So here we are! After a stunning series from some serious diggers, we’re here to nosedive the quality with a slightly self-indulgent end by making it all about us. But who is US?! What lies behind that spicy veil? If you must know, our festive team of Christmas riddlers is EJ Woodall (EJ Bauble), L Ben Gretty (L Ben Grotto), Marko (MarkO Christmas Tree), Donnagan (Daddy Christmas) and Charlie (who missed the deadline to get his tunes in by fighting Covid with his bare hands at the Bristol Royal Infirmary).
We would like to shout out every Artist, Producer, Band, DJ, Duo, Collective, Liker, Sharer, Reader and Commenter who has contributed to or enjoyed our mega Choonsmas countdown. As we were planning our own 5th Birthday party this year, this has served as an alternative way to reflect on the moments of positivity from the past year and to look forwards to the better times that lie ahead. More than ever, music in 2020 has been a terrific form of escapism, and has continued to be a platform for change and strength in community. To everybody who has fought for change, our venues, communities, spaces and people, and also to those who escaped in music and got through this year, we want to send a big Semi Peppered thank you and virtual cuddle.
And, as always, massive shout out to the don dadda Dylan for doing another sterling job on the Choonsmas artwork. NOW - without further ado, on the twelfth day of Choonsmas we bring to you ... 4 boys from the world wide Peppin' cru!
So here we are! After a stunning series from some serious diggers, we’re here to nosedive the quality with a slightly self-indulgent end by making it all about us. But who is US?! What lies behind that spicy veil? If you must know, our festive team of Christmas riddlers is EJ Woodall (EJ Bauble), L Ben Gretty (L Ben Grotto), Marko (MarkO Christmas Tree), Donnagan (Daddy Christmas) and Charlie (who missed the deadline to get his tunes in by fighting Covid with his bare hands at the Bristol Royal Infirmary).
We would like to shout out every Artist, Producer, Band, DJ, Duo, Collective, Liker, Sharer, Reader and Commenter who has contributed to or enjoyed our mega Choonsmas countdown. As we were planning our own 5th Birthday party this year, this has served as an alternative way to reflect on the moments of positivity from the past year and to look forwards to the better times that lie ahead. More than ever, music in 2020 has been a terrific form of escapism, and has continued to be a platform for change and strength in community. To everybody who has fought for change, our venues, communities, spaces and people, and also to those who escaped in music and got through this year, we want to send a big Semi Peppered thank you and virtual cuddle.
And, as always, massive shout out to the don dadda Dylan for doing another sterling job on the Choonsmas artwork. NOW - without further ado, on the twelfth day of Choonsmas we bring to you ... 4 boys from the world wide Peppin' cru!
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.
Joe: Some kind of nightmarish distorted punk take of the Benny Hill Theme. The first thing Big Guy has released in four years - and it’s still as churning & raw as their original release, but with a lot more character.
Marko: This song has had a been a bit of a recurring beacon of hope for me this year. It always seemed to be on when cool shit happened. One time I played this track stuck in traffic as the all-too-familiar passenger-seat-DJ. The tune is at this ripe tempo that means you can head-bob pretty emphatically without breaking your neck. So there I was with my pal Brook, windows open, blasting the tune, both of us bobbing our heads real hard - real emphatic - when we look over to the car to our right who’ve got their window open and everyone in it is bobbing their heads to the tune we were listening to! Sadly the traffic didn’t last much longer than the song but it was a pretty epic moment to share with a bunch of strangers in a traffic jam.
Evan: Of all the records released this year, this LP stands out for me. It’s no surprise to see Arto Lindsay of DNA on co-production on a record that will have you as mesmerised by unstoppable distorted funk as it does with moments of hard-faced reflection. It’s hard to believe this was made this year, instant classic.
James: Swedish synth-pop par de excellence produced by the late, great Scandanavian vibe magnate that is Tom Wolgers. This was the tune which set me off on digging his limited but exceptional back catalogue to exhaustion, which very sadly coincided with his death in November. Made ten years before I was even a twinkle in my fathers eye, Paris Bizarre cottoned on to the formula of what gasses me up - the whole intro just hits a little different, and the perfect amount of cheese sprinkled in throughout. It’s soundtracked my showers for the past few months but would love to hear it at 6am at Barbarellas, giving every a big sloppy cuddle. All in all this felt like the right level of melancholia for my tune of the year. 2020 giveth, 2020 taketh away.
James: I wanted to have something new and club-oriented for my other tune, but on reflection I’ve been shite at keeping up with new club music without scrolling Bandcamp on my daily commute so… it’s a ‘97 LA breakbeat slammer from me. There’s not been a great deal of breaks this Choonsmas, and, really, that’s all I want Santa. Just open the clubs for the love of god.
Joe: Picked this up (alongside many other things) from Orhan, who aptly describes this as a “protozoan 2002-2003 transition point between garage, grime and dubstep”. Feels particularly authentic and gritty whilst also making me heavily nostalgic.
