anatomy 28 - svreca

I'm really, really excited to be sharing this five-hour set from Svreca!

painting: Yuriko Shimamura

anatomy 28 catches Svreca in action at Tokyo club Unit, back in March, as part of a FRUE night celebrating his label Semantica's tenth birthday. Thanks to everyone who made this set (and recording) happen!

Svreca, AKA Enrique Mena, is a Spanish artist with a distinct musical vision. You can hear it in his sleek, meticulously crafted productions, his sophisticated DJ sets, and of course on Semantica, one of today's key techno labels. Semantica, now ten years old, has been behind more than 100 records, with offerings from artists including Cio D'Or, Abdulla Rashim, Stanislav Tolkachev, Skirt, Mike Parker and Svreca himself—like his excellent 2015 EP Narita, a journey through intense atmospheric techno, Sahko-esque minimalism and rained-out ambient, inspired by his time in Japan.

As usual for Svreca, this (nearly) five-hour set is carefully paced, intricately rhythmic and stuffed with depth and emotion. But first, here's some Q&A action:

Let's start with this mix—a recording of you DJing in Tokyo. Can you give us an introduction to the night?
This is a recording of my last set in Tokyo. It was a FRUE event: ~A Night to Celebrate 10 Years of Semantica Records~ at Unit. FRUE is the reason I started to play in Tokyo and Japan; they were the first to invite me in 2012, and have kept inviting me back since. This was another memorable night at Unit, a special place for me.

Special thanks to: Showgo, Yuriko, Dai, Wata, Koto, Tomo, Nodoka, Russ and Yuri.

You've done a lot of touring in Japan, and your time there was what lead to you making Narita. Tell us about your connection with the country.
The Narita EP was a very sincere, personal work. The intention was to put all the energy, memories and emotions from Japan into a 12-inch, and give it a very symbolic title. My other tracks have their own inspirations, but Narita is fully inspired by and dedicated to Japan, which captivated me from the first time I was there. I think this is a very common feeling coming from European people. For some reason I have a special link with Japan and Japanese people, and playing there leaves an impression on me that's stronger than other places.

Congratulations on 10 years of Semantica! What made you want to start a label? What motivates you as a label owner and curator? Has the motivation changed at all after ten years?
Thanks for the words. I started Semantica as a platform for Svreca, to build a profile together with my DJ activities. It's always a reflection of Svreca, on many levels.

My main motivation with the label is the music itself: my passion for music, design, architecture, fashion, and for arts in general; for every form that's able to create emotions. Motivations shift constantly, but I love what I do with Semantica and I will continue trying to improve with future releases.

When you are not working on Semantica, what are you listening to these days? What artists and labels excite you right now?
At home I listen to a lot of non-electronic stuff; things to sing, or funny and easy-listening music to enjoy with my son. I don't like to mention only a few artists or labels, my list would be too extensive.

How do you prepare for longer sets like these?
I usually try to think of an imaginary blueprint of the set. I take in consideration the venue, the soundsystem, the set time and length, the previous acts, etc, as each has a certain importance. I think a lot about every gig. I'm not a DJ who shifts drastically. I think of a DJ set as a very conceptual performance, and it requires some time for me to change directions.

A few weeks before this gig in Tokyo I played around seven hours at Garden, an underground club in Pereira, Colombia with a small capacity but with a special crowd. My blueprint of that set was similar, but real-time feedback from the crowd helps me when I'm DJing to move toward new and different places.

What are you up to next? Will there ever be a Svreca album?
I'm working on a few remixes and new Svreca stuff to be released this year and in 2017. A Svreca album will require more experience and skills, but also a great idea, or concept, behind it. I think it will take a few years...

Along with the anniversary series, are there other artist EPs coming on Semantica you can mention?
Yes, along with that series, there will be a double EP by Acronym and a new Exhibition Design by J.C. called Mugako.


... and now onto the mix, which Enrique is graciously helping to share on his SoundCloud.



Huge thanks to Enrique for a huge contribution to the mix series here (and thanks again to those in Tokyo whose work lead to this recording). I'm honored to have the opportunity to help spread this set. Check out Enrique's RA page to see where he's playing next, and here's another link to the Semantica Bandcamp page where you can check out much of the label's output.

