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My good friend Ki returns with his third guest post on my blog, this time sharing a very comprehensive look into UK electronic music. Ki’s passion for electronic music runs deep and he’s one of the few folks I look to for solid recommendations on pretty much any electronic music sub-genre.
Ki created a mix of all the music he’ll be sharing in this post – consider this a guided look into a DJ set, with info provided by the DJ himself! All tracks are timestamped in this post with additional tidbits of info, so you’re welcome to visit and re-visit any tracks that jump out to you. Hope you enjoy this musical journey as much as I did!
Let me start off by saying I am not claiming to be an expert of any sort on the subject matter at hand. I am writing this merely to provide a few insights into the world of off-the-beaten-path electronic music. As music delves deeper into the underground, it can get a little difficult to navigate, and hopefully this post will serve as a comprehensive list for easy reference.
I will be following along to this mix and largely categorizing this by record label, with maybe a few exceptions. The reason for this is that I mentally applied a “one song per label” rule to prevent the mix from ballooning into an all-nighter. I will try to keep this article as brief as possible as well. Happy music hunting.
0:00 Skee Mask – Routine [Ilian Tape]
As suggested in the title, I will be largely focusing on music originating from the UK, but one may notice that the first three tracks are not from the isles. UK DJs are generally known to play a wide variety of music, and I have tried to encompass some of that in this article as well.
We start off with this one, on the Ilian Tape label, basically a slowed-down version of the music generally released on it. It was founded in Munich by the Zenker Brothers roughly a decade ago. They liked Skee Mask’s productions so much that they gave him an entire sub-label, and all of the free reign associated with it. He would be doing whatever he wanted regardless, but this just made it official. If you like the sound of padded synths under a breakbeat, this is probably the label for you.
More suggestions on label:
- Anything by Skee Mask
- Dario Zenker – Koraimer Bro
- Stenny – 3KK-CB Sat
4:30 Melchior Productions – Meditation 5 [Perlon]
More music from Germany. Thomas Melchior is one of my favorite producers, and one of the best purveyors of minimal house in the game.
More suggestions of this style:
- Anything by Isolée, Matthew Herbert, DJ Qu
- Move-D – Urgence
- So Inagawa – Selfless State
- White Material and ODE labels
8:30 Moscoman – I Ran [Disco Halal]
When trying to guess where this music is from, it is best to look at the label name as opposed to the artist’s name (its founder). Disco Halal is a disco-techno fusion label based in Israel. I’m not sure where this style originated from, but I’m willing to bet acid house has something to do with it. The second suggestion on this list is probably one of the first tracks ever made in that style, released in 1985.
More suggestions of this style:
- Roby J – Crossed Movements (LOM extended version)
- Model 500 – No UFO’s (D-Mix)
- Roy of the Ravers – Emotinium (Secret mix)
15:00 Joy Orbison & Boddika – In Here [SunkLo]
We are now entering the UK music zone in full force. SunkLo was a label jointly run by the two artists that was discontinued in 2016. Its “successor” is Joy Orbison’s Hinge Finger imprint, which I will address later. There is going to be a lot of this 16th note percussive action throughout this mix, as it is one of the defining characteristics of UK music.
More suggestions on label:
- Severed Seven
- Mercy
17:30 A Made Up Sound – Take the Plunge (Beat Mix) [A Made Up Sound]
A Made Up Sound is a Dutch artist who largely subscribes to the UK sound. In fact, he produced dubstep under the moniker 2562. This is probably the most well-known track from his namesake label. I personally love the computer glitch-esque noises throughout.
More suggestions on label:
- Alarm
- After Hours
21:30 CO/R – Gudrun [Hinge Finger]
As mentioned shortly prior, Hinge Finger is Joy Orbison’s label, which was disclosed to a wider audience following his Essential Mix in 2014. Perhaps unsurprisingly, CO/R is his other alias.
His most recent “Toss Portal” EP was self-released (not on this label), and contains four very nice tracks, each appropriate for different times throughout the night (“Rite Ov” has good daytime grooves as well). He has a new record called “Transition 2” forthcoming on Hessle Audio next month, in collaboration with an experimental saxophonist, which definitely sounds like something right up his alley.