Marko: This track has had a bit of a journey getting on my radar. It all started on a rainy night in Bristol towards the end of 2018. Despite the rain, everything about that day was just so good. I remember cooking a tasty greek spread for dinner with my housemates and some friends. Little did I know that this tasty dinner would precede the best night out EVER. For those that went - I’m talking about the ETN night with the Bruits de la Passion collective. I was so blown away by the music they played that I spent the following year just listening to all their mixes very slowly, pausing and rewinding to find IDs on all the tunes from the mixes and any songs that were on the EPs of those tunes… It was a fruitful rabbit hole that lead me onto a track by Busy Code called Bianco (really good tune as well btw.). When I found the track, I saw that it was on an EP with a few other tunes. I found a way to listen to all the tunes apart from the China Love tune… but no matter how hard I looked, i just couldn’t find it anywhere. Slowly but surely, my weird obsession with this tune that I’d never heard of faded away and my life went back to normal. China Love was a song of the past and I started to believe I was just at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Cut to 2020. Almost a year after I’d first discovered the China Love EP and I’m going through youtube finding music - minding my own business - when I see ‘Busy Code - China Love (Club Mix)’ on my youtube recommendations. People said the youtube recommendations were good - I didn’t realise just how good they were. Time froze for a moment. Without realising I saw my index finger scuttle over my mousepad and it clicked play…. It’s hard to describe this tune in words so I’ll leave it at that but give it a listen and I’m sure you’ll agree it was worth the wait.
Evan: Not new to me in 2020, but one of the Making Faces crew, Rob Banks, played this in a mix early on and over lockdown the track took on a whole nuva meaning as the world stopped and our friendship blossomed. Whilst we haven’t physically seen one another since the night dubbed ‘The Last Night Ever’ at Whotel, and the then ensuing never-ending afters; the track still stands for me as a symbol of looking to the future and all of everybody being back on the dance floor, and once again enjoying that sense of unified euphoria.
Joe: Seeing him and Bob Mortimer on Gone Fishing reminded me how much I love this song & the Boro accent
Marko: This tune is from the ridiculous ‘A Jazzy Wonderland” Christmas compilation that my family listen to on repeat on Christmas day. The whole album is full of really cheesy/funky renditions of Christmas tunes that just catch you off guard because they manage to be so damn funky and so damn Christmassy. This one’s my pick from the album – brace yourself Christmas.
James: Really didn’t want to be that pretentious knobhead this year but East 17 and Chris Rea have already been chosen. It’s floaty, it’s silly, it’s space-themed and you know what, it’s actually good.
Evan: Apologies for the Bublé, but that album cover and Michael’s gorgeous bellow are synonymous with Christmas for me at our home. It usually signifies the start of Christmas; the Asda shop is done, my mum is dancing to Bublé in the kitchen, and, for a brief moment, we can all relax.
Joe: There hasn’t been much in the way of highlights but I’ll shout out a happy memory from earlier in the year; bringing Solar & Mozhgan over from San Fran and taking them for an unreal Ethiopian meal at Easton’s Real Habesha. Make sure you visit if you get the chance!
Marko: Going on an impromptu pilgrimage for a couple weeks towards the end of the summer from Porto to Santiago de Compostela. Coming up with stupid catch phrases such as ‘“less talkin’ more walkin’ “ and ‘it would be absurd not to call up an albergue’’. I enjoyed some nice scenery, some nice dips and ate a LOT of Pastels de Nata. People were nice. Life was simple. It got to a stage where all I cared about were my feet and preventing the next blister from discovering itself. Shouts to the Blister Guru for all his blister wisdom - you know who you are.
James: It’s been a funny old one, but two things have been standout positives for me. The first is my girlfriend moving in with me, and the second is not having to commute for 1 hour and 40 minutes each day to somewhere I really don’t want to spend my time. I’m getting better sleep and doing more exercise and whilst I’m not without my issues, i’m valuing my own time more and more.
Evan: It’s a pretty tough year to pull any highlights from, but, despite the lockdowns, I’ve had friendships reignited and e-met some brilliant people to keep me looking forwards to 2021. To echo what Joe has said, the Solar & Mozhgan night was one of my favourites we’ve ever done and serves up a cherish-able memory topped off with a lovely meal with lovely company. Also watching Dylan & Annie absolutely smash it, despite it being such a fucking shite one.
Joe: I’ve just moved in by myself - looking forward to that and spending some time improving on our shiny new website (shout out to Kael Onion Oakley). Then hopefully getting restarted on all the major stuff we had in the pipeline for the last 12 months.
Marko: Everything feels so unpredictable these days so I don’t fancy looking forward to much. I’m starting to think that’s the way to be at the mo. I’m not sure if it really works to constantly be thinking about the ‘next chapter’ - life is continuous, so maybe we need to start living it that way - I guess I’m looking forward to adopting that philosophy more in 2021... and growing out of constantly trying to find things in the future to look forward to whilst missing the fruits of life each day as it comes. ‘Pologies for preachin’, but couldn’t think of anything better to say for this one.
James: Hopefully we will see the libertarian goon squad of the Tory cabinet banished from our lives, but on a personal level I’m looking forward to continuing on my relatively positive trajectory and see my friends do the same. One of my favourite people is getting married and having a kid which is unbelievably exciting and who knows, maybe a harbinger of a better world? Really though, I would trade it all in for the White Hotel.
Evan: Seeing the vaccine getting administered and then getting back to chewing half of the UK music scenes’ ears off in various smoking areas. We had some sick stuff lined up with close Friends & Idols, and even our first group festival outing, so maybe cracking on with all that; although I don’t think we’ll be back operating at the full Turbo Mitzy anytime soon, it’s nice to dream of being sweaty together again.
lots of love from Semi Peppered, DeeDoubleYoo, and all the rest of the Choonsmas gang xxx
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.
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."
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."
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.
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.
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 🐇
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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!
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*
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 :)
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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."
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.
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.
Some of the stuff we have been digging this year and personal finds!
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.
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
Here's some choons, new and old that kept us going in this weird as hell year. Hope you enjoy.
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!
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?
SP: It's actually entirely to do with the pubs reopening. Enjoy with caution
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 :)
