Top tunes from MIASMA, JAMESHOLT, ELSIE, SHAODOW, SWEETCORNBREAD, FREE SWIM, EMPOP, THE STURMEY ARCHERS, COREY FOX-FARDELL, QUIET AS A MOUSE, FLAVIYAKE, BOSS CLOTH, RAVENS, GOLD SPECTACLES, LUCY ZIRINS, MIKE WILLIAMS and MOTHER TONGUE

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 together 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 overnight on Sunday 2nd February (technically 2am on Monday, 3rd February 2014…

MIASMA – Goldberg [Starts 0:17]
http://www.facebook.com/miasma.band
“Miasma are an alternative rock/pop band hailing from Edinburgh. Their mutual history provides them with a strong foundation, upon which they build punchy, catchy pop melodies, strong chord progressions and multiple-part harmonies galore, along with a little bit of ‘weird’ when they see fit. As a truly eclectically creative unit, Miasma have recorded one album, 2011’s Feathered Feet, which was entirely self produced. Recent releases, such as Evil Twin (B-side on The River single, Aug. 2013) and Goldberg (Dec 2013) revealed a glimpse into Miasma’s experimental ambitions, as they explored polyrhythms and electronic production techniques. Early 2014 will see Miasma play a headline show on February 7th at The Wee Red Bar in Edinburgh and will also see the release of their eagerly anticipated new EP in May.”

JAMES HOLT – Whatever Happened To John? [Starts 03:24]
http://soundcloud.com/jamesholtmusic
“James Holt is a singer/songwriter from Manchester, currently in his final year studying music at the University of Salford. James plays piano, guitar and ‘cello (and sings a bit too). He records and writes all his own music (links below) and is most inspired by the music of The Beatles, Bob Dylan and Radiohead. James has recently had plays on BBC Manchester and Lancashire, through the Introducing pages, and has also previously been featured on Fresh On the Net. Also, it’d be awesome if you could share this local community music project I work for: http://www.rockitbolton.com”

ELSIE – Crying (Silent Whisper) [Starts 06:59]
https://www.facebook.com/ElsieMusic
“I’m Elsie, from Liverpool but now living in London. I spend pretty much all my spare time writing and recording songs…and I spend the rest of my time singing for Sir Tom Jones. (I’m the blonde one behind him on stage!). My music will almost always have a sad melody, a heavy bassline and thumping drums…unless I’m in a strummy guitar mood! I just experiment! I’ve covered a few Fleetwood Mac songs recently and one of them is being used on a TV show called Californication this summer, which I’m pretty excited about.”

SHAODOW – Gas Mark 10!!! [Starts 10:42]
http://www.shaodowmusic.com
“Advocate for Independent music artists everywhere; DiY Gang CEO ShaoDow broke through the commercial barrier with his long anticipated album Kung Fu Hustler in October 2013. A melting pot of Grime, Hip Hop, Dubstep and Rock with 21 tracks of pure creative diversity, the album is aptly named as ShaoDow himself trained in the art of Shaolin Kung Fu in China. He’s had plays on BBC Radio 1 and 1xtra as well as at 6 Music and had over 500,000 total views on YouTube so far. His achievements include supporting Tech N9ne, Chase and Status, Wiley, Skepta, Chipmunk and Devlin, as well as self releasing four singles, two Mixtapes one EP and an album. With ShaoDow continuing to release singles from his Kung Fu Hustler album, the UK will have no choice but to join the Independent Revolution!”

SWEETCORNBREAD – Fajita [Starts 13:47]
https://www.facebook.com/sweetcornbreadband
“Sweetcornbread were originally intended to be a versatile backing band (with an ever-changing line-up) for various singer-songwriters emerging from their local music scene in Hemel Hempstead.
The band eventually evolved into an original unit in their own right, consisting of Trucker (vocals / guitar / accordion / mandolin). Bobbio: (vocals/mandolin/acoustic guitar). Ky (banjo/electric guitar / backing vocals), Jimitha (upright bass) and Jack (drums). However they have kept the variety from their early days, referencing folk, funk, bluegrass, reggae, blues and gypsy-punk (amongst other genres) in their material. Sweetcornbread are currently booking gigs for the summer months and recording tracks for their first EP.”

FREE SWIM – Transatlantic Tumnus [Starts 16:26]
http://www.facebook.com/freeswimswimfree
“Free Swim is the music of Paul Coltofeanu from Reigate in Surrey. Transatlantic Tumnus is taken from a brand new EP out later this year. Check out the animated video for the song created by Bill Greenwood. Free Swim have recorded sessions for the Guardian and BBC Introducing in the last 18 months and have received the support of DJs from Radio 1 and BBC 6 Music. The promo video by Bill Greenhead (“Stiktoonz“) is the sharpest piece of hand-drawn animation you’ll see all year – and then some. It’s embedded further down the page and also my personal Video of The Day here at Fresh On The Net.

