Rye Wax Mix Series Issue #3: Fred Radleu
- The CLF
- May 16, 2016
- 4 min read
Art: Lara Thomson
Welcome back, true believers. When last we met a menagerie of exotic life forms surrounded us, all milling around a communal watering hole in the arse-end of god knows where. Sipping on the odd concoction given to us by the barman, we met our contact. He told us that he was trying to contract a small group of renegades to join him on a mission in the outer reaches of the quadrant – we obviously weren't his first choice, he was in New Atlantis after all.
Krung, for that was it's name, said he got delayed due to crew members dropping out earlier but he had a lead on where we could find an expert navigator with complete inner balance. It was only a brief ride in his jump ship to the small meadow moon where the monk spent his day, meditating over distant co-ordinates and optimal routes. The young monks name… RADLEU!
Fred Radleu is a young DJ, promoter, and sometime producer from the South-East with a clear view on what makes a good party and we at Rye Wax all think he's got the right idea. Unlike Nike, our youngest workers actually ask to work for us and this is what Fred did, about 8 months ago. Here he is to talk us through the mix, and give his thoughts on the local scene.
Hi Fred how are you today?
Hey, I’m doing well.
You run Basic Party, care to outline your ethos?
There were definitely some moments at the start of Basic Party when we wondered if it was a true projection of our ideals, but after a few parties that turned out a lot wilder than we'd expected, and some that went the complete opposite way, i think we realised that letting it develop naturally instead of attempting to engineer an atmosphere or a cause is the most enjoyable way for us and everyone who comes to our nights. I think the instability of the musical programming probably helps add to the chaos of it all as well. The chaos has definitely had a big part in keeping it interesting and giving each party its own personality.
What do you think about the scene in the South East at the moment?
I’ve been really enjoying it. There’s a lot of crossover between different creative practices and people seem really keen to bring their ideas together. It’s a great thing that there are so many opportunities like parties, exhibitions and lectures that you can choose from and especially when those circles feel so interconnected.
Tell us one of your favourite records you’ve picked up since working here.
One of the first things i picked up in the shop was the ‘Bura EP’ by 33.10.3402. He’s a Lithuanian producer who’s released a bunch of really distinctive weirdo techno records in just the last couple years. Most of the tracks on this record are slow and there’s a spacey tropical jungle sort of vibe going on. Amazing thing to hear late into a night. There’s another record of his i got from the shop around the same time which is called ‘Mecanica III’ released on ESP Institute. That one’s a bit more visceral, it sounds like frog satan chant music basically.
Talk us through the mix.
Initially when you asked me if i’d like to do the mix i thought i’d just quietly go away and record something obnoxiously long and eclectic but i found that my approach to programming was getting bogged down in the length i was aiming for and i was losing my direction with it. So i left it for a couple of days, came back on a Saturday afternoon and decided to switch my approach. I started by pulling something off a shelf and trying to run with it, experimenting whilst keeping the mix moving and ordering things in a rough fashion once i knew they would work in place. By the evening i’d made a guideline for how i was going to run the mix and i recorded it some time during the following week. As a finished recording it’s definitely a more focused mix than i had originally planned. The last hour and a half is made up of quite colourful dance-focused records that i’ve been playing a lot of over the last 12 months. The mood and atmosphere was definitely influenced by the current Spring weather we’re experiencing as well, it was a lovely day out when i was planning and i think that found it
s way into the sort of records i went with in the end. Generally it's not as dark as i had anticipated and even the harder stuff, like the Stanislav Tolkachev track ‘Raw 1’ has something fruity and fun in its step. The first 45 minutes is a bit muddier in places but i had this idea in my head how it was illustrating some kind of open space or a mountain range in the journey through the Rye Wax series. Ultimately i’m happy with how the mix came together and i’m looking forward to adapting to a different setting next time i record something.
Woah...kinda blew our minds with that one. Summer plans?
Since the weather’s picked up i’ve had a burst of motivation to focus on writing some music. So rather depressingly, the summer is probably going to be a lot of laptop screen stuff but i’m looking forward to it!
Ok, what’s your mantra, if any?
Nice one Fred. Until next time, true believers, enjoy the mix.
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