This week’s free downloadable BBC Introducing Mixtape features handpicked tunes from the BBC Introducing Uploader by GREAT HARE, HAWK, KID METHUSELAH, SINK OR SOAR, INAD, BITMAP, FOX HOTEL, DUNCAN ALEX, KOBADELTA, ARCH BIRDS, MARTHA BEAN, THE MOON KIDS, MERRYM’N, DEUCE & CHARGER, THE PAPER SHADES, FORTNIGHT IN FLORIDA and NIMZO-INDIAN.

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 then downloadable in podcast form at the BBC 6 Music downloads page for the next 30 days. Full tracklists and start times for each track are published here at Fresh On The Net – together with with information about the music that’s been provided by the artists themselves.

All tracks are sourced from the BBC Introducing Uploader. Some are recommended by BBC friends and colleagues while the rest are tunes I’ve discovered here via our Fresh On The Net inbox. For more about how the process works see this post – and if your music is in thie week’s mixtape please see the important warning at the bottom of this page. These are the listings for the episode broadcast in the early morning of Monday, 1st June at 2am. Which also happens to be my 65th birthday 🙂

GREAT HARE – Call Me Stupid [starts 00:17]
https://www.facebook.com/greathare
“Great Hare is an indie rock/dream pop quartet from Gothenburg consisting of Berne Randulv – Bass, Keyboards, Anders Holmström – Guitars, Kalle Mogren – Vocals, Guitars, Harmonica; and Lars Olausson – Drums. The band formed in 2010 and is named after a native American trickster god.” But how on earth did a band from outside the UK manage to get their music onto the BBC Introducing Uploader and qualify them for this mixtape? I do hope the band didn’t ask a local agent or indie record label to upload it on their behalf here in the UK… that would never do.

HAWK – Glass [starts 03:37]
http://www.hawkofficial.com/
“Hawk are an indie-noir act based in London. Julie, Matt, Chris, and Sam hail from various corners of the Ireland and the UK. Their latest release, Glass, is a free download with a hypnotic video inspired by the ‘fierce campaigners’ for the 2015 Marriage Referendum in Ireland. ‘During our Irish tour we met loads of people that were canvassing and raising awareness for the vote. Our date at Dolan’s in Limerick ran on the same night as a major LGBTQ party run by OUT in UL in the downstairs venue. After the gig, we met and spoke to a variety of passionate campaigners. Their enthusiasm really stuck with us. James Byrne (director) had suggested the idea of filming colours dispersing in water and we felt this was the perfect opportunity to do something that would raise awareness of the vote, and keep it front of mind, not just with people who follow us in Ireland, but with people in London and the UK as well. With the amount of effort we saw going into the cause we’re so happy to be making a contribution.’ Back in London, Hawk are working on new tracks before getting back to the stage in the late summer.”

KID METHUSELAH – Paris [starts 08:52]
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kid-Methuselah/1520119841610249
“Kid Methuselah is an producer and instrumentalist from the Midlands, UK. Inspired by a lack of people who share his vision – and the digitalisation of the modern world having a crushing effect on all that is organic and beautiful – Kid Methuselah began writing, recording and producing in the summer of 2014. The music is mainly electronic in nature, and has been described as funky, relaxing and complex.”

SINK OR SOAR – Piggy Got The Conch [starts 11:02]
http://sinkorsoar.co.uk
“Sink or Soar are a brand new 3 piece guitar-pop band from Southsea, Portsmouth, UK. Our influences include Elvis Costello, Edwyn Collins, Scott Walker, Roy Orbison, Serge Gainsbourg etc… Our first release is the self-produced Piggy Got the Conch with a video directed by the band.”

INAD – Blue Nue [starts 13:37]
https://facebook.com/pages/Inad/998461780166562
“I am Inad. I made an EP called Thé which means tea in Mauritian Kreol. This was released 11th May on Hello Thor records. I love recording my own material; computers fascinate me. In my spare time I paint and mess around with PureData. I’m currently working on a new record and I hope to release it when it’s finished.”

