DJ SPAZ. Photo courtesy of www.thefriendattack.com

During the course of this abysmal English summer, a Montreal DJ by the name of DJ SPAZ dropped a mix into TM that really cut through a lot of hazy, atmospheric summer type mixes we’d been getting that immediately made me sit up and connect.

After a couple of months of chatting by email, I can say that 33-year-old DJ Spaz, otherwise known as Alex Pearo, is one straight up no bullshit dude, which makes it even more of a pleasure to drop his mix on you lovely folk.

Spaz’s Robotic Mix starts with a winner of a tune, Chew Fu Phat’s remix of Florida hottie “I’m Da Man of My City” from Popov, throws in some Rico Tubbs, plus that nice Crooker’s remix I keep hearing everywhere – of Radioclit’s “Secousse” - then gets busy, banging through 40 odd more tunes.

The end result is a bouncing mix that’s most certainly informed by Alex’s anything-goes style (“good music whatever the style - if it sounds good I’ll probably drop it”), playing electro, Baltimore, ghetto house, house, hip hop, funk, dancehall. And no doubt further influenced by 15 years of Djing throughout Montreal: which included sitting tight on a hip hop and dancehall residency and being the buyer for indie hip hop at a record store for a good six years of those.

Alex explained that the tracks for Robotic Mix were all sourced via the internet, which was as much of a stylistic choice as it is an indicator of how important putting music online is these days.

He says:

“The interesting thing about this mix is all the different sources I used to get the music (blogs, forums, myspace pages, etc). It ain’t record digging like the old days aka 3 years ago, but the end result is similar. I think that the producers who remixed or produced the tracks on this mix have an original and futuristic sound, which is what drew me towards their music in the first place. Also surely many DJs might jump on some of these tracks eventually but they’ll have to hear it on a mix like this first.”

If you’re in Montreal, you can catch DJ Spaz on Thursdays at House - where they recently had DJ CZECH and LA RIOTS as guests – and at Coda’s Fix Fridays, one of Montreal’s biggest electro nights.

He’s jacked in the weekend residencies in favour of branching out of what can become a musical straight-jacket and getting out on the road, with Vancouver parties and an upcoming North American tour – can’t blame him really. Good luck with it Alex & keep us posted.

DJ Spaz - Robotic Mix

Robotic Mix Tracklisting

01. I’M DA MAN OF MY CITY (CHEW FU FIX)-POPOV
02. BMORE DOMINATOR-RICO TUBBS
03. SECOUSSE (CROOKERS RMX)-RADIOCLIT
04. LET’S GO TO WORK (ANDY GEORGES & JAKZ RMX)-BRYAN COX
05. BREAK IT DOWN (HERVE RMX)-ESTAW
06. BREAK IT DOWN (DETBOI RMX)-ESTAW
07. PUSH THE FEELING ON (DJ.DSTAR RMX)-HOODS UP
08. GANGSTER-RICO TUBBS
09. PARTY LIKE US (UDACHI RMX)-AC SLATER
10. TAKE ME UPP-N.R.O.T.B.
11. GUNSHOT LEAN FORWARD (ANDY GEORGE & JAKZ RMX)-DETBOI
12. SAY WHOA -A-TRAK
13. GRAB YA FUNKSTICK-KELEVRA
14. GET FAMILIAR FT RYE RYE (START THE VIOLENCE RMX)-COBRA KRAMES
15. EVERYBODY (HEADSHOTBOYZ RMX)-BACKSTREET BOYS
16. SOUND TAPE KILLING (DETBOI RMX)-TODDLA T
17. SMILE (DETBOI RMX)-KIDDA
18. STUCK ON REPEAT (FAKE BLOOD RMX)-LITTLE BOOTS
19. MOTHERFUCKING BASS (POPOF RMX)-DJ RUSH
20. RAVE ON-DON RIMINI
21. ON A ROLL MAN-MACHINES DON’T CARE
22. BACK IT UP MAN-FEADZ FT. SPANK ROCK
23. THE CHASE-ROB 3
24. BREW BARRYMORE-DIPLO
25. MAKING ME MONEY (SWITCH RMX)-JACKNIFE LEE
26. BIG DANCIN-BOUNCE CAMP
27. JERK IT (NACHO LOVERS RMX)-THUNDERHEIST
28. FASCINATION-KW GRIFF
29. NEWSTYLE CROOKS (CHAVY BOYS MIX)-SCOTTIE B
30. GETDOWN-METERHEAD
31. NERVOUS BREAKDOWN-DON RIMINI
32. MARS (DAVE NADA HOOD MIX)-FAKEBLOOD
33. MAKE IT BORDERLINE (RED FOXX RMX)-MICHEAL GRAY
34. HOLD ME DOWN (FOAMO RMX)-PRIMARY 1
35. BILL COSBY SWEATER (HOSTAGE RMX)-OH SNAP!
36. THROW IT AWAY (DESIGNER DRUGS RMX)-MESSINIAN
37. HOT CHICK (DETBOI RMX)-UFFIE
38. ANYWAY YOU CHOOSE TO GIVE IT (FAKE BLOOD RMX)-THE BLACK GHOSTS
39. LOOK FOR THE WOMAN (FAKE BLOOD RMX)-DAN LE SAC VS SCROOBIUS PIP
40. KAPUTT IN HOLLYWOOD (TROUBLEMAKER RMX)-ROBOSONIC
41. GREAT DJ (CALVIN HARRIS RMX)-THE TINGS TINGS

Photo Credit: Nic Cheveldave, Location: Condemned Hospital, Berlin

One of my all time favorite tunes heard at pretty much all the mad house and rave parties I attended back in the day, has to be Paul Johnson’s “Feel My M.F. Bass“. Any dj that dropped this track meant some serious business – and when it was pitched up, destruction would ensue. The fact that Acid Girls kicks off their No Love Lost Records mix with it, is a good indication where this mix is headed – straight to REPEAT!!!!

