This week’s free downloadable BBC Introducing Mixtape features handpicked tunes from the BBC Introducing Uploader by FREE SWIM, ESTHER JOY LANE, KID 85, SANDTIMER, NO PLATO, THE AUTOCLAUS, NICE PLACE, MELANIE CREW, SEAN GRANT & THE WOLFGANG, BABY STRANGE, FIFI RONG, DENISE, FERAL LOVE, SUZERAIN, ETCHES, WARMDUSCHER and YLLWSHRK.
The BBC Introducing Mixtape is a 60 minute radio show broadcast on BBC Radio 6 Music from 2-3am every Sunday night/Monday morning. Each programme is downloadable in podcast form at the BBC 6 Music downloads page for the next 30 days. Full tracklists and track start times are published here at Fresh On The Net – together with info about the music provided by the artists.
All tracks are sourced from the BBC Introducing Uploader – some recommended to me by BBC colleagues while the rest are chosen from submissions to our Fresh On The Net inbox. Click here for more info – artists please also see the request at the bottom of this page. These are the listings for the episode broadcast in the early morning of Monday, 16th May at 2am.
FREE SWIM – Self Appointed Genius [starts 00:17]
https://www.facebook.com/freeswimswimfree
“In their twenties Paul Coltofeanu and David Knight shared a succession of flats in the south of England while David almost completed a novel and Paul wrote songs and taught himself to record them on GarageBand. On Friday evenings the pair would convene to listen to albums in the living room and ‘air drum’ to the music as the red wine consumption and speaker volume gradually increased. In 2010 David contributed spoken words to a project Paul had conceived wandering round a renowned N.American city. That song became the centrepiece of Free Swim‘s debut EP, Two Hands Is OK. Six years later, Paul and David are delighted to present the first Free Swim album, Lifetime of Treats – made with the goal of creating the heartiest, most rip-roaring long-player they could, and then getting it pressed to vinyl. The album is a celebration of the joy that being a bit silly with a close friend – while listening to your favourite records together – never fails to bring. It will be released later this year.”
ESTHER JOY LANE – Quest For Her Master [starts 04:28]
https://www.facebook.com/ESTHERJOYLANEMUSIC
“Esther Joy Lane is a self-taught producer and singer-songwriter from Oxford. Influenced by the likes of Astronauts, etc., Deptford Goth and Grimes, she blends glitchy beats and electronics with graceful, haunting vocals. This year she has been performing her live set around Oxford and London, supporting bands including Chad Valley and Aquilo and will be playing main stage at Bestival’s Common People in Oxford this May.”
KID 85 – Ray Berri [starts 07:17]
http://kideightyfive.com
Kid 85 describe themselves as “an Alternative band from South Yorkshire: six lads from the North, doing what they love! After years grafting the music industry as solo artists, the guys formed together mid 2015 to bring something a little different to the table. With their own blend of indie rock, folk & hiphop, Kid 85 pride their description as ‘No Genres, No Rules, Just Music…’ Working with many key players in the Sheffield music scene, their debut album is set for release late 2016. (Definition: Ray Berri is a term used to describe fake/replica sunglasses that you may purchase during your holiday.)”
SANDTIMER – Rusting Towers [starts 10:04]
https://www.facebook.com/sandtimermusic
“Sandtimer are an acoustic duo from Hampshire formed by Rob Sword and Simon Thomas who play indie-inspired folk rock. Their wry lyrics, unconventional chord progressions and sparse, Appalachian-inspired song arrangements have attracted a small but enthusiastic following on the UK acoustic circuit. Sandtimer released their first EP, Different Seas, at the end of 2015, which received coverage on BBC Wales, several local BBC stations and a variety of independent shows and blogs. They will be playing a number of UK shows over summer and releasing a second record before embarking on a tour of west Canada.”
NO PLATO – Ship To Shore [starts 14:28]
https://facebook.com/noplatoband
“No Plato = Sorrell Kerrison, Tom Baker, and Tom Hipwell. Ship to Shore is taken from the Collection album, which was released on April 23rd 2016 and is available now at Spotify, Apple Music etc. The track was recorded in a nuclear bunker in North Wales by Marc Joy (credits include Creation Records & Primal Scream), and features additional guest guitar from Dan Baker. Dan Baker is a member of Riding The Low & Star From Ivy, and previously soundtracked the film Tyrannosaur in 2011.”