More suggestions on label:
- Blawan – Why They Hide Their Bodies Under My Garage
- CO/R – Bells, Walking
- Joy Orbison – Off Season
25:30 Errorsmith – Cuica Digitales [PAN]
Going back to Germany for just a second, PAN is a Berlin-based label focusing on experimental music. This is the first label in this mix that is not for the faint of heart. If you enjoy these fringe sounds, be sure to check out Errorsmith’s full-length album released last year. You’ll notice his signature glitchy synths, of which I am sure he takes great pride in curating.
Album suggestions on label:
- Errorsmith – Superlative Fatigue
- Still – I
- Objekt – Flatland
29:00 Simo Cell – Away from Keyboard [Livity Sound]
Now we turn to one of the most important labels in the UK. Livity Sound is run jointly by Peverelist and Kowton, two of many byproducts of the UK dubstep craze from roughly 15 years ago. To get a feel for Pev’s talent, his second-ever vinyl release “Roll with the Punches” went on to become one of the most celebrated tunes in dubstep history.
He and many others needed something to do after dubstep was disfigured by the mainstream, and this collective group of producers decided to infuse techno elements under the backdrop of bass. Much like when dubstep was first introduced as a genre, it was uncertain whether this new music would take hold. As far as I’m concerned, with labels like Livity going strong with releases for the foreseeable future, I’d say it has.
More suggestions from label:
- Asusu – Velez (A Made Up Sound remix)
- Kowton – Pea Soup
- Peverelist – Under Clearing Skies
- Mosca – Don’t Take This the Wrong Way
- Simo Cell – Stop the Killing
34:00 Truncate – Modify V2 [Truncate]
On other labels, Truncate is known for his balls-to-the-wall techno, but on his own label, he tones it down a little bit and adds some house elements at times, as can be heard via the bouncy melody in this one. Don’t get me wrong though, the music on this label is still raw, as I don’t think he would ever forgo that element of his productions. Aside from the label, he is also very adept at the art of the remix, some of which are mentioned below.
More suggestions from artist:
- Kink – Fantasia (Truncate remix)
- Dustin Zahn – Miss You (Truncate remix)
- Ellen Allien – Innocence (Truncate remix)
37:00 Tessela – Tenner Eclipse [Poly Kicks]
Tessela is next on our growing list of important UK producers. His first release on his label Poly Kicks called “Hackney Parrot” in 2013 became a genre-defining track in the UK music scene. It was almost a testament that the UK would continue to serve as an inspirational source of music as the curtains closed on the dubstep scene, and assured its fans that they would still have new music to look forward to.
More suggestions on label:
- Swimming
- Hackney Parrot (10_ton_mix)
40:30 Avalon Emerson – The Frontier [Whities]
As I mentioned, I am not much of an expert on this subject, and there will be times in which I don’t know much about a label, but have generally enjoyed its releases, and in these cases I will briefly mention it and move on. Whities is a UK-based label, and is a sub-label of the more well-known Young Turks, with releases distributed by Rush Hour.
More suggestions from label:
- Tessela – Glisten
- Avalon Emerson – Finally Some Common Ground
46:00 Hodge & Randomer – Slipping (Kowton remix) [Clone Basement Series]
Both Hodge and Randomer will show up later on in the mix. Hodge is another byproduct of the post-dubstep scene, while Randomer leans more towards the hard-hitting techno side. For some reason, whenever these two collaborate on a track, it always leads to percussive magic. Kowton has remix duties on this one to top it all off, a sort of holy trinity of UK sound.
Somewhat ironically, Clone is a Dutch label. Aleksi Perala, a producer who has been gaining much deserved attention from renowned DJs for both quantity and quality of his releases, has two full-length albums out on this label, which are more than worth checking out.