This will be the last anatomy mix for now. Thank you to the artists who've joined the fun, and thanks to everyone who's ever stopped by!

anatomy 27 - stephanie sykes

it is now time for anatomy 27... with stephanie sykes in the mix!

born and raised in germany, formerly a longtime resident of manchester and now living in rugby, warwickshire, stephanie sykes makes a unique mix of atmospheric techno and otherworldly ambient drones. i first discovered her music in late 2014 when she appeared alongside fjäder on the very cool luna tactus EP for dasha rush's always-intriguing fullpanda records. last year, she put out her first solo record, one of my 2015 favorites, the haunting black simulation, via turkish label VENT, which also had rush appearing for a remix (i wrote more about those records over here), and the quietly majestic digital EP, too many goodbyes, through cenotaph records. this year she's already got a few more EPs in the works...

meanwhile, stephanie has also built a reputation for her skills as a DJ. she now holds residencies at birmingham's long-running techno party atomic jam, and at the jaded afterhours series in london, and in 2015 she scored some pretty big international gigs... look for that to continue in 2016, as she's already got four more confirmed for the next month or so, including debuts in malta and italy.

i'm really happy to be sharing this mix of fresh, perfectly-paced techno, which builds, twists and turns toward a mind-bending finish. yes - it is an excellent addition to the series. dig in, and update check the tracklist below:


(dropbox download link!)

Evigt Mörker - Ögat Av Regan
Chptr - Chtpr 01
DJ Deep & Roman Poncet - Exsurgence (Main Mix)
Abdulla Rashim - Red Pool
Ben Buitendijk - Equilibrium Two
Error Etica - Country of Thieves (RVO remix)
Modern Heads - Beginning (Claudio PRC remix)
Dorian Gray - Nyctophilism
Sleeparchive - Window 092 (Oscar Mulero remix)
RVO & Claudio PRC - Field 2
LDNWHT - VA ?
Deepbass - The Light That Never Was
SNTS - Olivion (Polar Inertia remix)


thanks to stephanie for sharing this great mix. i'm looking forward to seeing (and hearing) what she does in 2016!

(photo credit: modvs)

anatomy 26 - amandra

surprise! here's another anatomy mix...

a french artist currently living in warsaw, poland, amandra crafts expansive, slowly evolving techno. he's one of the minds behind ahrpe records, a label that's been home to his two EPs - monkaunis, ahrpe's first transmission in mid-2014, and lutsin from earlier this year, which came with a very cool korridor remix - along with similarly hypnotizing stuff from fellow co-founder ovend and (recently) flogo.

amandra and i first connected many months ago, and i knew through his work as a producer and label owner that he'd be a great fit for an anatomy mix. with this nearly 75-minute dj set, he digs into a deep groove that leans heavily on older music, but also woven in are three resonating, bassline-driven cuts from his own next release, the drachme tolosate double EP that'll be come out on ahrpe in february. sorry, no interview or tracklist for this one... only sounds, along with some artwork from a photo amandra took in veracruz, mexico.

i'm looking for a new home for the anatomy series, since official.fm seems to be in the midst of a change in name and format. for now, you can download anatomy 26 through my dropbox link, and/or you can listen and download at amandra's soundcloud page. do it to it:


(dropbox download link!)

huge thanks to amandra for joining the fun. (and for being patient!) you can also grab a recording of his recent live set in warsaw over at soundcloud. over the next month or so, perhaps there will be a couple more anatomy mixes. until then, enjoy this one and look out for amandra's upcoming double EP... and as usual, thanks for listening!

reappearing

anatomy 25 - alan backdrop

alan backdrop has returned! and so has the mix series after a long hibernation...

(photo by ross)

as tuned-in readers and listeners might recall, i connected with alan backdrop, aka alessio, sometime around early 2011. he crafted the ninth anatomy mix, a lovely three-hour trip called anecumene. he's gotten steadily busier since then, and in 2013 a diverse range of his tracks were issued through a handful of labels, highlighted by his first vinyl credits and a long digital release for prologue (which i reviewed over on RA). on top of that, he's had some notable dj gigs recently, including two in london as well as his debut at tresor in berlin.

i'm really happy to welcome alessio back and have him taking care of anatomy 25, as it marks a nice milestone for the series. this mix is (unsurprisingly) shorter than his prior effort, but no less captivating. first, let's have a chat:

Hello Alessio! It has been a little over three years since we shared anatomy 09. What's up?
Hello Brian! Three years already... time flies so fast! Many changes occurred during this period, some positive, some not so positive. But in the end, I'm happy with what happened. And now I'm really excited to release the second podcast on smilecoldanatomy, the portal where I released my first podcast ever.

You seemed to be very busy releasing music last year, including a digital EP on Ekar Records along with your first vinyl EPs, for Motoguzzi and Enklav. How did you connect with those labels?
Yes, it was the year where one of my biggest dreams took shape. I finally experienced the emotion of putting a cartridge on vinyl and hearing my own music. For sure, one of the most exciting moments in my life. Actually the really busy year, where I produced a lot of music, was 2012. I spent a lot of time experimenting and trying to find a personal sound. During this process, a lot of tracks came out. Some of them, for obvious reasons, were released in the following year. So, I consider 2013 as the result of 2012.

