Home Heaters
Nine mixes to heat you up during the coldest days of the year
Do we all agree on February being the worst month of the year? I do like the Winter and can definitely suffer the Summer weather as well even in the Northern Europe location where I stay. But by this time of the year, all my energies to enjoy the cold are gone and forgotten - Christmas and NYE are done and dusted, and while the first time it snowed there’s always a little magic in the air, by now when I wake up and see all white outside, I just think of how I’ll probably slip on some icy pond or get my socks all wet as soon as it will start melting.
Jokes aside, I was inspired by this intolerance to the February cold waves to bring you a selection of Home Heaters - mixes that in one way or the other can help you get some cosy vibes in your place, or alternatively help you move a little and dance to heat up on cold afternoons when it’s dark at 5pm and going to a club to enjoy some dance music seems like an impossibly adventurous route.
Just Us Records (Bill & Izaak)
I want to start the list with this 5918 mix that I feel needs a particular highlight. The recording consists of a unique ensemble of independently-produced R&B, Soul, Jazz, Hip-hop, and similar songs. The founders of Just Us Records delight us with one hour forty where each gem is followed by another, spreading like butter into a special atmosphere perfectly suiting home listening. A masterpiece of particular yet uneffortly easy-listening music.
first downtempo one, Thorgerdur
I found this a perfect mix to play in the morning, right after I wake up as I have my coffee while unenthusiastically peeking at the to-do list for the day. For the first fifteen minutes or so the mix navigates flowy ambient sounds, however, it doesn’t take long to transition into slow broken beats, spacial melodies, and hearth-felt mid-tempo grooves. This mix is inspired by a time Thorgerdur spent in Northern Iceland and I think you can absolutely hear that; it’s thoughtful and deep but at the same time intimately emotive.
WORK REDUX MIX 016 - Telephones
This one is another mix I absolutely loved listening to at home and ended up playing it from the beginning until the end a few times. Somewhere between disco and slow electronic music, always with a cosmic touch to it and some pop elements here and there, this hour recorded by the Berlin-based Norse hits all the right spots for an interesting soundtrack for whatever you are doing during these winter days at home. Given the Work Redux mission of being a mix series with the purpose of being played while working, Telephones absolutely nailed it.
Eli Verveine opening room 1 @ Fabric 24.09.22
This opening of Fabric by Eli Vervaine is a masterclass in opening sets. Without getting too bitter - I’ve often found myself chatting with DJ friends and club-goers peers on how the sacred art of opening sets is often mistreated, in often of higher BPMs, stomping tracks, and dominant moods. Here Eli shows how to wisely build up a club’s atmosphere, lingering between loopy deep house and blissful minimal to slowly get you in a non-stop dance mood - on a good home hi-fi system, it definitely repeats the trick.
Outsidecast 47 | Goutham
Goutham provides a deep and fun hour of flawlessly groovy house music. I don’t use the ‘fun’ term lightly here; the tracks G picks struck for their clubbable aspects. You got a selection of driving basslines, inventive deep harmonies, and jacking old-school rhythms. Without ever getting vocally-heavy or melodically cheesy, this makes a perfect mix for setting a pre-party but also for Sunday cleaning sessions. As for what concerns good tech-housey stuff, this has to be our top pick this time.
Franziska Berns at Refuge Worldwide for Half Baked X Killing Time Dec 22
Franziska Berns is one of those new-school DJs that shape something new with each DJ set - whenever I have to describe the style of selectors I really dig lately, the best I can do is stutter “You know… Kind of housey, technoy but breaky sometimes also…”. Truth is, most of the DJs I look forward to listening to play a vast range of genres, and it’s the way they select the music that makes it rather than the genres they normally play. In this December mix for Half Baked X Killing Time via Refuge Radio, Franziska picks a wide range of records in a cohesive manner, putting in some dreamy house, neat UK garage, groovy techno, and more in this condensed one-hour recording. Quality stuff!
Onirik @Closer || 12.11.2022
Dubby, dark, groovy, stellar. This energetic recording from the latest Onirik session at Closer Ukraine was a great pleasure to listen to - Onirik nails all the right elements for an enthralling dance experience. At the same time, this mix really worked for me as a private listen in my headphones; it definitely made for a couple of very boosted gym sessions. The only bitter feeling I got from listening to this recording was wanting to be there to enjoy it live on a more proper Soundsystem than the one I have at my place.
Eversines live at Draaimolen Festival 2022
Eversines gives an example of one of the most interesting live sets of the moment with this recording from Draaimolen Festival 2022. His techno is lysergic, floaty and creative - while it doesn’t hold back from inventive bass/rhythm combinations, for me, it’s synth work that makes his music absolutely outstanding. Eversines cleverly dives in grey zones, with elements that hint at different styles, from acid house to electro breaks. But he manages to craft something unique in each track and the live set flows like crystal clean water.
DIM276 - Sugar Free
We don’t need to go over the well-affirmed selection and mixing capacities of Sugar Free. But as a final pick, I have to praise her latest mix for Dimensions Festival - I admired the ability to make this mix really enjoyable and flawless without ever being “over the top”. The tracks leave space to be enjoyed and are not too pushy even when they are more on the aggressive side of things (the recording doesn’t hold back from some techno and electro gems). For me, the 70 minutes felt like 30, and I definitely wished this set was a little longer.