THE AUTOCLAUS – Pop Party People (Smarty Mix) [starts 17:46]
https://soundcloud.com/user-810234655
“The AutoClaus is an electronic music project created by Frank Foy from Wolverhampton. This single release from their new album Machine Mind, which explores themes of what might happen if artificial intelligence decided to do its own thing, following its creation by humanity. Pop Party People represents the human race after all work has been taken over by intelligent machines, making us all redundant. There is little else for us to do but party on in our leisure time; because, as the machines tell us in the song, we have “a smarty reason, no more work is freedom”. The new concept album Machine Mind has a storyline running through the 17 tracks on what artificial intelligence might make of us in the future!” See video for Pop Party People (Smarty Mix) below:
NICE PLACE – Her Face [starts 21:33]
https://facebook.com/niceplacemusic
“Not just another indie band to rejoice about… could this be the real thing?” wonders Nice Place‘s press release. “After only playing a handful of shows in London, Nice Place have already been causing a stir. Recently unveiling their new song Her Face which shows a maturity in songwriting that’s up there with the greats. Her Face is sometimes The Las’s-esque and nods towards Suede at their best, but has a very unique identity of its own. Catch the band at The Great Escape Festival, Kendal Calling and Festival No.6 amongst others this year.”
MELANIE CREW – Parade [starts 24:57]
https://facebook.com/melaniecrewmusic
“Melanie Crew is a London based singer, songwriter and musician writing gentle acoustic music with soulful melodies, inspired by artists including Elliott Smith, Carole King, and Roddy Woomble. Parade is a country influenced waltz performed with multi-instrumentalist and producer Ross Palmer. Melanie’s first EP Until the End was released in August 2015 and has been described as ‘an incredibly immersive auditory experience that will stay with you long after it’s over’. Melanie is currently recording her second EP, and plays a London show at Apples and Pears tonight (May 26th).”
SEAN GRANT & THE WOLFGANG – Brother [starts 27:31]
http://seangrantandthewolfgang.com
According to Clashmusic, Sean Grant & The Wolfgang‘s new EP 7 Deadly 7 matches “frank realism to an autobiographical sense of detail that draws on (Sean’s) own background… a brave, dense work, with Guy Massey’s production seeming to enhance the intensity of the impact. The narrative of this single focusses on a 25 year old salesman, whose life is spiralling out of control.” Sean Grant himself says “Essentially this track is a ferocious circle of wanting more from life, not knowing what but desperately clutching at something bigger than yourself. It’s a beast of a world and this is a group of songs trying to make sense of it.” The single and EP are out now on Fierce Panda Records.
BABY STRANGE – Pure Evil [starts 30:21]
https://facebook.com/babystrangemusic
“Baby Strange formed in May 2012. They have supported Iceage, Holograms and Palma Violets; and played the NME award show in London. The band were no.1 in the NME Radar List in January 2013 and have been featured in Music Week magazine’s Ten Tracks You Need To Hear. This debut single Pure Evil is out on Friday week (May 27th).”
FIFI RONG – Forbidden Desire [starts 33:22]
http://fifirong.com
“Fifi Rong is an artist and producer based in London whose vocal style is nuanced with the flair of her Chinese heritage. Her production incorporates genres such as electronica, jazz, dub, hiphop, UKG and soundscape resulting in an unexpected musical hybrid. Fifi has collaborated with such artists as Tricky, Phaeleh, Skepta and Yello and has received support from The 405, Clash, Fader Magazine, Hype Magazine, Pigeon & Planes, Radio 1, Radio 1 Xtra and 6 Music. She was also publicly voted into China’s Top 10 most popular new artists of 2014 and nominated as Best Electronic Music Artist. Having played headline shows throughout the UK, Europe and China/Hong Kong, her last EP Violently Silently was released in December 2015. Her followup EP Forbidden Desire was released on 29 April 2016 with a launch show last month at the O2 Academy Islington in London.”
