TOP PICKS: Spinning Around
ARea 3000 Radio keeps going from strength to strength…
One of the highlights of the last year has been the rise of Area 3000 Radio. If you're not aware of it, think of it as an Australian Rinse FM - but with fewer Grime shows. However, they drop just as many weekly DJ mixes that should soothe any lockdown. It's safe to say this humble little project is starting to make some serious (air)waves. Most excitingly, this includes a serious amount of Australian talent too.
One of the shows adding to this beautiful diaspora comes from a past Form featured artist, Highly Minogue. His Spinning Around show is a fun focus on local talent via mixes and interviews. And he looooves it. 'Aside from working alongside boss-lady Sindy and getting to know my wonderful guests, one of the best perks of hosting the show has been receiving guest mixes and listening to them loud on my drives to work,' he told us via email. 'Unfortunately, this routine may have morphed me into a dangerous driver as I've caught myself on many occasions either zoning out in appreciation or raving like a lunatic in my car!' Yes, you don't need to tell us about the dangers of listening to new music while driving. In fact, I’ve banned myself from listening to drum n bass whilst in transit.
As he explains, this process has more than just opened his eyes to possible risks; it's a look into a world filled with exciting new artists: 'The amount of talent within our borders has floored me. Over the last couple of months, I've had the honour of sharing insightful conversations and more laughs than I can count every week with some of Australasia's best artists in the electronic scene.' We don't doubt him for a minute but do wonder what has been his standout moments on the show so far. Luckily for us, he obliged that curiosity with his 'picks for some of my favourite displays of technique, curation and artistry that I've had the pleasure of airing on the show to date.' Nice. So if you like what you read here make sure to listen to his show every Monday from 5 PM AEST on Area 3000 Radio. Just be careful if you listen to it while driving.
Disko Bizarro
Salvador Ricardo and Mikey Goodfellow, the unlikely duo behind Naarm’s wildest monthly party Disko Bizarro, are in some ways the scene’s best-kept secrets. This 90-minute vinyl mix is an indulgent masterclass in the art of mixing, effortlessly blending dust-filled, unquantized records that go from left-field disco to rock to Italo and beyond. Listen in amazement as these two veterans flex their seemingly limitless mental libraries of some of the weirdest joy-inducing tracks you’ll ever hear and transition them in true perfection. It’s actually hard to believe they exhibit this level of skill and creativity on a regular basis. On the first Saturday of every month at Northside favourite Dr. Morse, you’ll find these two duking it out as resident DJs, playing the soundtrack to what one might imagine a Boiler Room would look like if it were done in the ’80s. I can’t thank them enough for bringing a little piece of their musical wilderness to Area 3000.
HEI ZHI MA 黑芝麻
Anyone that follows me on social media will know this mix is in the top 3 mixes I’ve ever heard in my life. Hailing from Ngunnawal country, Elyshia Weatherby AKA Hei Zhi Ma 黑芝麻 delivered a 60-minute degustation of emotion that is as hypnotising as it is soul-stirring. Setting the tone, she layers dark ambient soundscapes under spoken-word poetry and news excerpts exhibiting the racial injustices that face people of colour, all before stealing you away into an erotic fury of techno, left-field bass and a trap track to boot. This mix moved me so much that I literally had to pull over my car and decompress myself before going into work. Trying to listen to it again was almost impossible due to the thought of putting myself through such psychological turmoil. Raw emotion at this level is very rare to see in a mix, which is why I feel blessed to have received this masterpiece from one of the most creative, boundary-pushing DJs in the underground electronic scene today. This, my friends, is true artistry.
SHEDBUG
There’s no other way to put it: Geordie Elliot-Kerr AKA Salt Mines record label boss and Lobster Theremin affiliate Shedbug is a force to be reckoned with. Since returning from war out of the bunkers of Berlin, this veteran has mastered mixing the most tasteful acid, techno and hard-hitting electro one can find. Initiating the sequence with hip-hop felt odd at first but soon made complete sense as he drove the sound into deeper waters with a brilliant assault of drums and 303’s, effortlessly pushing and pulling energy with an intuition one can only develop through years of performance. His selections illuminate this experience as well, blending several combinations of tracks that are consistently interesting and never feel out of place despite journeying across genre to genre. Often mixes in this heavier family of genres can feel oppressive and smothering over time but it’s clear this man knows exactly where and when to alleviate tension better than a Chinese massage therapist. This really is just excellent mixing - a set that wouldn’t feel out of place whether it was on the radio, in a club or at a late-night kick-ons with friends. What an honour to have such a decorated spinner on our humble little show.
KÉDU CARLÖ
It feels like cheating to put these two goofballs in here because they actually come from Aotearoa AKA New Zealand. However, it would be a crime if I didn’t include Kédu Carlö’s absolutely smashing mix. Diverting away from their ordinarily groovy and acidic house sound, Jess and Carly decide to bring the hammer down in a trippy 60-minute mix flame-grilled with alternative drum’n’bass, left-field, techno and tribal percussion. The mix is also sandwiched between two of their new originals and I was surprised to learn that the closing track was not in fact Nina Kraviz but the opening track to their new EP Let’s Get To It. A solid display of mixing prowess and balancing momentum, it’s clear that straying from the path with this mix has paid off handsomely for these two BFFs. Also #2 in my favourite interviews on the show.
ACID CHESS CLUB
It actually took me a little while to fully appreciate the full scope of creativity behind this mix. Cr8 M8s and Tessellate founder Acid Chess Club’s 60 minutes of nu-jazz, soul, electronica and disco is filled with surprises left right and centre. At first glance, its uniqueness is clear with a span of genres that hark back to the old neo-soul sound of Naarm’s local scene, which ironically feels like a breath of fresh air amongst today’s slew of futuristic productions. I then noticed that some of these tracks are actually live renditions, which not only inserted my mind into these physical spaces but greatly impressed me considering the difficulty of beat-matching these songs. Finally, it was only on the third spin that I realised a very light touch of concert hall reverb had been applied to the entirety of the mix, giving it a subtly dreamy atmosphere that elevates its overall feel. Shoutout to Sam O’Neil for mastering this mix and adding lovely touches to the final product. If fine wine was a mix, it would be this.
HOUSE MUM
Although Kédu Carlö once held the number 1 spot for best interview due to their chemistry and hilarious tales from South-East Asia, one head of the Fluxx Club Cerberus, House Mum, stole the show with their incredible sense of humour and an openness that is hard to find with strangers outside of a smoker’s. Speaking with one of Naarm’s hottest rising stars, we both laughed hysterically about their friendship with bestie Yollks, how fame fixed their posture and the pursuit of the ex-wife aesthetic. What I realised was that they could joke about themselves in a way that one couldn’t unless they were totally self-assured and knew exactly who they were - something that I value highly. Hearing tales about their past and how relationships and realisations formed who they are today, it was easy to witness the inner beauty of this individual, which is what I love most in my interviews on Spinning Around. #straightwhiteboyslovehousemum