EMPOP – Uneasy [Starts 19:36]
http://www.facebook.com/empopmusic
“Empop (Emily Brothers) is a singer/songwriter, musician, studio manager & producer. She recorded her first album Imaginary World with Britney Spears’ Musical Director & BRIT Award winner Simon Ellis in 2012. Her music has been played on BBC Introducing – Three Counties Radio, BBC 6 Music & on popular British soap Hollyoaks – Channel 4. In 2013 the first track of the album The Garden won her a semi-finalist position in the UK Songwriting Competition. Her video for the 5th track on the album Night Poem is on the playlist for screens in National Gym chains around the UK. She is currently working with many producers around the world, releasing tracks, recording a new album, writing for other artists and running her recording studio The Sound Cube and music production/video business POPMETIC. Contact her via Facebook if you have an exciting collaboration project!”

THE STURMEY ARCHERS – The Baton [Starts 22:59]
https://soundcloud.com/paddyconner
“The Sturmey Archers are the brainchild of 46 year old Croydonian Paddy Conner, helped by the fantastic Mike Vaughan on drums and the odd guest star. Yeah 46, I know, but I’m sure you agree Tom, why should new music be just for the young ‘uns? Old gits love music too. Paddy has now moved from lovely Croydon (you wondered I expect where those estuary tones came from) and lives on the edge of the New Forest where he can regularly be seen playing gigs and open mike nights in The Southampton/New Forest area. The Sturmey Archers’ simple manifesto is to write playful songs that could make people laugh or cry or think about their own lives, and to enjoy the adventure that is making music. Thanks again Tom, I think what you and the introducing/FOTN team do is truly fantastic, and I imagine it can’t be easy listening to all those tracks each week, but keep up the good work for all of us.”

COREY FOX-FARDELL – You Cannot Say [Starts 26:42]
http://www.facebook.com/coreyfoxfardellmusic
“After studying music for two years at The Brit School, Corey Fox-Fardell is now embarking on his solo career. Over the last two years or so, Corey has been gigging his original music in and around the South East. Venues include – Barfly – Camden, The Bedford – Balham, The Grey Lady – Tunbridge Wells, The Slaughtered Lamb – Clerkenwell, The Borderline and Soho Flea Market – (CITYSHOWCASE) and a recent Caffè Nero tour around London/South East in 2013 funded by The Musicians Benevolent Fund . Recently a songwriting trip to Nashville, Tennessee, introduced Corey to co-writing which is something he’d love to pursue. This song You Cannot Say from his new EP The Fox and Its Prey (available on iTunes) has been published by SONY ATV. Corey writes and produces all of his music, drawing on many influences, including artists such as Ben Howard, Jose Gonzalez, Bon Iver, Pat Metheny and John Martyn to name a few.” Upcoming London gigs: The Troubadour – 8th Feb, The Islington – 11th Feb, The Grey Lady – 23rd Feb. The Bedford – 5th March.

QUIET AS A MOUSE – An Accident Waiting To Happen (Awoo Woo Woo) [Starts 30:36]
http://www.quietasamouseofficial.com
“Quiet As A Mouse formed in 2012 in Edinburgh. The band’s live reputation has quickly grown in the past year supporting Palma Violets (Rough Trade Records), The Crookes, Hey Sholay & Dingus Khan (Fierce Panda Records) & The Electric Soft Parade as well as their first batch of London shows being with Club Fandango at Bull & Gate & Buffalo Bar and a headline show at Birthdays. These outstanding performances have earned them “Gig of the Day” from from Ruth Kilpatrick at Amazing Radio airplay support from Tom Robinson (BBC 6), Chris Martin, Charlie Ashcroft and Jim Gellaty at Amazing Radio. On the back of acclaimed free download track ‘An Accident Waiting To Happen (Awoo Woo Woo)’ Quiet as a Mouse released their debut single ‘Home Is The Hardest Place To Find’ on 12th August. The single was produced by Marcus Mackay (Frightened Rabbit, Snow Patrol, Sparrow & The Workshop) and mastered by Chris Potter (Arctic Monkeys, Anna Calvi, Suede & Primal Scream). We are supporting The Orwells in Glasgow at Broadcast on Sat 22nd Feb. We are working towards releasing our debut EP in May/June.”

