Can’t remember the first time I met Tanya, but I feel like I’ve seen her around town for years. I remember the first time I saw her live though, she was  supporting Buke & Gass at The CAMP. Her set really impressed me and started chatting. A few minutes later she introduced me to her friend Debruit and somehow we all ended up drinking rum all night back at his place dancing to afrobeat. It was quite the Tuesday night.

If you aren’t familiar with Tanya, watch this video first and then go to her soundcloud to check out some of her original material. Gilles Peterson is a fan of hers and hopefully you will be too if you aren’t already.

[See post to listen to audio]

Download: Tanya Auclair – BTGMX009

Can you please introduce yourself?

Hi, I’m Tanya Auclair, Singer / Songwriter / Musician / Producer.

I’m doing two live film scores this weekend, first is a commission for Birds Eye View’s Sounds & Silents – I’ll be performing a new score to 1912 silent film ‘The Female of the Species’ at the Southbank on March 9^th. In the same series I’ll be playing on Arista Hawkes’ live score to ‘Sparrows’ on March 11^th too. Its exciting to be given the keys to making a whole new experience out of a film, what you can do with sound is almost like 3D for the ears. Then on March 30^th I’m supporting one of my favourite bands, United Vibrations, at the Vortex, we’ve just collaborated on some new work together, so this will be the maiden voyage!

Your Origami EP was great. Any plans on a future release?

Yes, my next release is out later this Spring. Then a 2nd EP with Yult is out in April plus some more collaboration work I’m excited about is on the cards.

Any thing we should be reading, watching or listening to?

Read: Musicophilia by Oliver Sacks
Watch: Badlands by Terrence Malick
Listen to: Gotham by Michael Gordon

Tracklist:

Anna Meredith – Nautilus
Nobukazu Takemura – Icefall
Broadcast – Minim
The Mamas & Papas – Got a Feelin’
Owen Pallett – Keep the Dog Quiet
Chico Buarque - Construção
William Gum-Boot & Lawrence Wiffin – Dramatic
Micachu & The Shapes and the London Sinfonietta – Low Dogg
George Coleman – I Wish I Could Sing
Snr Eddie Donkor – Eye Banker
Tanya Auclair – Fluke
Tasaday – To Talk Is Impossible
The Staple Singers – Uncloudy Day
Georgia Anne Muldrow – Frames
Delicate Steve – Wondervisions
El Guincho – FM Tan Sexy
Serge Gainsbourg – New York USA
Talking Heads – Born Under Punches
tUnE-yArDs – Powa
Three Girls – I’m Running on the River
Sam Cooke – Little Red Rooster
Van Dyke Parks – Public Domain

Next up in our mix series is Ill Blu, a South West London duo that make tough dance music, have a regular show on Rinse and also run music production youth programmes. They have released EPs on two of the UK’s most respected labels, Hyperdub and Numbers. I reckon 2012 is going to be a big year for them. You can read more about them in this recent interview and if you’re in town tonight, you can see them headline our dance.

[See post to listen to audio]

Download: Ill Blu – BTGMX008

Graphics – Transition
Sunday Roast – Afrika
Ma1 – Elecktron
Ill Blu – Nouvelles
Dva – Flute Tune (Mad slinki rmx)
86 Baby – Word of mouth
Sunday Roast – Bass
dj Naughty – Dangerzone
Shay n Sinista – Goes Wrong
Peven Everett – How Bad I Want you
LR Groove – Control
Smooth Kriminal – Magma
Jook10 – Hazard
Engineers – Samba
Joe Goddard – Gabrielle

It has been a while.

But, our next mix comes from one of London’s best kept secrets, Budgie. He is an integral member of the Livin’ Proof collective and spend the rest of his time working at Honest Jons and making tunes. We posted his last mix when it came out and we weren’t the only ones to rave about it. Even though it was a free download, he pressed some up and they sold out almost immediately throughout London’s best record shops.

His mixes are well-crafted excursions into boogie. He always features at least one of his edits in them too – so you know you’re always getting something you haven’t heard before, even if you know some of the tunes.  Like most of our other mixes, it is something you can put on at any time.