More suggestions from label:
- Blawan – Peaches
- Randomer – Concierge
48:30 Special Request – Brainstorm (Gerd Janson House mix) [Houndstooth]
Houndstooth is a sub-label of Fabric, and those well-versed in electronic music know that is all there needs to be said about it. Although this track is not representative of the label in general, I just wanted to mix things up a bit. The original mix of this tune, however, is representative of the label’s sound.
If you found yourself jamming to this a bit too hard, you might be a house head, in which case I would point you towards artists such as Peven Everett and Andrés. For the more adventurous, I suggest Soichi Terada, Jimmy Rouge, and Les Yeux Orange.
More suggestions from label:
- Call Super – I Look Like I Look in a Tinfoil Mirror
- Special Request – Trippethylophosphazene
53:00 Roman Flügel – Pattern 7 [Ongaku Musik]
I now take a brief segue into classics territory, with some German minimal released in 2000. I feel like it would be wrong to not mention Roman Flügel in an article like this, considering how much he has contributed to electronic music.
57:00 I – L.T.B.C.Y.B. [AtomTM_Audio_Archive]
We’re going to stay in German territory for the next couple.
1:00:30 Lucy – The Hermit (Blawan remix) [Zehnin]
Zehnin is a fairly obscure label based in Germany. Lucy heads his own label called Stroboscopic Artefacts, one of many great sources for German music.
More suggestions from label:
- Lucy – The High Priestess
1:04:00 Perc – Chatter (Hodge remix) [Perc Trax]
Perc is at the head of the UK’s industrial techno scene, with his label churning out one hard-hitting release after another like clockwork. His collaborations with Truss (e.g. remix of Mumdance – Move Your Body) and Randomer have received widespread acclaim, only to be topped by his full-length album released last year, called “Bitter Music.”
“Chatter” is one of the tracks on said album, with Hodge graciously taking on remix duties like the boss he is. I would highly recommend ear plugs should you attend a Perc show.
More suggestions from label:
- Ansome – Poison Your Body
- Scalameriya – Crucible
- Perc – Rat Run (Matrixxman remix)
1:08:00 Aleksi Perala – GBBVT1337152 (Len Faki Hardspace mix) [LF RMX]
If you were to ask me why Aleksi Perala tracks have weird titles, your guess would be as good as mine. It’s probably because he releases so many tracks that it would be impossible to assign proper titles to them. Anyway, if we’re staying on the topic of hard-hitting techno, Len Faki deserves a mention. Like Truncate, he is adept at the remix, and so it is hardly surprising he has his own label dedicated to the task.
More suggestions from label:
- Philipp Gorbachev – 5th New Century (Len Faki Hardspace mix)
1:12:30 Dynamo Dreesen, SVN, & A Made Up Sound – Untitled B1 [SUED]
This one was introduced to me by Midland’s Essential Mix, and I love tracks like this because it serves as a curveball in a mix. As it is marginally danceable, it gives listeners a respite amidst a long night of dancing. For some reason, this label thinks it is too cool to title their tracks, which leads to a tracklisting nightmare. Thus, track names must be accompanied by EP catalogue numbers for clarification; this one is [SUE013].
More suggestions from label:
- SW – [SUE016]
- SVN – [SUE017]
1:16:00 Hodge & Ishan Sound – C5 [Tectonic]
It would be humorous to claim a “UK sound” mix without playing a track from Pinch’s iconic Tectonic imprint. It is hard to find flaws in Pinch, a dubstep don from Bristol. Speaking of Bristol, there is a disproportionately high amount of talent stemming from this city (e.g. Hodge, Livity Sound, etc.).
Pinch is unlike his contemporaries mentioned above, as he chose to stick with the dubstep sound even as the movement was dying out. It is oddly satisfying to see a DJ still sticking to his vinyl guns, and his ability to stay in the mix despite the myriad limitations of wax DJing is unappreciated by most.
