Top tunes from ALEX BLOOD, ANTONY RAINE, BEARFOOT BEWARE, BUD SUGAR, CHERRY HEAD, CHERRY HEART, GOODBYE STEREO, HELGHYER, HEY ZEUS, LIGHTS THAT CHANGE, LOLA’S BAD, MELLOR, PERCY, SCHNAUSER, STEVE RICH, TEXAN GIRLFRIEND, THE ORIGINAL RABBIT FOOT SPASM BAND and ZAHEER

The BBC Introducing Mixtape is a 60 minute radio show and podcast broadcast on BBC Radio 6 Music from 2-3am every Sunday night/Monday morning. Each show is available as a podcast for 30 days at the BBC 6 Music downloads page. The full tracklists and start times are published here at Fresh On The Net with biog information supplied by the artists. Previous tracklists can be found via the MIXTAPE tab above or on the BBC website.

All tracks on the mixtape come from the BBC Introducing Uploader: some are recommended by BBC friends and colleagues – the rest are tunes I’ve discovered here while listening to our Fresh On The Net inbox. For more about how the process works see this post.

These are the listings for the episode broadcast at 2am on Monday, 21st October 2013:

HEY ZEUS – Rain [Starts 00:13]
http://heyzeusmusic.co.uk
“Originally formed as song writing and singing duo in 2010, Hey Zeus, namely Oliver Hipkins and Margherita Di Ceglie soon augmented the impact of their performances with the addition of bassist Jurgen Petralia and drummer Lewis Berale to the group. They play regularly on the London circuit, as well as having performed in Italy and other UK locations. Their music is a mixture of Hispanic chord sequences interlaced with passion in the form of powerful lyrics and driving rhythms. All of this, overlaid with arpeggios and riffs, gives the impression that each song tells its own story, both lyrically and musically, giving them a unique and original sound. The band is currently in and out of the studio recording their 3-part EP Festina Lente which will be available for download soon.”

ZAHEER – Boycott (feat. Abiade) [Starts 04:48]
https://facebook.com/zaheermusic
“Fresh from my set at Reading and Leeds Festivals on the BBC Introducing stage,” writes friend and former guest of this show Zaheer “here is the forthcoming release…Boycott! This was performed as part of my set and went down a storm. Since then our audio has gained airplay on BBC Radio 1, BBC 3 Counties and the BBC Asian Network. We became one of the most popular acts on BBC Red Button over that weekend, as well as one of the most-viewed on the BBC Introducing YouTube Channel. This is now the next release from my EP ‘Mood Swings’ with a music video shot ready to release. I am hoping to continue the amazing support BBC Introducing has provided my work, by getting this out to as far as we can.”

BUD SUGAR – Ya Lifes Happenin [Starts 08:45]
http://facebook.com/BudSugar
“Bud Sugar, swed Nation, First class to Swish Station! Weed smokers, jokers with no focus who act bogus and yet still keep ya served like a Hyperactive Hostess. 6 members too be remembered, male gendered and all important like the strings on Fenders! Rap meets Jam, Thug meets ham, guitars in hand with no mic stand! Give us a glance or even a chance and we’ll blow ya minds like a elephant that can dance.”

LOLA’S BAD – Corona Wide [Starts 10:57]
https://facebook.com/lolasbad
“I’m a Greek lady, unsigned and Lola’s Bad is my solo project. I have produced everything so far in my bedroom, including the recording of vocals. I really enjoy making DIY performance-art-video-pop and with Lola’s Bad I’ve managed to combine my love for directing, shooting/ editing videos, performing and of course music making. I have been making music for a year now and I find it much more liberating than theatre making and filmmaking as I can instantly reach a much wider and more diverse audience. I think my music is a quirky amalgam of exotic dream pop and goth flavored synth driven electronica with references to the old school dance scene if that makes sense. I self-released my debut EP “Miss Abyss 2046″ a couple of months ago. I move around a lot and right now I’m in Greece after 5 whole years and I’m writing new stuff in my bedroom in Kipseli, Athens. I haven’t gigged in Greece at all so the next few months I will be doing that and I will be on tour with Keep Shelly in Athens -yes, their name is actually taken from Kipseli- in December. In the meantime I might be throwing a November show in London but I can’t confirm that yet. Hopefully more gigs will follow in Europe and the release of my new material in the new year.”

MELLOR – Never Saw Her Leave [Starts 15:18]
https://facebook.com/melloruk
This is the opening track on One Of The Faces the forthcoming EP by Mellor, whose iTunes release is scheduled for next Monday (Oct 28th). They describe themselves as “a Pop Smack band from Reading, UK. Our latest single is out now on iTunes! 2011 saw the birth of ‘Mellor,’ the Reading four-piece quickly bringing their dynamic sounds of anthem-worthy Pop Smack to their ever growing fan base. Catching the eye of BBC Introducing after just one gig, Mellor spent their first year sharing stages with the likes of The Kooks, Pete Doherty, KT Tunstall & The Milk. In June 2012, Mellor released their debut single ‘Catch Me Girl’ to 5 Star online reviews. Following features by NME, Artrocker, Drowned in Sound, BBC Introducing Radio & Q Radio Support, their second single in November gained national airplay on Absolute Radio.” They play a hometown show at Oakford Social on Wednesday week (Oct 30th).