FLAVIYAKE – Because I’m A Doll [Starts 33:25]
https://www.facebook.com/Flaviyake
“Flaviyake (read like Flavia-kee) is an electro pop female singer and songwriter based in London. Her artist name is formed of her Latin name Flavia and a Japanese ending. She produces her experimental songs in collaboration with her brother RK. As one horoscopic calendar states those born on the 16th of December have the most vivid imagination, she feels obliged to show people something they have never seen through her music. Some of her songs are really surreal, others are written about different characters of the contemporary world and she states: “Performance is not about being different, it is about enjoying being different”. She is also trained in classical music and plays flute and piano. Flaviyake is going to release her latest song ‘Because I’m a Doll’ with a music video on the 14th of February, 2014.”

BOSS CLOTH – Dancer [Starts 37:00]
http://www.bosscloth.co.uk
“We are Boss Cloth, a 2-Piece from Swindon, Wiltshire comprising of Matthew Sirrelle on guitar and Vocals and Richard Cowdry on Drums and Vocals. We formed in mid 2013 and have thus far gigged locally supporting the likes of Bite the Buffalo and Oxygen Thief full band and have recorded and released our debut EP, Followers of The Cloth on Omniphonic records. We are currently gigging around the south West Promoting our Debut EP with gigs coming up at The Exchange in Bristol on Feb 14th and The Stag and Hounds, Bristol on Feb 22nd. We’re now filming and editing a video for the track ‘Dancer’ which is due to be completed around March.”

FREE SWIM – Transatlantic Tumnus
Video by Bill “Stiktoonz” Greenhead

RAVENS – Brothers [Starts 39:58]
https://www.facebook.com/soundofravens
“Ravens are a three piece band with a quintessentially English sound who met whilst working in imaginary jobs in Leeds. A map of their influences sees the journey start with William Byrd taking in The Beatles and Syd Barrett via a stop off at Camberwick Green for sandwiches and gin. The band released their debut EP Sound of Ravens in late 2013 and gained to plaudits from Louder Than War and Shindig! Magazine plus support slots with the likes of Trembling Bells and Jack Bruce. The EP is available as a Limited Edition Digipak CD, and Ravens will unveil the video for this song Brothers today (Monday February 3rd). The film, which has been described as ’21st Century Psychedelia’, is the brainchild of renowned director Howard Ashley Storey and producer Lee Isserow.”

GOLD SPECTACLES – Steal You Away [Starts 44:06]
https://soundcloud.com/goldspectacles
“Gold Spectacles are a baroque-pop duo based in London, UK. Formed in 2012, it is the collaborative venture of two British songwriter/producers. Drawing on an eclectic range of musical influences from Paul Simon to Phoenix, Gold Spectacles write sample-based alternative pop music. Steal You Away is the duo’s debut single. An EP is expected to be released in May.”

LUCY ZIRINS – Goodnight [Starts 47:19]
http://www.lucyzirins.com
“Singer-songwriter Lucy Zirins hails from Burnley in Lancashire. Her self released debut album Chasing Clocks – from which Goodnight is taken – was released in 2013 to great reviews, with Maverick Magazine awarding it 4 out of 5 stars saying: ‘There are not too many debut albums as promising as this.’ All 12 songs on the album are self-penned, and Lucy also wrote and scored all the cello parts for tracks on the album, including this track, despite not playing the instrument herself. The song itself is a reflection on musicians who die too young from drink, drugs and the pressures of fame. Goodnight has been featured on The Mark Forrest Show (1.6 million listeners – best picks of local radio stations) and was also picked for a cover mount disc of Classic Rock’s sister magazine (Classic Rock Presents The Blues Magazine) with the quote ‘Move over Carol King and Joni Mitchell, there’s a new sheriff in town.’ Her album went on to be chosen as one of the magazine’s top 50 releases for the year. Lucy continues to gig in 2014 with gigs and festival appearances up and down the country, and is also planning to start on a new E.P.”

MIKE WILLIAMS – Tête Raphaélesque Éclatée [Starts 50:16]
https://soundcloud.com/settimo-velo
“Mike Williams was classically trained at the Royal Academy of Music, where he studied Composition and Viola. He was involved in the avant-garde / free jazz scene for a while but now works in electronic and experimental music out of his studio on the Isle of Wight. His latest album Snow Breath was released in January, inspired by a rare fall of snow on the Isle of Wight in the winter of 2012/13. Following the recent launch of the album Mike is already back in the studio working on a follow up EP – based on the music of Erik Satie – and composing for film.”

MOTHER TONGUE – Reading Books And Learning [Starts 53:09]
http://www.mothertongue.me.uk
“Mother Tongue was formed on a rain-stricken Tuesday night in a pub Manchester. After responding to some lonely-hearts ads put on the internet by Louis (guitars) & Mark (also guitars), Will (bass), John (drums) and Phil (more guitars and quiff) decided that playing odd progressive pop songs was vitally important and consequently signed up. An album is mostly recorded and due in late 2014, plus they’re playing in Manchester on the 13th Feb at The Night & Day and the 24th April at The Bay”

ARTISTS: 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.