As you’d expect, we’re rather excited by the prospect of Auntie Flo – AKA Glaswegian DJ/producer/walking font of musical knowledge Brian D’Souza – swinging by Big Chill Bristol for Bedmo Disco Presents 008 this Friday (28th November).
Production-wise, Brian has been on fire for a few years now – ever since the 2011 release of his debut EP Goan Highlife on Huntleys & Palmers. He has some terrific music in the pipeline (some of which he’s promised to drop on Friday night), but in the meantime we thought it would be good to take a quick spin through some of the highlights of his career to date, with the assistance of some handy YouTube links.
AUNTIE FLO – HIGHLIFE
Where it all began. A modern day afro-futurist masterpiece originally created to be played as the final tune at Highlife parties in Glasgow. Still sounds fresh, three years after its’ release.
AUNTIE FLO – LA SAMARITA FEAT. MAMACITA
Taken from 2012’s Future Rhythm Machine, the Auntie Flo debut album (a follow-up is currently in the works). If you’ve not checked that album, you should. This track, featuring vocalists Mamacita, is a dose of percussive South American sunshine.
AUNTIE FLO – KISUMU
Back in 2012 Brian dropped an excellent 12” of globally inspired house and techno tracks on Japan’s Mule Musiq label. Titled “Sun Rituals”, it was designed as a tribute that great big fiery thing in the sky we see all to infrequently in the UK. “Kisumu”, a chunk of rolling, melodious deep house, was arguably the EP’s highlight.
AUNTIE FLO – LUMBALU
We can’t praise the Highlife Edits series highly enough. This densely percussive number – all cowbells, timbale and thunderous kicks, plus looped vocals – helped launch it with a bang back in September 2013.
AUNTIE FLO – SUN RITUAL II
Taken from the second Highlife Edits 12”, Sun Ritual II sounds like the perfect end-of-night darkroom record – a 12-minute opus that begins as a dense, bass-heavy, Afro-techno jam before flowering into a wide-eyed chunk of synth-laden euphoria. If he drops this on Friday night, there’ll be a few people on the dancefloor having a “moment”.
AUNTIE FLO – HEY DON’T MAKE TROUBLE (VIDEO EDIT)
Killer afro-futurism that’s been a staple of Bedmo Disco radio shows and DJ sets all year. Brian’s first outing on Munich’s Permanent Vacation label. It still detonates the dance if dropped at the right time.
AUNTIE FLO – JAS
Brian has previously talked about the influence the early releases from Mathias Aguayo and company’s Comeme label had on the foundation of the Highlife night, and his distinctive global futurist style. “Jas” is taken from Comeme’s Gasoline compilation, and sounds like a pitched-down South American rave record. Late night sleaze par excellence.
DUOLOGUE – PUSH IT (AUNTIE FLO’S REMIX)
A rare remix outing, which originally featured on Innervisions’ offshoot Philomena. An inspired chunk of string-laden, bass-driven deep house peppered with moments of pure Balearic bliss.
AUNTIE FLO – DAABI
JD Twitch’s Autonomous Africa series raises funds for projects in Africa, the idea given being to give Africans a chance to control their own destiny. Brian has contributed to a couple of the EPs, with this killer cut from the third installment in the series being our favourite.
Auntie Flo headlines Bedmo Disco Presents 008 at Big Chill Bristol on Friday November 28th. For more details click on the links below.
BEDMO DISCO 