Skiddle Mix 021: Breadman (Beats of Rage)

We’ve got a bit of a soft spot for Preston party Beats of Rage here at Skiddle. Although that’s partially down to the fact it’s an event ran by a couple of staff members, and that it takes place just down the road from our Office, we’ve always of the thought that dance music’s underdog is usually where the real fun is at.

Away from the cut and thrust of the big city electronic music tends to take on an extra dimension of charm, and bringing the scene to the provincial regions is a task not to be sniffed at.

You only have to look at some of the bigger names in the business who were undimmed by geography, Nic Fancuilli with Club Class in Maidstone and Jaymo & Andy George bringing the ruckus to Lincoln with Moda, to realise it’s not always about the more obvious parties. And Beats of Rage pushes all our buttons on that count, with them set to celebrate six years in the game with Justin Robertson next month.

Alongside Justin will be NoFuture, The Filth Wizard and Breadman, the latter of whom steps up to the Skiddle decks. By day he’s one of our copywriters, but his alter ego allows him to delve into his darker musical tastes, with this mix reflecting the nascent electronica and blistering sonics he represents for Beats of Rage on the regular. But enough of us, we’ll let the man himself explain what it’s all about.

So you’ve done a mix for us Mike; thanks! Tell us about the thinking behind it. 

You’re welcome! I’ve been listening to a lot of dubby techno and abstract house recently from the likes of Joey Anderson, Shackleton, Levon Vincent and Silent Servant, but I got the urge to put a mix together that was completely different to that! Something a bit more lively and energetic. It was also a case of dusting off some of my favourite tracks for the upcoming Beats of Rage which I enjoyed doing immensely.  

The mix itself is all done in one take using just vinyl and recorded onto a C90 tape so it has that rough around the edges feel. I love that lo fi, analogue sound and I think it brings a certain atmosphere to the mix. Then again, I might be wrong! 

Is this reflective of your style as a DJ on the whole? 

Yeah I’d say so. It’s maybe a bit more upbeat and immediate than normal. I do like to change drum patterns around quite a lot in my sets, so I think this mix reflects that. It’s the kind of set I play nearer the end of a Beats of Rage night to really get people going.

The last track isn’t something I’d normally play out though! I just happened to rediscover Milanese’s 1up album whilst sifting through my records and remembered how much I loved it when it came out. I thought I’d throw it into the mix to wrong-foot people at the end.  

Your event Beats of Rage is coming up, can you tell us a bit more about that? 

Beats of rage is turning six on the 11th October. We’ve been running the night with local DJs and some of our friends for the past year or so, but we thought we’d hook in one of our favourite artists to make the birthday party as special is it can be.

Justin Robertson is someone we’ve all enjoyed. We caught him at Wickerman Festival and knew then that we had to get him to Preston! His sets are amazing. 

Where else have you managed to play recently? 

We (myself, NoFuture and The Filth Wizard) have had a really busy summer actually which has been great. We had a fantastic six hour set at Wickerman which was a definite highlight. We got to play so many different styles and the Scottish crowd loved it.

We’ve played 2022nq recently too which was great fun. We’ve just been sticking to doing our own thing and it’s been great to see people responding to it. 

And finally, using your inside nous working here at the good ship Skiddle, what three gigs are you looking forward to the most now the Sunshine has done one?  

Loefah at 2022nq on Friday 27th September is an essential. I’m a huge fan of his labels, and even his older productions for DMZ which were really stripped back but powerful affairs. He’s been responsible for putting out some absolute game changers on Swamp so I can’t wait for his set.

I’ve got a massive soft spot for John Digweed too, so the Bedrock birthday at Fire (Sat 5th October) looks awesome. It’s not so much what I listen to anymore but he’s such an iconic DJ, and a vital part of me getting into underground dance music when I was growing up that he remains a hero.

Selective Hearing & Abstract are putting on a great night at Leeds Warehouse too. DJ EZ, Mickey Pearce and New York Transit Authority are just three reasons why that is looking particularly tasty on Saturday 27th October. I just hope I can make all three! 

Read more about the Beats of Rage Sixth Birthday here.

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