[See post to listen to audio]

Download: Budgie – BTGMX007

Ohio Players – Time Slips Away
Patryce ‘Choc’let’ Banks – I’m In Love
Donald Byrd – I Feel Like Loving You Today
Gene Dunlap – It’s Just The Way I Feel
Sassafras – Paradise Of Love
Lamont Dozier – I See You (Budgie Edit)
Patti Austin – That’s Enough For Me
Pieces Of A Dream – Pieces Of A Dream
Bobby Caldwell – Can’t Say Goodbye
René & Angela – Imaginary Playmates
Slave – Coming Soon
Ivy – Say You Will
Lesette Wilson – Caveman Boogie
Magnum Force – Girl You’re Just Too Cool
Heaven & Earth – I Really Love You
Airto Moreira – The Road Is Hard (But We’re Going To Make It)

We wanted to do something a little different for our next mix, so we enlisted the collective behind Bristol’s freshest garment outlet (Donuts) and one of the city’s most forward-thinking clubnights (Crazylegs). We have actually been in the process of chasing it since June – I see you Jamie! The reason I wanted to have them curate a mix is because I found it very impressive that some young guys were running a retail shop off their own backs.

I’ve got massive respect for Turntablelab, and Donuts seems to be their British equivalent. Since the Donuts lads are so busy, I wasn’t too fussed with the six month delay. To be honest I thought they had all but forgotten my request. But then when I posted pics of BTG015, our signature tee, they got in touch straight away.

And to make things even more interesting, after agreeing on an interview I thought it would be cool if they repped their city through the mix. That was the only criteria to be met in the brief – that it be 100% Bristol. Three hours later I had a mix in my inbox thanks to Crazylegs resident EFA. Its focuses on new sounds from the UK bass scene, but is a bit more special than your average mix of said variety due to its geographical focus.

[See post to listen to audio]

Download: EFA (Pollen/Crazylegs) – BTGMX006

Exclusive interview and tracklist after the jump

How was Donuts started?

Tom:  We started the store three years ago with the intention of bringing a collection of brands to Bristol that we loved and were currently unavailable.

Jamie: We’d worked in clothing stores prior to opening Donuts and felt that if we were to continue doing that it had to be for ourselves.  It’s clothing I love as opposed to retail so it really seemed the only way to progress for me.

What’s the grind like, running a retail shop?

J: It can be pretty tough but also really rewarding.  Donuts is a very personal thing for us so when people appreciate what we do I take that as a big compliment.  It’s a really good feeling to go to a club and see a bunch of people rocking stuff that I know has come from our store.

T: Yeah the shop is a strong reflection of ourselves and so often feels like my home away from home – in that respect it’s great.  It is a lot of work though and it doesn’t just end at 7pm when we close.

J: Like A-Ron says, never not working.  Haha.

You also run Crazylegs, one of Bristol’s best clubnights. Can you tell us a little bit about that? Why the need to differentiate between Donuts and Crazylegs?

J: Our Donuts nights grew from the idea of putting on a party for the people that shopped with us and we ran them monthly at this great little club called the Tube (RIP) until 2009.  Crazylegs had launched in the meantime and to be honest we stepped on each others toes a little in terms of bookings, so when Tube closed Andy (DJ Shandy) came to us, and some other promoters, to suggest we join forces.  More people involved gave us the scope to put on the shows we wanted to with less risk so basically that’s the difference; Donuts is just Tom and myself where as Crazylegs is a kind of all-conquering, 10-headed promotional beast.

T: We (Crazylegs) all come from fairly different musical backgrounds and we’ve never really had a booking policy – essentially we just want to throw great parties people will remember!  Venue magazine made us their Club Of The Year 2010 and we’d love to make it two on the bounce.

What trends fade quicker, music or fashion?

J:  I guess trends can be pretty fleeting with either so hopefully we don’t get too caught up in them. What we do is (we hope) very current but at the same time I want to be able to look back and be proud rather than wonder what the hell I was thinking.

What does Bristol have that London doesn’t?

