This week’s free downloadable BBC Introducing Mixtape features handpicked tunes from the BBC Introducing Uploader by THE ANCHORESS, PARENT, NADINE KHOURI, JACK CONMAN, PLASTIC MERMAIDS, HOW MANY DEVILS, MAUD THE MOTH, REN CAPES, ROBIN MITCHELL, THE BILLY SHINBONE SHOW, THE SHOOTING OF, ACTOR, JOSH WOLFSOHN, FIFI RONG and SNIPPET.

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, 14th December at 2am.

THE ANCHORESS – You and Only You [starts 00:16]
http://www.iamtheanchoress.com/
“The Anchoress is songwriter, Bloomsbury-published author, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Catherine Anne Davies. She was born in Wales, and grew up training to be a ballerina in Buckinghamshire. She’s been compared to Queen of Prog Kate Bush and described as “the much more feminist Lana Del Rey” by NPR. At its essence her music blends the worlds of prog and pop, to create what she describes as “revenge-pop”. On January 15th 2016 her debut album Confessions of a Romance Novelist is set for release through the Kscope label (home to four time Grammy nominee Steven Wilson and rock behemoths Anathema). Ahead of the album comes the You And Only You EP which features 5 different versions of the track, including collaborations with White Hinterland, electronic maestro Philip Reach, and Mansun’s Paul Draper, plus a special strings-enriched version mixed by Cenzo Townshend. Meanwhile, Catherine is busy working on album two with Bernard Butler.”

PARENT – You’re Not Broken [starts 04:42]
https://www.facebook.com/Parentmusic
“Parent is Rachel Kern (voice) and Jason Brown (guitar). You’re Not Broken is the first outing from their debut album, due for independent release in the spring of 2016. The duo are currently locked in the studio mixing the album with producer Mick Routledge from Campion Sound. The album consists of 12 songs with honest words and rich harmony coupled with bespoke string arrangements by Sarah Brandwood-Spencer. Within one week of its upload to Soundcloud, You’re Not Broken has received hugely positive feedback from across the globe from professional musicians and fans alike.”

NADINE KHOURI – You Got A Fire [starts 08:59]
http://www.nadinekhouri.com/
“Nadine Khouri is a British-Lebanese artist currently based in London. Influenced by dream-pop, film soundtracks and spoken word, her sound has been described as a “music born of perennial outsider status.” Noted by producer John Parish (PJ Harvey, Eels) for her voice, she was invited to sing on a track on his Screenplay LP and subsequently to record her forthcoming album in his hometown of Bristol. The first track issued from the album You Got A Fire was self-released last month with a video directed by photographer Steve Gullick. In the past month, Khouri has performed at Union Chapel, National Portrait Gallery, Royal Festival Hall, to name a few, and supported alt-folk maverick Howe Gelb and Mary Hampton, garnering positive reviews for her live performances in MOJO and more. She is looking to release the full album in 2016.”

JACK CONMAN – Misty Central [starts 13:00]
http://jackconman.co.uk/
“18 year-old English singer-songwriter & virtuoso guitarist Jack Conman is breaking new ground. A young musician well versed in intricate & percussive guitar riffs, haunting folk pop melodies and soulful vocals, his remarkable array of talents are setting him apart from a crowded field of fellow troubadours. Already a talented drummer before turning his hand to the guitar, the percussive influence of his first instrument has created a unique playing style where every part of his acoustic is used to tap out beats and rhythms alongside picking melodies on the strings. Combined with his yearning vocals and gift for melody, Jack’s live performances have been silencing awed rooms and festival crowds in his native Yorkshire for the last 6 months. Influenced by contemporaries like Ben Howard, Keaton Henson and Jon Gomm, Jack’s hazy melodies and poetic lyrics also share DNA with genre heavyweights Nick Drake, Bon Iver and Tracy Chapman. Despite the impressive skill of his guitar playing, the core emotional impact of his songs are always at the forefront of Jack’s writing. His debut EP Euphoria Springs will be released via Warren Records in January 2016. With the lead single Misty Central already picking up radio airplay and press support from around the UK and beyond, Jack’s music will continue to break through to new fans wherever it is heard.”

