Shelley Parker

“I was going for a chill-out, summer vibe. This is what I came up with (!)”

These are the words that accompanied this mix from Shelley Parker. They reveal a lot about the sonic world she inhabits as a DJ and artist as, unless this is some commentary on the British weather, there’s little in these murky bombs and sub-zero beats to conjure images of reclining by the pool. No, these cuts on labels like Entr’acte, Houndstooth and Hessle Audio suggest a different kind of heat.

Parker has been making music and performing for almost two decades – including regular appearances at institutions like The End and Fabric in the 2000s – yet for many Red Cotton, released on Hessle Audio last year, will have been their introduction to Parker’s work. And while composing projects and installations nudged Parker’s DJ career to the back burner, her ear has never strayed far from the cutting edge of club sounds – as this mix attests.

Her Crack Mix wastes little time before diving headfirst into Parker’s preferred modus operandi, where ravey vocal samples mingle with angular beats and an affiliation for darker moods. Expect tracks by Dale Cornish, Yak, Simo Cell and Beneath in a set devoid of throwaway moments. Brilliant, as always.

Tracklist

Dane Law – A Dance for Summer (Fractal Meat Cuts)
Pearson Sound – Earwig (Hessle Audio)
Dale Cornish – Enhex Pattern 1 (Entr’acte)
Dolenz – Jevestator (Exit)
Junior XL – 4core (Unreleased)
Bruce – Meek (Hessle Audio)
Otik – Tuskanary (Dext)
T-Flex – Punga (null + void)
Yak – Wide Eye (R&S)
Controlled Weirdness – Anonymous Browsing (Presence Unknown)
L-R – Dinky’s Tone (Asking for Trouble)
Graham Dunning – Rack Din (LTR Records)
Dale Cornish – Enhex Pattern 4 (Entr’acte)
L-R – Rings (Asking for Trouble)
Beneath – Concrete Jungle (Keysound)
Hooverian Blur – Death by Text (Varvet)
Simo Cell – Ego Death (Lavibe)
Boofy – Insomnia Temple (Unreleased)
Special Request – Vortex 150 (Houndstooth)