Having worked and lived in the UK, US and Colombia throughout his
20-plus-year career, Quantic is an artist whose reputation has long been
forged by his unique engagement and vibrant musical exchange with local
scenes and cultures from across the world. His discography of
electronic releases is vast, spanning two decades and ranging from solo
productions and intimate collaborations to expansive ensemble projects.
Under aliases such as Quantic, the Quantic Soul Orchestra, the Limp
Twins, Flowering Inferno, Ondatrópica and many more, the
multi-instrumentalist, DJ, composer and producer Will Holland has
released over twenty studio albums as well as countless EPs and singles.
Now, Quantic pulls from his unparalleled, wide-ranging pool of musical
companions for his DJ-Kicks compilation, which fittingly radiates
friends and family energy. The mix bursts with unreleased exclusives and
places the art of curation at its core, giving the listeners space to
go and dig more of the songs and sonics which resonate the most. Will
Holland includes a breadth of new material, including new music from
Quantic alongside another of his other aliases Sobredosis.
Having made records together as Transgressors, he hails JJ from The Poets of Rhythm. Similarly, the drummer of London
band The Heliocentrics, Malcolm Catto, played in the Quantic Soul
Orchestra in the early 2000s, and the band’s fuzzy track features early
on in the mix. The ties don’t stop there though. Having mixed his album
‘Bring Backs’, Holland welcomes Mist’s jazz instrumentalism onto his
Kicks, followed by a whistling dance contribution from JKriv – ft.
Gabriel Oliveira – with whom he spent his early days as bassist for New
York live house ensemble Tortured Soul. Quantic also brings to the mix
his Colombian contemporary Frente Cumbiero, with whom he formed tropical
supergroup Ondatrópica.
As a selector often booked to play at sunset, Quantic channeled this
energy into the mix’s pacing too. “I love when people suddenly realise
they are engulfed in the night… and this mix does put you out into some
pretty high tempos of bass music, dub and Cumbia.” Beyond raising
profiles, the mix encapsulates Quantic’s tempo-changing DJing style
which, over the past decade, has built him a strong community of fans.
In regard to the compilation’s sonic journey, which likens the voyage to
boarding a boat, he says “you’re going down a river and get off in a
different place… it’s also a cool way to encapsulate, stylistically,
what I’ve been up to as a DJ over the last few decades, while shining a
light on people I admire”.
This DJ-Kicks is the latest instalment in Quantic’s ever-evolving
artistic trajectory, an accompaniment to those moments when the gloaming
disappears into darkness. An homage to an unparalleled artistic path
within the dance music cosmos. Will Holland’s longstanding dedication to
a full range of melodic and percussive expression alongside continued
musical collaboration is what makes his edition of DJ-Kicks such a rare
beauty.
CD1:
1. JJ Whitefield feat. bonnie behave - The Mind Is A Palace (Mixed)
2. The Heliocentrics - Minimal Engagement (Mixed)
3. Quantic - Dialect (Mixed)
4. Alfa Mist - In My Defence (Mixed)
5. JKriv feat. Gabriel Oliveira - Pifeiro Malandro (Mixed)
6. Quantic & Sly5thAve - Twang (Mixed)
7. Frente Cumbiero - Michilero (Mixed)
8. Quantic - Theme From Selva (Remix) (Mixed)
9. Quantic - Eko Eko (DJ-Kicks) (Mixed)
10. Quantic - Motivic Retrograde (Live Version) (Mixed)
11. Eblis Alvarez & Meridian Brothers - Un Grande Nubarrón Se Alza En El Cielo (Mixed)
12. The Maghreban - Covent Garden (Mixed)
13. Anna Morgan - Throw Dat Azz (Mixed)
14. Ehua - Scintille (Mixed)
15. Turbo Sonidero - Kumbia ESSJ (Mixed)
16. Sobredosis & Quantic - No Llores Por Mí (Mixed)
CD2:
1. JJ Whitefield feat. bonnie behave - The Mind Is A Palace
2. The Heliocentrics - Minimal Engagement
3. Quantic - Dialect
4. Alfa Mist - In My Defence
5. JKriv feat. Gabriel Oliveira - Pifeiro Malandro
6. Quantic & Sly5thAve - Twang
7. Frente Cumbiero - Michilero
8. Quantic - Theme From Selva (Remix)
9. Quantic - Eko Eko (DJ-Kicks)
10. Quantic - Motivic Retrograde (Live Version)
11. Eblis Alvarez & Meridian Brothers - Un Grande Nubarrón Se Alza En El Cielo
12. The Maghreban - Covent Garden
13. Anna Morgan - Throw Dat Azz
14. Ehua - Scintille
15. Turbo Sonidero - Kumbia ESSJ
16. Sobredosis & Quantic - No Llores Por Mí