Wild City

Mix #122 by Bill Brewster’s is warm, lively and effortlessly constructed. He’s been DJing since the late 80s and has played everywhere from Fabric to more intimate venues around the world, equipped with a range of music that covers everything from disco, house and funk to hip-hop, Brazilian bossa nova and Latin batucadas. Bill is also frontman and founder of his own deep house record label – Forensic. Apart from being a versatile selector, Bill Brewster is also a writer, and together with his long-term collaborator Frank Broughton, Bill has co-authored the definitive history of DJing – ‘Last Night A DJ Saved My Life’. He’s also contributed his encyclopaedic knowledge of music to The Guardian, Independent and a number of other publications. His exclusive mix for Wild City is one of the most fluently constructed yet – dynamic and diverse without sounding like a forced education. He kicks it off with a bit of fusion with Paikan & The Sadhus before moving onto disco, house and even a bit of reggae by the likes

Mumbai duo Burudu keep it warm and easygoing for mix #121, exclusively for Wild City. The two-person band made up of Nakul Sharma & Sahil Bhatia just got off a fantastic performance at Magnetic Fields in Rajasthan. Formed in early 2012, Burudu began without the intention of creating anything specific. Its founders simply wanted to experiment and play around with sound, and the outfit they’ve formed together today reflects that organic evolution and understanding of the others’ musical sensibilities. With an album coming soon and more gigs around the country to follow in the coming year, we thought it was about time to spread the word about the promising young act. Wild City mix #121 features a relaxed, even-tempered set of tunes within a wide range of electronica. It kicks off easy with the band's edit of ‘Unfair’ by The Neighbourhood and keeps a steady rhythm going with an ebbing amalgam of both inspirations and original tunes. The mix picks up a bit of pace at the end with some hip-hop inspired sounds co

Japanese producer Daisuke Tanabe strings together a gentle, wintery medley of tunes for mix #120 before his India tour and performance at Magnetic Fields 2016. Chiba born Daisuke Tanabe is an RBMA graduate known for his atmospheric production layered with delicate, often Japanese inspired melodies. The former art student has also lived and worked in London, but currently lives in Tokyo where his studio is based. He recently announced an India tour courtesy new agency, collective and label Knowmad Records, which will also see him perform at Magnetic Fields Festival on 10 December. Surprisingly enough, Tanabe originally comes from a techno/breakbeat background, though his current style is marked heavily by hip-hop, electronica, folk and jazz. His live shows are incredibly immersive and the producer always manages to bring in extraordinary atmosphere to his instrumental and hip-hop inspired pieced. Daisuke Tanabe brings that sensibility to mix #120, created exclusively for Wild City. Starting off with a chil

Turkish born German resident Nene Hatun, delivers an intense and darkly beautiful selection of tracks for mix #119. Classically trained musician and producer Beste Aydin is currently in India as part of Border Movement’s tailor-made BMR residency program. Born in Istanbul, raised in Turkey and currently residing in Berlin, Beste’s background is as varied as her music. The artist spent 7 years studying piano and composition in Stuttgart before making the bold move to electronic music, which (as she describes in this interview with Kunal Bambawale on Border Movement) was “more like a rebellion than a transition”. Aydin’s disinclination for upholding a status quo is apparent in her moniker; the name Nene Hatun originally belonged to a 19th century Turkish freedom fighter who fought in the war against imperial Russia. But beste makes it clear that the reasons behind adopting the epithet weren’t nationalistic or political. Rather, Nene Hatun is her identification as a woman who isn’t afraid of questioning the no

Hyperdub whiz Ikonika goes all in for mix #118, exclusively for Wild City. Sara Abdel-Hamid has been at the forefront of contemporary music worldwide ever since the release of her 2008 debut 12", 'Please/Simulacrum' via Kode9’s revered label Hyperdub. Like a lot of young producers making music in the mid and late 2000s, she was influenced by the dubstep and grime movements that were steadily taking over the UK at the time. It was the FWD and DMZ nights she attended that really shaped her earlier music. If you’ve been keeping up you’ll know that Ikonika’s sound has mutated and evolved over the years to include various forms of house, garage, UK funky, hip-hop and more. Those bright, metallic synths, 8-bit influences and fat, bubbling basslines that we love Ikonika for never really went away though, and we’re glad for it. Ikonika steps it up a few levels, energy wise, for mix #118. You know this is going to be a banger from the get-go, and if this is what’s in store this week for her India tour - we can’t wa

