Waste Mail 022: September's best music 🔥
An album of the year and plenty of party-starting club music
Welcome to Waste Mail, the newsletter that’s dedicated to cutting-edge club music and is written by Seb Wheeler for Tropical Waste 🔥
So it’s my birthday on Friday and I’m throwing a party with my all-time favourite DJs (and human beings).
These parties are a big deal to me because in 2016 I suffered from severe hearing loss and really intense tinnitus in my right ear, which forced me to take time out of music for a few years to work out what had happened and how to deal with it. At one point I didn’t know if I’d be able to experience live music or a club ever again.
I started this newsletter as a way of getting back into participating in and sharing my love of club music (and associated weirdo sounds). It’s helped bring the Tropical Waste platform back to life, and being able to nerd out with you about all of this music both online and in the dance feels especially profound now.
I’ll be celebrating at 160 Unity before making my annual trip to Unsound festival, where I’ll taking part in the Mapping Tinnitus panel discussion and DJing at Offsound (Sunday 29) and the festival’s closing party (Sunday Oct 6).
I’ve also uploaded my set from the last 160 Unity and I’ll have some v cute news about the rest of the recordings (and photos!) from the night to share soon too.
And what of the music?! Read on for a potential Album Of The Year and a really strong selection of mixes and tracks that’ll get you in the party spirit – cheers! <3
Photo: The booth at The Cause in East London, illuminated by daylight, sometime during summer ‘24
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Tracks & EPs 🔌
5RVZ ‘2 Out’ Back in January I shouted out Dj wiggles as one of a handful of selectors pushing toward a new kind of deep, rhythmic bass music in DJ mixes that expertly blend various forms of soundsystem music into unexpected combinations. Now that vision manifests into a record label, kinetic, and its first release by 5RVZ which sounds like it’s been A&R’d specifically for a Wiggles’ set; from the ‘Trench’ EP comes ‘2 Out’, a weighty, spacious roller that draws on skeletal drum ‘n’ bass, ghostly eski and night bus ambience. Familiar elements leading the way toward a new zone entirely Listen
BULLYACHE ‘Never let’ Exciting development from cutting-edge dance company BULLYACHE. Having scored their own shows with fierce, deconstructed sonics, here’s a fully-fledged debut single that is a swirl of Jersey, ballroom, orchestral strings and futuristic pop. Hopefully there’s more to come Listen
AG ‘Throw Some D’s (AG x Pherris Edit) I’ve been searching for the kind of footwork edits that could unite a dancefloor (or something to counteract my obsessions with battle tracks, at least) so I’m stoked to come across this anthemic rework of Rich Boy by AG and Pherris out of NYC. Will make you feel that Saturday night sparkle instantly Listen
Chiara Noriko ‘Bank Remixes’ Chiara Noriko’s lush, midnight r’n’b jam ‘Bank’ gets the remix treatment from DJ Earl and KUYA NEIL, who turn out warm, blissful footwork and jungle versions respectively. FAO fans of Kelela, Rochelle Jordan, Erika de Casier Listen
DJ Acey ‘Your Lovin’’ Battle-focused footwork that is rooted in the taught percussion ‘n bass of Chicago, but draws on the vocal snips of UK hardcore and loose low-end of jungle. This is the new school of footwork, right here Listen
EQ Why ‘World Why Web’ Trippy sci-fi footwork from a producer who’s become incredibly consistent. This is the 160 equivalent of a tunneling Jeff Mills or Robert Hood production and is definitely beefy enough to take on a techno rave, too. Out via new label KY out of New York Listen
God Colony ‘North West Tonight’ God Colony continue to diligently release idealistic dance music designed to make you fall in love with The Club over and over again. Different styles play out on this EP – gqom filtered through the hardcore continuum, sunrise-ready neo acid house, M62 techno – all tied together by a sense of wide-eyed adventure ‘n mischief. Late nights and early mornings really are the best, aren’t they? Listen
Grifter160 & Scarlett Star ‘A.S.D.C’ This duo from Baltimore specialise in high speed club that harnesses the energy of juke and paints it in with the bright colours of net music. ‘A.S.D.C’ imagines what it’d be like if juke came adorned with the ecstatic feels of classic Chicago house Listen
JIALING & Farsight ‘Whistle Tip’ The Classico label continues to set the pace with a collab EP from JIALING and Farsight (hot on the heels of JIALING’s seriously sick ‘Freaky Horns’ EP). ‘Whistle Tip’ is one of the EP’s lead tracks, a crisp, punchy cut that splices Baltimore club with reggaeton Listen
Joe Mili ‘Manifest Leisure’ Four weighty takes on UK funky, veering between the reload energy of ‘Mono’ and the one-red-light-and-a-feeling hypnotism of ‘Radiate’. Mili keeps it moving by making innovations to the funky blueprint, keeping things fresh for 2024 and producing a set of tracks that are more than ready to rock a system Listen
Lauren Flax & DJ Slugo ‘Work That’ EP New school ghetto house from Chicago OG DJ Slugo and Lauren Flax, one of the rising producers associated with Moveltraxx. Production is nice and muscular, with plenty of acid ‘n drum machine grit Listen
Water Blister ‘Water Blister’ A debut release from Water Blister, who releases a clutch of pastoral ambient vignettes into the world. Strings shimmer and time stands still for a blissful moment. Great to see the inimitable Keith Leaf on mastering duties too Listen
Live from Tropical Waste 🔊
How do you warm up for a night of 160 music? Here’s the recording of my warm-up set from the first 160 Unity, starting with deconstructed jungle and deep r’n’b before moving through soulful footwork into some scene anthems and mutant fusions - enjoy!
