Skinned #8: Luv*Jam
In the latest of our Skinned DJ mixes, purveyor of British folklore Luv*Jam sculls through the tropics into more scintillating fare over the course of two splendid hours
Andrew Cole is one of the most dauntless curators going. Following on from his work with Crow Castle Cuts and Blind Jacks Journey, his new stable draws inspiration from another fabled narrative – The Legend of Gelert.
It's an intriguing slice of Welsh mythology: the Gelert in question is a legendary dog, canine companion of Prince Llywelyn the Great. The story goes that the prince returned from hunting one day to find his newborn child missing, his cradle overturned and Gelert with a blood-smeared mouth. Believing that the child has been savaged, Llywelyn draws a whack-off sword and slays the pooch without a second thought. Upon hearing Gelert's dying yelp, the prince also hears the baby crying and finds him unharmed, underneath the cradle along with the carcass of a dead wolf that had attacked the child and had been killed by Gelert. Feeling like a turd after his mistake, Llewelyn vows never to smile again.
Back to the present, Cole has been gracious enough to put together the eighth instalment of our Skinned series... and it's an absolute doozy. Fans of Ali Renault, Roman Flugel and Deep88 – probably the ghost of Llywelyn, too – will be hard-pressed not to show a tooth or two.
The Skinny: What can you tell us about your Legend of Gelert project and its origins?
Andrew Cole: I am just fascinated by historical folklore, ancient myths and factual history too, hence Crow Castle Cuts, which then stemmed onto Blind Jacks Journey and now The Legend of Gelert. It's weird as I was awful at history in school, but I do love a look into the archives now. I don't have a track on the first record, but Fredick Carlsson, Johan Hansson and somebody named BOB do!
Have you got anything in the pipeline for 2015 for your own productions?
We are working on a remix for Acasual for a Blind Jacks special 10" and another remix for Causa on Tusk Gold. At the moment, there's a We Play House EP, Freerange 200 EP and a feature on Cocktail D'amore's fifth anniversary album. Coming up there's some unique production work on the LOG project, a Gottwax RSD EP and a few other bits under way.
Does this spell a hiatus for Blind Jacks Journey?
Apart from the cheeky 10" above, yes, possibly! There's no rules, but originally it was a follow-on from Crow Castle Cuts. Blind Jacks was only ever meant to be four releases to mark the poignant marks in John Metcalf's life (Blind Jack). But it was just too good to end, hence [12" compilation series] The Return Tripp! It may reappear in the future, who knows, but for now, it's on to the next compelling series. I'm working on 3000.2 today as it goes! Some great new artists to reveal soon.
A man who declares a composition of 58% rabbit, 16.1% hedgehog, 4% squirrel, 3.7% fox, 3.4% badger, 1.6% rat, 1% deer, 1% stoat, weasel, polecat and mink leaves 11.2% unaccounted for. Are we safe to assume the rest is human?
Haha, I'm basically obsessed with percentages; I'm no mathematician, but I do love a decimal point! 11.2 is a possible name for a future track!
Tell us a bit about the mix.
I just gathered a load of my favourite vinyls and figured how to gel them together... I wanted the mix to be a journey from the slow tropical numbers to full on party beasts! As you know i do love my four hour mixes, so it was a challenge to squeeze it down to two, but fun - enjoy!