The 68th edition of the DJ-Kicks mix series is another landmark one, with experimental producer Laurel Halo taking the reins. An electronic outlier, Halo hails from Ann Arbor, Michigan, but has been based in Berlin for a number of years. Landing on labels like Hyperdub, Honest Jon’s and Latency, Halo has released a body of work ranging in style, yet cohered by production and compositional tendencies that sound distinctly her own. Her studio work tends to be a multi-layered mix of the electronic and the acoustic, the organic and the synthetic. As a DJ, meanwhile, she lays down more floor-focussed mixes of techno, bass and worldly drum rhythms, and her live sets are similarly visceral and direct.
Fusing together so many disparate sounds and textures is no mean feat, but like everything Halo does, here they all add up to something as thrilling and edgy as it is unpredictable and compelling.
A1: Laurel Halo - Public Art
A2: Parris - Puro Rosaceaes
A3: Rrose - Cricoid Pressure
B1: Machinewoman - Just Made Some Jazz Music
B2: Fit Siegel - Penny Rut
B3: Siete Catorce - Canto
C1: Ikonika - Bodied (Og Mix)
C2: Panda Lassow - Lachowa
C3: Nick Leon - Pelican Dub
D1: Stefan Ringer - Lust
D2: Laurel Halo - Sweetie (Dj-Kicks)
D3: Group A - Ketabali
