Dummy Mix 170 // Old Apparatus

London-based production group Old Apparatus have stepped up to provide our latest Dummy Mix, and just as you’d expect it’s a perfect storm of tense and eerie electronics. Having made their name initially on Mala’s Deep Medi label, the elusive minds behind OA craft intense atmospherics in their music, which by itself only hints at the all-encompassing audiovisual experiences they create live. Having launched their own Sullen Tone label last year, and this year seen members branch off to experiment with new projects like the fearsome spoken word/hip hop act Khing Kang King with Mowgli and the luscious electronic duo Saa, the group’s influence is branching further outwards than ever before – and yet their core identity is formidably intact.

To affirm this, last week the collective released a new LP in the form of the lurching, prowling compilation that is Compendium. Made up of selected tracks from their slew of 12” releases, the album delves into the weirdest and most beautiful of all music they’ve put their name to over the past two years, resulting in an album that sounds dark, sumptuous and very little like a traditional compilation. To mark the occasion, they’ve also made us a gloomy ambient Dummy Mix that draws on many of their biggest inspirations – from Tim Hecker to Motion Sickness of Time Travel to Lunar Miasma – and which we’re thrilled to present.

Dazed Digital have an exclusive stream of a live recording of Compendium in full, but before you listen to that, get into a suitably disoriented headspace by streaming the half hour mix below; we also caught up with OA for a quick chat about their love of treble and of playing live, as well as a tracklist, all of which you’ll find further down the page.

Your mixtapes cover a lot of ground sonically. What are your highlights of this mix?

The Tim Hecker track is a particular favorite.

Your visual aesthetic marries with your music perfectly. To what extent does your artwork influence your audio output and vice versa?

They are one and the same.

Your songs speak of alien environments and have the ability to unsettle listeners. What do you listen to unwind?

Anything with lots of treble.

You’ve made a lovely home for yourselves on Sullen Tone having put out some initial releases on Deep Medi Musik and a cassette for The Tapeworm. Are there any labels out there in particular you’d love to see your name on?

We also had a remix on the Shangaan Shake remix series on Honest Jons and another remix for Cloud Boat on Apollo.

Not in particular – not that there aren’t labels doing good things, but it’s really about the right project or opportunity at the right time.

You’ve recently put out Sullen Tone’s first non-Old Apparatus release. Other than Khing Kang King, is there anybody new we should be looking out for?

Not on Sullen Tone but A Levitas who is a member of OA has a project called Saa with a debut EP coming out on Left Blank in July.

What else are you currently digging?

Inter-Arma.

You guys seem to enjoy the live aspect of being artists. Have you got any upcoming performances you’re particularly excited about?

We don’t have anything upcoming but we have played some nice shows this year. In particular a night in Brooklyn for IDLE which was an amazing experience. This guy turned his house into a small venue for the night, people didn’t quite know what to make of us and vice versa but we all bonded over beer ‘n’ bass. Standard.

Tracklist:
Tim Hecker – Harmony In Blue IV
Lussuria – Keys To Unlock Paradise (Roman Showers)
Motion Sickness Of Time Travel – Telepathy
Aethenor – One Number Of Destiny In Ninety Nine
Relapxych.0 – City Nightlights
Stars Of The Lid – Requiem For Dying Mothers, pt.2
The Fun Years – Division Of Labor (tv track)
Belong – Come See
Lunar Miasma – A Thousand Suns

Sullen Tone released ‘Compendium’ on the 3rd June 2013.