On the 9th day of Choonsmas Santa's brought in a draft...as fig & Goutham follow down the Chimney with some waft...
Grace & Goutham are afters aficionados & top troublemakers of the Manchester BM (best mate) scene which involves being outrageously lovely and uplifting to all their mates - which is proper in line with the current season! Having managed to miss out on any irl contact with Goutham :( since he arrived in Manchester this year, it's been a pleasure to get to know one of Stoke's biggest heads more personally online. He's had a belter year with the continuation of his 'Come on, Normal' Melodic Distraction show, a huge mix on Pager Records Mix series, and starting Circulate: the not-for-profit party raising money for BHF in memory of Phil Lynn. Their first one in London raised £3k! We've known Grace for much longer though, first meeting down at Simple Things in Bristol back in 2018 we've been BM ever since; bonding over Man City, tunes & being looney lefties. We were so buzzed to have her playing with us at the DBA at the start of Dec for Berties Big Day Out, where she played a killer set to get the day started off with a big ol' bang!
So lets see what they've been filling their stockings with from the past year...
On the 9th day of Choonsmas Santa's brought in a draft...as fig & Goutham follow down the Chimney with some waft...
Grace & Goutham are afters aficionados & top troublemakers of the Manchester BM (best mate) scene which involves being outrageously lovely and uplifting to all their mates - which is proper in line with the current season! Having managed to miss out on any irl contact with Goutham :( since he arrived in Manchester this year, it's been a pleasure to get to know one of Stoke's biggest heads more personally online. He's had a belter year with the continuation of his 'Come on, Normal' Melodic Distraction show, a huge mix on Pager Records Mix series, and starting Circulate: the not-for-profit party raising money for BHF in memory of Phil Lynn. Their first one in London raised £3k! We've known Grace for much longer though, first meeting down at Simple Things in Bristol back in 2018 we've been BM ever since; bonding over Man City, tunes & being looney lefties. We were so buzzed to have her playing with us at the DBA at the start of Dec for Berties Big Day Out, where she played a killer set to get the day started off with a big ol' bang!
So lets see what they've been filling their stockings with from the past year...
This has been a weird af year but here are some highlights from us which we hope you enjoy. Special shout out to Goutham for having the self control to not list Cockroach - Pearl (Bright Edit) [COMPOSE] {1996} multiple times.
Grace: This is an edit of a track from Facta’s Blush album which is one of my favourite albums to come out this year. This song is very laid back sultry vibes, made even more special by how much of a huge year this has been for Britney.
Goutham: Introducing: Techwear Camping Guy - He's doing pills on a Friday night and a big walk on Sunday – all while wearing some Salomon shoes and an Arc'teryx Dume Coat.
Grace: This isn’t a new track but it’s one I’ve found super comforting throughout the weirdness of the past year. Like a cosy blanket.
Goutham: One of my favourite tracks of the year made by a very close friend on the most recent Reel Long Overdub compilation by the Brudenell Groove crew in Leeds. In Turkey’s own words “Tub Soup” is a “techy fucking mess”. Serious TIP!
Grace: This song could be sad as it’s about unrequited love but the synths and use of a disconnected phone message make it a really fun poppy dance track. I really hope someone books UNiiQU3 in Manchester soon (hint hint Evan)!
Goutham: Probably my favourite tune to come out of 2021. First heard played by Steve himself in Hoppe back in 2020 and featured in his banging Dimensions mix the same year too. Very much enjoyed seeing him play this one out again at The Loft a few months back. Probably my second favourite tune of all time after the next one…
Grace: I’m terrible at describing any sort of dance music but this song slaps. It’s from a really lovely EP that came out earlier this month and would sound really great in a club.
Goutham: Anyone who knows me knows how much I love this tune. I literally have a tattoo on my leg in homage to it. Best song of all time ever!!! This tune is actually my best mate :)
Grace: My personal highlights are Tom Boogizm at the Whotel reopening weekend, the Euros and being able to meet up with groups of more than 6 people. Also, getting to DJ outside of my living room at the DBA was really fun.