T: Without sounding too lame, Bristol has a strong sense of community.  Despite the fact it’s a large city it can feel quite small sometimes and this definitely works in it’s favour.  Promoters, clubs and bars all work well together and the same goes for the healthy independent retail scene.  Oh and it has Donuts..  ;)

What can we expect from you for the rest of 2011?

J:  We’re stepping things up again this year and putting some parties on at Blue Mountain.  It’s a legendary venue in Bristol that’s slipped a bit in recent years but it’s just had some money spent on it and Dirt Sounds have just put a monster new Funktion 1 rig in there.  We’re doing a party there on Friday (18th Feb) with Joker, Superisk & Tomb Crew and Crazylegs touches down there on March 19th, but we’ll still be doing parties in smaller clubs too and hoping to keep people on their toes with our bookings.  We want to make sure that bigger nights don’t equate to more restricted lineups.

T:  On the shop side of things we’re welcoming in a few new brands for 2011 which we’re really looking forward to.  We also have some amazing exhibitions planned for the coming few months which are definitely worth looking out for.  Our store doubles up as a small gallery space so if you miss the launch of a show then drop in and take a look any other time.

Describe the mix.

J: EFA put it together and it’s all tracks from Bristol artists or released on Bristol labels.

EFA: I really enjoyed having a theme for this mix, I usually select on the fly but this allowed me to pull the tunes 1st. Had a few key matches near the end which were completely unplanned. PS, Conjecture by Hodge is out on March 21st from all the big online record stores.

Any shoutouts?

J: Big up team Crazylegs: Jonny, Gwyn & Shaun, Shandy, the Kelly Twins, Daz and everyone that comes to our nights.

-

BTGMX006 Tracklist:

EFA – Up Your Gums (Dub)
Kowton – She Don’t Jack (Idle Hands)
Julio Bashmore – Ask Yourself (PMR)
Hodge – Hackers (Forthcoming Well Rounded)
Kahn – Like We Used To (Forthcoming Punch Drunk)
Pinch – Qawwali (Planet Mu)
Andy Mac – Every Time (Dub)
Geiom – Luna (Soul Motive)
Shortstuff & Hyetal – Don’t Sleep (Punch Drunk)
Velour – Kick It Till It Breaks (Night Slugs)
Artifact – Comin’ Up (Forthcoming Car Crash Set)
Hodge – Conjecture (Forthcoming Pollen)
Smith & Mighty – B Line Fi Blo (Punch Drunk Unearthed)
Al Tourettes & Appleblim – Lipsmacker (Deadboy Remix) (AUS)
Peverelist & Hyetal – The Hum (Punch Drunk)
Peverelist – Roll With The Punches (Punch Drunk)
Guido feat. Aaryao – Beautiful Complication (Punch Drunk)
M.I.K – Duppy & Leave (Kahn Remix) (Dub)
Joker – Stuck In The System (Earwax)

Our latest mix comes from the internet’s mixtape king, Paul Pre. First came across him as a dj via Pandasession #2 a few years ago. That mix was incredible and came at a perfect time when the beats scene started to find its footing. Shortly afterwards he started making tunes as ArtAtAll, but that project has been put on hold for a while. Hopefully it’ll come back in full force soon.

When I asked Paul to contribute a mix I wanted to know if there was any way he could make it in a similar vein to PS#2, so that it would essentially be Pandasession 3. It took a few months to get locked down, but getting this through was definitely worth the wait. It is a mix  you can put on anytime, with soulful foundations and heavy emphasis on bass.

[See post to listen to audio]

Download: Paul Pre – BTGMX005

Tracklist

Dimlite – Roo (A Dedication)
Annu – Innerspace
JSBL – The Flu (Dorian Concept Remix)
Mister Bilal – A Love Supreme
Crackazat – Track 04
Devonwho – Braketime (Mndsgn’s sequel)
Cuthead – Painquilizer
Cali Fire Comission – Break
Teebs – Double Fifths
Alex B – Murked
Lone – Interview At Honolulu
Shigeto – What We Held On To
Shlohmo – Tomato Squeeze
Comfort Fit – Eternitiez
eLan – eLevonwho (feat. Devonwho)
Myke Forte – Taurus
Quest – Smooth Skin
Shigeto – After The Smoke
Arp 101 – Dead Leaf
Jimmy Edgar – Hush
Fatima – Soul Glo
Emanative – When On Earth (Wahchuku Mtronix Version)
Mount Kimbie – Before I Move Off
FaltyDL – Odyssey
MXM – Move Me

Artwork by Ross Gunter.

