a kaleidoscopic session from one of the uk’s best gems, wordcolour. an artist who excels in storytelling through their productions, this approach to his craft is translated in podcast 215 as the mix gently starts with stunning ambient moments before building into a masterclass of drum programming. pacing through halftime, techno and IDM, it’s an unpredictable 72 minutes with wordcolour showing us his cards — a hand dealt with authenticity as a marker of where he’s at right now as a dj and producer.
wordcolour made his production debut on lapsus records in 2020 before heading over to fabric’s esteemed imprint houndstooth where he released ‘juno way’ – a breakthrough record as such for wordcolour. this was the beginning of a long-standing relationship with houndstooth where he also went on to release ‘bluster’ ep featuring remixes from djrum, dj python and the soft pink truth, his debut album ‘the trees were buzzing, and the grass.’ and the ratios series. on all of these records, wordcolour’s ability to create detailed, immersive soundscapes which emotionally resonated with both home listening and dancefloor moments, has shined through. continuing on this path of world building, earlier this month wordcolour released the first ep on his new label, TiHKAL, from london-based artist st. amp. a label dedicated to exploring psychedelic soundscapes which is a direction that wordcolour has been producing in recently as well as ties in with the parties he now likes to attend, TiHKAL will be a new home for tracks that land within the 150-200 / 75-100 bpm zone.
to celebrate the release, wordcolour has pulled together a mix that delves into the influences behind this new direction and we chat more about the concept of TiHKAL, approach to curation, early influences and more.
Hey Nick! How are you doing? What have you been up to lately?
Hey! I’m good thanks, I’ve had a fairly wholesome start to the year. Been hanging out, making sounds. I quit drinking in January too which feels like a positive shift in terms of social habits.
Let’s start from the very beginning, what was your first introduction to music in general and then more specifically electronic music?
When I was growing up we had a piano in the house and apparently as a toddler I couldn’t leave it alone, so I started playing music when I was very young. Music has always been my main focus and passion in life. I guess I got into more electronic music when I was a teenager through stuff like Kid A and Bjork and then later on Aphex Twin etc. There’s some Bjork in this mix actually!
Who was the first artist or band that you were a fan of?
This is going to sound so implausible but the first two cds I bought for myself were Kind of Blue and Headhunters by Herbie Hancock. Which is nuts-good-taste for a 12 year old but it was just because I was playing keys in the local youth jazz band and our teacher recommended those two albums to me. I think the next CD I bought after that was Toploader so it wasn’t always plane sailing…
But yeah, both albums had and continue to have a huge impact on me. I still think that Headhunters is one of the grooviest records ever made, and that Harvey Mason’s drumming is some of the best ever committed to tape.
Was there a formative moment growing up, whether that’s seeing your favourite band live or an incredible DJ set, that led you to this path?
I’m gonna choose something more recent actually, which is Yousuke Yukimatsu’s DJ set at Atonal 2019. I’d never come across him before, but he played this really experimental set which weaved together ambient cuts, mad bits of avant garde contemporary classical, gabber, noise… but he just did it with total conviction and in a way that told such a compelling story.
Right towards the end of the set he mixed in Thom Yorke’s ‘Dawn Chorus’, a track which I never would have imagined going down at all well at Atonal, but I remember looking around and the crowd was just rapt, dead silent. After that he finished with a Bach etude blended with some bird song, it was magical.
In the course of that one set I feel like I learned so much about context and flow and story-telling and confidence in DJing, and how it can be an artform aimed at the heart and head as much as the feet. It was honestly such a transcendent moment for me and one that I keep coming back to.
Where do you look for sources of inspiration outside of music?
Drugs lol. Can I say that?? I’d say the psychedelic experience is something that looms large in my imagination at the moment. It’s a big touchstone in terms of the way I want my music to feel – something to do with immersion, adventure and the unknown. The wormhole.
I also love film, and great cinematography in particular. I’ve been doing a big David Lynch deep dive ever since he died, including rewatching The Return (which I am obsessed with). I’ve been thinking a lot about this filmic language which is to do with a kind of structuring of pure feeling, where the tone is more important than any literal meaning. To me that has something deeply in common with music.
What has been your most recent musical discovery that you’re obsessed with?
This is more as a creator than as a listener, but I’d have to say microtonal music, and in particular Just Intonation tuning. When I started making music using these alternate tuning systems it really felt like I’d unlocked some magical secret world. It’s gone from a passing curiosity to a total obsession and is now a feature of pretty much all the music I make.
