Stay Cool

▶ Discover: @geotheorymusic ▶ Read the write-up via @first-ear: bit.ly/geotheorycatchup ▶ Read my first interview with Geotheory: http://bit.ly/geotheoryinterviewsept2014 GEOTHEORY isn’t into comfort zones. Since I first interviewed the New York native in September 2014 it was clear that progression is paramount to the producer. At the time he’d just released Futuristic Love, his debut EP as Geoth...

Stay Cool #15 looks at some of my favourite hip-hop that's been inspired by, or samples video-games and anime. Starting out with a bass and trap offering, the mix slows down into smooth hip-hop about a quarter of the way in. This mix also includes a track from myself, but it's not in the tracklist below so you'll have to listen (and maybe check my instagram posts) to find out which one it is! Trac...

▶ discover: @swindail ▶ Read part one (bit.ly/swindailinterviewpt1) and part two (bit.ly/swindailinterviewpt2) via @first-ear This is the mix I made to play in the background of my Swindail interview. My aim was to create a sonic picture of the Australian producer using his sounds along with those of similar artists and his friends + influences like montell2099, Herzeloyde and Alexander Lewis. Tra...

▶ discover: @swindail ▶ Read part one of the write-up via @first-ear: http://bit.ly/swindailinterviewpt1 When it comes to discussing this year’s breakout producers, it’s easy to make a case as to why Swindail should be in that conversation. The Australian beat-maker has risen to prominence swiftly in 2015 following a series of high power moves, beginning with the release of his Sam Gellaitry-sampl...

▶ Discover: @freshselects As always is the case, one week after each Meet the Movement entry I upload a mix I’ve created for use as the background music for each interview, and also as a celebration of the movement. The mix serves of a look at Fresh Selects past, present and future, featuring early exclusive releases from before the movement was a label, recent hits from Iman Omari and SiR’s lates...

▶ Discover: @freshselects ▶ Listen to Part 1: http://bit.ly/MeettheMovement005part1 Fresh Selects is pushing towards a position in the music scene that few other record labels are at. Its wide-ranging yet consistent releases mean that it can’t be defined as simply a beat-label, or an R&B label and so on. With a level of quality (just look at his Discogs page) that will be soon joined in terms of i...

Is it otaku trap? Vaporwave? All I know is I have a deep appreciation for this emerging sound that seems to draw heavily from Japanese influences, specifically anime and video games. This entry in the Stay Cool series focuses on that area of music, while including a few other tracks that feel loosely connected somehow. Tracklist: 1. Eugene the Jeep - l i n k s t a r t 2. Entheogenesis - ICE WATER...

▶ Discover: @freshselects ▶ Listen to Part II: https://soundcloud.com/seangran/meet-the-movement-005-kenny-fresh-of-fresh-selects-part-2-interview How many record labels do you know that started out as a blog? That’s exactly the path Kenny Fresh took with his label Fresh Selects, which originally started as FreshSelects.net 7 years ago. Since then the brand’s growth has been monumental, and has se...

With the latest Meet the Movement interview featuring Dexter Brandon of Kolossus Records, I’ve now released the mix I made for it, featuring two brand-new, exclusive tracks from the head-honcho himself. Though Kolossus’ roster may be ever-evolving, this mix acts as a mostly retrospective look at some of the label’s best tracks, from the likes of Falcxne, Rilla Force, VAPERROR and more. One of the...

▶ discover: @kolossus-records || @dexterbrandon ▶ Read Part. 1 via @artistic-manifesto: bit.ly/meetthemovement4pt1 Dexter Brandon is a busy man. Aside from being a student, he produces, draws and runs Kolossus Records, a diverse label that began in 2013 and has since put out releases from the likes of Falcxne, Vaperror and NeguimBeats. Formerly known as XED Official, I spoke to Dexter in July abou...

Volume 13 slows things down and highlights an emerging sound that feels like a cross between Akira Yamaoka's guitar-lead haunting joints and trap for the most part. The mix starts and ends with some drifting selections, showcasing the work of a number of standalone producers and SESH affiliates in between. Tracklist: 1. mathbonus - there is light in us 2. TRIAD$ - Pink Sheets 3. falls x drk - blan...

