Eskmo’s Amazing and Exclusive Ninja Tune Label Remix

For many record labels, capturing their spirit in a DJ mix would be as simple as laying out the best tracks end-to-end and hitting "record." That approach doesn't really work for London's Ninja Tune label. For one thing, there's the enormous breadth of the catalog. Founded in 1990 by Coldcut's Jonathan More and Matt Black, Ninja Tune has grown from sampla-delic cut-and-paste trickery and cheerfully faded downtempo to encompass virtuosic turntablism (Kid Koala), acoustic pop (Fink), jazz-oriented projects (The Cinematic Orchestra, Skalpel, Jaga Jazzist), mutant dancehall (The Bug), hip-hop (Roots Manuva) and even indie rock (The Death Set). Just as importantly, most artists on the label might be said to represent a genre of one. What they share is a radically hybrid approach, a lesson learned from London's multi-cultural musical community as well as American pioneers like Double Dee and Steinski.

"Exclusive Ninja Tuna Mix" Eskmo

Given that, it'd be virtually impossible to put together a mix capturing every aspect of the Ninja Tune universe. But Eskmo comes up with a compelling cross section of the label's recent output in his 23-track, 39-minute mix, which has the heft and sparkle and rough edges of a sliced geode. In the spirit of Coldcut's cut-and-paste fantasias such as 1987's "Beats and Pieces," Eskmo goes for a dense collage aesthetic, slicing up his source material and slapping it on like so much soggy, bunched-up papier-mâché. Crunching, corroded hip-hop beats morph into ungainly dubstep juggernauts; it's still dance music, but it often seems calibrated to engage imagined appendages and phantom limbs.

Even if you know the tracks Eskmo selects, you may have trouble teasing them out of the tangle. Fink's folky, melancholic "Worn Shadow" is set against a buzzing, apocalyptic techno-dirge by Lorn. Slugabed's slow, lurching rework of Stateless' "I'm on Fire" is sped up and fed into an even more accelerated version of Toddla T's "Body Good," for an extended passage of frenetic beats and flickering, Chipmunk-style vocals that resemble Chicago's hyperkinetic juke music. Throughout the mix, vocals flit in and out like ghosts, with full verses from Roots Manuva and Thavius Beck alternating with angel choirs and pitched-down groans. (Though uncredited, snatches of Killa P and Flow Dan's raps from The Bug's "Skeng" also wash through the middle portion of the session.) Coldcut have called themselves "bag ladies of sound," and Eskmo's mix captures that same spirit of bricolage at its grittiest and most invigorating.-- Philip Sherburne

You can watch our exclusive interview with Eskmo above. We’ve also provided a tracklist for the mix below. If you would like to purchase any of the individual tracks, head over to the Ninja Tune store.

"Exclusive Ninja Tune Mix" Eskmo

Tracklisting
Eskmo, "Cloudlight" (Ambient P Stretch Mix)
Kid Koala, "Speed of Light" (Space Cadet 10")
Fink, "Warm Shadow"
Lorn, "Ghosst" (SoundCloud)
Stateless, "I’m On Fire" (Slugabed remix)
Toddla T, "Body Good"
Bonobo, "Change Down"
Two Fingers, "Not Perfect"
Eskmo, "Moving Glowstream"
The Bug, "Skeng (Autechre Remix)"
Funki Porcini, "New Dope"
Zomby, "Orchid"
Dam Mantle, "3 Colours"
Bonobo, "1009"
Igor Boxx, "Breslau"
DELS feat. Joe Goddard and Roots Manuva, "Capsize"
Thavius Beck, "Violence"
Coldcut, "Timber"
Two Fingers, "Scott Foster Rhythm"
Speech Debelle feat. Micachu, "Better Days"
DELS, "Hydronenburg"
Daedelus, "Just Briefly"
Amon Tobin, "Journeyman"
The Death Set, "Is It The End Again?"