More suggestions from label:
- Skream – Bahl Fwd
- Mumdance & Logos – Legion (VIPinch)
- Pinch – No Justice
- Mumdance feat. Riko Dan – Hungry
1:19:30 Loleatta Holloway – Stand Up (Pangaea’s mix) [Hadal]
We go back to the motif of post-dubstep artists, and Pangaea is perhaps most well-known as one of the co-founders of Hessle Audio. He also has a few releases on his own label Hadal, such as this track, which was absolutely rinsed by DJs last year. His newest track “Bone Sucka” is also being rinsed as we speak, and will most likely seem “old” by next week, despite the track’s release just a month ago.
More suggestions from artist:
- Blue Hour – Falling Lines (Pangaea remix)
- Pangaea – Skips Desk
- Pangaea – Router
1:22:30 Pearson Sound – Tsunan Sun [Pearson Sound]
Speaking of Hessle Audio, this next track is also by one of its co-founders who also releases tracks on his own label. I had the opportunity of speaking with Pearson Sound briefly, telling him that his recent “Robin Chasing Butterflies” EP was “dope a.f.”
His songs have an unfailing ability to tear apart a dance floor, which is why so many DJs play his tracks, regardless of what their usual genre is. His remix of Kim English’s “Learn 2 Luv” was critically acclaimed last year.
More suggestions from label:
- Footloose
- XLB
1:25:30 Blawan – Rubber Industry [Ternesc]
Moving on to one of my favorite labels, Blawan’s Ternesc imprint. He is a member of techno groups Karenn and Parassela. I would describe him as a slightly more user-friendly version of Perc, but not by much. His résumé of heavy industrial techno tracks should be feared by the unsuspecting bystander. Speaking of which, this particular track even has the word “industry” in its title.
Despite only four releases to the label’s name, each and every single track is laudatory in their production quality, in the sense that there is a certain “smoothness” to them despite their fundamentally heavy backdrop, which render them more danceable than his genre counterparts.
More suggestions from label:
- Say What You Want to Say
- 993
- Fawner
1:29:30 Daphni – Ye Ye [Text]
A few years back, I was lucky enough to witness a 3-hour set by Four Tet, and it was easy to see why and how he has cemented himself at the heart of the UK’s music scene. If his music was a person, s/he could be described as a “proud loner,” misunderstood with no one to relate to, and yet owning up to it at the same time.
Four Tet is frequently seen DJing with other forward-thinking musicians, e.g. Jamie xx, Floating Points, and Ben UFO. This track by Daphni aka Caribou is probably one of the more well-known ones on his Text imprint.
More suggestions from label:
- Percussions – Digital Arpeggios
- Percussions – KHLHI
- Taraval – Bart’s Sanctuary
- Joe – Thinkin’ About
- Four Tet – Jupiters (Happa remix)
1:33:00 Randomer – Juju [L.I.E.S.]
Prior to writing this article, I had wrongly assumed that L.I.E.S. was Randomer’s label, as many of his best releases are on it. It is actually a label based in New York, which makes sense as the first two letters stand for Long Island.
No matter what route Randomer chooses to take his production, e.g. more tribal like this one or more industrial in others, the hyperbole of percussion is omnipresent, which makes playing his tracks such a fun experience. Other tracks on this label are more subtle while others go harder, and its catalogue encompasses a wide range of tracks to work with.
More suggestions from label:
- S. English – 1111
- Terekke – Mix 91
- Legowelt – Sark Island Acid
- Daywalker + CF – Easter
1:37:00 Bruce – I’m Alright Mate [Timedance]
We go back to Bristol for a moment to showcase Batu’s Timedance label. Its quality of releases is right up there with that of Hessle Audio and Livity Sound, and like these other two, its catalogue of tracks has a wide tempo range, which means there is something to play here for any moment of the night.
This is hardly surprising, as even a car honking in Bristol would probably sound great on a sound system. This is also a good moment to mention producers such as Bruce and Ploy, who are lesser known than their label-running counterparts, but nonetheless hold their own in the production realm.
More suggestions from label:
- Bruce – Post Rave Wrestle
- Lurka – Beater
- Ploy – Zoom
1:41:30 Jon Hopkins – Vessel (Four Tet remix) [Double Six]
Mandatory Jon Hopkins tune, given this is a mix about UK music. Four Tet on remix duties, really showcasing his impeccable production skills in this one. Other iconic tracks by Hopkins include “Light Through the Veins” and “Open Eye Signal.” If you like this style, I would also recommend Max Cooper, with tracks such as “Four Tone Reflections” and “Symmetry.”