▶ discover: @noirsound ▶ intro by MadBliss (a.k.a. @escents) One week after each Meet the Movement entry I’ll be uploading a mix featuring strictly artists and affiliates from the movement I interviewed. These mixes are intended for use as the background music for each interview, and also as a celebration of the movement. This mix features every Film Noir artist, as well as a few of the roster's c...

▶ discover: @noirsound ▶ Read Part. 1 via @artistic-manifesto: bit.ly/MTM3pt1 ▶ Get the mix from this interview: http://bit.ly/MTMMix3 After a slight delay Meet the Movement returns for its third installment, focusing on one of the most exciting labels to appear in the last few years, Film Noir. Despite being just four months old, the label has already achieved so much, including securing their la...

This is the mix I did for my interview with Tokyo-based producer submerse. In addition to a number of his own tracks, it features music from we discussed in the interview, including his friends, inspirations and artists he's feeling at the moment, such as Ben Frost and froyo ma. Tracklist: 1. submerse – Melonkoly 2. aru-2 – namara waya 3. Green Butter (Budamunk & Mabanua) – Lights Out 4. submerse...

My first ever mashup. Rearranged the vocals slightly to fit the instrumental better, if you want a version with the vocals unedited, grab it here: http://bit.ly/pillowtempzOG Thanks for all of the support so far. More original stuff coming soon. Much love to @sivey and @tempatnexthype.

▶ discover: @italdredrecords ▶ Listen to the interview: http://bit.ly/1H5Gism ▶ Read Part 1 over at @artistic-manifesto: bit.ly/MTM2pt1 One week after each Meet the Movement entry I’ll be uploading a mix featuring strictly artists and affiliates from the movement I interviewed. These mixes are intended for use as the background music for each interview, but also as a celebration of the movement. I...

▶ Discover: @italdredrecords ▶ Read Part 1 over at @artistic-manifesto: bit.ly/MTM2pt1 ▶ Get the mix: http://bit.ly/1CLDPgG Meet the Movement is an interview and mix series that highlights the stories of the people behind the labels that we’ve come to love in recent years, as well as the sounds that define them. The second installment of the series looks at Italdred, a London-based label that star...

▶ discover: @darkerthanwax ▶ Listen to the Interview: http://bit.ly/19bLz5h ▶ Read Part 1 via @artistic-manifesto: : bit.ly/MTMpt1 ▶ Read Part 2: bit.ly/MTM1pt2 One week after each Meet the Movement entry I’ll be uploading a mix featuring strictly artists and affiliates from the movement I interviewed. These mixes are used as the background music for each interview, but I figure it’s well worth re...

▶ discover: @darkerthanwax ▶ Read Part 1: http://bit.ly/MTMpt1 ▶ Read Part 2: http://bit.ly/MTM1pt2 ▶ Download the mix: http://bit.ly/18AbSAI As SoundCloud, Spotify and other online-based music platforms pave the way for how we consume audio in the digital age, artists are finding themselves with more power and control than ever before. New collectives and record labels are being created at a reco...

Stay Cool #009 is all about deep sounds, taking a few cuts from the brilliant Deep Heads Vol. 1 Project and blending them with 2 Step, Downtempo and Bass-heavy jams from forward-thinking artists like Lapalux, Bonobo and Sh?m. Tracklist: 1. Trashbat - Ink & Pink 2. Fybe:one - How We Do 3. Submotion Orchestra - All Night 4. Atu - For Us 5. Haan808 - JourneyToTheMiddleEast -/ft. Vanessa Elisha (frees...

"As summer is around the corner I present this as an uptempo Summer playlist for your ears. Most of the tracks are from this year, and the mix highlights a number of people to watch out for, including JD Reid, Haywire, Avec Avec, Renz and many more." 1. Avec Avec - Moon Prism 2. Chloe Martini - Candy 3. Sivey - Cause and Effect 4. wu05 - VOLUME EIGHTY-SEVEN 5. Dreamers Delight - Sunday 6. JD. Reid...

▶ discover: @sangobeats ▶ Read the write-up via @artistic-manifesto: http://bit.ly/SangoInterview As a bit of a thank you gift I’m releasing the audio from my first ever artist interview, with Sango of Soulection, recorded on July 31st, 2013. It’s crazy to listen to it and see how far my interviews have come since then, especially since making the leap to publishing the audio starting with my star...