Albums & Compilations 💿
3024 ‘Undercurrents Vol 2’ The latest comp from Martyn’s 3024 mentoring programme, ripe with new music and ideas. Lead tracks come from Monibi, who rewires gqom on ‘Gnawa Wa Wa’ and Danny Goliger, who serves slippery late night techno on ‘Local Cable’, teeing up the album’s full release at the end of September very nicely Listen
Nala Sinephro ‘Endlessness’ Nala Sinephro’s debut album ‘Space 1.8’ has been a constant in my listening rotation since it was released three years ago and I’m equally hyped on the follow up. Sinephro’s cosmic jazz continues to expand, this time folding in fat, sticky basslines that bring a tangible groove to the beautiful playing going on around them Listen
Nídia & Valentina ‘Estradas’ Killer combo from a master of Lisbon batida and the Italo-British drummer/percussionist who’s currently in a rich run of form. Energy fizzes between the pair on this collab album, Nídia’s ever excellent drum programming given extra layers of percussive rhythm by Valentina, as synth melodies dance and glide across it all. Strong contender for AOTY lists Listen
Skewed From View ‘Told Through Embers, Far From Fear’ A compilation of experimental electronics, darkside club music and avant ambient from LDN crew/club night/label SFW. A manifesto of something new stirring deep in the capital’s underground, a meeting point similar to ‘mono no aware’ or ‘Dust Devil’. Get on the front foot and check it out Listen
unknown untitled ‘uu010’ Expertly curated compilation of renegade low-end, with particular highlights being Kassian’s weightless techno, Piezo’s psychedelic souk-hall and a hefty slab of slow/fast bass from Kouslin Listen
The Waste List 🚨
The Waste List playlist includes all of the artists that are featured here and is updated every month alongside each new issue of Waste Mail
DJ Mixes 🎧
ariellenyc - Lot Radio ariellenyc is a DJ and culture writer who runs the Heads Know party/platform and has impeccable taste in club music. Here on Lot Radio she blasts through a load of new footwork before slowing things down into dubstep and jersey territory, before upping the tempo again for a sprint finish. Great 60 minutes from a head you need to know Listen
Cascade w/ Jeneen + ex.sess Two rising London DJs team up to propel through an hour of big, bold neo footwork that’s firmly rooted in the school of DJ Rashad. These tracks are powerful and fluid, mixed with plenty of long blends and quick fader chops that keep the energy high - big recommend Listen
Clasico Records w/ No Bias - NTS Chunky link-up between the Bay Area’s No Bias crew and LDN’s Clasico Records (hot off the back of the Jialing and Jialing x Farsight EPs!) The aforementioned plus Bored Lord, RITCHRD, and Bastiengoat pile into the booth to spin two-hours of crucial club music, the blends fizzing around between different strains of North American dance music and assorted edits and ravey moments. Really skillful, really fun Listen
DJ Spinn - Elevator Music By now DJ Spinn sets are a showcase of the Teklife sound past, present and future. Always one to get things cracking, this set for Elevator Music sees Spinn on tight form, throwing out edits, anthems and some new bits too. If ever there was an advert for footwork as peak-time party music, this is it Listen
Dj wiggles - Live @ UNFOLD DJ Wiggles is building a sound world via her kinetic party, record label, Substack and, of course, her own DJ sets. Wiggles is working toward something new in the realm of deep, rhythmic dance music and this live recording documents where her experiments are currently at: Chicago acid and juke, Detroit techno and trippy UK bass are layered to perfection, resulting in a streamline of exciting new blends for that’ll hypnotise your mind and move your feet Listen
Hooversound with Naina - NTS Always good to check in with the Hooversound show; label founders Naina and SHERELE have shepherded a high speed sound that’s fearsome but playful, a face-melting experience that is rooted in devilish fun. This edition of the Hooversound show sees Naina draw for pure horsepower, revving through 160 mutations with ease Listen
IONA - Kindred Non stop mix up of wriggly, leftfield party music that flows through spectral jungle, tripped-out bass, nails electro, hands-in-the-air ‘ardcore and some booty poppin’ juke-y bits too. No BS dance music, basically Listen
STONI O DRAGÃO - Footwork Jungle 112 This mix for the brilliant Footwork Jungle series sees LA-based artist STONI O DRAGÃO in conversation with the hardcore continuum, moving between the junglist mutations of Fracture, 4am Kru and Itoa and the juke and footwork of DJ Thadz, Traxman, DJ Twan and DJ Clent, while throwing in choice cuts from other international producers like SLACK 1NE, Sarah Farina and GIRL TOOL Listen
Teklife Records w/ Grifter160 & Scarlett Star Baltimore in the house! Two North American club music producer/DJs to watch mix it up for the Teklife show, concocting a hype storm of rowdy rap vocals, Jersey kicks, blown-out trap basslines, breakbeats that bounce between B-More and London, and the booty energy of juke. Really fun and most definitely party ready Listen
Precious Metals with Endgame and HMX DON - NTS Experimental club king Endgame invites flex dance music pioneer HMX DON on for an hour of next-level dance music. Endgame warms up with blast furnace sonics before HMX DON blends flex – the hydraulic club style that recalibrates the DNA of dancehall, r’n’b and drill – and dark, angular amapiano Listen
With Love from Tropical Waste ✌️
See you down the front at 160 Unity
Next party lands on Nov 30 and will be a collab with one of my favourite DJ/producers (!)
ICYMI here’s my interview with Toxe in Mixmag (her UK debut was at Tropical Waste in 2016