Hello, hi, how r u?
But really, how are you?! It feels like an age since I last wrote, but weirdly it’s only been two weeks. I suppose that means I’ve missed you! Anyway, I hope you’re good.
I’ve been busy and travelling quite a lot (marathon, work, life), which has given me some much needed transitory moments. Those moments where you sink into your chair, wifi-less, and just dig in to books, music, articles, thoughts… In the ‘before times’ this used to happen twice a day, five days a week. Now, less so. It’s been good. Indulgent, almost.
It’s in one of these liminal moments that I remembered something I scribbled down on a post-it note about four years ago. I wrote ‘label spotlight?’ and stuck it next to a stack of records from one of my favourite labels. It’s still there. The idea was simple; put together an entire Love Will Save The Day mixtape from the catalogue of one of my favourite labels. Now, I have favourite labels (Soul Jazz, Talkin’ Loud, 2000Black), and then I have favourite labels. These are the labels that I buy on sight. Labels that have been so consistent with putting out music that I love, that now I buy without listening beforehand. I’m not a merch guy, but for these labels I’d buy branded teabags. 22a, Church, Rhythm Section International, Wolf, and for today’s inaugural label spotlight; On The Corner.
The first OTC record I bought was Versus. I remember being in Sounds of the Universe, going through the racks, and spotting two things that stood out about this record; 1) there was a remix by Al Dobson on it, and 2) the incredible artwork by Victoria Topping. I took a chance and bought it, and after playing it through when I got home, immediately played it again. And then again. At the time (2016), I was going through a sort of personal ‘jazz rebirth’. The UK jazz scene was bubbling, and it came with a hefty dance floor sensibility. Artists like Tenderlonious (founder of 22a), Chaos in the CBD, and Laurence Guy (among many others) were putting the dance back into jazz dance. Versus was a big part of my experience of that, and also introduced me into a bunch of non-UK new jazz too.
Thereafter, I bought the excellent The Search by Collocutor, then Over by Emanative, and fell in love not just with the individual records, but with the artwork, the vision, the ‘body language’ of the label itself. Suddenly I was finding myself looking for everything and anything that the label put out, and soon buying its music without listening first.
So today, I’m presenting the first Love Will Save The Day label spotlight. The mixtape is (at least for me) a near-perfect representation of the breadth and scope of the music that On The Corner puts out. From beautiful, ornate spiritual jazz, to jazz-tinged house, to future-sounding footwork, jungle, and dub; I think you’re going to love it. I certainly do.
You can find more about On The Corner here, and more importantly, buy the music here. Get listening, get supporting, and get dancing.
There’s more to come of these label spotlights, so I’d love to know what you think (good and bad!), and as ever, below there’s a bumper TL;DR Section below.
See you on the dance floor,
Jed x
PS. If you're new here then this is how it works. Here’s what you’ve missed so far.
TL;DR Section 🌪
Read…
I’ve read this (and shared this) before, but I keep coming back to it. The Beauty and The Beat team talk about the origin, vision, and purpose of the party (and beyond). This captures so much of what I love about our culture, and so much of what we’re trying to build together here
The incredible Musa Okwonga on Mr Morale and the Big Steppers. If you read one KDot review…
After his brilliant debut LP Boy, Harvey Sutherland talks creative process and gear
The legendary Giorgio is working on a video game soundtrack…
Another cracker from Maria Popova - your brain on grief. So much in here strikes a chord, but this in particular really hit; “because trusting a continuity of closeness does not come naturally to us”. So, weirdly (#goth4lyfe), on a long flight the other day, I was staring out the window and wrote down “death sends us to the soil, to nourish new life”. I had no idea why, but shortly after I read the Popova essay and had that ‘the universe is connected’ feeling…
There’s a new compilation of Polish experimental music coming from Nicolas Jaar
Watch…
Do…
Check In The Key Of She - a new project spotlighting female and non-binary talent in electronic music
Send Love Will Save The Day to a friend :-)
Listen…
The debut from Barbie Bertisch
Lion’s Drums is my new favourite producer, and here’s his Ransom Note mix
Jean-Claude brings Brian Jackson onto his latest You Need This show
Just read / just reading…
Just read
Egress, by Matt Colquhoun (on grief, liminal spaces, and Mark Fisher)
The Sound Of Being Human, by Jude Rogers (must read)
White Noise, by Don DeLillo (weird, eerie, darkly funny)
Just reading
The Craft, by Rishi Dastidar (a LWSTDer!)
Discographies, by Jeremy Gilbert
After The Flare, by Deji Bryce Olukotun
Old notes home 📚
…on the future
…on culture
Rebuilding culture: fixing the asymmetry of art, culture, and commerce
A response to the argument that culture is boring these days
…on music
…on mental health
The tracklist 🎶
Tamar Collocutor & Tenesha The Wordsmith - Yemaya (Vasmant remix)
Collocutor - Deep Peace
DNGDNGDNG - Mu
Dengue Dengue Dengue - Haarp
Siti Muharam - Mashozi Ya Huba
Siti Muharam - Ashikibaya (Sam Jones Construct)
Dengue Dengue Dengue - Semillero (Nicola Cruz remix)
Makadem - Nyako
Collocutor - Agama (Contours remix)
The Diabolical Liberties - Strange World
Clive From Accounts - Moon Buggy
Mugwisa International Xylophone Group - The Munaana of Mugwisa (Ishmael at the Controls)
Planet Battagon - Wezlee’s Disco Inferno
Penya - Search It Out (Reboot)
Mugwisa International Xylophone Group - Drop The Beat (FYI Chris’ Acid Drop)
Hieroglyphic Being - The Spiritual or Electromagnetic Worlds
Uffe - City’s Dead
Group as Salaam - L’burh L’buh (Rich Thair remix)
Mugwisa International Xylophone Group - Spirits
Alai K - Watu
Guedra Guedra - Anlo Kinka
DJ Khalab - Bafia
Collocutor - The Search (DJ Khalab remix)
The Diabolical Liberties - Rudeboys in Outa Space
Sunken Cages - Mudras Under the Ocean
Penya - Why so Angry
Tenesha the Wordsmith - I Dream So Loud
Magnus P.I (ft. Daisho) - Haunted Head
Planet Battagon - Moon of Dysnomia
Asher Gamedze - Siyabulela