London : New York : Lagos. This episode is all about an urban electronic dance feel from Africa to the USA all filtered through the crazy mixed up melting pot of my home city, London. Or, to put it another way, I’ve been listening to the new Radioclit compilation, reading about legendary New York club The Loft. Or to put it another way: new music from Caribou. DJ Shadow, Aloe Blacc and the fabulous Planet Mu label and classics from Talking Heads and Manu Dibango. it’s all here. [setlist] Permanent Vacation – Zuckerhut (John Talabot Remix) – Permanent Vacation Shazz – Wherever You Are (Tom Moulton & Simon Le Saint Remix) – Pschent Caribou – Leave House (Motor City Drum Ensemble Remix) – City Slang Numan – Photograph – Planet Mu Tropics – Melorr – Planet Mu Darkstar – Under One Roof – Hyperdub DJ Shadow – I’ve Been Trying – digital file Aloe Blacc – Femme Fatale – Stones Throw Manu Dibango – Soul Makossa – Selector Series Talking Heads – Radio Head (Extended Mix) – Sire Batida feat Bras Firmino – Nufeko Disole – Crammed Discs Keziah Jones – Lagos Vs New York (Gilles Peterson Remix) – Because Music Bob Holroyd – African Drug (Fourtet Remix) – Phonica

This week is mostly about soup and synths. All the soup is gone. Tomorrow I will make some more.

In this episode – a big bag for of non conformist dance music, abstract and atmospheric grooves, with exciting new music from James Blake, Nicolas Jaar, Jimmy Edgar and a classic from Nina Simone. It’s all here. [setlist] Russell Yallop – I Can’t Wait – Crosstown Rebels Fritz Zander – When The Lights Went Out – Suol Emmanuel Jal – Kuar (Henrik Schwarz Remix) – Innervisions Tropics – Melorr – Planet Mu Nicolas Jaar – Love You Gotta Lose Again – Double Standard James Blake – I Only Know (What I Know Now) – R&S Nina Simone – Mr Bojangles – BMG Gonjasufi – The Caliph’s Tea Party (Broadcast & The Focus Group Re-Edit) – Warp CFCF – Big Love (Mathemagic Remix) – Paper Bag Records Duncan Powell – Pushin’ – 2nd Drop Music Elgato – Tonight – Hessle Audio Jimmy Edgar – My Balance (Last Priority) – Non Plus Franc Spangler – Open Eyes – Delusions Of Grandeur

My life is history. The sleeves of the 7” singles that I bought as a kid, that I treasured, that were life blood, escape, dreams, the future; those sleeves are kitsch tat hanging on the walls of the bar that I am DJing in. Like the horse brasses and toby jugs in a country pub they are little more than useless but cool stuff to fill up some empty space. I am in Portsmouth, a city with a bad reputation, with some people who want to change that. I discover The Barn, a sound proofed room at the back of pub somewhere near Fratton Park, where parties can go on for as long as they can go on, because once you’re inside, nobody outside can hear you. Tonight it’s psy-trance. Luke and I don’t stay long. At Kraken Wakes (no soundproofing, better music and those 7” sleeves hanging from the ceiling) we make a little party by playing tunes on the Function One. And I wonder if the format really makes a difference, if you can fall in love with a digital file like you can fall in love with a vinyl single. And I wonder if, now, as long as we can get online, we can access nearly all music nearly all the time, it’s possible for music to have such a massive impact on the way people think ever again. And I wonder if the way I brought myself up, finding answers in the grooves etched into those slabs of vinyl, fining solace in the the words and sounds and ideas, the calls the action, the moments of tenderness, the anger, the love, I wonder if that was a good thing after all. Then we play, and it’s good, and people dance and smile and I drink another beer and though it all still makes sense , none of it seems to matter.

or: in search of swallows or: all at sea or: say hello, wave goodbye