Best of Paper 2023 – Flash Atkins DJ Mix

Once again it’s time for Flash Atkins to don his cape and mask to work his magic on some of Paper finest 2023 moments. There’s vocal bangers, druggy wobblers, balearic belters and everything in between, so buckle up!

1. Made – You’re The One (Third Attempt Remix)
2. The Secret Soul Society – Shivery
3. The Secret Soul Society – Ache All Over
4. Crazy P – Last Knockers (Mr. Tea Mix) (Alt Version)
5. Nutritious – I Love Mitsubishis
6. The Secret Soul Society – Yo, We’ve Landed (Hardway Bros Remix Redux)
7. The Secret Soul Society – Work It
8. Nutritious – Faith & 909
9. Daco – Support Programme
10 BOM – Downtown Birnin Zana
11. Disco Rogues – IF
12. Marcos Alonso – Piece of the Puzzle (Kennedy Mix)
13. Aniso Tropics – Topaz
14. Benny Pitcher – Lips Like Roses
15. Nick Munday – Ketamine of Crutches
16. D.S.D. – Think of You (Flash Atkins & 2 Billion Beats Mix)
17. Mr. Tea – J Is Giraffe
18. Rave-enka – Hetetakter
19. Discobeistet – Gammal Morro (Natasha Kitty Kat Remx)
20. Daco feat Basil Clarke – A Little More Volume (Flash Atkins Remix)
22. Benny Pitcher – So Good
23. Mr. Tea – The Slow Reveal

 

BUY / STREAM

Mr. Tea talks to Paper about his new EP and his musical influences

San Francisco’s finest, Michael Devin AKA Mr Tea, is back on Paper with another 4 track EP of the deep, aural brilliance for those who know what’s what.

  1. The Slow Reveal is a warm embrace of dusty, deep 4/4 grooves that is equal parts cosmic and deep soul. Main room, late nights or early mornings, the hook goes to the roots of ‘house is a feeling’.
  2. Shock Therapy is a much more blissed out affair and one for the psychedelic heads. Deeper dimensions get explored on this as it weaves its hypnotic spell.
  3. Mindsweeper goes to a darker place than its predecessors. Jerky and jacking beats with a touch of Tenaglia lock in behind whacked out synths and spaced-out rhythms for a track that goes subterranean.
  4. Head Full of Butterflies is a stunning spaced-out soundscape, with warped loops of distorted vocals wrapping around trippy synth pads, all floating on an air of DMT.

Paper caught up with him for an interview this week, watch below:

Wild Water Trailer

Shot through the seasons over 16 months, Wild Water dives into the cold water swimming community of Gaddings Dam, Calderdale, West Yorkshire, home to the UK’s highest beach. The film tracks the breathtaking landscape and its community of wild swimmers as they use the restorative powers of cold water to reconnect with their mental health, identity and the natural environment.

Gaddings Dam is a reservoir masked by the Est Yorkshire moors, 780 feet above sea level. The bleak but romantic landscape, steeped in the poetry and prose of Ted Hughes and the Brontës, the small strip of sand is a magnet to a community of swimmers, day-trippers, walkers, bikers and runners.

There is a rhythm as people come and go, having made the twenty-minute trek up a broken footpath, each drawn to the beauty as it changes with the seasons; always the same, always different. Some hardened locals brave the wind, rain and snow to wild swim all seasons for escape, comradeship, to keep the black dog at bay or just for the sheer thrill. As they hit the water, all experience the same visceral hit, taking away everything except the moment. Time stops, and peace arrives.

But there is more to this place than just swimming; a whole ecosystem of activity circulates around the reservoir, from the pub landlord fighting to keep vehicles out of his car park to the Gaddings Dam Preservation Society and the January Daily Dippers.

Wild Water supports Crisis, the national homelessness charity whose annual Icebreaker Challenge is held every Winter across the UK.

More information at wildwaterfilm.net Produced by papervisionfilms.com

Paper Recordings presents ‘Low Life’

It’s that time when the stars align and Paper Recordings hold one of their infamous rave-ups on Saturday, Dec 9.

For this very special gathering, we’re heading back to Andrew Weatherall’s favourite public house-dancing spot and celebrated den of iniquity in th’ills, Todmorden‘s  The Golden Lion for the legendary Low Life. In the cockpit will be London’s finest party starters, dance music titans, celebrated authors, radio hosts, DJ wizards and jolly ace chaps, Bill Brewster & Frank Broughton with Paper’s own Chuckle Brothers Flash Atkins & Massey trying to keep up.