PLASTIC MERMAIDS – Painted Lady [starts 17:05]
http://weareplasticmermaids.tumblr.com
“Hailing from the Isle of Wight, Plastic Mermaids have garnered much critical acclaim of late. Utilising everything from self-built analogue synths and studio gear to film samples and confetti lasers during live sets, an immense level of dedication to their craft is plain to see. Compared to such heavyweights as Mercury Rev and The Flaming Lips, the band are spending this winter working in their home studio recording and occasionally escaping to surf when inspiration is running low. Painted Lady is the first track from their forthcoming release Everything Is Yellow And Yellow Is My Least Favourite Colour, expected early next year.”

HOW MANY DEVILS – Electric Eels [starts 20:55]
http://howmanydevils.com
“Sheffield trio HowManyDevils have just released their third album, Space Cowboys Under The Sea Of Japan. Without losing the alternative rock roots the band have widened their influences to include country, progressive rock and funk – inventing the genre CowProg-SpaceFunk. After more drummer related incidents than Spinal Tap the band has settled in to the line up of Pete (bass/anything), Simon (vocals/guitar/anything), Rob (guitar/anything) and Stumpy Boxhead (a drum machine). 2015 has been productive, second album Flesh Reunion was released in February, and 2016 looks on track to be the same. The band have already begun writing album number four, experimenting with a more synthesiser based sound.”

MAUD THE MOTH – Crossbows [starts 25:03]
https://maudthemoth.wordpress.com
“Maud the Moth was founded in 2010 as the solo project of Amaya López-Carromero. Hailing from Madrid, and now located in Edinburgh, Maud the Moth has always been a fluid entity, cycling through various line-ups and formations, without loosing sight of its fundamental sense of purpose. Beginning with a minimal set up of voice and piano, with the occasional use of a looper, the project has also dressed up as a trio and duo in the past. Drawing on a wide-ranging musical background, which includes jazz, classical, avant garde, soul and even some elements of metal, Maud the Moth carefully combines these disparate elements into a final product that is always musical, coherent and heartfelt. Next performances in Edinburgh (Hogmanay 2016) and Glasgow (Hazy recollections…) can be found on the webpage.”

REN CAPES – Lump Di La [starts 29:04]
http://sparklymusic.com
“Ren Capes is an unsigned singer/songwriter who, plays, records and produces his own music from his studio, The Sparkle Box, in West Sussex. Ren describes his sound as English Eccentric Rocktronica, because it’s distinctly Albion, quirky, and electro-rocking! The track featured is one of 14 on Ren’s new compendium of audio experience Look but See which can be streamed from his website or indeed purchased from all good retailers. Thoroughly recommended! Ren can be contacted via his site.”

ROBIN MITCHELL – Bike [starts 33:06]
http://robinmitchell.co.uk
“Robin Mitchell, Bristol’s most prolific producer/songwriter, has self-released 5 featherweight soul records in the past 2 years. Mellowtape was one of Bristol Live Magazine’s picks of the year for 2014, and Robin was named artist of the month for September 2015 with the release of his mini-album Down in the City, which draws influence from Marvin Gaye, The Cardigans, and 90s cassette culture. This summer Robin toured China with his friends Transition, playing 22 cities in 30 days. 2016 will see Robin release a hit single every month for the first six months. Follow the action over at Facebook.”

THE BILLY SHINBONE SHOW –
If You Think You’ll Get Away With It You’re Wrong [starts 36:47]
http://billyshinbone.com
“Since starting out in August 2013 Billy Shinbone has been busy. He’s toured in Germany 4 times, played at Glastonbury Festival in 2014 & 2015 as well as other festivals, opened for interesting and idiosyncratic acts such as Piney Gir, James Apollo, Flipron & Le Skeleton Band & twice played live on BBC Introducing West. He is now signed to Tiny Dog Records. All recorded in Somerset except the bass,-recorded in the Arctic North of Norway by his friend Ida. Musical pen pals!”

