Next up on Recent Finds, Glaswegian selector Fergus Clark shares some of his latest discoveries.
Fergus is a founding member of Glaswegian record label and DJ collective 12th Isle. His background is in radio production and club DJing but his work also encompasses curatorial projects and music writing. Most recently, he compiled the amazing Miracle Steps double LP with Optimo’s JD Twitch, an exploration into the various strains of fourth world and avant-garde fusion music.
Despite being just 22, Fergus has cultivated a thoroughly in-depth musical knowledge which spans decades, genres and scenes yet at the same time manages to convey a refined sense of personal taste. With his compilation being on repeat here at HQ, we wanted to find out what Mr Clark has been diggin’ lately.
S A D – Osu A Meresu
This is the last new release that I bought and it’s been getting a lot of play. Fantastic weirdo electronics from Russia on the Udacha label, shown to me by my friend Tim. Every track is intriguing and it’s an LP you can really zone out to and appreciate as whole rather than picking or choosing particular tracks. In saying that, I’ve gone with the A2 for this feature as it’s incredibly versatile and can fit in around loads of different kinds of records in a DJ context. I’ve been playing it out of Suns of Arqa’s ‘Ananta Snake Dance’ (pitched way way down) to quite nice effect. There is so much good music being made in Russia by the moment.
Weapon Of Peace – Misty Rhodes
Big feel good reggae jam here that will always make me think of home. I’ve been on the lookout for one of these for a few years now after hearing Charlie play it a few times at our Loosen Up parties, but despite being cheap and on a major label it isn’t the easiest thing to find. Produced by the legendary Dennis Bovell, it feels like it could dip into being way too cheesy at any minute but I like to think it has just the right amount of reservation. Finally stumbled upon a clean copy at the last record fair I went to and grabbed it straight away.
The Lollipops – Naked When You Come
Prime eerie psych rock from the Swedish boy band Lollipops, released back in 1966. This 45 was a little expensive and I’m not a massive collector of stuff from this era but something about this track just got to me the first time I heard it and I kept coming back to it every now and then. It’s haunting and awkward and sounds brilliant played right after ‘Often I Wonder’ by The Spike Drivers.
David Simon – Transistor (Instrumental)
Great song here that my friend Zaltan showed me back in 2013 or 2014. I forgot about it for a while but I’ve been packing it again recently. It’s a big French boogie jam with irresistible synths, a tough drum machine beat and kind of hilarious vocals. Too much for me to play with a straight face so I go for the instrumental side, but when it hits the chorus it’s hard not to break into a smile. Maybe not to everyone’s taste but I know quite a few other people that love this one too (shout out to Kenny and DJ Vegetable!). The crazy strings and extended breakdown make it a really effective one for the dancefloor too.
This Heat – Paper Hats
I love this band. After discovering This Heat and Camberwell Now since hearing the amazing Lifetones album years ago I go through phases of listening to their records over and over, forgetting about them for a couple of months and then going right back to playing them on repeat. They can actually remind me of music I really don’t like at points but something about their approach makes them infinitely more exciting than so many derivative rock bands (to use a blanket term). We’re selling quite a big collection at the shop I work at right now and a pretty much unplayed original of ‘Deceit’ was in the pile I was pricing last week. I’ve not heard anything by these guys that I’ve not liked straight away.
