The first week of January always feels a little like climbing a mountain backwards, so to speak, but music, as ever, helps oil the brain and move the feet. This first FADER Mix of 2015 is from Lithuanian-born, London-based DJ/producer Mamiko Motto and has plenty to get the juices flowing. The radio stalwart—her show Hepcat Radio has been on the air for 12 years on radio stations across Europe—has an ear for new music that bends the rules, and this mix is no exception. Dig in for the tongue-in-cheek flow of new NYC rapper Advanced Boi and German producer SCNTST's slow emo techno, plus listen out for a demo from R&B duo inc. and a live exclusive from PC Music's Danny L Harle. Catch Mamiko Motto's track-by-track notes on the mix after the jump.
Where are you right now? Describe your surroundings. I am currently in London, UK, where I just graduated from an audio engineering course at university over here, which was a lot of fun but now it feels great to be done with it and actually start an adult life. I am now spending 24/7 in my studio in Dalston, just making stuff, which is an unbelievable feeling of freedom. It really is the place where I am the happiest.
What is 2015 going to sound like? Being a child of the nightclub since very my early teens, I now relive the second generation of nightclub culture and it's interesting to see the music trends come and go again. 2015 will be a fantastic year. So many upcoming releases have been sent to me over the last few months, and most of them are completely next level. Personally, I am bringing happy hardcore back combined with X-rated dance music, almost to a pervert level. Sexy, crazy and deranged music is really something that rocks my boat and makes me happy. For example, Mr Oizo's The Church album on Brainfeeder is a number one album from last year for me, even though a lot of people told me they don't understand it. This year I am starting my new record label GASS with the slogan 'life's a gass.' It says it all really. I am planning to go all out there and showcase how f*cked up I really am and do it with pride. I will probably lose a lot of my followers all over again, but evolution is very important for me, and I never want to live my life as standing water.
You've long been a lynchpin of London's independent radio community. What's your favorite thing about being a broadcaster? I have been doing radio since I was a teen. I was 16 when I started broadcasting on a community station in Belgium. Radio is a really special part of my life because I have met a lot of amazing people through it and learned an enormous amount about music. In the radio studio, you don't feel the pressure to look better or act cooler—somehow radio eases me into my true personality and I even forget sometimes that someone is listening. I just play music I would play at home for my small circle of friends, and being able to make a career out of that is the biggest blessing.
What's your favorite dish to cook and how do you make it? I really used to be a tight cook, but recently I have been living such a busy life that I barely spend time at home. I always grab something really quick out or enjoy my flatmate's food, who's Italian and cooks for me all the time. That said, I love avocado and lately I'm into snacking on small bites of avo slices with seaweed caviar that I get imported from Belgium. I'm fancy :)
Tracklist:
01. Oneohtrix Point Never, "Rush"
"Oneohtrix Point Never has been around for a while, but his latest works for Warp are just next level for me, and his own record label Software has a lot of very good and unknown so far low-key artist material. I am a true fan when it comes to OPN."
02. The Phantom, "Turtles All The Way Down"
"I got introduced to this artist by my Brooklyn buddy and Astro Nautico daddy, Obey City. This is a Polish guy called Bartosz Kruczynski. I've been listening to a lot of cinematic/ambient music recently and I love how retro but still so current Phantom's sound is. I am a dead Phil Collins fan and I hear a bit of that in his music."
03. Advanced Boi, "Tigers & Bananas"
"This is a fresh new artist from NYC, who I met on my last USA tour. I honestly haven't been so excited about a rapper for a while. I really loooooove how raw and sarcastic his lyrics are and the whole image just takes me back to VHS films about the late '80s New York era. (Which the whole Astro Nautico crew is about, really.) I really believe this kid has a big future and will end up doing big things if he gets noticed by the industry heads—and I'm sure he will. Watch this space. Astro Nautico launched his debut video, 'Advance Yourself,' a few weeks ago."