THE SHOOTING OF – The Sky is Full of Lights [starts 39:54]
http://theshootingof.com
“The Shooting Of (aka Paul Jeans) is one man intent on raising his voice above the din, alternative pop vignettes with splashes of melancholy. Debut album Analogue Heart to be released on 4th March, preceded by a few dates around the north east region: 6th Feb Surf Cafe, Tynemouth; 7th Feb The Waiting Room, Eaglescliffe; 13th Feb Barrels Alehouse, Berwick. Album release party at tbc venue in Newcastle on 4th March.”

ACTOR – Uppercut [starts 43:26]
https://www.facebook.com/whoisactor
“Actor is the alias of Louisa Osborn, collaborating Producer Chris Mulligan and Drummer Ste Anderson, who started writing their self-labelled “Emotional euphoria wrapped in sweet and sorrowful narratives” in a murky art space once home to a bomb factory in Leeds. Uppercut, this latest track, is mixed by Rich Turvey (Clean Cut Kid/Blossoms/VITAMN) and features a deeply personal narrative. On the song Louisa reflects: “Uppercut was inspired by a Billie Holiday lyric ‘I’d rather be lonely than happy with somebody else’. Uppercut personifies the ugly punch you unwillingly have to take when you have to give someone up.”

JOSH WOLFSOHN – Bad Idea [starts 46:26]
https://www.facebook.com/Josh-Wolfsohn-music-671483026296135/
“I’m a 17 year old songwriter from Swindon” says Josh Wolfsohn. “This track Bad Idea is from my second EP, Dirty Concrete, in which I drew influence from a wide range of artists such as Alanis Morissette, Gorilla, KT Tunstall an The Wonder Years, and played all of the parts on the recording. I’ve had great help as a member of The Westwood Sessions for the past 3 years, a youth performance platform born of Beverly Folk Festival. In November I made my London debut supporting Tim Arnold in Soho, appearing in Tim’s column in Metro the next week. This February I am supporting Adam Ficek (Babyshambles) in Swindon, as well as a Lazy Sunday gig at Swindon Central Library and a project (with the Westwood Sessions) in Beverly working with MAIA.”

FIFI RONG – Once [starts 49:43]
http://fifirong.com
“Originating from Beijing, Fifi Rong is a unique artist and producer based in London. She has been collaborating with many artists including Tricky, Phaeleh, Skepta and Yello to name a few, and receiving vast support from a stream of blogs and radio stations including The 405, Clash, Fader Magazine, Hype Magazine, Pigeon and Planes, BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 1 Extra, BBC Radio 6 Music and so on. She was also nominated as the best Electronic Music Artist and publicly voted into China’s Top 10 of most popular new artists of 2014. Having already established herself internationally as a stand-out live performer, with headline shows throughout the UK, Europe and China/Hong Kong, she just released her much-anticipated new EP Violently Silently, which was described by Outlet Magazine as a piece of work that demonstrates her ‘ever growing musical style, and that with each release she’s maturing, and refining her idiosyncratic, yet beautifully intoxicating sound.’ Following a successful EP-launch show at the Garage, additional shows and releases are in the pipeline over the coming months. Watch this space!”

SNIPPET – Balls [starts 53:40]
http://snippetcuts.co.uk
“Johnno Casson aka Snippet has been busy recording the next Snippet album set for release in mid 2016 and its been going swimmingly. Ahead of that and to celebrate #10yearsofSnippet an album called The Grooveplay Recordings has just been released this week via his BandCamp page on a Pay What You Want basis. These tunes are a collection of the very first recordings made as Snippet, never released and now available in all their wonky glory – including, needless to say, this tune Balls.”

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!

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