of Justin Marc Lloyd.

Yacob (Oakland, CA USA) is the solo project of punk / noise musician and multi-instrumentalist Jacob McCann.

Talk Midway (New York, NY USA) is the tape-loop / ambient project of musician Patrick Nylen.

Dreamboat Crusaderz (New York, NY USA) is the vocal loop project of queer composer Jesse

Matthias Boss (Biel, Switzerland) is an improvisational violin and viola player.

Marcello Magliocchi (Italy) is a percussionist using non-traditional objects and surfaces, such as bronze sound sculptures.

Lomz (Belgrade, Serbia) is the solo electronic project of Vukasin Stancevic utilizing digital processing and handmade instruments.

Lezet (Pozega, Serbia) is a one-man experimental music project ranging from processed piano to purely electronic compositions.

Idol Eyes (Phoeniz, AZ USA) is the experimental sonic awareness project of Andrew Craze.

Tomas Tello (Lima, Peru) is a DIY electronic performer and composer utilizing cassettes, radios and altered electronic devices.

New Fast (Oakland, CA USA) is a solo ambient / drone / r&b / tape music influenced project.

George Christian (Bahia, Brazil) is a self-taught guitarist and composer of works that push the boundaries of form and textures.

Colon Apostrophe Semicolon is a DIY sound artist experimenting in home-recorded loops for tape and electronics.

City Dragon (Paris, France) is the solo electronic noise project of Max Kaario.

Andrew and the TV Cowboys (Boston, MA USA) is the solo home recording project of Andrew Cosentino using field recordings and live instrumentations.

DAITSE (Antwerp, Belgium) is the moniker of self-taught pianist and generative sound artist Pieter Van de Walle.

Portland Bike Ensemble (Portland OR USA) is a decade-old loose collective of improvisational musicians using their bicycles as instruments.

Consumer (Portland, OR USA) is the moniker of Matt Palenske who creates abrasive, lo-fi, improvisational beats using his voice and DIY electronics.

Mason Butler (Minneapolis, MN USA) is a multi-instrumentalist and all-over experimental musician using found sound, electronics, lo-fi recording and non-traditional media for musical exploration.