FACT Mixes

Jonny Trunk is a man who wears many hats: DJ, writer, broadcaster, label owner and eagle-eyed digger, whose Trunk Records imprint has been responsible for some of the most weird and wonderful records and reissues of the past two decades, from library music and porn soundtracks to early electronic experiments and half-forgotten exotica. His FACT mix is as freeform and eclectic as you’d expect from a seasoned collector, and what it lacks in looping hi-hats it more than makes up for in loopy hi-jinks. But one thread runs throughout the hour-long journey – which flits from spiritual jazz and radiophonic ditties to ’70s soundtrack pop and jazz flute workouts (fist pump!) – and that’s the birds and the bees. That’s right, it’s sex ed for crate-diggers, as the spoken word opener lets you know straight away: “This is a lesson in lovemaking.”

The Berlin titan last graced these parts back in 2009, filing a muscular FACT Mix entirely in keeping with his reputation as Berghain’s bosher-in-chief. The last five years have seen him consolidate his reputation as a standard bearer of refined, take-no-prisoners techno; his eight-hour-plus sets continue to shake Berghain’s foundations, and, although his output has slowed substantially, he’s still found time to knock out the occasional release on Ostgut Ton. His Klockworks label continues to tick along, too - new releases from fellow FACT mixer Trevino and Etapp Kyle are imminent, plus, if a forthcoming stint of “studio time” comes good, potentially more new music from Klock himself. Those expecting pulverising 4×4 might be surprised by Klock’s sophomore FACT mix – a “deeper, dreamy” collection, bookended by two vintage ambient tracks and shot through with wonder. Unreleased Klockworks material features, as do cuts from the likes of Function, Ben Sims, Surgeon, Orgue Electronique and Lucy. The mix is a studio-recorded affair – something Klock sees as a very different kettle of fish to playing out: “Club mixes are obviously more spontaneous and capture the vibe of a specific night, while working in the studio offers other possibilities like re-editing tracks and layering tunes more precisely, which I’ve done a lot of that here.” Set your watches…

There’s nothing spectacular about the Outboxx story: it’s simply two great, young producers (Jacob ‘Hodge’ Martin and Matt Lambert) releasing a steady stream of excellent singles, and in 2013, an excellent debut album. It is a timely tale, however: the duo seemed to emerge in tandem with Bristol’s shift from a city focused on dread and sub-bass to one that’s open to house and techno, with Chris Farrell’s Idle Hands taking over from Peverelist’s Rooted Records as its key record shop. Of course, things are never quite that black and white, but Outboxx’s embrace of the lighter side of house (although their music is never fluffy, it does relish dreamy atmospherics, nimble grooves and the odd hands-in-the-air moment) does seem to match up perfectly with Idle Hands’ arrival on the scene, and it’s no coincidence that the store’s in-house label has released several of Outboxx’s 12″s, as well as their debut album. They’re happy to spread the love, though, and Outboxx productions have recently been housed on Futureboogie, Local Talk and, most, recently BRSTL, with a new single out this week. Outboxx’s FACT mix slips by like a dream, packed with piano leads, wompy basslines and rushes of 909 hats. Sure, it’s nothing that hasn’t been done before, but few are currently doing it better. Dilla, Genius of Time, Leon Vynehall and more feature.

Best known for his work as DMX Krew – though he possesses a small army of other aliases, including Computor Rockers, House of Breaks and, erm, Bass Potato – Ed Upton has been a force for good in the dance music world since the mid-1990s. As well as releasing countless singles and albums, mostly on Rephlex Records and his own Breakin’ label, his discontinued podcast series was an invaluable source of information and inspiration, he was recently picked as one of FACT’s 100 Underrated DJs, and he’s even an excellent writer when he gets the time. In short, the man’s an inspiration, and with a new album Shape Shifting Shaman and a fresh EP on Skrufix, a new Berlin label specialising in “off-centre dancefloor music” out this year, the time seemed right for Ed to finally step up on our mix series. Although his musical knowledge spans everything from early hip-hop to latterday grime, his FACT mix draws exclusively from his own productions, showcasing the music right at the heart of what he does: that classic axis of acid, electro and classic techno.