Low Life was created in New York in 1995 by British writers and DJs Bill Brewster and Frank Broughton, who brought the party with them when they moved back to London a couple of years later. The first London event happened in a loft on Kingsland Road in 1998, with a bizarre list of attendees that included Damon Albarn, Björk and Alexander McQueen. It soon became one of the most exciting and unique nights in the capital, famed for its curveball fancy dress themes, the choicest house and disco and its carefree, house-party vibe.

Although they stopped after 20 years, they still throw the occasional Low Life parties and we are thrilled to be hosting on of them. always deliver on the dance floor vibes with a soundtrack of all things disco-house-cosmic-wonky-groovy-boogie electronic music.

We’ve been massive fans for years and are thrilled to have them come join us!

Low Life loves you…we love Low Life! 
                                                                                            TICKETS

Flash Atkins’ Party For One ‘The Kitchen Edition’

What to do when your oven packs up? Turn the gap it leaves into a DJ booth obviously. Flash Atkins steps up to deliver a new Party For One, diving deep into the realms of dubby, hypnotic wonky house music.

                                                                                            LISTEN ON SOUNDCLOUD

Nutritious: Exclusive Interview for Paper

A BIG thanks for taking the time to chat with us and for (once again) providing such an incredible selection of tracks for the Blurs E.P. out on Paper Recordings

Thank you to Paper and the team. It’s an absolute pleasure to have Blurs out on the label. You’re absolutely one of the most iconic dance labels, and I appreciate so much working with y’all.

For those that don’t know, can you give us a brief history of the life & career of Nutritious?

Well, I’ve been a musician since I was a little kid. And in fact, I had an older brother who was a guitar virtuoso who also really liked to trip and take LSD. And he would tell me stories that when I was as young as two or three years old, that he would play guitar and have me play drums with him, and he would be on these fantastical trips and journeys and I’d be playing along. And, that’s how I learned improvisational music — kind of got into my system.

As I got older, once I had the dexterity to get behind a drum kit, I started playing in bands. I played CBGBs at a very young age, around 16. Then I got into electronic music. My first foray into electronic was through a Yamaha QY sequencer, which evolved to Fruity Loops — I use Ableton now.

I started going to nightclubs in New York and started working to promote at some of the clubs — Palladium in particular. I started going to The Tunnel and became enamoured with the music that I heard and that I was dancing to until the early hours of the morning.

I would go back home and try to recreate the music that I heard in my head. And at the time, I had a four track cassette recorder [Tascam], some CD players, some guitar effects pedals, and the QY. And I would patch them all together and whatever instruments I could kind of loop into this situation and started making mixtapes. The mixtapes started sounding good, so it was time to get some turntables [Technic 1200 mk2].

Photo by Kaitlin Parry

There seems to be a lot of influences peppered throughout this release. Are there any specific tracks or artists that you conjure up when in the studio and in particular for the Blurs E.P?

I listen to so much music that it’s really hard to pick out any one influence. I love all kinds of genres, and I actually spend a lot of time listening to various types of music, new and classic. So when I get into the studio, and I go to write and produce, it’s rarely thinking about something musical that gets the project started. It’s typically a memory or an experience or some type of trip or journey I’ve had that I wind up re-imagining in my mind and then bringing the sounds I recall to life through the production.
I’ll start with drums, bass, keyboard, and anything that comes to mind that can get the musical project started. Then, as I get the sounds down on paper, it starts to come to life.

Speaking of the studio, what is your setup for making music? Are there any specific instruments or plugins that are always by your side?

In the studio, I like to have various instruments around. I like to work in the box and also have instruments to play — from drums and percussion to synthesizers. Lately, I’ve been really digging the [Ashun Sound Machines] Hydrasynth and Moog Grandmother.
I spend a considerable amount of time mixing and working on sound design and effects, and I really do like a fair amount of plugins for that and really dig all kinds of virtual instruments. I have to shout out Cherry Audio. I really dig a lot of their synths. Also, UVI — their stuff sounds really great. In terms of mixing and recording, Melda is one of my favorite go-tos for plugins. I use a Softube Console 1 system to help make the experience more tactile. And I’ll incorporate turntables, sampling, you name it.