I have known Motoguzzi Records through Cio D'Or's release "Kimono." Since I liked what they were proposing lately, I decided to send some demos. Gianmarco, the label owner, liked my music. So we started to plan. For Enklav Records, I met Dario (Chevel) at a friends reunion/course for analog instruments in Venice. We introduced each other. Then, things happened automatically. I really liked what he was doing with his label, so, when he proposed a vinyl release for me, I enthusiastically accepted.

Coming to Ekar Records, I have to say I'm really in love with that project. It was started by my dear friend and fellow countryman Enrico (Air Protection Office). We always respect and support each other, in music and in life. The collaboration was inevitable.

Of course, last year you also made your debut on Prologue with the seven-track digital release VR Plan. Tell us about VR Plan, and your connection with Prologue.
Prologue! Of course my biggest attainment. I started to buy their releases since the first one. Some of them marked my life and my path. Same for the artists who release on this label. So, you can imagine what it means for me. I had the pleasure of exchanging a few messages with Tom [label owner Tom Bonaty] a long time ago after he listened to a mix I recorded at my place. I think he kept an eye on me since that moment. I don't know exactly how, I just know that some years later he proposed for me a digital release on Prologue. I was shocked! We were supposed to release 3-4 tracks, but, since things were long to organize, I kept sending new tracks. "VR Plan" is the result of the selections we made.

How has being signed for appearances on those labels changed your approach to production? Or has it not changed?
It didn't change so much. Of course I feel a bit of "sense of responsibility," but I want to continue to make music freely. And luckily, I collaborate with labels which allow me to do that.

Can you choose one track that you are happiest to see released on vinyl?
Ramas. [youtube link]

Tell us about your recent gigs. And how was your debut at Tresor?

Recently I had a special night playing at Crime Room in Lecce. It was my first time in the south of Italy and I have to say it was really comfortable. People are so warm and hospitable... it was one of the moments where I felt proud to be Italian. The organizers put their soul and their heart in what they do and you can feel it, you can breath it. The atmosphere was really positive and people were dancing so spontaneously. So, what ask more? It was perfect.

The following night I played at my beloved UndiciZerouno in Mestre. Since it's organized by really close friends (The Noisemaker, Modes, Paola Donadi) and it takes place in the province of Venice, I can say I'm home. I missed that feeling. I had the chance to play a relaxing warm-up. Then, I really enjoyed the other sets from my friends and Stanislav Tolkachev, then in the morning I played back-to-back with The Noisemaker. Absolutely amazing! It was only the second edition, but there's an intention to start again in September. I'm so excited.

Last weekend I played at Dazed & Confuzed in London. It was the first anniversary of the party and I was so honored to be in the lineup with outstanding artists. I get goosebumps thinking about the atmosphere of the party and the music... I was totally amazed by DJ Pete's set. I couldn't stop smiling and saying to my friends "He is a monster." Then, when the sun has set, Marco Shuttle started a deep and hypnotic journey… damn, what a party! I could spend so many words, but I couldn't express the feelings I had.

My debut at Tresor was great. I was the first one on the running order, so, I had the chance to build the atmosphere inside the club before the door opening. I'm an emotional person, so this helped me to relax. I enjoyed every moment and every person who got in the club and came to the dancefloor. Plus, a lot of my dear friends were there, beside me. It was a really special night. About the performance... there's always more to learn! But I'm pretty happy because the people were following my set dancing and smiling. That's what I need when I spin records.

What's next on the music front for Alan Backdrop? (new releases, gigs, etc)
I confirmed a new release for Ekar Records. We are planning everything and it will be out really soon. I will play two sets (ambient and techno) at Freqs Of Nature Festival in Germany between the 4th and 6th of July. Then, I'll be in Belgium on the 27th of July for the Huismuziek party at Warehouse O'cool with Synthek.

Finally, tell us about this mix!
Since I know smilecoldanatomy allows me to be totally free, I decided to record a predominantly ambient/soundscape mix, imagining landing on a mysterious island, walking through it for some days, feeling all the emotions it gives you, and then, going back to the boat and leaving. I hope you enjoy the journey!



and that's that. 70 minutes of lush, patiently building, increasingly rhythmic ambient sounds. all in all another excellent contribution from alessio, and (i think) a good way to get the series moving again here. thanks to alessio for returning and doing a fantastic job with anatomy 25. it's been a pleasure getting to know him, and i'm happy to see his music reaching wider audiences. you can keep track of him on facebook and RA.

oh, and thanks to all the artists who have joined the fun here over the years, and to anyone who's ever found anything of interest here. i hope you enjoy this mix!