ANTONY RAINE – Casaparaiso [Starts 17:18]
http://www.antonyraine.com
“Antony Raine is a singer/songwriter with an unconventional story. From writing music in a former Uruguayan brothel, to performing in illegal theatre houses in Montevideo, the London-based troubadour has amassed an array of tales that now make up his debut EP, ‘Farewell to Arms’, that hit number 12 on entry to the iTunes Singer/Songwriter Chart. The former soldier’s brand of British Americana weaves together tales of struggle and redemption with talk of classic writers, love and politics. Of the 4 songs, ‘Silhouettes’ is a story of nostalgia and camaraderie in the fog of an unpopular war and anthemic ‘Desperate Times’ has proved a BBC Introducing favourite in Yorkshire. Having recently sold-out a headline show at St Pancras Old Church, Raine is currently performing in London and will be recording his second EP in December before going on tour in early 2014.”

HELGHYER – Broken The Spell [Starts 21:37]
https://facebook.com/Helghyer
“Helghyer (Pronounced Hell-hear) is the solo project of multi-instrumentalist Natalie Earl. The name itself comes from the Cornish word for “Hunter.” Being of Cornish decent, Natalie holds the county particularly close to her heart. Her unique, rich voice, as succulent as T-bone steak or duck egg custard combined with intertwining harmonies and textured instrumentation result in deeply personal, melodic songs which can be dark and haunting at times. Her often ambiguous lyrics, with a strong emphasis on storytelling, provide social commentary on everything from family traditions, falling from grace, witchcraft and Cornish folklore. Fuelled by hard work and a strong DIY ethic, Helghyer’s self-released debut EP- ‘The Mage, The Wiseman and The Lioness: Part 1’ is due to be released on the 21st June 2013.”

SCHNAUSER – Waterloo Teeth [Starts 25:02]
http://www.schnauser.co.uk
“Bristol psych-prog-poppers Schnauser document the nagging neuroses bubbling under the surface of everyday life. Their comically caustic lyrics are wrapped up in a blanket of odd time signatures, proggy arrangements but with a pop sensibility, luring you in with three-part harmonies and earworm melodies before wigging out on an inappropriate theremin and fuzz bass solo in 7/8. The latest album “Where Business Meets Fashion” was released worldwide on 30th September 2013, and has gained rave reviews in the press and blogs. Schnauser continue to tour the album in the south-west over the next few months whilst writing and recording the Soft Machine inspired follow-up for release next year.”

PERCY – An Anthem For Wasted Youth [Starts 28:43]
https://www.facebook.com/PercyWYSH
“Gigging and recording since 1996 Percy are proving to be tenacious musical survivors – typical Yorkshire Terriers – scruffy and soft looking from a distance but surprisingly quick with a bite and lots of unexpected noise close too! Whilst other bands we started with have fallen by the way side we have maintained a hardy core of support and kept writing new material throughout. With ‘Anthem’ its great to be playing an up-beat track, and the live feedback has been great. Many comparisons suggested to our collective favorite band XTC. Nice. Percy are headlining at the Behind The White Door garage punk club at the Fulford Arms in York on Weds 13th Nov – also supporting Kleine Schweine at the Packhorse in Leeds on Friday 15th Nov. ‘An Anthem for a Wasted Youth’ is the title track of our latest EP – now available via Spotify, Amazon, iTunes and Bandcamp.”

GOODBYE STEREO – Waves [Starts 32:26]
http://www.facebook.com/goodbyestereo
“Alternative pop quintet Goodbye Stereo” are, we’re told “charming in every sense of the word, alluring new disciples through disjointed guitars, quirky vocal harmonies, and a barrage of rhythm rupturing the heart. Recently lauded by Bestival curator Rob da Bank as one’s to watch, Goodbye Stereo’s addictive presence and indoctrinating melodies will take up residence in your head for days.”

CHERRY HEAD, CHERRY HEART – Dream Cowboy [Starts 36:01]
https://www.facebook.com/cherryheadcherryheart
Cherry Head, Cherry Heart are a Teesside-based duo consists of Naomi Lowe and Andy Johnson who are “plowing their own singular furrow in a field that very few visit, which is a shame as it’s a nice spot for a picnic. Subtle sounds from south-of-the-border (Mexico, not North Yorkshire) spice up their homebrewed pop. It’s melodic, melancholy and made for you: pop with classic stylings and modern moods. From the trumpets of Tijuana to the organs of erm…Oslo and the sweet country vocals of Virginia. Wrapped up in the smog of the Tees Delta, CHCH are wandering the wilderness making occasional stops for coffee and Kopperberg. Band interests: Skiing, Fondue parties, Deep-fried confectionery, cocktails at 8, Watching Hart to Hart in the bath.”