You’ve just launched your own label TiHKAL, congrats! Could you tell us more about the motivation behind launching your own imprint and what the concept/ethos is behind it?
Thank you! I think I’ve realised over the last year or so that the music I’ve really been enjoying in clubs has shifted slightly. Increasingly I’m into deep, loopy, hypnotic sounds and sets which are really narrative and immersive. Psychedelic music that you can really get lost in.
As my own music has started to move more in this direction I got interested in the idea of curating a home for this kind of vibe. I feel like it can often be found at a few London parties I really like (Free Movements, Kinetic, Terra Obscura), and I was curious to see if I could present my own take on it. Then George (St Amp) sent me some of his tracks which fit this headspace perfectly and the idea for the label kind of crystallised. I also felt there weren’t loads of labels already doing this kind of thing in the UK. There’s a fair amount of trippy techno, but I’m probably mostly interested in the 150-200 / 75-100 bpm zone.
Now you’re curating your own label and eventually parties too, what draws you to this artistic practice? What does curation allow you to do that you haven’t otherwise been able to explore yet?
I think for me it’s about digging really deep into a particular aesthetic, and trying to tell a story. Like, I think world-building is a huge part of the appeal. By releasing music on a label you are kind of saying “I think all this music is great, and I also think it’s connected”. That’s the challenge anyway.
Also I was starting to find the experience of being a music producer a bit isolating. I think particularly in the digital era, releasing music can feel quite abstract and disconnected from other human beings. Starting a label or throwing parties seems like a way to collaborate and connect with other artists and feel like I’m more actively contributing to and shaping the scene.
You’ve also contributed a mix for the 909 series, what’s the concept behind this one?
I haven’t recorded a mix in absolutely ages, so I’ve really tried to use this opportunity to set out not only the aesthetic world of TiHKAL, but also where I’m at as a DJ.
I listen to a lot of experimental and ambient music so partly I wanted to see if I could make something that highlights the connections between that and the more club oriented sounds I’ve been enjoying lately. But I’ve also tried to channel the kind of story-telling spirit of the kind of sets I really love with lots of slow blends and a focus on flow.
How does your approach to DJ sets differ from studio mixes and radio shows? Is there a narrative in mind that you’re always trying to tell through your sets?
Well I have a lot more fun when I’m DJing live haha. I guess with studio mixes I tend to really plan them out, taking a while to settle on a tracklist, and then doing a few takes etc. Whereas playing live there is always this dialogue with the dancers that I really enjoy. With playing out, I always feel like you prep the set so you can abandon the prep.
I think in my favourite sets that I’ve played there is this tension between giving the crowd exactly what they want and trying to go in some weird ambitious conceptual direction that might or might not work. I feel like when those two forces are keeping each other in check that’s when everything really comes together.
When was the last time you were on the dance floor?
Last Saturday for Upsammy at Ormside Projects! The Kinetic parties are always great and Ormside is definitely one of my very favourite London spots.
What are you most excited about right now?
Honestly I think it’s TiHKAL. I’m so proud of our first release and really excited to see where the label goes next. Also there’s a few Wordcolour releases scheduled for this year that I’m excited for people to hear!
What’s on your vision board at the moment?
Dreams! Visions! Ghostly Premonitions! Portentous Omens! I’m manifesting.
TiHKAL 001 by St. Amp is out now via TiHKAL – buy here.
tracklist:
Ben Vida – Reducing The Tempo To Zero (Part 2)
Senyawa & Stephen O’Malley – Dewi Hera, Part I
Dominic Murcott & Arx Duo – The Harmonic Canon, Part II
Diane Barbé – Le Grand Jardin de Coupigny
Morton Feldman – Rothko Chapel
Björk – An Echo A Stain
Rrose – Organ Study No. 4 (Low-Low)
Sun People – the void, and the beauty of the garden
hæra – Benedicta Es
St. Amp – Cave (Wordcolour Remix)
Konduku – Slowworm
Agonis – Pyrchid
Mike Parker – Stinging Insects
Softi – Spectrum
Flaty – Thread
St. Amp – Cave
Photek- Minotaur
Current Value – Weight
Mike Parker – Neural Spines
Smogo – Psy Lords
Forest Drive West – Terminus
Sun Genam & Altjira – 42020
Wordcolour – ???
Smogo – Narcopirate (Drawbridge Remix)
datassette – Sentinel
SEEKERSINTERNATIONAL – The Guncontrolla Side A (Movement I – IV)
Currency Audio – Glass
Olli Aarni – Kehä B
John Jacob Niles – The Hangman
Jar Moff – Tziaitzomanasou
Wordcolour – ???