We return to the regular broadcasts with our first show of the year, and we are starting 2010 as we intend to continue with 2 hours of fresh new music and forthcoming releases alongside some recent favourites.

It seems 2010 is starting rather well, with a slew of new releases and announced albums for the first quarter of the year. With this in mind I decided to make the mini feature a look forward at what 2010 has in stock both from artists and labels I am personally looking forward to. So I selected 10 tracks for 2010 which I think highlight this nicely. In no particular order we’ve got Om Unit, Illum Sphere, Slugabed, Shlomo, Instra:mental, Dizz1, GOD and Loops Haunt, Teebs and Jackhigh, Letherette, Lorn and labels like All City Records, Svetlana Industries, FoF and Nod Navigators.

Though to be honest pretty much the whole show is a look forward to the new year and most of the artists are worthy of being ones to watch for 2010. Alongside this we’ve got new music from the likes of Mr Chop & CL Smooth, Ernest Gonzales, Bullion, Aquadrop, Jose James, Hyperdub, Lone, Robot Koch, Greymatter and more.

As usual you can download the show directly at the link below. If you want to make your life easier than make sure to subscribe and never miss a show. You can do so via email, RSS or our iTunes feed all of which are easily accessible with the fancy little icons on the right hand side.

So that’s it for this month, I’ll let you to sit back and crank up the stereo to 11. Look out for a series of guest mixes and live shows from Japan starting this weekend. And I’ll be back with another show next month with more of the same. Until then enjoy the music and if you like what you hear than be sure to go out there and support the music and artists.

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Tracklist – January 2010
Freddy Todd – Cant Fathom This (Om Unit remix) – Forthcoming Car Crash Set
Lone – Once In A While – Forthcoming Werk Discs
Mayer Hawthorne – Green Eyed Love (Aquadrop remix) – Unreleased
B Ju – Soja Extra (Benny B Blanco remix) – Forthcoming Error Broadcast
aDaD – Sky (prod. Exile) – All Natural Inc
Ghost Monkey – Octopedia Dub – Unreleased
The Q4 – One of these days – Project Mooncircle
Mr Chop and CL Smooth – T.R.O.Y (The Resurrection) – Five Day Weekend/Now Again Records
Drake – Forever (Nosaj Thing remix) – Unreleased, download free
Sun Circle – Stars Fall Down (Mr Beatnick dub) – Futuristica Music
Tapes – Hackney Dub – Jahtari
Robot Koch ft Grace – Blind – Forthcoming Project Mooncircle
Oh No vs Oneness of Juju – Juju March – Stones Throw
Analog Jones – Smog – Burntprogress
Mini Feature – 10 to watch for 2010
G.O.D & Loops Haunt – Drum Whip Collider – Forthcoming NozL records
Dizz1 – Frazzled – Nod Navigators
Teebs and Jackhigh – Rains – Forthcoming Svetlana Industries
Illum Sphere – Shadowman – Fat City recordings
Machinedrum – Late Night Operation (Leatherette Remix) – Norm Rex
Lorn – Running Ink (Om Unit remix) – Unreleased
Slugabed – Skyfire – Forthcoming Planet Mu
Shlomo – Hot Boxing the Cockpit – Friends of Friends
Dibiase – I Pity The Fool – All City Records
Instra:mental – Forbidden – Applepips
Mini feature ends
DVA – Natty – Forthcoming Hyperdub
Terror Danjah – Acid – Forthcoming Hyperdub
Rustie – Keesha Resmack – Free download
Reverse Engineering – Instant Art – Forthcoming Jarring Effects
Ernest Gonzales – Untitled Love Song – Forthcoming Friends of Friends
Ichiro_ – 66 – Eklektik records
Nocando – Hurry Up and Wait – Alpha Pup records
Freeway – Know What I Mean – Rhymesayers, free download
Greymatter – Mind Over Matter – Forthcoming Greymatter Beats
Bullion – Say Goodbye to What – One Handed Music
Jose James – Promise In Love – Forthcoming Brownswood Recordings

It seems the first time we posted this the file got corrupted and wouldn’t download. It’s now been updated and resent to our RSS and iTunes. Apologies for the inconvenience.