Goutham: Highlight of the year would also be the Euros and hanging out with more than 6 people! Had some great clubbing experiences this year too - one standout would be Apollonia all night long at fabric. They are so sick ffs
Grace: I haven’t thought about next year that much tbh, I’m still trying to process the last 2 years. I’ll be happy with some more good parties and nice times with my mates :)
Goutham: Inshallah clubs stay open and more good parties and nice times with mates are pending! I’m looking forward to hopefully playing some nice gigs I’ve got planned and cracking on with Circulate, the charity party that I run with some close friends in aid of the British Heart Foundation
Bomb on BM Alec Falconer’s label featuring a sample of the best xmas tune ever
Compiling this list for the SP crew made me realise how many amazing releases came out this year, a cause for celebration in a year of woe. This list scrapes the tip of the iceberg in terms of what I’ve enjoyed, but I have somehow narrowed it down to 8 LPs of 2020 that I have been rinsing and repeating.
I mostly mix techno / breaks / house / fusion music. So I’ve tried to include six tunes that showcase these genres as much as possible! One thing I’ve learned from mixing is that there is endless music to explore and to never make your mind up on whether or not you like an entire genre! Fusing elements of one genre into another is a real game changer for me :)
What ho!? The sun has shone, the birds have tweep tweeped and the second edition of our Peppered Digs is launched for public enjoyment. Celebrate the springtime harbingers with some bangers in bloom :)
I mostly mix techno / breaks / house / fusion music. So I’ve tried to include six tunes that showcase these genres as much as possible! One thing I’ve learned from mixing is that there is endless music to explore and to never make your mind up on whether or not you like an entire genre! Fusing elements of one genre into another is a real game changer for me :)
A varying degree of musical tastes seem to exist within the Left, Right & Centre camp between ourselves so there may be a bit of disparity between each of our selections. However I think we can both agree that it’s been a topsy turvy year, but there has been lots of highs for us as a label and party, as well as individually. Huge shout out to all the crews doing the do and pushing things along in Manchester and further afield, and of course a big thank you to the Semi Peppered dons for getting us involved.
We’re Emma and Jonah, old friends and lifelong music obsessives. We both share a love for tunes that make us nostalgic for a neon lit past that didn’t happen. If it clears the floor, we want more.
MLE: Hi, you may remember me from radio stations such as Balamii, Noods, Worldwide FM and the occasional guest appearances on NTS. Find my 2020 highlights alongside my fav bunch of dawgs…May 2021 be infinitely less painful. Solway Canine Collective: Ruff noises straight from the kennel. Another year of gutter tunes from the junkyard dawgs.
We’re long time friends and musical collaborators born and raised in Sheffield and now living West of the Pennines in Manchester. We spent some years in Sheffield running ‘Don’t Look Now’, a series of ludicrous parties, expressing our shared love of club culture and the musical heritage of the Steel City. Having temporarily taken a step back from promotion we now also host a monthly radio show called Roadside Picnic in which we can explore our more otherworldly thoughts and dreams.
Compiling this list for the SP crew made me realise how many amazing releases came out this year, a cause for celebration in a year of woe. This list scrapes the tip of the iceberg in terms of what I’ve enjoyed, but I have somehow narrowed it down to 8 LPs of 2020 that I have been rinsing and repeating.
ETN: "We've spent most of the year agonisingly far apart from each other so our choices and highlights feel very unconnected. Doing our Noods shows as socially-distanced fb-chat b2bs has been an interesting diversion, but we're longing for the affectionate chaos of the studio sessions. We all miss each other and hopefully next year will be full of the shared experiences and connection that are the best things about being a Shrubbery!" Chukwudi: "Having blown my last ETN royalty cheque investing in phonecards, I've asked the band to get together for one last reunion gig so that I can keep the lights on this Christmas. Unfortunately all the clubs are closed so I've had to make do with an (apparently unpaid) spot on the semi peppered xmas countdown instead."
Here's some choons, new and old that kept us going in this weird as hell year. Hope you enjoy.
Tracy: The selections picked by us are tunes that we’ve rinsed a lot this year and played quite often on our radio shows. I think they represent our sound as individual DJs but also as a collective.
SP: It's actually entirely to do with the pubs reopening. Enjoy with caution
Some of the stuff we have been digging this year and personal finds!