04. Danny L Harle, "Faded Edit (Live)"
"Danny L Harle is currently my favorite producer from London. He releases under the PC Music umbrella, which is probably the fastest rising record label of the decade. I had A G Cook on my NTS radio show before anyone had a clue who he really was, or who he was about to become, and now he and his team are not only the hottest thing in UK's underground music, but global computer music spiceballs too. Danny L Harle's tracks "Broken Flowers" and "In My Dreams" are straight up Eurovision hits and to see 100,000 SoundCloud plays in 12 hours or so makes my heart melt. "Faded Edit" is a little exclusive skit from his current live sets. Look out for the debut album from Danny—it will be insane, I promise."
05. Spank Rock, "12 O'Clock Boys"
"Spank Rock doesn't need an introduction. I am a huge fan of Boys Noize records and all Spank Rock releases are off all chainz. Personally, he's my favorite rapper right now."
06. Four Tet, "Parallel Jalebi (Hudson Mohawke Remix)"
"'Parallel Jalebi' is probably my all time favorite track from Four Tet, and on this remix HudMo not only brings it back but takes it to another level—just like anything HudMo does. A few weeks ago I hung out at his studio and he played me his new album. I am not allowed to say much more, but it's finished and ready to be out this year on Warp Records. There is this insane slow-jam with Antony Hegarty on it that [made me] die and be reborn 12 times while listening to it. 2015 will see a HudMo x Mamiko reunion in some shape and form, but you will just have to wait a lil longer for more info.
07. Azealia Banks, "BBD"
"Azealia: amazing young girl that everyone loves to hate. She's a true artist, with pure talent, and amazing new collaborations and tunes to be released in 2015. I am proud to see strong young women coming through like that with a zero f*cks given attitude and being a badass as she is."
08. Suicideyear, "Don't Worry"
"I firstly came across Suicideyear when Brodinski sent me his first track on his Bromance label, "Finale." Soon, I got whole bunch of mixtape beats from him which all sounded unique in a way and made me feel. I like to speak of him as the David Lynch of hip-hop. He's working on a few great projects this year that you will find out in your own time. We gonna collab this year too, so watch out for that."
09. Arca, "Bullet Chained"
"Arca is crack and I am on it. That is all."
10. Escor Krist, "Body Work"
"Escor Krist is an LA-based young producer, again from the Boys Noize family. I just love love love him. I think he's my in my top three ones to watch in 2015 because of his retro sound and flow that I call 'Total Recall.' I grew up on happy hardcore and gabber music so for me his upcoming record is crazy. 10/10."
11. Napolian, "Return"
"Another young producer from Los Angeles who works with OPN and releases on Daniel's record label, SOFTWARE. This is an exclusive little track called "Return," which is a little bit more beautiful and less gangster than his previous works. It leaves me really curious to hear his full-length which is scheduled for a 2015 release on SOFTWARE."
12. Sharp Eagle Platform, "Harpies (Mamiko Motto Warpedfux Edit)"
"This is from a brand new record label called NHX. It's two guys making computer music, or maybe it's better titled as 'art music' perhaps. I'm into this stuff big time these days. It's a little bit post-rave, teenage rage.
13. Mykki Blanco, Untitled
"Mykki, the punk dog. Another NYC boi who really came through last year. I love how original he is, and he's actually an incredibly good live performer. I love how dirty he is and I'm really looking forward to seeing him evolve in 2015. It will be Mykki time."
14. SCNTST, "Kristall Edition (Fusion Mix)"
"I met this kid before he released any of his music. To be honest, now that I think of it, I don't even remember how it happened that I met him so early in his game. SCNTST is one of my favorite techno producers, who I also featured on my last compilation AMADA. Apart from the fact that I think SCNTST is a continuously progressing producer, he's also only 19 years old and he makes five tracks a day and mails them through Skype to me—this guy is here to stay. This track is taken from his new Puffer album, which is all this slow emo techno music. It's out February 16th on Boys Noize."
15. inc., "Our Time (Demo)"
"Last but not least, can we just staaaaaaahhhhhppppp for a second and take a moment to talk about inc.? One of the greatest bands of our generation, imo, and I am beyond ecstatic to hear about their return. This is a newly released demo from a couple of year ago but the guys are telling me they have an album ready. There's no official date yet but it's definitely 2015—lucky us."