Solid Steel (12th January) As we enter our 30th year of broadcasting, it's timely to feature the legendary Kevin Saunderson as our guest in Hour 1. An artist whose music appeared many times, including the first Solid Steel show in 1988, which also featured an interview with his fellow 'Belleville Three' member Juan Atkins. Alongside Derrick May they changed the face of electronic music and the genesis of today’s enormous techno scene can be retraced straight to Kevin, Derrick and Juan, as their formative experiments on rudimentary hardware sketched a blueprint for a genre that was yet to exist. Along with his successful project Inner City, Kevin Saunderson is the man behind the excellent KMS label that started in 1987 and has releases from Chez Damier, Carl Craig, Ron Trent, MK and Bicep, as well as a number of his own aliases.
In Hour 2 we hand over to Sunil Sharpe, one of Europe's most renowned and well-loved techno DJs, with a mixing style that is distinctly his own. Gaining an enviable reputation for his DJing in the early '00s, he was soon invited to play at Berlin's Tresor Club, marking the start of an intensive involvement in the scene. He has recorded for labels such as Black Sun Records, Rave Or Die, Mord, Trensmat, Inner Surface Music, Violet Poison and perhaps most notably Blawan & Pariah's Sheworks. His latest release is a split 12" with Minimum Syndicat called 'Joyless Euphoria' and his collaboration with fellow Dublin-based producer DeFeKT saw the release of Tinfoil 6 last month. He told us;
"My aim with DJ mixes like this is to make something that'll stand up in the long-term, kind of like a good record. The majority of records I played here are new or recent while the rest are mostly made up of music from the '90s, and a few from the '00s. There was no set theme but as it came together I guess it was about representing techno and some surrounding styles through a range of rhythms, moods and eras."
In Hour 1 our guest is Chrome Sparks (aka Jeremy Malvin) following the recent release of his debut self titled album on Counter Records. The album is the product of an obsessive approach to production as much it is about a restless hunt for new ideas over several years spent between Malvin’s Navy Yard, Brooklyn studio and a secluded cabin in upstate New York. He spent a month there to escape the distractions of the city, and to distill his process during what became an intensive period of creativity. He is currently on tour with Machinedrum in North America, before heading over to Europe for 6 dates in May. He told us;
"An expedition. embarking from somewhere in the past, metamorphosing into faux-familiarity, while diving into ephemeral moments unknown, rustling from celebration to introspection.
enjoy."
In Hour 2 we welcome back Paul White who last appeared on Solid Steel in 2013 and is back celebrating the release of his latest album 'Rejuvenate', which is out today on R & S Records. As the title suggests, Rejuvenate marks a rebirth for the South London musician who has abandoned sampling altogether and he wrote, played and produced the album himself, which features Denai Moore, Shungudzo and his sister Sarah Williams White. He is also known for producing tracks for Danny Brown (amongst others) and was responsible for 10 of the 15 tracks on 'Atrocity Exhibition'. He had this to say about his mix;
"I wanted this mix to really reflect what music is moving me at the moment. I mainly made this mix for myself. There's some new music I'm into, some old music I'm into, and some solo and produced music by myself. Its a window into who I am musically. I love all music so couldn't include everything in only an hour mix obviously, but its a look into how I hear music as all the same thing, the human experience."
In Hour 1 we are pleased to welcome Superorganism with a concept mix based around music with themes from sea to space. Starting with 'Jungle Waters' by Sam Gallantry, 'Sea calls me home' by Julia Holter and 'Swim Good' by Frank Ocean, the mix goes on to feature 'Stratus' by Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, 'Deep Blue Day' by Brian Eno and 'Starman' by David Bowie. Their self-titled debut album came out in March on Domino and you can catch the multinational eight-piece group at festivals throughout Europe this summer, before heading to North America and back for a full European tour in Autumn. They had this to say about their mix;
"Follow the whale through a journey through song from the depths of the Ocean up into outer space towards the Sun."
In Hour 2 we hand over to Krystal Klear following the release of his latest EP 'The Division', which includes the huge 'Neutron Dance' and is out on Running Back, the label run by Gerd Janson. Having previously released on UTTU, Hot Haus, Eglo, Madtech and All City, the Irish producer also runs his own label Cold Tonic. He will be playing all night in his home town Dublin at District 8 on May 12th to celebrate the release of the EP and he told us;
"Dark disco balearic garage sleaze. A selection of tracks I would use to warm up a club to bring it into the heavier stages of the evening. Tipping the hat to Larry and Alfredo. Sun cream and plastic dreams. As Gerd would say 'guilty feet have got no rhythm”
Leonard chats to Queenstown Lakes District Mayor Jim Boult about Air Bnb laws, new appartments being built in the city, and how Queenstown is looking to cope with the growing masses who live and holiday there.
A report by Amnesty International suggests that the US-led coalition against ISIS may have committed war crimes during the offensive to take back the city of Raqqa in Syria.
Reuben McLaren speaks to Amnesty International NZ Chief Executive Tony Blackett about the report.
First up on today’s Wire, Jemima speaks with Tania Sawicki Mead from Justspeak about the Government’s plans for a new 500 bed prison at Waikeria. Neutral corner returns on the summit between Kim Jong un and Donald Trump. Andrew Little joins Lachlan for their regular chat where they discuss the three strikes law. Jemima speaks with Chris Farrelly from the Auckland CIty Mission about their new detox beds. Finally, This Day in History looks at the end of the Falklands War.
Auckland City Mission and Depot Artspace in Devonport have a collaborative exhibition of homeless artists' work. Wire producer Angus spoke to creative director of depot artspace Linda Blincko to ask how the show will work.
95bFM