Solid Steel // episodes

In Hour 1 we welcome Ian McDonnell a.k.a. Eomac, also known as 1/2 of electronic duo Lakker. He's an artist, composer, producer, label owner and DJ, who has released on The Trilogy Tapes, Stroboscopic Artefacts, Bedouin Records, Killekill and recently his own Eotrax imprint. In Hour 2 celebrating 30 years since their first release, on November 16th foundation laying forefathers Smith & Mighty released ‘Ashley Road Sessions’. A special one-off double label partnership between Pinch’s Tectonic and Peverelist’s Punch Drunk.

In Hour 1 we welcome Frank Bretschneider who was raised in Karl-Marx-Stadt (now Chemnitz) in the German Democratic Republic. He is the founder of the influential East German underground band AG. Geige and co-founder of the prestigious Raster-Noton label. He lives as a musician, video artist and producer in Berlin. In Hour 2 it's Graham Van Pelt who recently released 'Time Travel', his first record in the four years since he moved from Montreal to Toronto, and he’s no longer Miracle Fortress, or Inside Touch, or any of the aliases he’s used to record over the years.

Our guest in Hour 1 is Vester Koza ahead of his debut album 'Loader Mither' coming out on Houndstooth in November. In 2013 he released a string of self-released EP's which gained widespread critical acclaim and in 2016 Koza signed to fabric's Houndstooth Label, beginning with the OTR EP. In Hour 2 it's Imrie Kiss who has been spearheading the renaissance of electronic music in Hungary since his acclaimed debut album Midnight Wave back in 2013.

In Hour 1 we welcome Parris ahead of his new release 'Puro Rosaceaes' on Idle Hands, which features a remix by Gunnar Wendel under his KMOS alias. His previous releases have been on Tempa, Ancient Monarchy, Hemlock Recordings and The Trilogy Tapes. In Hour 2 we hand over to Virginia the talented DJ, singer, songwriter and producer who has been deeply involved in electronic music for over a decade.Her DJ sets fuse warm analog house and electro of the 80s and 90s with off-kilter swinging grooves, layered with spontaneous live vocals that add a unique third dimension.

This week we welcome Manchester native Ruf Dug to Solid Steel, owner of the appointment-only record store Hi Tackle and label-boss of Ruf Kutz. His releases have also appeared on labels like Unknown To The Unknown, Music For Dreams, Klasse Wrecks and Tusk Wax. In Hour 2 it's Brame & Hamo from Sligo, Ireland and currently based in Berlin, who have expertly produced some of the most effortless house music of the last few years via their first imprint Splendor & Squalour.

In Hour 1 it's singer, songwriter and producer Nick Hakim. He independently built a following through the release of his critically acclaimed self-released EPs Where Will We Go, Pt. 1 and Where Will We Go, His 2017 debut full-length album, 'Green Twins' features contributions from Jesse & Forever and the Onyx Collective. In Hour 2 we hand over to Astronautica, a singer/songwriter and electronic producer. She has been signed to Alpha Pup Records for the last five years, and has launched a slew of widely acclaimed releases with the label. Her latest album is Death Valley, which she wrote and recorded over the last three years at her home studio in Los Angeles.

In Hour 1 we welcome Bambounou, a key figure in the Parisian scene. His effortless straddling of experimental eclecticism and 4x4 beat mastery helped Bambounou to early on catch the eye of Modeselektor, whose 50Weapons released two albums and five EPs of his axiom breaking dance incantations. In Hour 2 it's Puce Mary the solo moniker of Copenhagen based sound artist Frederikke Hoffmeier. Since her first LP released in 2013, the project has then explored the fields of industrial noise and experimental music. Her latest release ' The Drought' has just been released on PAN.

In Hour 1 we welcome back Taraval celebrating the release of his new EP 'Aardvark', which is out on Four Tet's Text Records today. The title track has been whipping festivals and dance floors into a frenzy all summer long when played by the likes of Four Tet, Daphni, Floating Points amongst others. In Hour 2 we hand over to Cromby, an Irish DJ and producer residing in Berlin, having previously cut his trade between Belfast & London. He's held a residency for the past 6 years at Belfast’s legendary Shine and shows in the past year at the likes of Panorama Bar & Boiler room. His latest EP Futurola is the first release on Denis Sulta’s new Sulta Selects sub label Silver Service

In Hour 1 it's Etch celebrating the release of his debut LP Ups & Downs' on Sneaker Social Club. He began producing in his bedroom at the age of 12 after the infectious curiosity of early 00’s drum & bass, hip hop and experimental electronic music. In Hour 2 we welcome Maarja Nuut and Hendrik Kaljuj�rv aka Ruum who release their collaborative album 'Muunduja’, today on 130701 an imprint of FatCat Records.The stunning album was recorded in July 2017 at Peeter Salmela's studio in Kalamaja, Tallinn.

In Hour 1 we're joined by San Proper who has released music on Rush Hour, Dekmantel, Perlon, Church and many others. The music he makes is always idiosyncratic from his earliest 12”s right up to his debut album. In Hour 2 it's Tin Man who is of Finnish descent, but born and raised in California and now has a home in Vienna, a town perfectly suited to his deep and moody productions. TIN MAN has acclaimed releases on the Finnish record label S�hk� / Keys of Life, Cheap Records from Vienna, and continues with new releases on his own imprint, Global A .

In Hour 1 we welcome Voyage label boss Andy Hart following the release of his Voyager 1 EP. In Hour 2 we hand over to Rafael Anton Irisarri for his Solid Steel Ambient mix to celebrate the release of his new cassette on Umour Rex called El Ferrocarril Desvaneciente. While composed as an ode to an overnight train journey through Spain he took many years ago, the music picks up sonically where his previous album Sirimiri left off. Irisarri focuses on deploying sonic cycles throughout these four shorter pieces, basing much of this sweeping ambience around looped sounds and distant pulses.

In Hour 1 we welcome Dorian Concept following the release of “The Nature of Imitation” on Brainfeeder last month. Born Oliver Thomas Johnson, the self-taught keyboardist and producer should be no stranger to those in the Brainfeeder orbit. In Hour 2 we hand over to Rejoicer who released his debut album on Stones Throw, Energy Dreams on 31st August. Rejoicer, a.k.a. Yuvi Havkin, is a musician and producer who splices together funk, hip-hop, breakbeats and jazz rhythms.

In Hour 1 we welcome back Ital Tek to the show. The Planet Mu artist is celebrating the release of 'Bodied', (the follow up to his acclaimed 2016 album 'Hollowed') and is out now and available to buy here: https://italtek.bandcamp.com/album/bodied. It's built around acoustic elements and ghostly choral arrangements, refracted and transformed into atmospheric, alien forms which are given the time to settle and transform. In Hour 2 we have an extended slot with Auntie Flo who joins the Brownswood roster to deliver his third and most ambitious album to date. 'Radio Highlife' will be out on 12th October.

On Solid Steel this week we have eclectic mixes from Nick H�ppner and Elena Colombi.

In Hour 1 we welcome Stephen Hindman from The Golden Filter who started a new label this year called 4GN3S with the intention of releasing the more free flowing, genre-bending spectrums of analog electronic music. In Hour 2 we hand over to Tim Parker who has maintained a secure taste-maker status at the heart of the British hip-hop and alt-electronica landscape as a club & radio DJ for almost a decade. His Slanted EP drops on 31st August featuring 3 original compositions and a guest appearance from BSN Posse.