A Beat Happening

Latest Episodes:

A Beat Happening: Suzi Analogue Oct 19, 2021

Show notes

On this week's show we welcome Suzi Analogue: a producer, songwriter, DJ, and label head whose forward-thinking, global outlook continuously provides fresh perspectives on beat culture. Originally from the Baltimore area, Suzi first came to attention in the late 2000s as part of the Philly-based Klipmode collective alongside mndsgn, devonwho, and knxwledge. Suzi then moved to NYC where she setup her Never Normal label as a home for her own music and that of peers and influences including Count Bass D, DJ Earl, Ezrakh and more. At the same time she also collaborated with Tokimonsta and Georgia Anne Muldrow, continuously pulling at different sides of her hip-hop and electronic music backgrounds, while involving herself in different aspects of the industry. Today she resides in Miami, where she continues to expand her practice and grow Never Normal into a home for new and exciting sounds and artists while traveling through sounds on her own, varied releases.

This episode was edited and produced by Laurent Fintoni and Will Horrocks. Intro and outro music by Duke Westlake. Artwork by Kutmah. Design assistance by Paper Resistance and Brandy Flower. This show is a labor of love and if you enjoy what you hear and would like to support us in being able to continue, you can donate via PayPal at https://paypal.me/abeathappening.

In this episode we discuss...

Klipmode and coming up together in late 2000s Philadelphia
Female inspirations, meeting Georgia Anne Muldrow
Connections to dance music through Baltimore upbringing
Working with MCs
Approach to writing using loops, samples, and replaying
Approach to live performances (DJing vs live shows)
Ambassadorship, mentoring, traveling to Uganda and taking a global view of the African diaspora
How Suzi chooses and works with artists for Never Normal

Tracklist:

Mndsgn - yeau
Suzi Analogue - Open Kall
Suzi Analogue - The Program (Instrumental) - Produced By Georgia Anne Muldrow
DJ Sega - Lift Yourself
Suzi Analogue - Bottled Drizzy Tears
Suzi Analogue - Super Smooth
Suzi and RP Boo - She's Gonna
Count Bass D - Shook Question Mark

Links:

A Beat Happening: Alexander Nut Oct 12, 2021

Show notes

This week we welcome Alexander Nut to the show! A DJ, promoter, and the co-founder of Eglo Records, Alex has been an integral part of the London scene for over a decade, both behind the scenes and behind the decks. In the late 2000s, he was one of the most vocal supporters of the global beat scene through his show on Rinse FM, the only non-dance music focused program on the station at the time, and his work as a promoter through the All Young Kings mailing list. A regular at Plastic People, it was there that he met Sam "Floating Points" Shepherd with whom he setup the Eglo Records label in 2008, as a home for a new school of artists inspired by the soul and funk of the past and energized by hip-hop and dance music.

In this episode we discuss...

Skate culture and learning about music via mixtapes and videos
Growing up in Wolverhampton and soaking up the local music history
Moving to London and becoming involved in the UK promotion industry
The importance of promotion and promo records
The birth of Eglo and the importance of Plastic People
Changes in club culture in big cities
Keeping the label going for a decade as both DJ, owner, and manager
Radio and DJing as a means to play and support new music

Tracklist:

Roc Raida - Zoo York mixtape intro
Coki & Benga - Night
Black Pocket live at Plastic People
Ordinary People - I'm Missing (Vocal Dub for Clubs)
Floating Points - Radiality
Natalie Slade - I Won't Cry (Broke One remix)
2tall ft Kashmere - The Most High

Links:

Eglo Records Bandcamp
The story of the Zoo York Mixtape
Black Pocket live at Plastic parts 2 and 3

A Beat Happening: Om Unit Oct 05, 2021

Show notes

This week we welcome another old friend to the show: Jim Coles AKA Om Unit. Jim and Laurent first met back in the early 2000s when Jim was blending youthful interests in electronic and dance music with the experimental approaches afforded by bedroom production and turntablism. Jim first attracted attention for his work in the liminal spaces between these two scenes as 2tall before eventually giving himself a fresh start at the end of the decade under the name Om Unit. As the 2010s rolled in, he was a part of the short-lived but much-loved club night Tempo Clash in London alongside Kutmah, Kidkanevil, Blue Daisy, and the late Offshore. At the same time, he also began to find a new musical voice at the intersection of UK club and dance culture, dub, and beats that earned him plaudits from peers and forebears including Fracture, Machinedrum, Mark Pritchard, Danny Breaks, Goldie, and Doc Scott.