1:46:30 Peverelist – Dance til the Police Come [Hessle Audio]
Ah yes, the inevitable time has come to talk about Hessle Audio, a post-dubstep label founded by Ben UFO, Pearson Sound, and Pangaea. If you listen to Hessle’s early releases (such as this one), you can hear the transition process from dubstep into the more Livity-type sound.
One quick word about Ben is that despite looking like the last person in the room to be the DJ, and without a single production credit to his name, he heads one of the most esteemed underground labels in the world, and electronic music enthusiasts around the world can’t wait to see him play. You never really know what kind of music he’ll play on any given night, but you have no doubt that it’s going to be an amazing time.
It is rare to see success cases of DJs who solely rely on mixing other people’s music, but people like Ben UFO or Hunee prove that it is possible. Any of Ben’s mixes (e.g. RA500, Essential Mix, etc.) is a testament that he won’t be needing to make a track anytime soon.
More suggestions from label:
- All releases on label
1:50:30 Leif – Bluebird [Tio Series]
There are two releases on this label so far, and both are good.
More suggestions from label:
- Leif – Shoulders Back
1:54:30 Mumdance & Logos – BMT [Different Circles]
As I was in the mix, I almost forgot about this London label, which would have been tragic indeed. This is the other label in this mix that is not for the faint of heart.
You’ll notice that tracks in this label sound “empty” or “hollow” at times, as the beat seems to meander in and out of the wind. Mumdance calls this “weightless,” and only the most open-minded clubbers seem to have fun in this context. I saw him a few years back, and I must admit I was very confused as well.
More suggestions from label:
- Chevel – The Call
- Airhead – Kazzt (Mumdance remix)
1:59:00 James Blake – Pan [Hemlock]
Hemlock is yet another UK label with a high quality of releases. I would describe it as a more listenable version of Different Circles, as it tries to balance out club-oriented releases with its generally weird catalogue. Bruce and Ploy (mentioned earlier) seem to have found two homes, going back and forth between Hemlock and Timedance.
More suggestions from label:
- Randomer – Bring
- Hodge – Swing for the Fences
- Parris – Your Kiss is Sour
- Bruce – Sweat
- Ploy – Lost Hours
2:02:00 Loefah – The Goat Stare [DMZ]
We are now entering dubstep tempo. This track will take us back in time to a South London club circa fifteen years ago. DMZ was a label headed by Mala and Coki, the forerunners in the heyday of dubstep. Its early releases (like this one) are interesting because the genre isn’t fully developed at this time yet, and thus there is no expectation of what it should sound like. Loefah is another inventor of the genre, and went on to found his own label Swamp 81 in the latter days of the dubstep movement.
More suggestions from label:
- Mala – Lean Forward
- Mala – Bury da Bwoy
- Loefah – Twisup
- Digital Mystikz – Earth a Run Red
2:05:30 Compa – Hallucinogen [Deep Medi]
Deep Medi is the successor label to DMZ, launched in 2006 by the same people. I think they appreciated that the genre had fully developed at this time, and wanted to solidify this by making a new label. It still releases dubstep to this day, and Mala can still be found DJing wax only at parties, as seen in his classic Boiler Room set.
More suggestions from label:
- Goth-Trad – Sinker
- Kahn – Abattoir
- Gantz – Spry Sinister
- Mark Pritchard – Heavy as Stone
- Sir Spyro – Topper Top
2:08:45 Nomine – Blind Man [Tempa]
Tempa is the label that released Skream’s classic namesake album, and its tracks are still rinsed to this day. The label has unfortunately been defunct as of 2016. Nomine is one of many producers who helped propel Tempa into its heyday, and started his own imprint called Nomine Sound after Tempa stopped releasing tracks.
