Inside Out
About
Inside Out is a brand new series that invites DJs and producers to blur the boundaries between traditional artist albums and mix compilations. Coming from Aus Music label head and DJ-Kicks curator Will Saul, the concept encourages artists to showcase their own music and or the music of those in their own individual circles. The mix will be release digitally and on CD, while a selection of the tracks will also be available on double gatefold vinyl.
Each instalment will feature 100% new and unreleased music. It is a chance for artists to take sole creative charge, A&R as they see fit and then commission brand new music specifically for the cause. Depending on who is at the helm, Inside Out will take different forms: producers may wish to represent their own sound with only music they have made themselves or with close collaborators, while DJs and label heads may wish to reflect the sounds and scenes that surround them. The results will be a window into an artist’s world that works as a coherent mix, but also as a treasure trove of fresh new music that steps outside the usual lines of a dance album.
The idea stems from Will Saul’s own approach in the club, which often finds him seeking out brand new and unheard music to play for the first time. That feeling of taking people into the unknown is one that reminds him of the energy and excitement of his early days as a dancer.
"I wanted to try and recreate the feeling I used to get in the 90's when you went clubbing and heard your favourite DJ play but had never heard the vast majority of the tracks he/she was playing,” explains Will. “Your mind would be constantly blown by hearing totally new music for the first time. We've pretty much lost this with the proliferation of online mixes, Shazam, early EP premieres and free streams.”
For Will’s mix he enlists an array of artists who he’s worked with over the years, many of whom have released on one of his labels in that time. These include the likes of Lone, Pearson Sound, Move D, Gerd, Youandewan, Martyn, Falty DL, Dauwd, Appleblim and Marquis Hawkes.
Will’s mix shows off the many facets of his own DJ sets, productions and labels over the last 15 years. It includes a Floorplan remix of tracks he’s made as Primitive Trust, and a collaboration with Komon on ‘Positive’, a perfect sci-fi house track that surges through the night on a wave of serene synth smears and cosmic melodies. The mix overall exudes a woozy warmth, and ranges from hazy late night house to absorbing passages of sparse dub via rubbery techno rollers and slippery electro. A lot is packed into the trip, making it perfectly fluid and forever on the move.
At a time when music is more accessible and available than ever, a strong curatorial ear and expert insight into specific sound worlds has never been more valuable to guide us through the noise. Inside Out is exactly the companion you need.