Hybrid Protokol pay their respect to analogue and old-skool breakbeat Wild City’s mix #117. Kolkata duo Soumajit Ghosh and Aneesh Basu began their electronic project Hybrid Protokol about a year ago, and quickly began to make a dent in the scene with their analogue heavy approach to sound and unique live performances, that focus on synthesisers and hardware (you should seriously check out some of their live videos here). With a common passion for old-skool electronica (think The Chemical Brothers, Prodigy et al.), big beat, synthesisers and music technology, Soumajit and Aneesh created Hybrid Protokol to rework and bring that ‘big room’ sound to audiences in their home town. They also recently released their debut, 6-track LP ‘Deep Beyond Belief’. The early electronic throwbacks, warm analogue synths and big room four-on-the-floor patterns are exactly what you’ll hear in the Kolkata duo’s exclusive mix for Wild City. The whole thing is 30 minutes long includes older beats along with some fresher material.

You can’t help but move to Italian-Canadian DJ, producer and multi-instrumentalist Bruno Belissimo’s disco heavy Mix #116… Part of a family of Italian immigrants who landed in Canada in the 70s, Bruno Belissimo spent most of his chilhood in the suburbs of Toronto, where his father owned a movie rental business (also making his own sci-fi experimental films and playing as a guitarist in Canadian fusion band Ummo) and his mother ran a small café. The creative environment he grew up in provided the fodder for his musical abilities later on in life. He sang as a child at his church before winning a scholarship at the royal Conservatory of music in Toronto where he studied upright bass and composition. His increasing interest in electronic music later on in life led him to start producing, which - a lot like his DJ sets - is marked by movable disco beats and smooth bass lines. Bruno takes that aesthetic forward with Mix #116 for Wild City, which sees him play with a range of disco, funk, italo-disco and house.

For Mix #115, Mumbai based live analogue-duo Paraphoniks sent us an upbeat selection of current influences and old favourites, tied in with some forward thinking original production from their most recent release – Yarns. Comprised of Shatrunjai Dewan and Sid Shirodkar, Paraphoniks has been on our radar since the released of their debut album ‘Handwired’, which we featured in our Dropbox Talent section. The outfit has gone from strength to strength since then, performing complex and detailed live shows all over the country. Paraphoniks has also recently released their latest EP ‘Yarns’ – an old-skool, pop influenced, dancefloor-friendly record with a strong emphasis on melody. As always, there’s a heavy focus on combining more traditional live instrumentation (guitar, keyboards) with the modular synthesisers which will always lie at the heart of Paraphoniks' music. You’ll hear a lot of ‘Yarns’ below in the duo’s exclusive mix for Wild City. Peppered with their original production is a range of electronic i

Mix #114 from French Toast a.k.a. Frank McWeeny is an upbeat jumble of infectious disco and house that’s tailored to kick up a storm on the dancefloor. The ace selector has been behind the booth spinning records and as a radio presenter (his French hometown, Rennes during his teenage years before spreading out to the UK) ever since he was old enough to get into a studio. The half-English, half-French DJ and producer’s musical sensibilities and tastes were shaped early on as a child sifting through his father’s collection of funk, disco and soul. French Toast has since caught the attention of big names in the industry including BBC Radio 1’s Annie Mac, the UK Radio Academy Awards and Gilles Peterson. McWeeny took time off of a busy tour schedule to send us dance-floor burner mix #114, which represents a variety of infectious disco, house and funk beats it’s hard not to move to. For a tracklist and further info, head over here: http://www.thewildcity.com/EN/music.xhtml/article/10714-wild-city-114-french-toa

Ashish Jose, better known by his alias Tarqeeb, represents the Motherland with an energetic mix that showcases some of the best dance music India has to offer right now. Tarqeeb began his journey in electronic music in 2012 after stints in metal and psy-trance. The producer focuses largely on DnB and other offshoots of bass music, though he prefers not to confine his sound by labels. Jose also extends his creativity to the art space on Instagram. His sets can vary from deep, sub bass room-shakers to frantic, vigorous DnB – adapted to the crowd and atmosphere. The last couple of years have seen him play in a number of festivals and venues across the world including Dimensions Festival in Croatia, NH7 Weekender, VH1 Supersonic and BASS CAMP festival, as well as opening for the likes of LAFAWNDAH, AMIT and more. Jose does us proud on mix #113 by putting homegrown talent forward with an all-star cast of producers in the alternative dance/electronic spaces. The mix begins on a more mellow, ambient tune with Mum