DENISE – Boyfriend [starts 36:24]
https://soundcloud.com/denise-608640687
“Drawn together from British towns no one has ever heard of, Luke, Simon and Murray formed
an alt/post punk band. Driven by their fear of every day life, they distract themselves via the loud,
wonky sounds of Denise. The group recently made their first demo available to listen to on their Soundcloud and will be playing a London show at The Good Ship in Kilburn on June 17th.” NB to promoters, venues, festivals etc: Denise are currently looking for more gigs, so if you like what you hear you can contact them via keepitdenise@gmail.com
FERAL LOVE – Like The Wind [starts 40:11]
https://facebook.com/ferallovemusic
“Merseyside duo Feral Love consists of multi-instrumentalists Adele Emmas and Christian Sandford. With only a couple of live shows under their belt, this first single Like The Wind has already been premiered by Clash and has had radio play from Radio 1, Radio 2 and BBC Radio Merseyside. Upcoming dates include The Heavenly Social, London on Wednesday (May 18th), Liverpool Sound City (May 29th) and Pop Montreal Festival in September. They have recently completed a collaboration with musician/filmmaker/visual artist Carl Hunter (of The Farm) which also includes appearances from Edwyn Collins, Wayne Coyne, Viv Albertine and Thurston Moore. Feral Love are also currently in a digital online collaboration with the Montreal electronic duo Wake Island which will come together in a series of shows in both the UK and Canada later this year.”
SUZERAIN – Always [starts 43:45]
http://www.suzerainmusic.com
“London five-piece Suzerain return with a new album called Identity, playing with a darker more industrial sound, taking inspiration from Depeche Mode, NIN & Berlin era Bowie. The album explores themes of digital identity, addiction and modern society and was produced by Steve Lyon. It will be released on June 3rd, and this track Always is available immediately if you pre-order the album on iTunes. Suzerain play The Great Escape Festival this Thursday (19th May) and the Into The Wild Festival on Saturday July 16th.
ETCHES – Love Is [starts 47:13]
https://www.facebook.com/etchesmusic
“Liverpool quintet Etches released this single last month following a successful UK tour. We like this record, and if you download the mixtape you can hear it for yourself, 47 minutes in. Their hilariously over-the-top press release tells us Love Is is: “immediately accessible, and yet never predictable. Their latest effort reveals a band at the top of their creative game, crafting emotionally captivating music that speaks directly to the listener. With nods to Interpol, Torches and Tears For Fears – indicative of the scope at play here – the new release confirms their status as one of the most exciting bands emerging from a northern city in rude aural health right now, bringing influences from electronica to post punk and psychedelia into the melting pot, winding up with something somehow familiar yet unarguably original.” About the actual band – their background, interests or future plans – there’s no factual information whatseover.
WARMDUSCHER – The Sweet Smell Of Florida [starts 51:13]
https://facebook.com/pages/Warmduscher/1497370903865441
Warmduscher consist of Clams “Grief Bacon” Baker (Mutado Pintado/Paranoid London) Lightnin’ Jack Everett (Throbbin Williams), The Saulcano (Fat White Family), Ben “Salt Fingers” Lovecraft (Childhood) and The Witherer (Paranoid London). Of this debut single they say “Red lights and one way tickets courtesy of Mr. Dan Carey, Alexis and this Numero Uno. Our first stop to Whale City, the conceptional love story of our heroes past and present. Hold tight.”
YLLWSHRK – Northern Soul [starts 56:03]
https://www.facebook.com/yllwshrk
“Yllwshrk is a collaboration between five musicians from across the UK, brought together by Scottish composer and violist Ian Anderson (no, not that one), and named after Frank Zappa’s album of modern classical music that he recorded with Ensemble Modern. Yllwshrk played their first gig in January 2016, since when they have recorded with producer Graeme Stewart, whom they first met while touring Europe and Russia with Jonny Greenwood as part of the London Contemporary Orchestra. They will release their debut 3-track EP in August, which will include this track Northern Soul.”
NB to ARTISTS…
If I’ve featured you on the BBC Introducing Mixtape recently, can you do me a favour and wait 12 weeks before sending in another track via Fresh On The Net? That will give us room to help a few other deserving artists in the meantime and we’d love to hear another great new tune from you in three months’ time.
You may also get a flattering email from PR companies offering you their paid services after appearing on The BBC Introducing Mixtape. If so please forward it to Fresh On The Net via our contact page and always treat unsolicted offers with extreme caution… Be sure to check out The Pros And Cons Of Pluggers.