Thank you to everyone that has been a part of Choonsmas this year, it's been a lovely way to end a turbulent year <3
The Trouserlings + Papi Ruari bring you another collection of varied morsels to warm the cockles. Here is to another year of following the Semi Peppered boys blindly into the sun.
We hope you enjoy sifting through our proper mixed bag of tunes that have soundtracked an incredibly west period in history. We feel these releases have been on the ride with us and deserve acknowledgement. What better way than a big old peppered round up eh?
Our top 8 tracks of 2020 (we’ve listened to tonnes of old ones from the 80s through out the digging process but we’ve tried to keep this strictly 2020 - with some of our fave oldies thrown in) but also less club focussed as clubbing seems so redundant right now (although we have thrown a few heaters in for you). A mixed bag for a funny old time!
Ed: My selections reflect exactly what I’ve been listening to over the last year or two - lots of slow music to soundtrack many days spent at home. I’ve thrown one freaky dance tune in there for good measure, to keep the aliens over at Semi Peppered happy. Ben: Mad dog by name mad dog by nature, woof woof MLE: I am so strong haha
Tried to keep it as weird as possible. And shed some light on some smaller acts from Bristol to Chicargooooooo.
Robbie: "Some highlights from a rollercoaster year, remembering the soundtrack of initial lockdown turmoil to reminiscing about the last tunes heard in the club." David: "As someone whose main hobby is clubbing and nightlife, this year I haven't stopped listening to dance music. Here's some new tunes I really look forward to listening to on a big soundsystem."
d. clemente: Same as last year, I am here with a whole selection of dance music (sorry I actually don’t listen to anything else lol) that made me go like “wow, yeehaw, yes, alright alright, mmmmm”. DJ SWEAT: *siren plays* D-D-D-D-DJ SWEAT on tha haus! *toilet sound* merry all! *jingle jingle*
Here are some of my top listens this year - ones that I've been playing and replaying. Most have been released in 2020, with a sprinkle of oldies too. I inevitably remembered loads that should be in here after making this, but I hope in sifting through this list there will be some enjoyable/meaningful listens in store for Semi Peppered friends and followers 🐇
2020 has been tough, and we’ve been fortunate enough to get through it with the help of those close to us. Now we hope you can join us in looking to 2021 as another year to be inspired by one another, and to keep on keeping on together.
SP: Huge shouts to everyone who was there for us and supported us in music and beyond last year, we look forwards to sharing good times together again soon!
In no particular order these are our top releases from 2020. Coincidentally featuring plenty of previous Cue guests (we’re not biased, honest) alongside some other favourites.
Here’s a lil selection of a few of my fave tracks that have gone into Ambient Babestation Meltdown mixes this year, and a few tracks that I plan to feature in upcoming mixes. Finding new music was never a problem working at Rye Wax, but as we’ve been shut since March I’ve been having to dig A LOT DEEPER and I think it’s helped make my mixes a lot weirder haha. Please enjoy my selection and dream of the day we can all float about the club in silly outfits and silly states once again.
I really had to stop myself from putting Babyfather’s ‘Meditation’ as my sole entry to this list because I’ve been playing that every day for the last three years. I thought it would be best to solely focus on tracks that have been released this year so here’s a list of my faves. Most of them have been included in mixes and radio shows and danced to in my parents’ living room.
Apologies! I’ve not bought a new release since the Music from Memory Almost Grown record, which was still a reissue haha! These ones are some of my fave digs from the year - a mixture of cheap and hard to find stuff, records that I have wanted for a while but managed to cop this year. Lots of digging and hermiting time, hope you like them/find them interesting! Merry xmas 💖💖 xx
Not much new music in here (we’re crap at keeping up to date), but lots of goodies that we’ve played and enjoyed both inside and outside the space this year
Taïga: There’s going to be no jungle / 160 I’m afraid, if anyone wants to hear our fave selections from that genre they can just listen to any of our sets! Mia: 2021 has been a great year for music, much like last year, the year before that, and all the other years. I don’t really think it’s possible for there to be an entire year where the whole planet collectively just puts out shit music, even if artists like Burial are giving it their best shot.