Sharath Narayn a.k.a. Cosmic Attic keeps it current on Mix #112 with a bright, forward-thinking range of RnB, electronica and hip-hop. The first time we saw Sharath Narayan was in Chennai with his alt-rock band, and only project at the time - Black Letters. Since then, he’s launched his solo venture Cosmic Attic with an impressive debut EP, titled ‘Climb’ (reviewed here) and live performances acorss the country. The 24 year old producer/DJ has also recently been selected to participate in the third edition of the Kyta residency program in Kalga. Sharath’s unique, pop-influenced sound is marked by dreamy, layered synths and crisp beats peppered with field recordings taken in his current bustling habitat of Mumbai. ‘Climb’ was released as a free DL on Bandcamp, and caught our eye for its evocative vocals and vibrant, pop-influenced melodies. This one’s worth keeping an eye on. For his Wild City mix, Narayan delivers an easygoing selection of some of the more progressive RnB, hip-hop and electronica released

Mix #111 by Mumbai based Chhabb a.k.a Rahul Chhabria is a journey through rich, melodic deep house and techno that’s been tailored for the dance floor. The DJ and producer has been has played alongside the likes of Finnebassene, German Brigante, A guy called Gerald and Popof in the past and we thought it was about time that he sent us over some new tunes to listen to. Chhabb’s music is influenced mainly by house, acid and techno. He's an old-school crate-digger when it comes to discovering new sounds, collecting a lot of his music on vinyl during his travels. For Mix #111, Chhabb presents and enlivening mix of deep house, techno and more, kicking off with Melbournian producer Francis Inferno Orchestra. Featuring music from the likes of Josh Milan (known best for his work with Blaze), Japanese producer Takasi Nakajima, French beatmaker Francois X and techno icon Peter Van Hoesen, this is an all out, straight-up dance mix. Chhabb pays homage to Eric Idol's pink suit at the end with The Galaxy Song from Monty

Toronto based Pakistani musician Ramsha Shakeel’s mix for Wild City features an evocative range of ambient, drone tailored to melt away the bustle of daily life. Ramsha has been on our radar ever since the release of her beautiful 2015 debut EP ‘Daastanemarg’. Summer time that year also saw the producer take part in a two week long music residency in Karachi called Soundcamp, which was initiated by production duo Gebrüder Teichmann. Artists from Gerrmany and Pakistan came together and transformed a regular house in the area into a fully stocked makeshift studio equipped with wires, cables, drum machines, synths and more. The aim of Soundcamp was to create a collaborative album together, which was to be the inaugural release by the Teichman brothers newly-formed label NOLAND. The resulting album, called ‘Karachi Files’ finally came out last month. Ramsha is one of the most interesting producers to come out of Pakistan right now. For Wild City mix #110, the producer takes us on an emotional journey throug

Bangalore based duo Audio Units showcases a more downtempo, laid back-side to their aesthetic in Wild City Mix #109. Brothers Ashwin Baburao and Ashrith Baburao have been making music together as Audio Units since the early 90s. Ashwin had already established himself as a selector by 2000, playing at large festivals and venues across the country, while Ashrith dived into the self-described ‘geekier’, more technological side of things. Audio Units’ sound traverses a range of styles within experimental, often bass heavy house and techno music tailored to suit the needs of the dance floor. Over the last couple of years, the outfit has managed to release music through labels like Dutchie Music, Deep Edition Recordings, Qilla, Soupherb and many more. Their charismatic live lets are usually brimming with energy, which is why their laid back mix #109 for Wild City came as a bit of a surprise. The brothers forego the music they usually have to play to cater to club audiences for more downtempo, minimal and melodic

The Mumbai based recording engineer, drummer and music producer is probably best known for his staggeringly beautiful music as one half of Nicholson. Most of Ramanna’s time, however, is spent helping other people make music at Cotton Press Studios, which he founded with the Something Relevant members in 2012. Ro. has been in the business of music for close to a decade now, composing, producing, mixing and mastering music for television, film, radio, as well as independent musicians. On top of that, he’s currently on Nicholson’s first full-length album (after two powerful and very well released EPs) after having performed at festivals including Alchemy at Southbank Centre in London, The Great Escape festival in Brighton, NH7, Magnetic Fields and more. The coming year will also see a release with his newest independent collaborative project, Doe - with singer-songwriter Divya Lewis and guitarist Amandeep Singh. With a resume as expansive and accomplished as his, we thought it was time we got an insight into t