How is the dance music scene currently doing in Brooklyn? (I visited Mister Sunday when I visited last time, and it was pretty incredible!)

New York is a really special place, and Brooklyn, in particular, has always been a home for house music. What I think is the best part about New York is the entire metro area. You can find all kinds of nooks and crannies and great places to party and great DJs and new parties, and it’s just an amazing hub of music in general and art.

Last one, (for a bit of fun!), do you have a fave studio snack that will always be present in your music making sessions?

Definitely, I do. I really enjoy going into the studio with some fresh coconut water. Maybe there’s not a lot in terms of the way of traditional snacks, but I dig nootropics in the studio for sure. Lately, one of my favourite combinations is a mix of saffron and bacopa, two plant botanicals that just have a really nice opening effect on the mind — helps me write — I dig it.

BLURS by NUTRITIOUS is out now on Beatport exclusivelyLISTEN

General release 06-09-23

Say hello on INSTAGRAM

 

Out the Box: Léna C

For our next Out The Box feature we welcome one of our own Hebden Bridge cartel by way of Léna C!

Growing up in a family of traditional musicians in her birthplace, Brittany, Léna C. has shaped a DJ career across the Channel in Manchester over the last many years. Léna’s mixes and compositions exude her eclectic influences mixing electronic and traditional sounds from all around the world. She holds a regular show on Melodic Distraction entitled ‘Ecléctico’ and recently accompanied the MD crew to play at their stage for this year’s We Out Here Festival. She also recently provided a live mix for MAJ (My Analogue Journal) channel on YouTube which resulted in her being booked to play for JAzz X in Romania of course, she provides sounds on home turf too with appearances at Band On The Wall, Nelson’s, Gotwood, Green Island & The Talleyrand!

Oh and if that wasn’t impressive enough she also released her debut E.P. ‘Promenade’ on vinyl via our friends at Sprechen!

Follow Léna on Instagram.

Léna C

Any books/publications you have recently read?

Aside from music, I love photography which I have been doing as a hobby for a very long time! So anything that is photo related, whether it be a book, an exhibition, or a documentary, is something that I will definitely try to check out. I recently purchased a beautiful book called ‘L’Opéra du Monde’ (The Opera of the World) by the incredibly talented French photographer Christine Spengler. She primarily worked as a war photographer and has documented all the major conflicts since the 70s. In the first part of the book, one can discover her powerful black-and-white war photographs for which she’s won many prizes.

Christine Spengler – L’Opera Du Monde

But the second half is dedicated to the other side of her work which is her collage pictures where she frames a black and white photo with a mixture of flower petals, jewellery, fabric, seashells, and anything colourful that will contrast with the black and white element. The end result is so unique and beautiful! Christine Spengler is definitely a very inspirational woman for me.

Christine Spengler – ‘L’Opéra du Monde’

Are there any films watched you’d like to share with our audience?

There are so many because I love films! I recently watched an Iranian film called ‘Hit the Road’ released in 2021. It’s one of those films that makes you laugh and cry at the same time. The little boy in the film is so cute and such a good actor! Highly recommend it!

Places to visit/go on walks?

I live in beautiful Yorkshire, God’s Own Country they say! (it is the title of another very good film which I also highly recommend!) So I’m lucky to be surrounded by beautiful nature all year long! I love the Moors for their vast hills renowned for their dramatic scenery. Fog and mist can frequently roll in, creating an atmospheric and mystical ambience. The moorland near Hebden Bridge and Haworth served as the backdrop for Emily Brontë’s novel “Wuthering Heights” which inspired Kate Bush’s 1978 song.

How about places to eat?

I love Nelson’s in Hebden Bridge because not only do they serve divine vegan food but it is also a very good place for a drink especially if you’re into wine. They have DJs playing almost every weekend and I occasionally play there myself! It’s just a great spot in the valley!

Nelsons, No.1 Vegan restaurant and Bar in Hebden Bridge

Ways to spend a Sunday?

Approaching Stoodley Pike from Edge End Moor

Whether I’m recovering from a late Saturday DJ set or not, I always try to do my yoga routine. I started yoga at the beginning of covid and I’ve managed to stick to it since then! Then I usually go out for a walk either at Hardcastle Crags, Widdop Reservoir, Stoodley Pike or by the canal to Todmorden. There are so many lovely walks near where I live, we are spoiled for choice!

