RA.795 Moopie

  • Published
    Aug 29, 2021
  • Filesize
    187 MB
  • Length
    01:21:21
  • A moody dance floor mix from the A Colourful Storm founder.
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  • Melbourne's A Colourful Storm, run by Moopie, is one of those labels where everything seems magically curated and perfectly just-so. The label's wide remit includes indie rock, lo-fi synth pop, downcast IDM, brooding electro and drum & bass. Some of the label's most memorable releases dig up extremely obscure music from the '80s and '90s, only to be followed by a release from a cutting-edge artist making some of the most bananas club music you've heard in a while. The releases couldn't be more different than each other, but there's a feeling—in fact, it's more like a wrenching emotion—that connects all of them. Moopie once described the label's purpose as "simply explore the feelings which appeal to us most—desire, urgency, desperation." One of the best releases on A Colourful Storm is Still In My Arms, a collection of stunningly beautiful '00s IDM. It's a good introduction to the label's stately style, though we'd also recommend recent records from Nerve, Kallista Kult and the incredible indie of Maxine Funke. Those who have been following the label and Moopie for a long time will also know that the label built a good part of its name through its legendary online mix series, now sadly removed from SoundCloud. Moopie's RA Podcast offers a glimmer of what that series was like, and underlines how he's as much of a DJ, a selector even, as he is a label curator. This is a dance floor-leaning mix in Moopie terms, but it's still weighted with emotion, a typical combination of new and old cuts from artists like Balil, Slam, Pure Science, Etienne and more. The rhythms are clever, dextrous and funky, but as Moopie says, "it's probably moody enough for introspective listening." Turn the lights off, light a candle and sink in to the world of A Colourful Storm. What have you been up to recently? Honestly, not so much as lockdowns and restrictions have become a regular occurrence here. I was fortunate to play some club shows a few months ago, though, and keep busy with reading, listening and label work. How and where was the mix recorded? The mix was recorded at home and at my friend Josh's studio. I compiled the tracks and sequenced them steadily over the past few weeks, which isn't an approach I usually take but felt natural and suited the current pace of things. Can you tell us about the idea behind the mix? I want to showcase a different range of music with each mix and this one includes recent discoveries (and rediscoveries) that I haven't had the chance to play out. I had the dance floor in mind though it's probably moody enough for introspective listening, which is something I'm drawn to and runs through the music released on A Colourful Storm. It's worth mentioning that hearing Klon Dump's track was a big inspiration for starting the mix—it's part of an impressive batch of demos that should be out soon.  A Colourful Storm is known for releasing a lot of music that can feel out-of-time, out-of-place or simply just obscure. How do you go about finding that older music to reissue? Compilations and reissues occur throughout the label and are representative of my listening habits at the time, guided by recommendations from friends, strangers, record stores and peer-to-peer networks, to name a few. The interesting part is presenting them in a way that contextualises and potentially changes how you perceive the label's other releases. It feels like a lot of your mixes are very special, intentional, or just broadly seem to be designed to be the kind of things you play over and over and get to know. What is the appeal of the online mix format for you and how does it differ to, say, DJing out?? Recording mixes is a great chance to focus on music I might not be able to otherwise but it often also leads to overthinking! I prefer the immediacy and spontaneity of playing out so it's a big compliment to hear that about my mixes. I appreciate music that you can return to and reveals itself over time. What are you up to next? Hoping to play some music to a dancefloor again soon. Missing friends and family. Working on forthcoming releases, including new music by D'arcangelo and Elodie and a soundtrack project with one of my favourite composers, which I'm extremely excited about.
  • Tracklist
      We are now including Bandcamp links in mix tracklists where applicable. Sebastian S. – Conventional Pure Science – Acid Kut Etienne – Mphasis Silverlining – Where The Ancestors Hunted 246 – Squeeze Up Julian Anthony – Raspberry Flurry Kepler – Contact Megalon – Symbols Dark Comedy – Without A Sound (Left Brain Mix) Secret Combination – I Wanna Be Loved Klon Dump – It's Only My Body (Forthcoming) Matthias – Euphoria Musicology – Bubbles Balil – Flux Synectics – Zycoon Slam – Life Between Life
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