Earlier this month, I caught Ora the Molecule play at El Cid in Silver Lake. It was such a fun show. The crowd grooved throughout the duration of her set and, by the end, had formed a conga line that snaked around the small dance floor. Ora the Molecule is Norwegian DJ Nora Schielderup’s Italo disco alter, a theremin-playing intergalactic Raffaella Carrà whose songs are simultaneously cheeky and sincere. My favorite off her latest album, Dance Therapy, is “Nobody Cares,” a sentiment I find more liberating than depressing.
Ora the Molecule’s performance was the initial inspiration for this month’s mix. I wanted to do a riff on Italo disco, with “Nobody Cares,” plus DJ Koze’s cover of “Vamos a la Playa.” And I wanted to get Sally Shapiro’s cover of the Pet Shop Boys song “Rent,” which has been a part of my DJ sets for over a year now, into the mix because the duo’s new album is out on Friday.
But, I also wanted to get “Reason to Stay,” from Pixel Grip and Sextile’s new banger, “Women Respond to Bass” in the mix because the reactions to those songs at Nocturno this month was great. So, there were a multiple vibe shifts that I had to hit in a set that’s not much more than a half hour. It was a challenge, but, everything is and, y’know, it really is like Ora the Molecule sings, nobody cares. So, let’s just get to the mix. Track list is below the mix.
DJ Koze, Soap & Skin – Vamos a la Playa
Clio – Faces
Sally Shapiro – Rent (Extended Version)
Ora the Molecule – Nobody Cares
Bootblacks – Leipzig (feat. Oskar Carls of Viagra Boys)
Cyrnai – Echo Language
Pixel Grip – Reason to Stay
Boy Harsher – Come Closer
Sextile – Women Respond to Bass
Confidence Man – Breakbeat
Orbital – Halcyon + On + On
Quinquis – Dec’h
That’s it for now. If you have time, read some of the posts related to the songs in this mix. They’re linked below.
Related interviews:
Cyrnai Embraces “Found Experience” and Future Sound on Calamity of Beauty
Related album reviews:
DJ Koze Unleashes Spooky Cover of “Vamos a la Playa” on Music Can Hear Us
Sextile Drops Rave-Punk Bangers on Yes, Please
On 3 AM (La La La), Confidence Man Offers a ’90s Throwback With a Twist
Breton Singer and Producer Quinquis Channels Mermaid Lore on eor