Hardcastle Crags

Out The Box: NIIX

For our latest Out The Box feature, we caught up with Manchester-based music artist, DJ and producer NIIX, who was fresh off the back of attending & playing at this years We Out Here Festival (a firm fave of ours here at Paper!). She gave us the lowdown on the things she likes to check out when not working on music, which is tough, seeing as though she is 24/7 involved in DJing, radio hosting, performing & much more!
Inspired by the likes of Shygirl, Arca and Surusinghe, her debut EP ‘I’ has received radio-play on NTS, BBC Introducing and more, as well as making Spotify’s New Music Friday UK editorial playlist. 2021/22 has seen NIIX DJ at Gottwood Festival, Africa Oyé and Audio Farm, alongside live performances and DJ support slots for Leon Vynehall, Max Cooper and Jenny Hval.
As well as monthly residencies on Melodic Distraction, Steam Manchester and Aaja Radio, NIIX is also co-founder of Dubs Club, a North West-based meet-up group for gender minorities to share their electronic music productions.

NIIX – Photo by Danny de la Bastide

Fave place to eat/fave dish
Oooh, this is hard – it really depends on what mood I’m in! If I’m feeling boujee it’s a trip to Sanskruti, an all veggie Indian in Withington – the jackfruit curry slaps every time. Shout out to This n That, a staple of Manchester’s food scene! Also, Waka Waka Noodles in Levenshulme – the mock chicken is just 🤌

Sanksruti, Manchester

Fave place of interest/area to go walking
Delamere Forest in Cheshire is stunning and always a nostalgic visit for me. I grew up nearby and used to do orienteering there with the school as part of P.E lol. Formby Beach is unbeatable; it’s hard to believe you’re in Liverpool when you’re lying on the softest, golden dunes soaking up the sounds of the ocean. I also visited Lumb Falls in Hebden Bridge recently for a spot of wild swimming. I was in awe of its beauty and its a little haven of paradise.

Formby Beach, Merseyside

Fave book or publication you’ve recently read
It’s got to be Junji Ito’s horror manga UZUMAKI. I’m obsessed with anything horror, and this is veeeeery creepy/fucked up. The illustrations, though, as disturbing as some of them are, they’re absolutely beautiful. If you’re looking to get into either manga or horror, I reckon this is a good starting point.

Uzumaki – Spiral into Horror by Junji Ito

TV series, documentary or film you’re liking?
Me and some friends recently watched a film called ‘The Vast of Night’ after some deep scouring of Rotten Tomatoes. It’s a sci-fi thriller set in the 1950s about a radio host who discovers a strange-sounding frequency. I had never heard of it before, so I had low expectations, but it’s honestly BLEW OUR MINDS – we were hooked from start to finish. You follow the characters’ discoveries in real time, so you’re literally on the edge of your seat. An impressive directorial debut from Andrew Patterson, I highly recommend it (especially if you’re a lil space freak and fascinated by the unknown like me).

Vast of Night can be found on Prime

Thanks, NIIX; we think you’re great!

Benny Pitcher talks to us about his new Rebirth EP

Benny Pitcher July 2023

Benny: Good afternoon, and thanks for giving me such a great opportunity to tell Paper, your audience and the readers of Zone Magazine about me as an artist, my work, and the music production processes I employ in the recording studio.

Paper: Hi Benny, many thanks for chatting with us at Paper and dropping such an ace release with your Rebirth release. Lots of energy in both tracks which sound very
familiar in their style yet also really unique. Were there any specific influences you had in mind when making the tracks?

Benny: Yep, with you, I have already released three tracks, “Transatlantic Motion”; inside Wild Army Vol.6 and the EP “Rebirth”, including “Lips Like Roses”; and “So Good”. As you may have noticed, all these musical compositions are filled with soulful sound and vibe with an admixture of electronics. I love combining them together. These tracks were created in the spring, so the expectation of summer was one of the factors.

Paper: Is there a process you have when producing, or does it change from track to track?

Benny: At first, I often start going through jazz seventh chords (due to my musical presentation), which, in my opinion, give an intellectual sound, the general atmosphere of the track. When I cook a musical dish, speaking in the language of cooking, I often start with a chord sequence, going over it on the synthesizer according to the mood. And then I hang bass, drum lines, and additional nuances (trumpet, horn, brass, funk guitar). But there are cases when a vocal sample is taken as a starting point when writing a track. That’s exactly what happened in “Rebirth”.