Ninja Tune beatnik and Activia Benz founder Slugabed offers up a selection of filtered, twisted bass and metallic melody for Wild City Mix #107. If you’re not already clued in on London based producer and DJ Slugabed, he can best be described as contemporary bass music’s leading meme informed (self confessed), polychromatic and gifted oddity. Nothing about him is completely straightforward or black and white. Ever since he emerged on the scene as a teenager in Brighton the late 00s, where he played an instrumental role in the success of local club night Donky Pitch, the international music community has been keeping a close eye on Greg ‘Slugabed’ Feldwick. 2012 saw the release of Slugabed (a word defined on urban dictionary as “a lazy person; one who dislikes work”) acclaimed debut album ‘Time Team’, via famed UK label Ninja Tune, soon after which he decided to begin his own bizarre and diverse Activia Benz label. The producers distinct sound is an irreverent kaleidoscope of compressed hip-hop beats combin

Wild City Mix #106 comes from French hip-hop and electronic music producer and DJ Epic Empire. Parisian future bass artist Epic Empire a.k.a. Fabrice Delcambre is all set to tour India at the end of the month with Mixtape. The artist, who has earned a formidable reputation for his carefully structured sets and bass heavy, hip-hop influenced electronic productions will be playing in New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Pune from 21 to 24 April . Epic Empire was previously known for his work with StereoHeroes before venturing out solo in his more groove and melody focussed solo project, releasing 3 EPs so far. He was recently nominated as Best Newcomer on DJ Mag France. Delcambre stitches together a collection of hip-hop an electronic influenced bangers for Wild City Mix #106. With tracks that include remixes of popular tunes like Alessia Cara’s ‘Here’ and Rihanna’s ‘Work’ playing alongside Vic Mensa, Baauer and Goldlink, we’re sure this one’s going to be a massive crowd pleaser. For a tracklist and further

Reunion Island selector Karl Hungus delivers a diverse selection of funk for Wild City Mix #105. Resident DJ at Sakifo Musik Festival and one of Reynion Island's biggest concert halls Kabardock, Karl Hungus is the latest contributor to our mix selection at Wild City. Many of you will remember the expert selector from his recent India tour with Mixtape and performance at the 2016 edition of The Lost Party. He’s known to always be on the lookout for rare and unknown 50s rhythm and blues, soul, funk, disco and more. For Wild City Mix #105, Hungus shows off his selection abilities by starting off focussing on rare, groove heavy funk, R&B and soul from the likes of Rita Wright, Little Richard and Ernie Hines, before moving on to a more hip-hop influenced sound. The energy stays nice and easy throughout, making this the perfect set of tunes to kick off a cool evening in with some friends. For a tracklist and further info, head over here: http://www.thewildcity.com/EN/music.xhtml/article/9448-wild-city-105-karl-

Experimental Kolkata based duo JESSOP&CO. pick a diverse and immersive selection of tunes for Wild City Mix #104. “We have no musical talent, but if we don’t do this, we will go crazy.” We first heard JESSOP&CO. after they sent us a private SoundCloud link with this cheeky imgur attachment. They’ve held our interest since then with the debut ‘সূক্ষ্ম’ EP and more recent live performances at REProduce’s Listening Room Sessions in cities across the country. The duo is, in their words, “inspired by the decaying/rotting, the macabre discoloration of this city and its inhabitants and the various other forms of malaise (particularly those which suddenly creep up on you as you are about to descend from your favourite form of conveyance or mode of intoxication)”. The duo employs elements of drone, noise and ambient in their music, producing some of the most foreboding, all engulfing walls of sound we’ve had the pleasure to listen to recently. JESSOP&CO.’s forward thinking, genre irrelevant mix #104 mix clocks in

Bangalore based Aniruddh Menon, known best for his work with Machli and newly formed label Consolidate compiles a selection of unreleased material for Wild City Mix #103. Menon launched his eponymous solo project last year with his impressive first EP ‘Another Summer’. However, the first time we heard of him was when he still played with Musharraf Shaikh, Sandhya Visvanathan and Maitreya Mer with Machli, a band, which despite splitting up (hopefully temporarily), remains one of out favourites to this date. The odd Bollywood samples, unhurried mood and moody synths carried over from Machli to Menon’s solo work; most recently on ‘Ugh’ - his single on Consolidate’s debut LP ‘FRNDS &FMLY 2016’. If you’re a stickler for genres, his beat driven, sample heavy music has been described as 'left-field instrumental hip hop' by Consolidate’s label founder, Rahul Giri. Aniruddh Menon’s debut full length released titled ‘Love Songs’ will be released via Consolidate “soon”. To tide us over, the musician has put toget