Mixed by: Kuri Kondrak
Kuri Kondrak (@kuri) delivers an excellent deep moody set of new & old. Let’s check out who the man is.
Timo: If my memory serves me right, I first learned about you via your contributions to Little White Earbuds and then found your own Energy Flash blog around… 2008 maybe? Can you tell us a little about your background?
Kuri: Wow, good memory! I had been doing music writing via a local Seattle based music magazine called Resonance in the mid-to late 90s and beyond, but gave it up after I had a son. I got the itch to start writing again around 2008 and began the Energy Flash blog (daft name I know but i always had an affinity for the Beltram track from a ways back), which then led to an enjoyable stint with Little White Earbuds. My favorite reviews were for the Big Black Headphones series which allowed us to go back and dig up old classic records and explain why they were so influential to us. Nothing like sitting down and really thinking back to when you first head a track blaring out of a speaker stack or a mixtape that blew you away.
T: How did you get introduced to electronic music?
K: I got hooked on it at University in the early 90s where I was introduced to 808 State, Front 242 and KLF. I started DJing ambient music at chill out rooms but slowly started to buy techno and house music, tracing it all back to Detroit and Chicago. After that there was no looking back.
T: What’s your fondest musical memory from your childhood?
T: My dad owned a reggae record store so I’ve got so many great memories of him playing amazing Jamaican dub around the apartment when I was a young boy. It was basically the soundtrack to my childhood. But there was a moment I’ll never forget in the movie Breakin’ when Turbo performs his slo-mo no-hands sweep the floor to Kraftwerk’s “Tour de France.” That shit gave me goosebumps!
T: What are your favorite pieces of music you’ve owned and why?
K: Two albums stand out for me as favorites: The Black Dog – Bytes and Aphex Twin – Selected Ambient Works 82-92. These were some of the first electronic LPs that I bought from an imports store and had shipped to me. I can still remember receiving these and playing them over and over. They both still sound good 25+ years later!
T: The mix you did for us is titled “Coastal Dreams”. It’s very contemporary sounding while it’s a nice blend of old and new! And also very well crafted. Could you tell us a little about the track selection?
K: Like so many of my mixes it’s a combination of newer releases balanced with older tracks that sit nicely together. I like to keep my mixes generally on the deeper side and explore melodic themes that draw listeners in and I hope this one will too.
T: There are quite a few Canadian names in there – how’s the music scene right across the border from Seattle? The scene in Canada seems to be blooming.
Yes, the Vancouver scene has been bustling for a few years now and only seems to be picking up steam. Just take a look at a label like 1080P which has been at it since 2013. And then you have many new artists that are breaking new ground by combining ambient and deep techno strains with breakbeats and jazzy production techniques. For me it has shades of what the early 90s electronic scene was sounding like. Less stratification and more focus on great music. And I think with the fact that Vancouver has been hosting the yearly forward looking music festival, New Forms, it has only helped to develop the homegrown talent.
T: Where do you find the motivation to make mixes? Quite a few fine examples on your Soundcloud page mind!
K: Thanks Timo! I find I get motivated after buying a bundle of new records, always exciting to hear how they sound in the mix after unboxing, haha! Then again though it’s always easy to go through the collection of records that have been neglected and deserve some solid love. Cheers and thanks for the opportunity to contribute to the Deeprhythms mix.
canon!
T: Thanks Kuri, the mix is amazing, pleasure is all mine!
Playlist
01. Bizarre Inc. – Technological (Blue Chip)
02. Intimacy – Memory Card (Vector Works)
03. Lou Karsh – Infrared (X-Kalay)
04. D. Tiffany – Distant Globes (Coastal Haze)
05. Flora FM – Artificial Limb Company (Vanity Press)
06. JTC – Atmospheres Pt. 2 [Strato Mix] (Bopside)
07. Juju & Jordash – Loosey Goosey (Dekmantel)
08. Trinidadian Deep – Native Palo (Neroli)
09. John Selway – Shimmerdown (Future Times)
10. Matthew Wieck – Flying Feeling (Altered Moods)
11. Rai Scott – Friends In Distant Lands (TH Pressing)
12. Lnrdcroy – Sunrise Market [Extended Version] (Pacific Rhythm)
13. Ex-Terresterial – Portal Vision [Kali] (NAFF)
14. Leo Anibaldi – Universal (Safe Trip)
15. Gene Hunt – Kayla Dream (Inner Shift)
16. Gnork – Stringxxx233344 (Black Venison)
17. Maurizio – Domina [Maurzio Mix] (Maurizio)
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