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L.I.E.S.

At the beginning of this calendar year, a lot of buzz was generated for Ron Morelli’s Long Island Electrical Systems label (L.I.E.S.) through its contributions to what has become known as “left-field house”. And it’s true, L.I.E.S. does churn out very weird and experimental house music, but it’s so much more than that. Operating through a preferred medium of low run white label releases, the label has re instituted a sense of rarity, both through its production methods and its general sound, that has been lacking in the electronic music-sphere. Choice releases from Legowelt, Delroy Edwards and Bookworms have defined the label to this point, but no two L.I.E.S. releases sound the same beyond a general adherence to the lo-fi. Recently, Morelli dropped by Ben UFO’s Hessle Audio slot on Rinse.FM (which should be a staple on your weekly to do list) and laid down an hour of virtually unknown L.I.E.S. tracks. I can’t say I’m familiar with more than one or two of these joints (which happens often during Ben’s slot), but the mix is incredibly engaging regardless, which is easier said than done. The general mood of Morelli’s hour is upbeat, but he doesn’t stick with one sound long enough to really apply any more audial signifiers. Oh and Ben’s first hour isn’t half bad either. We’re blessed to have shows like this pop up on a weekly basis.

ben ufo

Ben UFO, Jackmaster and Oneman have always been linked together, for the most part because they represent an outdated model: the DJ’s DJ. Rarely producing their own music, the trio have garnered respect from across the electronic spectrum via their magnificent deck skills and their ability to turn in variegated sets night after night after night. The three Brits have essentially established themselves as the premier tastemakers in all of the land so when we receive mixes from 2/3 of the crew in the span of two days, it’s reason to get excited. Yesterday, we received Numbers kingpin Jackmaster’s marathon Mastermix 2012 and today we’re lucky enough to bring you Hessle Audio boss Ben UFO’s 45 minute set from a recent Red Bull Music Academy/Warehouse Project/Boiler Room event. As is expected, Ben threw in plenty of exclusives including unreleased Bok Bok and Joy Orbison. The fine folks at Boiler Room haven’t posted the mix to their Soundcloud just yet so you’ll have to settle for the video.