stunning mix. tune in

This is was Selectors say:

In the first week of September we’re heading to the beautiful scenery of Tisno, Croatia, to celebrate the first edition of Dekmantel Selectors. In the run up to the festival, we’ve launched a new temporary podcast-series where we invite ten of our selectors from the festival to dig deep in their unique collections. The idea behind the mix is to create a Time Document, focusing on a specific period of time with the artist being free in choosing this period. This period could in fact entail anything: a certain decennia, the time he or she fell in love, The Cold War, November ’92 – March ’93, or the rise of Nigerian music. It’s up to the Selectors to choose and tell us a story based on their music collection.

Our next Selectors Podcast is created by the UK based Andy Votel, who we’ve been admiring for the work he has been putting out with his highly anticipated Finders Keepers Records. 2015 marks the 10th anniversary of the renowned label, a seemingly tireless imprint which at this point has archived a wide array of psychedelic, jazz, folk, funk music and more from over six decades and across forty different countries. As a co-head of the Finders Keepers operation, Votel (who has also enjoyed a long, prolific career as a DJ and producer) brings a similar passion for disparate sounds to his sets, full of exotic tracks you’ve never heard before and will likely never hear again.

Votel’s love for Turkish records is a well-known thing, and his connection with the country is a truely special one. Votel: “I first discovered Turkish psych in a Dusseldorf bookshop in the late nineties, and was amazed by the loud fuzz guitar which I later learned was a Saz. Since then I have been fascinated with the nations truly alternative approach to pop-music via psych, funk, electronics, surf and disco as well as their total genuine independence from the Western music industry.”

Altough his love for this music is a well-known thing, he has never made a mix that fully consists of Turkish. Until now. “I spent a lot of time searching for heavy prog, but after introducing the work of Selda to the wider world via our Finders Keepers label, my obsession with the Turkish female vocals and synthesizers has become more of an unwanning obsession than a passing penchant. Various magazines and festivals have asked me to do a Turkish Mixtape over the years, but his finally seemed like the right opportunity. I’ve been waiting years to do this mix, so it’s very close to my heart.”

Votul continues. “The mix is called ‘To The Davul A Daughter Vol.1’ and consists of two hours of exclusively obscure ‘Anatolian Femme Funk’. This mix is also dedicated to the people of Turkey who have shown major enthusiasm and encouragement in Finders Keepers activities, via both record digging and parties, which remains globally unrivaled to me. The recent tension and hardships the country has had to face will never destroy the spirit of a nation which continues to dance to the unshakable beat of its own Davul.”