Nosedrip

Nosedrip – real name Ziggy Devriendt – is a truly singular figure in the Belgian underground.

A native of coastal town Ostend, he’s an active member of the scene orbiting Ghent’s Music Mania store and the driving force behind STROOM, a label that came about as a natural consequence of frequent and fervent track-hunting for his shows on NTS and Red Light Radio.

Dealing almost exclusively in long-overlooked curios, STROOM is – to use a horrible cliché – a DJ’s delight. From 90s Icelandic techno gems to Latvian synthwave, each successive release is a blast from the vaults, accompanied by carefully-crafted artwork and most importantly ‘the-fuck-is-that?’ sonics.

Nosedrip eschews the label of digger – preferring to call himself a “gatekeeper to the gatekeepers” with a penchant for “ugly music.” Meta, yes, modest, maybe, but it’s also a refreshing take from a deeply involved collector who prefers to bin off unnecessary pretence and let the tunes talk.

Describing his selections as “a mix of current favourites played out in front of people going out in their free time, mostly weekends,” Nosedrip’s Crack Mix is by turns restrained and wavy, keeping it mostly downtempo with moody, chugging drums and whispery atmospherics but with a couple of curveballs for good measure and not a club banger in sight. Heady stuff.

Nosedrip plays Dekmantel Selectors, 22- 26 August