Fantastically infectious and smooth, Acid Girls deliver a mix that achieves wonderful things with some spectacular gems and a minimal feel. Get to listening and be sure to catch Acid Girls and Trash Menagerie in Chicago for our debut party ‘TAXIDERMY‘ Thursday, 26th June!!!!!

“Sun baked duo ACID GIRLS provide us with mixtape number three this week, a gorgeous, subterranean march to the very epicenter of feet trembling techno and next wave tribal house. Mixed with an exquisite sixth sense of what fuels a combustible dance floor, ACID GIRLS wring every potential second of sweat from their hour long session for NO LOVE LOST. These boys were clearly born with Berlin in their blood.

ACID GIRLS are currently working on a plethora of original productions, suggesting big things for this pair of concrete cocoon beat carpenters.” – Lee, NLLR

Acid Girls - NLLR Mixtape Project

01. Kyrzstof Penderecki - Threnody For The Victims Of Hiroshima (Acid Girls Edit)
02. Paul Johnson - Feel My M.F. Bass
03. John Starlight - Road Rage
04. Len Faki - China Girl (Adam Beyer Remix)
05. Tartelet - Do The Tartelet
06. Mystery Jets - 2 Doors Down (Riton Rerub)
07. Guy J - Under Pressure
08. Perc & Fractal - Up (Perc Mix)
09. Style of Eye - Girls
10. Acid Girls - Palms (Joe & Will Ask? Mix)
11. Rainer Werner Bassfinder - Minimal Scarf Fuckers Drown!
12. Rhythm Code - Rise Feat. Simone Denney (Popof Remix)
13. Acid Girls - Wanna Fight
14. The Subs - Papillon
15. Roel H - Dancing Bears (Phil Kieran Remix)
16. Mystery Jets - 2 Doors Down (Duke Dumont Reconstruction)

Directed by Austin Lee, the video for “Sunken”, by Boston’s Protokoll uses reassembled footage from Fleischer Superman cartoons. The track is off Protokoll’s EP, which was a re-release on iheartcomix in 2006 – One of the labels first releases! Have a listen to their “No Men Mixtape”, from this past January and make a purchase of the Protokoll EP at iheartcomix.

Protokoll - No Men Mixtape

01. A Fistful of Nomen (Intro) - Nomen
02. Extra Dry Gym Tonic - Bob Sinclair Vs. Thomas Bangalter
03. Ross Ross Ross - Sebastian
04. Turbo (Eternity Mix) [Nomen] - Thomas Bangalter
05. Discipline (San Diego Mix) [Nomen] - Thobbing Gristle
06. Hoes Get Night Beats - Thomas Bangalter Vs. Surkin
07. Spinal Yahh - Thomas Bangalter Vs. Soulja Boy
08. I’m Rock You’re Shock She’s Gone - Roy Davis Jr. Vs. Giorgio Moroder
09. World Is Full of Happiness - Nomen
10. Together - Together
11. P.A.T.T. - Sharam
12. Paris and Paris Is - MSTRKRFT Vs. Arthur Lee’s Love
13. Smack My Aerodynamic - Daft Punk Vs. Prodigy
14. Sexy (Chipmunk Mix) [Nomen] - French Affair
15. Ski Bumps - Nomen
16. When You Sleep (Asleep with No Men Mix) [Nomen] - My Bloody Valentine
17. Falling In Love On a Honeymoon - Roy Rogers Vs. Roy Rogers
18. Don’t Look Back on Discocity - Fafa Monteco Vs. The Remains
19. What Do I Get? A Heartbeat - Annie (Alan Braxe Remix) Vs. The Buzzcocks
20. Do It To the Music - Nomen
21. Music Sounds Pushin’ Too Hard [Nomen] - Stardust Vs. The Seeds
22. Put Your Hands Up For Detroit - Fedde Le Grande
23. Somebody’s Watching Me - Beat Freakz
24. Believe - Antiloop
25. O D O O Rock - Daft Punk Vs. Fela Kuti
26. I Like It (Quick Disco Mix) [Nomen] - Debarge
27. So Much Love To Give - Together
28. Club Soda - Thomas Bangalter
29. Rock Creek Park (Tek Funk Mix) [Nomen] - The Blackbyrds
30. I Wonder If I Take You Home (Housin’ Mix) [Nomen] - Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam with Full Force
31. Great Escape (Destructo Mix) [Nomen] - Toxic Avenger (Bloody Beetroots Remix)