In this episode we discuss...

First meetings and the 2000s turntablist scene
Experimenting with beats and scratching
Tempo Clash and early 2010s eclecticism
Searching for the shock of the new
Different ways of listening to and for music
Inclusivity and representation in bookings
Using and making sample packs
The recent Acid Dub Studies album
How to stay supple and avoid pigeonholing

Tracklist:

Ricci Rucker - Dirty Larry
Rustie - Zig Zag
Ivy Lab - Suzuki
Om Unit - Ghosts
2tall - Killa

Links:

A Beat Happening: Jaubi - Part 2 Oct 01, 2021

Show notes

Episode 3, Part 2: Ali explains his decision to not become pigeonholed as the "hip-hop cover band," how Astigmatic helped put together the Lahore session with Tenderlonious and Latarnik, and various stories behind the sessions and the albums that came out of it.

This week we welcome to the show Ali Riaz Baqar, a musician, composer, and producer who bridges North Indian classical music with jazz and hip-hop. Baqar is the driving force behind Jaubi, a quartet based in Lahore, Pakistan who first came to many people's attention with a cover of J Dilla's "Time: The Donut of the Heart" that reimagined the original using the Indian melodic framework of ragas. Working with the London-based, Polish label Astigmatic Records, Jaubi released their debut album earlier this year, Nafs At Peace, featuring collaborations with 22a's Tenderlonious and EABS' Marek Pędziwiatr. The album is the result of a short but intense recording session in Lahore that helped crystalize Baqar's approach and capture the freeform essence of the band.

In this episode we discuss...

Moving away from covers, into composition
Lahore sessions with Tenderlonious and Latarnik
Creating the debut Jaubi album from the session recordings
The story behind the photograph on the album cover, the meaning of its title
Collaborations

Tracklist:

Tenderlonious - Kirwani (Part 1)
Jaubi - Raga Gurji Todi
Jaubi - Nafs at Peace
Jaubi - Satanic Nafs (The Gaslamp Killer & Mophono Remix)

Links:

A Beat Happening: Jaubi - Part 1 Sep 27, 2021

Show notes

In this episode we discuss...

Growing up between Australia and Pakistan and discovering hip-hop
How hip-hop shaped Ali's early musical journey
Similarities between hip-hop and Indian classical music
How Jaubi came together
Jay Dee's influence and Ali's approach to creating covers

Tracklist:

Ila Zair - Back on Track
Jaubi - Time: The Donut of the Heart
Jaubi - Dilla Taal (For J Dilla)
Jaubi - Lahore State of Mind + Al Dobson Jr. remix

Links:

A Beat Happening: Pursuit Grooves - Part 2 Sep 24, 2021

Show notes

Episode two, part two: Kutmah, Laurent, and Vanese discuss Jay Dee's impact, the different ways in which instrumental music can be presented, and the importance of mentoring and representation.

This week we welcome Vanese Smith AKA Pursuit Grooves to the podcast, one of our favorite people in this modern beat culture. Originally from Maryland, now residing in Toronto, Vanese first came to many people's attention - including ours - via the Beat Dimensions compilation eventually going on to collaborate with fellow beat scene alumni Onra as well as making inroads into the dance music world with releases on Bristol's Tectonic label. Rocking live shows with two SP-505s, Vanese left a lasting impression on the scene and has remained active with self-releases as well as mentoring work as part of the Loop Sessions series and most recently working as DJ consultant and instructor on Spin, a Disney movie about DJ culture.

This episode was edited and produced by Will Horrocks. Intro and outro music by Duke Westlake. Artwork by Kutmah. Design assistance by Paper Resistance and Brandy Flower. This show is a labor of love and if you enjoy what you hear and would like to support us in being able to continue, you can donate via PayPal at https://paypal.me/abeathappening.

In this episode we discuss...

Discovering and being inspired by Jay Dee
Beat tapes and themed albums for instrumental projects
Representation and using music to talk about history
Deciding to self-release and remain in control of creative output
Mentoring through Loop Sessions Toronto
Working as a consultant on Disney's DJ movie Spin

Tracklist:

Pursuit Grooves - Missing U Simply
Pursuit Grooves - Cloud Pusher

Links:

A Beat Happening: Pursuit Grooves - Part 1 Sep 20, 2021

Show notes

This week we welcome to the show one of our favorite people in this modern beat culture: Vanese Smith AKA Pursuit Grooves. Originally from Maryland, now residing in Toronto, Vanese first came to many people's attention - including ours - via the Beat Dimensions compilation before going on to collaborate with fellow beat scene alumni Onra as well as making inroads into the dance music world with releases on Bristol's Tectonic label. Rocking live shows with two SP-505s back when everyone was moving to laptops, Vanese left a lasting impression on the scene and has remained active as an independent artist with multiple album projects as well as mentoring work as part of Loop Sessions Toronto. Most recently she worked as DJ consultant and instructor on Spin, a Disney movie about DJ culture.