We are pleased to announce our 4th mix hosted by the headliner of our next party, Lil Silva. It is an excursion through rough and tough riddims and includes staples of the contemporary UK underground dance sound along with some unreleased goodies. With an EP set to be released on forthcoming label, Good Years, and a recent mix for XLR8R (not to mention featuring in Soul Jazz’s latest comilation Riddim Box) you can expect a lot from Silva in 2011. We look forward to having him smash BTG016 in a few weeks.

Tracklist

Wiley – Roaming
Seiji –Weed Killer
Donae’o – Oi Mate
Marcus Nasty – Untitled
Macabre Unit – Tensor Jam
Seiji – Timber
Chase & Status Ft Tempa T – Next Hype
Gyptian – Hold Yu – (Funkystepz remix)
Lil Silva – Cheese & Bun
Redlight ft Ms Dynamite – What You Talking About
Lil Silva – Untitled
Mc Creed – We Doin it Again
Lil Silva – Seasons
Breach – Fatherless
Teedra Moses – Be Your Girl (Perempay & Dee remix)
Macabre Unit – Dem Na Ready Yet
Ms Brat – Selecta (Redlight remix)

[See post to listen to audio]

Download: BTGMX004 – Lil Silva

Our third mix in our series comes from one of the friendliest men I know in dubstep: Rob Kemp, or as most know him, Brackles. He’s released forward-thinking dance music for a good while now and started up a great label last year, garnering mad respect from all the right people. I asked him if he would be up for contributing a mix at a party a while ago,  he replied that he’d really like to do a summer mix with tunes he didn’t get to play out. Now that summer is coming to an end, it seems like the perfect way to say goodbye to the best one in years. Most mixes that you come across these days are snapshots of a certain time and place, BTGMX003 avoids that in a really classy way – I know I’ll be bumping it for years to come.

[See post to listen to audio]

Download: Brackles – BTGMX003

Could you please introduce yourself, for those that don’t know you?
I’m Brackles – I started out DJing when I was 15 and got into making music through that. I now DJ on Rinse FM every Thursday and play out most weekends. I also run the Blunted Robots label with Shortstuff.

What’s the story behind this mix?
There’s not really any rules to the mix – it’s from all different genres and decades. I just wanted to play some of the records you wouldn’t hear me playing on Rinse or in the clubs. Most of these records are my favourite track off a particular album so it made sense to draw them all together onto one mix. I guess the goal was just a good selection of tracks for the summer.

What do you prefer, making tunes or making mixes?
A few months ago I’d have said mixes, but I’ve really been getting into the tunes recently and I think I prefer making beats now.

What inspires you more, sights or sounds?
Definitely sounds, I couldn’t really say sights influence my music. I reckon that sights have a more subconscious effect on what I make..

You run Blunted Robots with Shortstuff and your brother Martin Kemp. How has that been? What’s in store for the future?
I just run it with Shortstuff actually! [ed note, my bad!] Yeh running the label has been a lot of fun and hard work. It’s been a steep learning curve but I think we’re getting there with it now. The next release is me and Shortstuff feat. Terrible Shox – Good Foundations with a Doc Daneeka rmx. After that we have DJ Dom’s debut 12″.

Any other hype stuff we should know about?
My Songs For Endless Cities CD is dropping on !K7 at the end of August. I’m working on a big project for after that but I’m not sure I can say what that is yet.