ORIGINAL RABBITFOOT SPASM BAND – Nancy Mitford Disco [start 38:59]
http://www.rabbitfootspasmband.co.uk
“The Original Rabbit Foot Spasm Band play loud, beat music based on traditional jazz and blues. We couldn’t find anyone else celebrating the raw, otherwordly side of the music we love so we decided to do it ourselves, with original songs penned by singer/pianist Stuart Macbeth. Having started off as a banjo and ukulele duo we’re now a seven piece with three brass, piano, guitar, double bass and drums. We’ve recently released a single on wax cylinder and launched our own brand of cider. Our album Party Seven was released on September 16th and we’re promoting it through the next couple of months with shows in Bristol, Reading, Southampton, London and in our hometown of Oxford.”

STEVE RICH+THE HILLS – Gonna Love You Forever [Start 42:31]
http://www.steverichandthehills.com
“Steve Rich and The Hills are an Americana band from London. Formed in 2012, their debut album ‘Rolling Thunder’ is being released on 18th November 2013. The album has spawned two singles, the first, ‘an ode to death and devotion’ ‘Gonna Love You Forever’ and the folky, breezy, waltz of ‘Someday Someday’. Their next live appearance is at the famous 100 Club in London on 1st November 2013. The band are signed to the independent label The Animal Farm.”

LIGHTS THAT CHANGE – Beautiful Soul [Starts 46:10]
https://www.facebook.com/LightsThatChange
“Lights That Change was a project started many years ago by Marc Joy When time allowed as Marc has spent many years producing/engineering, mastering bands and artists from a broad range of genres. Always looking for a moment to get back to why this career was started in the first place, looking for the perfect dreamscape sonic horizon created with just guitars. Some of these songs are quite old but only made complete with the vocal of Lisa VonH. Marc and Lisa have worked together on many other projects as well as some of Lisa’s own projects but Marc had never considered Lisa’s vocals to the LTC project until a year ago.”

BEARFOOT BEWARE – Trellum [Starts 50:00]
http://bearfootbeware.co.uk
“Energetic, scrappy; Bearfoot Beware are an alternative rock band from Leeds. Merging the elemental characteristics of math, noise and alternative independent rock, and displaying a knack for pop sensibilities, their third EP ‘Bruises And Business’, out on Nottingham based Mountains Of Records, further advances the endless quest to define their sound. After previous festival slots at Reading & Leeds, British Wildlife and Live At Leeds, the band are out for a UK tour in October 2013 and Europe, April 2014. We will be in Bristol, London and Brighton on October 24th, 25th and 26th.”

ALEX BLOOD & THE DIGGERS – The Way I Do [Starts 53:10]
http://www.alexblood.com
Alex Blood & The Diggers are “an edgy genre-crossing band from the Midlands, formed in 2011 by lyricist and producer Alex Blood. Formerly a well known name in the underground hip hop scene, Alex had already collaborated with the likes of Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse on the official b side remix to Valerie, after this experience he decided he wanted to form a band to be the musical backdrop to his increasingly witty and satirical lyrics. The Diggers were formed and over the last 2 years a unique sound has been forged that has been described as “impossible to pigeonhole”, but clearly takes influence from Ian Dury & The Blockheads, Public Enemy, and The Clash to name a few. After 2 years gigging and promoting their two independently released EPs they are now in the writing stages of their first full length album project, which they are planning to release in 2014. The Way I Do is their latest single and has been well received by radio and the online press. The bands live following is strong in the Midlands and they are currently booking a national tour for early 2014. ”

TEXAN GIRLFRIEND – Daythinking [Starts 56:33]
https://www.facebook.com/texangirlfriend
“Texan Girlfriend is my one-man garage pop project from London. I am a serial bedroom producer of rough song snippets, and this is my effort to consolidate it all under one name. I listen to all sorts from Boards Of Canada to Daniel Johnston, and this is what pops out at the end! This track ‘Daythinking’ sits in the middle of the EP ‘My Gun’, which is free to download and stream here: http://texangirlfriend.bandcamp.com/album/my-gun There is a follow-up in the works!”

ARTISTS: A Word Of Warning…
After appearing on The BBC Introducing Mixtape you may well receive unsolicited email from at least one plugger saying they heard your track on the show, thought it “sounded fantastic”, and are wondering if you’re looking for promotion for your releases.

Please check out The Pros And Cons Of Pluggers before responding to any unsolicited emails from anyone suggesting that YOU should pay THEM for services of any kind.