In this episode we discuss...

Partying at APT in early 2000s NYC
Discovering and using the SP 505
Playing live with the 505
Touring Europe in the late 2000s
Beat Dimensions
Being independent and doing everything yourself
Releasing on Tectonic and different beat aesthetics

Tracklist:

Pursuit Grooves - Whisper
Pursuit Grooves - Push Up

Links:

This episode was edited and produced by Will Horrocks. Intro and outro music by Duke Westlake. Artwork by Kutmah. Design assistance by Paper Resistance and Brandy Flower.

This show is a labor of love and if you enjoy what you hear and would like to support us in being able to continue, you can donate via PayPal at https://paypal.me/abeathappening.

A Beat Happening: Sweatson Klank - Part 2 Sep 17, 2021

Show notes

Episode one, part two. Sweatson Klank, Kutmah, and Laurent continue their remembrance of the early days of the L.A. beat scene including first meeting Ras G, the Sketchbook residents, moving to the Little Temple, and how Poobah's eventually replaced Aron's as the record store of the scene.

For the first episode of A Beat Happening we welcome Tom Wilson FKA Take and now known as Sweatson Klank. A part of the L.A. beat scene since the early 2000s, Tom first met Kutmah at Aron's Records and the pair eventually became the DJ duo at the heart of Sketchbook, a club night Kutmah started in Hollywood that set the ground for what would come next with Low End Theory. Tom is also responsible for introducing Laurent to Kutmah and schooling him on the historical importance of Aron's and Sketchbook.

In this episode we discuss...

How Tom and Kutmah both met Ras G at Aron's
Coleman, Orlando and the Sketchbook residents
The second incarnation of Sketchbook at the Little Temple
Dibiase and his boombox and the Sound of L.A. compilation
How Poobah's replaced Aron's
The importance of beat CDs to the early L.A. beat scene

Tracklist:

Danny Breaks - The Jellyfish
Poly - He Is At The Discotheque
Take - Hollywoodn't (Ras G Buddah Box remix)

Links:

This episode was edited and produced by Laurent Fintoni and Will Horrocks. Intro and outro music by Duke Westlake. Artwork by Kutmah. Design assistance by Paper Resistance and Brandy Flower.

This show is a labor of love and if you enjoy what you hear and would like to support us in being able to continue, you can donate via PayPal at https://paypal.me/abeathappening.

A Beat Happening: Sweatson Klank - Part 1 Sep 13, 2021

Show notes

In this episode we discuss...

Tom's early career in the Seattle area
L.A.'s early 2000s record store culture and how Tom and Kutmah first met
The pair's DJing approach and philosophy and how they focused on the weird records no one else played
The first incarnation of Sketchbook at The Room in Hollywood
How Tom discovered Dimlite while working at Aron's

Tracklist:

Take One - Emergency Breaks [snippet]
Sacred - Grow Your Own
Dimlite - Generic Lo

Links:

This episode was edited and produced by Laurent Fintoni and Will Horrocks. Intro and outro music by Duke Westlake. Artwork by Kutmah. Design assistance by Paper Resistance and Brandy Flower.

This show is a labor of love and if you enjoy what you hear and would like to support us in being able to continue, you can donate via PayPal at https://paypal.me/abeathappening.

A Beat Happening - Trailer Aug 23, 2021

Show notes

A Beat Happening is a brand new podcast about beat culture past, present, and future presented by journalist Laurent Fintoni and DJ/producer Kutmah. In this trailer, Laurent Fintoni gives you a quick run down on how it came about and what you can expect.

Stay tuned for episode 1 featuring Sweatson Klank dropping August 30.

You can find Tim Lawrence's book, Love Saves The Day, mentioned in the trailer, at indiebound.

This trailer was edited and produced by Laurent Fintoni and Will Horrocks. Intro and outro music by Duke Westlake. Artwork by Kutmah. Design assistance by Paper Resistance and Brandy Flower.

This show is a labor of love and if you enjoy what you hear and would like to support us in being able to continue, you can donate via PayPal at https://paypal.me/abeathappening.

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