BTGMX003 – Brackles

O.V. Wright – Let’s Straighten it Out [Delabel]
Jay Z – Feelin’ It [Rock-A-Fella Records]
Dr Alimantado – Can’t Conquer Natty Dreadlocks [Greensleeves Records]
Roy Ayers – D.C. City [Uno Melodic Records]
Stevie Wonder - Too High [Tamla Motown]
Gil Scott-Heron – When You Are Who You Are [Flying Dutchman]
Bobbi Humphrey – Harlem River Drive [Blue Note]
Dave & Ansel Collins – My Best Girl [Trojan Records]
Drexciya – Organic Hydropoly Spores [Tresor]
Eighties Ladies – Turned On To You [Uno Melodic Records]
Susan Cadogan – Nice and Easy [Trojan Records]
Rico – Africa [Island Records]
Larry Heard – Missing You [Alleviated Records]
Raymond Scott - Portofino [Basta]

[Brackles will be dj'ing at Phonica Records this Friday Friday the 27th of August to celebrate the release of his K7 mix cd. More info here.]

This is a collection of songs that I’ve really been feeling over the past couple of months. I’ve been sitting on a few unreleased tracks for a while, so they are all pretty much available now. And most of them have been available for ages! While its almost a cliché to mix house/garage/funky/dubstep/etc, I’ve never had the ability (or common sense?) to stick to one genre so its nothing really new for me. I had fun putting this mix together and hope it serves as a soundtrack to a World Cup after-party somewhere around the globe. ^CC

Roska – I Need Love (ft Anesha) [Rinse Recordings]
Mommas Boy – At Night [Nightshifters]
Hot City – Another Girl [Moshi Moshi Records]
Ikonika – Psoriasis [Hyperdub]
Deadboy – If U Want Me [Numbers]
Lil Silva – Funky Flex [CDR]
Aaliyah – Are You That Somebody [Atlantic Records]
Panash – Cheval (Przewalski’s Eastern Bounce) [BBE]
Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs – Dipper [Greco-Roman]
Gregor Salto – Just For Fun [G-Rex]
A Made Up Sound – Rework [A Made Up Sound]
Floating Points – Shark Chase [Eglo Records]
Pole vs Mike Huckaby – Düsseldorf (Mike Huckaby SYNTH remix) [~scape]
Reboot – Caminando [Sei Es Drum]
Débruit – Nigeria What? [Civil Music]
Ramadanman – Glut [Hemlock Recordings]
Hypno – Over The Top [Brownswood Recordings]
Logic – Blues For You (Hard Dub) [Strictly Rhythm]
Joe – Claptrap [Hessle Audio]
Ginuwine – Pony [Sony Music]

[See post to listen to audio]

Download: BTGMX002 – Count Chocula

[Ed. Count Chocula is playing this Friday at The CAMP Basement for COLOURR alongside Ikonika (Hyperdub) and on July 3rd at The Alibi for our next BTG night alongside Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs.]

BTGMX is our new semi-regular Mix/Podcast series and the aim is to supply you with lovely new music from DJs and Producers that we rate and would recommend to you without a moments hesitation. First up is Bother (otherwise known as Edwin, the synth player of Foals) who came down to play at our night a few months back. His mix is a fine blend of: House; UK Funky and this new Future Garage stuff which is damn sweet. Enjoy.

Kasper – Untitled One
Riva Starr – Dance Me ft. Trim
L-VIS 1990 – Run
Geeneus – Make Me
Hardhouse Banton – Reign
Harvard Bass – 81
D-Malice – Gabrielle
Hackman – Pistol In Your Pocket
Guillaume And The Coutu Dumounst – Safety Meetings
Kenny Larkin – Wake Me
Omar S – Psychotic Photosynthesis
Dennis Ferrer – Hey Hey (DF’s Attention Vocal Mix)
Darkmountaingroup – Lose Control
Pearson Sound – Wad
Mosca – Gold Bricks, I See You
William Kouam Djoko – Sorry To You Too
Speech Debelle – Spinnin’ (DVA Funkstep Remix)
Deadboy – U Cheated
Cosmin TRG – Make Everything Alright
Radio Slave – Tantakatan (The Drunken Shed Mix)

[See post to listen to audio]

Download: BTGMX001 – Bother (Foals)