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Birthday Set 2022

11th of January, 2022





When I announced that I was playing this set, I said that I would be releasing the high quality audio recording alongside an essay about neurofunk later on. I’ve decided to release the audio recording early for a few reasons. The essay is still not done, and until the set is released I’m not sure how long it will take for me to finish it. My mental health is in the toilet right now, and the initial excitement of sharing this with you has been replaced by a constant nagging pressure to get everything finished. As it stands, I don't think it's likely that I could write anything satisfying under these conditions, so I think releasing the recording should take off some pressure and allow for something I'm proud of later on.

I’d like to thank in particular Ellie Kerry and Max Coombes. Ellie has been supportive of this project, and her particular enthusiasm for my piece on Floating Zero helped convince me to write more about this wonderful music. Max hasn’t helped me with this project directly, but reading his work makes one able to see further than one would otherwise be able to—coming up with more imaginative readings than might otherwise have been possible. It is this quality of his writing that inspired me to write the essay in conjunction with the set in the first place. My hope is that since I am releasing the music first, listeners might be able to use any insights they might have picked up reading my past writing on music to intuit what I am going to say about this later. I hope that when the essay finally comes it only enriches what is an already enjoyable experience. For what it's worth, I think this set is the best musical thing I've ever done even without the words that are supposed to illustrate it. Now that I’ve taken some pressure off myself the thing might end up being finished within two or three days, or it might take a few more weeks. I may even publish some other pieces of writing first, since where and when I get the energy to work is currently out of my control due to my depression.

Thanks for your patience!