Black Bones have spent years making a virtue of the unexpected.
The Belfast duo of Aaron Black and Timmy Stewart first came together through a shared obsession with records, eventually turning that chemistry into a much-loved series of edits, releases for the likes of Optimo, Hoga Nord, Duca Bianco and Emotional Response, and DJ sets that refuse to sit neatly in one box. Their Off The Record mix follows the same instinct, beginning in low-slung, dubby territory before gradually gathering momentum through leftfield electronics, post-punk, acid, disco and darker dancefloor mutations. There’s a sense of two selectors joining the dots rather than forcing them, with The Chromatics, Stereolab, The Velvet Underground, Ministry and a couple of Black Bones cuts all finding their place along the way. As they put it themselves, personality and energy are central to their approach — and this is a mix that lets both come through.
Hey Black Bones, thanks so much for joining us! Can you tell us about your mix and what the idea behind it was?
Aaron: The idea was just to make something that you might play in the shop, that had a bit of a journey and some personality to it. Energy is important to us in the ‘art’ of djing. Being able to move around with sounds and genres in a way that doesn’t feel forced…hopefully. Quite simple really.
Timmy: Thanks for the mission. We both like a lot of different styles, so for us a Black Bones mix is generally about starting out more low slung, then picking up the pace gradually. The mix showcases a range of some of what we are into and yeah personality coming through is important to us in both our djing and productions.
What are your preferred methods for finding new music, do you still enjoy digging around in dusty crates, or do you prefer to buy online?
Aaron: I’ve always preferred going into a physical shop. For me you don’t know what you might find and there is more chance of coming out with something surprising. It’s also just one of the best ways of spending time and I still get excited walking into a shop and working out where to start the process. There is a joy of leaving with a bag of vinyl and getting home to spend time with what you have found. Buying records is something I used to do weekly online, but the cost of postage has killed that tbh. With digital..it’s hard to love an mp3 but its still useful and something I have done more of over the years as often I’m after just one track of an artist for djing.
Timmy: Both for me. Even in the digital age, I struggle to walk past any record store for fear of what is inside. I do enjoy going down wormholes on Bandcamp and the practical nature of digital music, with how much more selection I can bring to a gig but as Aaron said it’s hard to cherish an mp3. I’ll never stop collecting & loving records both old and new.
What are five records you couldn’t live without?
Aaron Black’s 5
All classics… for a reason. Not just amazing production but tell a story and have their own world.
BOC – Music Has the Right to Children
DJ Shadow – Endtroducing
Cannibal Ox – The Cold Vein
Broadcast – The Noise Made by People
The Knife – Silent Shout
Timothy Bone’s 5
Here are five I always return to and let play from start to finish…
Kenny Larkin – Metaphor
Olav Brekke Mathisen & Sideshow Jøgge – N.A.O.M.B
LCD Soundsystem – 45:33
Ai Messiah – Sentience & Sapience
Major Force – The Original Artform
What do you have up your sleeve for 2026?
Both: We have a split EP just about to come out on Crying Outcast with Miles J Paralysis called The Black Cross EP. Accidentally we’ve somehow ended up with two record labels, one for originals and one for edits, so we are prepping the next release across each of those atm.
Nice one Aaron & Timmy!
Tracklist:
