Beats + Pieces Vol. 85
DJ Thadz & DJ Slugo, Kiva, Brooklyn Twilight Festival, Sunsets.
Selected Works is a weekly (usually) newsletter by the Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Aotearoa (Wellington, New Zealand) based freelance music journalist, broadcaster, copywriter and sometimes DJ Martyn Pepperell, aka Yours Truly. Most weeks, Selected Works consists of a recap of what I’ve been doing lately and some of what I’ve been listening to and reading, paired with film photographs I’ve taken + some bonuses. All of that said, sometimes, it takes completely different forms.
This week I’ve got a few different beats and pieces for you. First up, I was lucky enough to interview Chicago’s DJ Slugo and DJ Thadz for Mixmag to accompany their contribution to The Mix series. I’m also pleased to be able to present some details about the latest reissue project I’ve been involved in, Kiva by Kiva, and let you know about a couple of DJ gigs I’ve got coming up. Thanks for tuning in.
MIXMAG: THE MIX 082: DJ THADZ & DJ SLUGO
Between them, Thomas Kendricks, AKA DJ Slugo and Thaddeus Anderson, AKA DJ Thadz, represent two generations of undeniable Chicago talent. Musically speaking, their common ground is the raw, stripped-down sensibilities of ghetto house, the movement that changed both of their lives. Fittingly, both men released their first records through the storied Dance Mania Records, a label that helped reshape the sound of dance music in Chi-Town several times over. Decades on, they’re still celebrating its legacy, via their contributions to the recent ‘Dance Mania Legends’ vinyl compilation and accompanying digital EPs released through their Subterranean Playhouse and Clownhouse Muzik imprints, respectively.
Big thanks to the team at Mixmag HQ for inviting me to interview Thadz and Slugo to accompany their contribution to The Mix series. You can read my Q&A and listen to their mix here.
OUTTAKES: DJ SLUGO
As you can probably guess if you’ve read my Mixmag interview with Slugo and Thadz, Slugo is a pretty talkative guy. Here are a few outtakes I couldn’t quite fit into the final story.
What does the name Herb Kent mean to you?
DJ Slugo: That’s my man. Herb Kent, the cool gent. Herb was a good dude. I remember when I met him. Meeting somebody who had been on the radio for such a long time was special. I got the same feeling I got when I met George James. He’s an icon in Chicago, so being able to meet him, and him knowing who I was, was crazy. I was like, “You know who I am?” “Yeah man, you’re out here making a little noise!”
What did people like Blowfly and The Egyptian Lover mean to you?
DJ Slugo: Blowfly, I’d heard of him. Egyptian Lover—this is a great story. I’d never heard. I might have heard the music, but I had no knowledge of him. Then we ended up co-headlining a party. He does doodling on his record covers. He drew me something and said, “Now you’ll never forget me.” I framed it. It’s somewhere in my house. His show is nice. I’d never seen no shit like that.
Where were the first places you remember Ghetto House being embraced overseas?
DJ Slugo: I remember Deeon bragging about playing in London. For me, it was Italy. When I first got my passport straight, Italy had been trying to get me for a couple of years. I emailed the lady who wanted me to come over, and two weeks later, I was on a plane. I did three parties. They weren’t big, but they were big to me. I ended up going back several times for bigger parties. After the experience of taking that long flight, I didn’t want to do nothing else. Nobody could tell me nothing after I came back from Italy.
What else have you been up to?
I’ve just started a release series called Beast Mode. You know who gave me the idea? DJ Jazzy Jeff. He made this statement in an interview, where he said the problem with a lot of these producers is they’re not going to die empty. Let’s say you’re a producer with 300 songs on your computer. You go to the club, get in a car accident. You just died, and there are 300 songs sitting on your laptop. When you make that shit, bro, put that shit out. I looked on my computer and I realised I’d accumulated 236 records. So I called a graphic designer buddy and told him I was doing beast mode. He made me a graphic and did up twelve different coloured covers with it for Beast Mode vol.1 to 12. I’ve already got five volumes of it online. I’ve got it all planned out on my whiteboard.
KIVA, SELF-TITLED
Kiva, the first and only album from Royce Doherty and Paul Mac’s duo project of the same name, is a sparkling gem hiding in plain sight within the Australian musical canon. Originally released in 1997 by id/Mercury, Kiva offers up a collection of timeless queer pop songs draped in dreamy ambient, downbeat and dub sensibilities. The music is the product of a serendipitous meeting of minds between two young music obsessives who crossed paths in Melbourne in the mid-’90s. It’s also a perfect evocation of the futuristic techno-utopian impulses that supercharged the global electronica counterculture during the race towards the 21st century.
Big thanks to Danny and Nick from Gazebo Records for inviting me to write the liner notes for their reissue of Kiva by Kiva. It was a real pleasure to talk with Paul and Royce while reflecting on this record. It’s a vinyl-only reissue, but you can listen to the digital files over on Bandcamp.
BROOKLYN TWILIGHT FESTIVAL
On Saturday, the 15th of November, I’m going to spend the afternoon and evening working as the changeover DJ at Wellington’s free Brooklyn Twilight community festival. Last year was a lot of fun, and I’m looking forward to doing it again. Come along.
Later in the month, I’ll also be DJing at Michael Llewellyn’s short film fundraiser show at the Hataitai Bowling Club. The evening kicks off at 6:00 PM with yours truly spinning tunes alongside glow worms, hot dogs, bar, bowls, merch, and a gregariously plump raffle. As the sun begins to set, we’ll head upstairs for a special live performance where Michael will share a little about the film, intertwined with unreleased songs and stories. You can buy tickets here.
Well, that escalated fast. After last week’s sunsets post, I decided to print some of those images out and see how they looked. We can literally just make stuff, bro!
THE AOTEAROA ALTERNATIVE AWARDS 2025
On Saturday, I headed up the line to Palmerston North to attend their year’s edition of the Aotearoa Alternative Awards (previously known as the Student Radio Awards or the BNet Awards). I was very pleased to see three acts I worked with this year —Crystal Chen, Mokomokai, and MĀ — take home the trophies for SRN Top Song, Best Group, and Best Solo Artist, respectively. If you want to watch the event, you can restream it above.
FIN.