March 17, 2024 | Guest Mixes
Whopping three hours of atmospheric deepness from Turku (FI) based Juho Mieto. Let’s get to know the man a little better shall we?
Hello and thanks for having me! My name is Juho Mieto and I’m an underground DJ, record head & event organiser from Turku, Finland. I’m all about discovering deep and timeless tunes and playing them out for the dance floor. A huge fan of many styles of underground electronic music, my biggest passion lies in the deep, dubby and minimal side of house & techno. I most enjoy playing extended after hour sets, where I get to take the dance floor through shifting grooves and moods with a sense of deliberation.
Actually, this January I decided to take a break from gigs & parties altogether! My 2023 was busy enough that I felt like some slowing down was in order. I used this time to recuperate and get my sleep patterns back on track. Now I’m more than ready to gig again, and we’re planning upcoming shenanigans with our crew Tunne. Together will continue to host our “Tunnarit” sunday jams, hold small underground parties and of course throw the hottest afterparties in Turku!
Music has been an integral part of my life since about 9 y.o. when I discovered how certain tracks could change the way I felt. At the time I didn’t realise it, but music was my first tool for regulating emotions. Around the same time I also discovered the joy of finding new music. Since then I’ve been listening to music most of my waking hours. These days I’ve found further methods for regulating my feelings, but my core as a DJ lies within this early realisation.
My first encounter happened in the mid-90s through my older sister’s then-boyfriend’s record collection. He was an old school metal head and a collector of underground music. From his CD collection I found the album that shook so many of us 90s kids: The Prodigy’s Music For The Jilted Generation. It blew my mind, as did Fat Of The Land when it came out a year later.
At the time I had no idea what dance music was. To me it was like any other thing I listened to on my little stereo, except it was so much more exciting. The energy was unlike anything I’d heard before and the beat just kept going and going. Later in the decade I also found Goa trance through the underground demo scene, but its initial peffect wasn’t as big as the Prodigy’s was. While it took many many years before I was introduced to raves/clubbing and later DJing, I still feel like this was when the seed was planted.
One of my first DJ inspirations was the Helsinki underground topdogs Trevor Deep Jr. with their ultra deep and tasteful styles. TDJ’s release on Delsin Records is one of my favourites and the title track “Keep On!” digs very deep. I played it at my first ever public DJ gig and this moody track definitely has a special meaning for me.
Lately I’ve been more and more immersed with the rominimal styles. The track that got me started was “Sorin Milea – Mai Vedem Noi (Lizz Remix)” from Deepmix Bucharest. It’s a light-hearted and intriguing after hours tune with beautiful deep pads. I originally bought this to bulk up a Discogs order, but it turned out to be the highlight record!
Another huge artist I found early on is Brawther. I love all his work, but for this I’m gonna bring up his first LP “Endless” from Balance. A superb deep house album with varying moods and timeless production. I bought this 2×12” record off a retired DJ and it has a beautiful gatefold cover (which I never bring to gigs haha).
Going back to the minimal realm, one massive release for me is Nima Gorji’s “Connections EP” from Bodyparts Vinyl. Nima is one of my all time favourite artists and this EP is a brilliant example of his genius. His productions are understated yet powerful and rarely I gig goes by that I don’t play something from Nima Gorji.
My first morning set at an outdoor rave was amazing and I will never forget it. It was late summer and nights were getting dark once again. I can recall starting when it was still dark, and while I was playing the sun started to come up behind the dancing crowd. It was such a beautiful moment and inspired me to play the most delicate and immersive tracks I had with me. From that gig on I’ve been hooked on playing morning sets!
Well, I’m always on Discogs and my vice is to stack up way too many shopping baskets lol. I like to go about finding new labels and checking out their catalogue. Certain favourite labels such as Bondage Music, Vivus Records, Quality Vibe, OGE, Subtil Records, Hashplant, Dungeon Meat, etc. I will always check out. Naturally I also have favourite producers and when one of them teams up with one of my favourite labels it’s a must-buy!
So there is plenty of digging going on all the time. The most recent releases I tend to purchase through decks.de, deejay.de or Juno, but recently I’ve been buying mainly last decade’s stuff from Discogs.
Locally I like to visit Round Sound Records for some physical record digging. It’s a friendly and well run record shop with loads of quality music, especially jazz & soul. The owner Felix is a long time DJ and has amazing knowledge of music. He’s been taking good care of us local vinyl DJs and the store has a delightful section of electronic music 12”s from US house to drum ‘n bass to ambient. When digging at the shop I let my intuition guide me rather than what the label says, and I usually end up with interesting stuff just left of my discogs digs. Check out Round Sound Records on Facebook:
I pack stuff I feel like will suit the time slot I’m playing. Usually I have 10-15 records per hour, but my style is hybrid so I also play digital tracks in my sets. When selecting what to bring I aim to have a few directions to go, along with one or two surprises. With digital music my library is too messy to keep anything other than solely private lol.
I’d have to say Mr. G – Transition, from 50/50 EP released on Bass Culture Records. Many of course are familiar with this track and it’s a known masterpiece: a mesmerising combination of mournful deepness, driving bassline and Mr. G’s unique sampling prowess. I got this one on vinyl and incidentally it is my most expensive record haha!
Silat Beksi & Daniel Broesecke – Mistral EP
Nima Gorji – White Metal Rat EP
I have to say my friend and Tunne crew mate Selidos! He’s been crafting grooving minimal house for years and his music’s been released on labels like Berg Audio, Maukas, Pirka and Micro Orbit Records. I love playing b2b with this guy, we are both huge music nerds and our tastes aling just about perfect.
If you are reading this, you should definitely check out Selidos’ most recent releases and social media channels below:
Selidos – Malina Fields (on MCRBO001)
Soundcloud | IG: @selidos
This mix came together just like every other set I play: on the fly. At home I like to keep a stack of my most recent/current favourite records in a stand, so it’s easy to just start mixing. One free evening I hit record on Audacity – and 3 hours later I had this mixtape down. It’s not every session I play for that long, but why stop when you’re having fun? 🙂
The mix is a pretty accurate take on my current tastes and how I like to build push and pull into a set. My aim was to capture an atmosphere of timelessness, while a constant sub bass guides the listener through changing rhythms and sensations. I hope your thee hours with the mix will go as quickly as mine did!
Thanks again for having me! To hear & see more of my mixing, check out this recent live recording below
“If Shazam doesn’t pick it up, it is not meant to be found ;)”
– Juho Mieto
Location: Turku, FI
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Spinning deep & minimal house grooves. Inspired by dub, budz and the hi-hat. Part of Tunne crew.
TKU UG