ssg special - ASC

One of the biggest 'finds' for me in 2010 was ASC. This might sound a bit ridiculous, given his extensive discography, and his longstanding involvement in electronic music. But drum & bass was something I never really connected with, so ASC was an artist I just missed. Even when the autonomic sound hit, it largely passed me by.  Much of what autonomic is doing I still haven't fully explored, but it strikes me that a somewhat parallel movement is happening there compared to what Detmmann, Klock and other artists around Berghain did for techno a few years ago (that could be a bad analogy, just an impression from outside). Despite being somewhat distanced from the autonomic sound, I checked ASC's RA mix and his 'Nothing is Certain' LP, and both resonated strongly with me. Present in both of these is the element of ASC's sound that really appeals to me - it has a very powerful atmospheric dimension to it (it is also has a certain beauty, which I love). As I discovered more about ASC, it made sense to me that he has a deep passion for ambient music, reflected through his truly excellent deep space mix series (all are worth checking). Given that much of his production manages to infuse an ambient dimension (or sensibility), I couldn't help but notice that as a DJ he kept these sounds more separate: there are the ASC deep space mixes, and then there are more autonomic-style ones. Here lies the genesis for this mix: we asked ASC for something that would bridge these two sides of him. And ASC proved more than up to the task... Much like his effort for RA, one element that stands out is how well conceived and structured the mix is: there is a clear sense of narrative throughout. Enjoy this mix from ASC, it's a beauty:

ASC - ssg special mix

ASC is one productive individual, with forthcoming releases including (but certainly not limited to) EPs on Auxiliary, Levitated, Nu Directions, and Autonomic. He also has a special new 'Symbol' series on his own label Auxiliary. The 2nd one is a collab with Bvdub and it is great, so keep your eyes out for that. He is playing 31 March at the Forward Festival in Washington DC, and 1 April in Philadelphia. If you want to keep track of what he is doing, easiest is to follow ASC's blog, soundcloud, official.fm page, and his twitter. Big thanks to James for making this mix. Enjoy.