BITMAP – You Cannot Steal My Heart [starts 16:28]
https://soundcloud.com/b-i-t-m-a-p
“Bitmap is a band made from just one man. Luke Barwell is that man. Formerly of indie oddities (and label-mates of Belle & Sebastian and Snow Patrol) Salako. Now looking for a new label to release the new album.”

FOX HOTEL – E.D.E [starts 19:36]
http://foxhotel.bandcamp.com
“Acoustic purity, clashing with electronic angularity. Songs of the heart, played with warmth and chaos. Carved in a weird room with walls of green carpet, above an East-London club by this experimentally-minded duo. Inspired by the resourcefulness of hungry city foxes. E.D.E. is Fox Hotel‘s debut single – a tale about a Robot looking for love on a dating website. It’s also the first single from the duo’s upcoming EP, being currently recorded as I type.”

DUNCAN ALEX – Lucky Charm [starts 23:50]
http://www.duncanalex.com
“Always an avid listener of music,” says Duncan Alex “I first felt the itch to write my own music during my college years. I started when one summer holiday break, I was ready to hit the road home, but on the way I made a stop in a music shop and bought a keyboard synthesiser.”

KOBADELTA – Black Pyramid [starts 26:38]
http://www.facebook.com/kobadelta
“Kobadelta are a Newcastle five-piece who dabble in dark and brooding psych-rock, and have been described by NME as ‘frantic and feral’ and by local music mag NARC as ‘like Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds on speed’ – strangely apt considering Nick Cave himself plucked frontman Dom Noble out of the crowd at his recent Gateshead gig for an impromptu duet. They’ve opened for Temples and The Fall and you can catch them at Corbridge Festival (11th July) and Northbound Festival (7th August) this summer. Black Pyramid is the closing track from their latest EP Open Visions released in May 2015.”

ARCH BIRDS – Man Who Never Was [starts 31:06]
https://www.facebook.com/archbirds
“Arch Birds is a South London duo comprising multi-instrumentalists Brad Webb and Chris Hill. Their synth-driven songs owe a debt to the thumping drums of the Seventies, the shimmering soundscapes of the Eighties and the euphoric melodies of the Beach Boys. They are currently completing their debut record which will be released alongside live shows later in 2015.”

MARTHA BEAN – Bad Blood [starts 34:40]
http://marthabean.com
“Martha Bean is a songwriter from Leicester. Recently supporting the likes of Marika Hackman, Scott Matthews and Seth Lakeman, Martha has a world-class voice well worth keeping your ears open for. Comparisons have been made with Nick Drake, although Martha also draws inspiration from diverse influences including Radiohead and Debussy. ‘Bad Blood’ is taken from her debut album ‘When Shadows Return To The Sea’, which was released last month, and is available on CD, download (iTunes + Bandcamp) and streaming.”

THE MOON KIDS – Strange Thoughts On Sunday [starts 38:43]
http://themoonkids.com
“Looking for something much better? The Moon Kids are a hotly-tipped indie rock outfit from Scotland’s home of the hits, Dunfermline (It’s the city that produced punk rock legends The Skids, alt.rock guitar heroes Big Country, heavy rock icons Nazareth, Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson and Another Suitcase chanteuse Barbara Dickson.) Strange Thoughts On Sunday is the follow-up to their acclaimed debut The Moon Kids EP. Recorded with Mogwai/Snow Patrol studio whizz Michael Brennan Jnr, the EP’s unique brand of ‘fairground pop’ saw The Moon Kids – along with the likes of Vance Joy and Little Hurricane – make the final stages of an international songwriting competition where they got the thumbs-up from judges including Tom Waits, Run DMC and London Grammar.”

MERRYM’N – Cow Tipping [starts 41:48]
http://merrymn.co.uk
“Merrym’n. Stoke-on-Trent pop song sensibilities from Bob Moston and friends. There’s no master plan here, just a chap who likes writing songs about stuff. Distant dreams of frisbee-ing oatcakes into the masses from the Pyramid stage // Reality of writing songs about singing pigs, packed-in Astras and fat knackers. Simple pop songs in A/E/D or C/D/F (mostly also pinched from 60s party compilations). There’s no pretence here; straight forward songs from a straight forward songwriter. Against advice, these songs will continue to be founded in the six towns of Stoke-on-Trent, or out towards Leek and the Moorlands at a push.” Upcoming gigs: Old Brown Jug, Newcastle – 17/06, The Foxlowe Arts Centre, Leek – 20/06, ‘Rock on the Rocks’, Biddulph – 04/07