Paper: Do you follow a specific workflow in the studio, and what is your set-up? Any specific go-to plug-ins or instruments?

Benny: My home studio is located in a country house with a view of the garden, and there, looking out the window, I work with sound images, all processing of which takes place in FL Studio. There are favourite VSTi, including Nexus, Sylenth, Omnisphere, Monopoly, Alchemy and others; VST: Valhalla, Hdelay, OTT, Izotope Ozone, all of Waves and more. And also I often practice playing the piano.

Paper: Away from the hectic world of dance music, what other artists or genres do you like to listen to?

Benny: I grew up listening to music of different genres and absorbed all these trends. Broken rhythms from Chemical Brothers, fabulous atmosphere and journey to another dimension together Underworld, magnificent harmonies and lyrics from George Michael, Jamiroquai and Simply Red, a clear groove from House music, as well as sampling from Daft Punk pioneers, all this allowed me to realize and mix all my feelings and emotions into my eclectic style. There are interesting solutions and techniques in every musical genre. I have quite a large collection of music in various genres, from where I have drawn and am drawing inspiration. I’ve been listening to Darius, Disclosure, Black Coffee, SG Lewis, Lovebirds and many others.

Paper: Lastly, do you have a favourite studio snack you will always tuck into when working on music?

Benny: (Laughs). Of course, milk and oatmeal cookies.

Check out the Rebirth EP by Benny Pitcher out now on Paper: HERE.

Interview by Chris Massey

Out The Box: Elliot Lion

Elliott Lion, musician, producer, DJ and chief electronics whizz for the hugely successful band Editors. His solo venture sees him embracing his love of classic house, techno and spaced-out cosmic disco. He has released on esteemed labels such as Future Boogie, Warm, Cin Cin and Sprechen, where his releases have garnered support from the likes of BBC Radio One, 6 Music, Pete Tong, Nemone, DJ Harvey, Ame, and Haai. He resides in Manchester, where he can be heard regularly playing at one of our fave spots, Ramona, digging in the crates of the city’s record shops. **Our boy Massey can confirm he also has an amazing record collection after being with him on a King Bee visit.

Visit Elliot’s SoundCloud

Elliot’s Instagram

Elliot Lion © 2023

PLACE: Paris
I got to know it properly while making a record with Joakim in 2012, and it never left me. So many nooks and crannies to it. Every time I go, I discover something new; it’s effortlessly cool and timeless. A brilliant city to walk/ride around. Always make a stop at Palais de Tokyo, Bambino for a drink & tunes, Betinos for records, Rex for a dance, Poget & De Witter for oysters, Deyrolle for taxidermy, Horiz in China Town and D Noodle Rebuplique (Best beef noodle soup)

Palais de Tokyo, Paris © Florent Michel

FOOD:

New Wave Ramen – Manchester
Ramen is my go-to comfort food when I’m on the road. Hooked from the first time I tried it in Japan many moons ago! I’ve eaten ramen all over Europe, and the quality has been getting better every year, but personally, I think Phil at NW is slinging out some of the best bowls this side of the globe and putting his own stamp on it too. They’ve also got a very exciting new venture coming soon to the city centre, so keep your eyes peeled.

New Wave Ramen, Manchester

The Rocket Store, Boscastle
I stumbled into this small bolt-hole while visiting the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic; it was the best meal I’ve had in forever. Fresh seasonal produce from the morning catch to the plate right on the sea. If you’re ever in Cornwall, make sure you seek this out! 10/10

The Rocket Store, Bocastle

FILM: The Beatles Get Back
I’ve been watching The Beatles Get Back for the second time. It’s such a brilliant piece of documented time! I find every aspect of the film incredibly fascinating, from the band dynamic, the fashion, the equipment, the language and the amount of toast! The insight into those four personalities that feel so familiar, but you had no idea what they were actually like. If you’ve ever been in a band, it’s almost PTSD-inducing, the mundaneness of it all, the creative push and pull, the ego management and the constant annoyingness of people noodling on instruments doing the same songs again and again.

The Beatles – Get Back

BOOK: Thee Psychick Bible by Genesis Breyer P-Orrige
A really interesting insight into the thought process behind the TOPY, and although scatty in parts and long-winded, there are some really interesting conversations on post-modernism, gender, humanity and helpful application of practices you can apply to your life.

Thee Psychick Bible Genesis Breyer P-Orrige & Jason Louv