We return to the Friends Of Friends label with our latest guest mix, this time taking in the work and forthcoming release of Texas-based producer Ernest Gonzales. The label and the man should be no strangers to regular listeners – ever since FoF started hitting us back in 09 when they launched we’ve been firm fans of their fresh approach to music and packaging and Ernest’s music has featured in the last few shows ever since his EP dropped in the autumn of 09 and the label kindly sent us a preview of the album which hasn’t left the daily rotation in 3 months. It’s that good.

With all this in mind I decided that this was the perfect occasion to get the label, and Ernest, in for a guest mix. A few email exchanges and weeks later and they duly delivered with a beautiful guest mix that serves as the perfect appetizer for the album, ‘Been Meaning To Tell You’.

This album, Ernest’s second, is for me already one of the early contenders for albums of the year – and this is not the kind of thing I’d say (or type) lightly. It’s a dreamy excursion into the mind of its maker, combining hip hop, electronic and folk sensitivities into a mix that transports the listener away into his or hers own imagination and taps into whatever they might be feeling. Or at least that’s how it’s made me feel. The ‘story’ behind the album is explained briefly by Ernest on the website:

Dear Devyn,
Ok, so I’m not the best person when it comes to expressing myself and how I feel for you but I want you to know that this album is for you. These songs are all the things I’ve been meaning to tell you…all the words, thoughts, and emotions that are so hard for me to express. The pages in this book serves as a map to help you find your way back home in case you are lost…and this website will let other people also say the things that they have been meaning to tell someone.

With love,
Ernest

In true FoF fashion the release itself comes as a mighty package bringing together 30 artists alongside Ernest, both on remix and art duties. The album will be available alongside a full-colour book featuring original works inspired by each of the songs. And alongside this will be 16 remixes. Here’s the official blurb regarding what is available, and how:

The album wouldn’t be a Friends of Friends project if it weren’t something special so Ernest and FoF invited over 30 people to the mix! The final collaboration includes 16 tracks from the likes of Daedelus, CYNE, Faunts, Yppah, matthewdavid, & Copy and is accompanied by a full-color art book featuring original works from 14 visual artists. The book will be available in physical form from FoF Music as well as in the digital bundle in all formats (as a .pdf) including as a download with the 180g white vinyl released by Tall Corn Music.

So to recap the album, and book, will be available in both physical and digital formats. An early digital release of the album is currently available on the site, though I believe it doesn’t include the remixes yet. If you missed it you can also purchase the EP which preceded the album, ‘Self Awakening’, and which features 5 of the album remixes from people such as Take, Mexicans with Guns and Yppah to name a few.

To say we’re hyped about this release is a bit of an understatement, and if you’ve read until now you’ve probably already figured that out. We’ve seen the book (well its digital counterpart anyways) and the art is great – a perfect addition to the music. Combined with the remixes, you’ve got the sort of package that should have maximum appeal to music fans. The amount of thought and effort that has gone into it shines through the art.

With the release in early February, this mix is an introduction to the influences and friends that make the record including show favourites like Yppah, Nosaj Thing and Daedelus. I’ll let Ernest explain how he approached it:

This mix is a little bit of friends, mixed with artists/friends that helped with the remix album, plus music that I feel influenced Been Meaning To Tell You and a bit of newer stuff I like.

So without further ado, get stuck in and when you’re done I recommend you head over to the album site and get your ordering on, you won’t regret it. Look out for more previews of the album in forthcoming shows.

Download Ernest Gonzales – Been Meaning To Mix This (right click and save as)

Tracklist
1. Bibio – Haikuesque (When She Laughs)
2. Nosaj Thing – Fog
3. Aether – Caparra
4. Ocuban – H. RATNANI
5. Architeq – Sleeping Bear Lament (Take Remix)
6. Adventure Time – Water Plop
7. Caribou – Hammerheads
8. Yppah – Gumball Machine Weekend
9. Faux Pas – Changes
10. The Beatles – Tomorrow Never Knows
11. Four Tet – Smile Around the Face
12. Shinichi Osawa – Star Guitar
13. New Order – Ceremony
14. Cars and Trains – Some Lonesome Street Corner (Ernest Gonzales Remix)
15. Upon the 49th Day
16. Daedelus – Rabbit Ears

We reach the last but one show of the year with yet more exclusives and brand new music for your listening enjoyment. In addition, the mini feature this month is part 1 of a ‘Labels of 2009′ feature as I couldn’t just choose one label this year so instead decided to shine a light on two labels who both deserve it in my opinion.