More suggestions from label:
- Digital Mystikz – Give Jah Glory
- Skream – Blipstream
- Coki – Shattered
- Nomine – Nomine’s Chant
- D-1 – Crack Bong
2:12:00 Gramz – Dip Dip Potato Chip [Sentry]
Sentry is a label founded by Youngsta, who contributed heavily to Tempa’s success. I like to think of the label as the unofficial successor to Tempa, as the sounds are fairly similar.
More suggestions from label:
- Nomine – Stomp
- dBridge – Fashion Dread
2:15:00 Jamakabi – Hot it Up (Kahn & Neek remix) [Bandulu]
Kahn and Neek are also members of the vinyl only group. If people like Loefah and Mala invented dubstep, then Kahn perfected it to a science. His tracks like “Badman City” and “Way Mi Defend” are classic examples of dubstep at its apex. Along with Neek, their label Bandulu is yet another contributor in keeping dubstep alive. And surprise surprise, they too hail from Bristol.
There is an interesting element in dubstep (sound system) culture dating back to the vinyl days, which I will briefly discuss. In order to generate the most hype about a track, producers withhold releasing it as much as possible (2-3 years in extreme cases). This guarantees that only a handful of people have access to the song, thereby maintaining that exclusivity element and preventing the track from being rinsed. The “Yes iyah!” vocal sample heard in many Kahn and Neek songs thereby acts as a teaser, stating that “this is us, but you won’t be able to get this for a while.”
More suggestions from label:
- Kahn & Neek – Got My Ting
- Kahn – Fierce (Commodo remix)
2:18:30 RSD – Jah Way [Punch Drunk]
Like DMZ and Tempa, Punch Drunk is another dubstep label that existed in the past. Sticking to the motif of successor labels, it was actually the precursor to Livity Sound. Its last release was in 2014, with Kowton remixing Peverelist’s iconic “Roll with the Punches” as their farewell to the genre.
2:22:00 SBTRKT – Wildfire [Young Turks]
Young Turks has also contributed to UK music in a major way, as most of The xx’s albums are released on it.
More suggestions from label:
- Anything by Jamie xx
2:24:45 Objekt – Tinderbox [Objekt]
My apologies for the hasty transition here. I think I got a bit tired, started mixing this one in too soon, and had to abruptly cut out the previous track. Objekt usually produces techno, but the first release on his namesake label is hard-hitting dubstep. Like Ternesc, it only has four releases to its name so far, but he produces tracks with incredible precision. I guess this isn’t too surprising, as he is also a sound engineer. He is from Germany, but heavily subscribes to the UK sound.
More suggestions from label:
- Theme from Q
2:28:30 Cultureclash – Sultan Groove [Lost Futures]
This music is actually from the UK, which is probably as surprising for you as it was for me. I have a profound respect for the UK music scene and the way that their DJs play music in general because they always bring something new to the table and you don’t always know what to expect. I have no idea how else I would be introduced to music like this.
As a short aside, I must briefly mention Floating Points, as I unfortunately forgot to play one of his tracks. It’s somewhat relevant to talk about him in this section because he is constantly DJing obscure tracks like this one, from disco to Latin, from tribal to techno.
He is a truly unique musician because unlike his counterparts (Motor City Drum Ensemble, Hunee, etc.), he also produces techno and experimental music. Anyway, if you’re interested in the realm of obscure music, I suggest the Awesome Tapes from Africa and Melodies International labels.
2:32:00 Overmono – Inulin [XL]
Our final label is XL, which is known for putting out both mainstream and electronic music. Overmono is probably the most experimental act on its roster, a duo of brothers named Tessela and Truss (yeah, we’ve come full circle).
More suggestions from label:
- Overmono – O-Coast
- Jonny L – Piper (Peverelist remix)
If you’re actually reading and/or listening to this, thanks for going the distance and tuning in. Music is something I’m really passionate about and I’m glad I got to share some with you.
Notable omissions from the mix include the Hyperdub and Warp labels, and it is honestly beyond me how I forgot those, as they have contributed as much to UK music as any of these other labels above. Feel free to let me know if there was anything else I forgot, or to comment on any relevant subject matter.
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