Midweek Beats + Pieces Vol. 48
A general update from Me 2 U.
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.
WHAT I’VE BEEN DOING:
On Saturday, I played a surprise guest DJ set on Radio Active 88.6 FM from 1-4 PM as cover for The Late Late Breakfast Show. After some initial technical issues, I managed to power through several hours of Balearic beats, electro, EBM and more. No archive. If you were tuned in, you were tuned in.
On Sunday, when I was in a bit of a fog, I recorded another DJ mix of 90s UK street soul, swingbeat, and R&B, fittingly titled Street Soul 3. You can stream it via Mixcloud here.
On Wednesday, I was lucky enough to experience Nabihah Iqbal’s first-ever New Zealand concert. Backed by the session multi-instrumentalist Aldous Robinson, she performed some of the best of the material from her recent Dreamer album. It was a beautiful and balmy evening, defined by the sort of sounds you can almost bathe in and Iqbal’s extended stage banter, which is so smooth you sometimes feel like you’re listening to a BBC radio show.
On Thursday, the 1st of February 2024, I’ll be DJing at the Mick Harvey and Amanda Acevedo concert at Meow in Wellington. I don’t get to DJ a lot these days, but when I do, I’m always stunned by the range of gigs I get picked up for. It’s an honour and a privilege. Tickets are on sale here.
WHAT I’VE BEEN LISTENING TO:
Inter-dimensional music, by the late great Greek-born American musician and composer Iasos, has been long positioned as the album that launched the New Age Music Movement. Over the course of fifteen gorgeously titled and equally gorgeous sounding compositions, Iasos mapped out a sonic journey through the realms, which has served as a wellspring of inspiration for generations since. Etheric-tropical, inter-planetary, consciousness-traveling sound.
In 1989, research conducted by Professor Joel Funk at Plymouth State University reported that people who have had near-death experiences referred to the track "The Angels of Comfort" from Iasos's album Angelic Music (1978) as being closest to the music they heard during these experiences by a wide margin.
A Night in the Skull Discotheque by the beloved underground selector CCL is the latest offering in the T4T LUV NRG label’s highly limited DJ mix series of cassettes. This immersive journey through a wonderland of proto-dubstep sounds from the late 1970s through the year 2000 is a sonic sibling to CCL’s acclaimed 2018 mix Ode to Queer Steppas. Buy here.
No Tags Podcast (Chal Ravens and Tom Lea) talks with the great rap writer Jeff Weiss about the rise and fall of blogging, his new book on Britney, hyper-regional rap, the wisdom of Mike Davis and more. This episode is really really good. I felt equal parts depressed and inspired after I listened to it.
WHAT I’VE BEEN READING:
Pitchfork Is Being Folded Into GQ, as Condé Nast Seeks ‘Best Path Forward’ for Music Publication: Condé Nast is merging Pitchfork, the digital music publication it bought in 2015, with men’s magazine GQ — a move that will result in layoffs at Pitchfork, including the exit of editor-in-chief Puja Patel. Todd Sprangler for Variety. Read here.
Fact Mix - Tati au Miel: Haitian-born, Montreal-raised DJ, producer, composer and designer Tati au Miel is one of a new generation of artists shaping electronic and experimental music in their own image. Citing Moor Mother, Crystallmess, Dreamcrusher, Merzbow, Keiji Haino and Klein as key influences, they move within the legacy of fellow sonic iconoclasts Bobby Beethoven and Juliana Huxtable, breaking the rules, destroying dancefloors and blowing minds while paying homage to the communities from which their art resonates. Henry Bruce-Jones for Fact Mag. Read here.
Arabian Panther accuses Berghain of cancelling gig due to Palestine support: In a statement, the French-Lebanese DJ also accused the Berlin club of lying to the other artists about why last Friday's Ritmo Fatale showcase was pulled. Arielle Lana LeJarde for Resident Advisor. Read here.
The Samplers and Breakbeats Behind '90s Jungle/Drum & Bass: The story of how jungle/drum and bass was born, cultivated, and evolved in the UK—and the racial and class dynamics behind the genre's name—is impossibly rich and complex. Rather than a straight linear sequence of events, the genre's evolution has played out as the result of an interconnected web of social forces and technical innovations that have propelled the music forward. John Morrison for Reverb.
Blood, Sweat, Tears - A Tribute To Matias “Mayo” Rogers: After two years of mourning, Ron Rogers tells the story of his son's death and his own near-demise, along with the soundtrack to his grief and recovery. For The Passion of The Weiss. Read here.
The Beautiful Disaster Of My Chin: I have been daydreaming of the moko kauae I will receive after I publish my book. Because I descend from Kupe I want his kererū Rupe diving down my chin. That courting ritual which is so divine to watch in the hotter parts of the year. But this isn’t up to me. Is it? Talia Marshall, for her new substack, I hold you to me by a thread. Read here.
BONUS:
Machinedrum is playing in Wellington at Meow on Thursday, the 29th of February, 2024. Tickets are on sale here.
FIN.