Music wise we’ve got some exclusive previews of music from Om Unit, Loops Haunt, Debruit, Leatherette and Ernesto Gonzales, all of which will be dropping in the first quarter of 2010. Alongside these we have the usual fresh music from a host of artists and labels including Hyperdub, Ramp Recordings, Tectonic, Dutty Artz, the amazing Mr Chop release on Now Again/Five Day Weekend, the psychedelic new Edan release, Madlib and Strong Arm Steady, Non+Herrmutt Lobby, SA-RA, DJ Food, Ben Sharpa and many more.

As for the mini feature, well part 1 of the ‘Labels of 2009′ shines a light on One Handed MUsic, the London-based independent headed by Alex Chase (also responsible for Stones Throw in Europe). Despite, or most likely because, its small roster of artists, 2009 has been a good year for the label release wise with the Paul White debut album, another 2 EPs from the prolific London beat-maker, an EP from Bullion the label’s other, hugely promising London artist, and an amazing EP from Fulgeance, the French MPC master who does ‘chopped & screwed house’ (as Mr Trick called it) like no one else can. The releases aren’t just the reason why I choose OHM as a label of the year – it’s everything else, like Alex’s obviously on point A&R and the artwork and attention that has gone into every release, whether physical or digital (anyone who’s seen the hand-sewn pillow cases for the Paul White album will testity). So I’ll let the music do the talking with a selection of five tracks from this year’s releases. Look out for OHM to continue their rise in 2010 with more Paul White, a long-awaited Tranquill EP and more.

Part 2 of the mini-feature will be coming next month, looking at Ramp Recordings, which ironically Alex Chase pointed out was also run by someone from Suffolk, that is Tom@Ramp. So looks like Suffolk had it on lock for ’09 then – who would have thought. The December show will most likely be similar to the one I put together last year, ie. a best of 09 mix with the label mini feature included in there. Look out for details soon, it’ll drop just before xmas in time for the seasonal overload.

For now though, sit back, crank up the volume and enjoy. And remember check the tracklist for full details of websites and where to buy the music and go out and support if you like what you hear!

Download the show (right click and save as)

Tracklist – November 09
2562 – Dinosaur – Tectonic
Jahdan Blackamoor ft Klash77 – She Said – Dutty Artz
Pinch ft Yolanda – Get Up – Tectonic
Dub U – Delia – Unreleased
SA-RA ft Ta’ Raach and Jay Electronica – Love Czars II – Ubiquity/Serato
Touchy Subject – The Kind – Unreleased
Mr Chop – Shut Em Down – Five Day Weekend / Now Again
Dynamites – Kingston Dub Town – Pressure Sounds
Lewis – Mandy’s Uh – Unreleased
Foreign Beggars – Don’t Dhooow It (Machine Drum remix) – Dented Records
Loops Haunt – Huarache – Forthcoming Fortified Audio
Stoney Jackson – Cheeba Cheeba – Stones Throw
Om Unit – Lightgrids – Forthcoming All City Records
Take – Chrome in the Clouds – Powershovel Audio
Mini Feature starts / Labels of 09 pt 1: One Handed Music
Paul White – Synth March – One Handed Music
Bullion – Young Heartache – One Handed Music
Paul White – Vs the BBC – One Handed Music
Paul White – Dream State (Dam Tales) (Extended Version) – One Handed Music
Fulgeance – Ann Arbor – One Handed Music
Mini Feature ends
King Midas Sound – Goodbye Girl – Hyperdub
Debruit – Nigeria What? – Forthcoming Civil Music
Gemmy – Shanti Riddim – Planet Mu
Willie Isz – The Grustle (LV remix) – Unreleased
Alix Perez ft Foreign Beggars – The Cut Deepens – Shogun Audio
Ben Sharpa ft Wordsworth – Why – Jarring Effects
DJ Food ft DK – Sentinel (Shadow Guard) – Ninja Tune
Ernesto Gonzales – Falling Asleep to the Glow of the – Forthcoming Friends of Friends (exclusive premiere)
Ernesto Gonzales – Etchasketch Trees (Yppah Remix) – Friends of Friends
Desto – Disappearing Reappearing – Ramp recordings
Lone – Karen Loves Kate – Werk Discs
Leatherette – Clip Your Wings – Forthcoming Norm Rex
Edan – Echo Party sampler – Five Day Weekend
Mike Slott – 40 Winx – LuckyMe
Non+Hermutt Lobby – Save That Shit – Catune