DEUCE & CHARGER – Tear Down The Barricades
featuring Lady Sanity, Dialect and Zola Marcelle [starts 44:29]
http://deuceandcharger.com
“Deuce & Charger are a Leeds-based trio of producers and DJs enhanced by an ever-expanding family of collaborators, including former Nightmares On Wax vocalist Phoenix Pearle and recent Wiley collaborator Saskilla. Influenced by artists from Marvin Gaye to Kendrick Lamar – pop music with a message – Deuce & Charger were described by Hall Of Fame as ‘a wildly impressive group with real punch and inspiring intentions’. Following their BBC Introducing live session and Hype Machine Top 5 track ‘Wild & Free’ at the end of last year, Deuce & Charger’s brand new single ‘Tear Down The Barricades’ features BBC 1Xtra playlisted rapper Lady Sanity and SB:TV supported rapper Dialect. Deuce & Charger are currently planning special one-off live shows with all their collaborators to take place in autumn 2015.”

THE PAPER SHADES – Home [starts 48:31]
http://thepapershades.co.uk
“The Paper Shades are a two piece band comprising Sarah Dollar and Jon Rixon. The pair have over the last few years released two EP’s and two singles and played relentlessly across the South. The beginning of 2015 saw them going in to the studio to record their debut album which is due for release in the Autumn. ‘Home’ is the first release from the album as a double a side single with second track ‘Strong’ and a live version of ‘The Lake’ which was premiered by Folk Radio.com. The band have recently played The Great Escape Festival and are now heading back to the studio to complete the album.” Upcoming live dates: 16th June – The Islington, London – Supporting Rocky Votolato, 23rd July – Somersault Festival, Devon

FORTNIGHT IN FLORIDA – Cameo [starts 52:06]
http://fortnightinflorida.com
“South London based 4 piece Fortnight In Florida are a self-produced collaboration creating their own brand of ‘Downtempo Electro Pop’ – atmospheric pop songs with a pulse. With a love of Shimmering Disco and 80ths Synth pop, they credit Holy Ghost! and Toro Y Moi amongst other significant influences. Having met on a previous project of singer-songwriter Simon Middleton, who had also just finished a brief tour as keys player for Lianne La Havas, Fortnight In Florida was the exit strategy should all else fail, and break-away members Eamonn Dawe (Bass/Guitars) and Andrew Sleightholme (Piano/Synths) joined forces for what has become this new ‘parachute’ project, followed by the arrival of Andrew Gallop on Drums. With a debut performance supporting Ms Dynamite on the Main Stage at Wilkestock Festival, the live show is well underway. With enough material for a debut album, the first single Your House was released last summer and the second single Cameo is out on 1st June 2015.”

NIMZO-INDIAN – Incredible [starts 56:35]
http://nimzo-indian.bandcamp.com
“Nimzo-Indian continue their genre mystifying journey of stuttering funk and post-rock walls of fuzz with this new track. The band Nimzo-Indian is the musical project of musician, artist and DIY instrument maker Andrew Spackman. Since their last air play Nimzo-Indian have been busy, putting out a 4 track EP called ‘Words’ on Bandcamp as well as producing remixes of Sasha Siem’s So Polite and Rachael Dadd’s Strike our Scythes on Soundcloud. They have also taken to the road, performing live sets at Noisefloor Festival and are working on the soundtrack for a new Ballet! A reworking of Das Triadische Ballet in collaboration with Pictoplasma illustrators Dazeray. New live dates and EP soon.”

ARTISTS…
After your music has been featured in the BBC Introducing Mixtape – or in our Fresh Faves here on the blog – please wait 12 weeks before sending us another tune, to leave us space to help other deserving artists. For more info see this blog post – thanks!

And if you get a flattering email from a PR company offering you their paid services after appearing on The BBC Introducing Mixtape please forward it to Fresh On The Net via our contact page. Always treat such offers with extreme caution…and be sure to check out The Pros And Cons Of Pluggers.