- Allergy Season is here.
- Physical Therapy has as many vibes as he does aliases. You never really know what you're going to get from his sets—you can probably count on a bit of UK garage and some breakbeats, but beyond that, it's a free-for-all. He's gone through phases ranging from DIY pop edits to grayscale Berlin techno to all the fantastic and unpredictable music on his label Allergy Season to his latest EP of vocal-heavy 2-step tracks, part of a recent move towards more emotional dance music that he says captures his "twee" side. If there's anyone that truly believes in the power of crying on the dance floor, it's him.
He's an expert at themed mixes, pulling together loosely categorized sections of his vast and sometimes hilarious collection. (Other sets, like his revered Honcho Campout recording, are gloriously all over the place.) But for his RA Podcast he's gone straight for the dance floor, choosing the kind of thing he would play at a club rather than one of his NTS sets. It's typically era-spanning and adventurous, yet woven together with an expert touch, running from an underrated Texas dubstep label (Pushing Red) to old-school IDM to vintage Miss Kittin and even an obscure (or just forgotten) turn-of-the-millennium cover of "How Soon Is Now" that would only really sound right in his hands.
What are you grateful for these days?
Ibuprofen, Antiques Roadshow, my employee discount on records, TikTok aggregators, Earl Gray tea sold in bulk, the bartenders at Nowadays.
How and where was the mix recorded, and can you tell us the idea behind the mix?
At home on Ableton, I don't have a DJ setup at home but it’s kind of nice because you can take a studio mix approach and really be scientific about it. I tend to make a lot of themed mixes, so I just thought for this it was important tot make one thats closer to the stuff I actually play at parties. I went back through recent setlists, listened back to some recordings of sets and picked out the best moments to stitch together.
Your NTS show on March 25th was called "Big Sad UK Megamix," in which you used the term "chears, a combination of cheers and tears." You also described your latest Allergy Season release as "softboi anthems." Why are you so drawn to sad electronic music right now?
Is this your way of asking if I'm OK? Haha. What can I say, I've always been twee, I think I'm just feeling confident enough to show it in my music now. Actually one of the things I've always loved about garage and 2-step is that it's the most heart-on-your-sleeve genre. We inhabit a world of parties and party music, so obviously a lot of producers and DJs shy away from emotionality. When I'm not at a club I don't really tend to listen to upbeat music. I noticed a dearth of sad mixes so with my NTS show so I've been trying to fill the gap, approaching it from different angles.
You said that this mix reflects how you usually play in a club. Recently you were booked for Weird Science, a party for non-dance-floor music. What do you reach for in that kind of scenario?
I love being asked to play a set with a challenge or a prompt. I play off opening sets which leads me to search for music that exists outside of peak-time moods and BPMs but still works in a club, so for the Weird Science party I was able to draw from that and play a lot of slower breakbeat stuff, Italo, dancehall riddims, liquid drum & bass, etc. It's dance floor music, it just requires a slightly more focused audience to lock into it.
Which one of your aliases would win in a fight?
Kirk the Flirt & Peter Pressure have an unfair advantage as a duo, so smart money is on them ;)
What's one social or political cause you want the world to pay more attention to?
Mutual aid is the most useful thing people can do right now in my opinion. It's a fucked situation that so many people need to have fundraisers for rent and basic medical expenditures but as long as they do, then give to them. I'm sure if you open your social media feed you will see a dozen going on.
What are you looking forward to in the near future?
The next Physical Therapy EP, playing open to close at Nowadays on April 23, finishing my album, traveling and not traveling.
TracklistSnake River Conspiracy - How Soon Is Now (Prince Quick Mix Tripapella)
Frenchless - Grunks
Martsman - NYCD
Kings Of Tomorrow - Finally (Ghost Trax Mix)
Drexell - Pik Back Up
Davis Galvin - Rissp
Jabes - Jest
Lxury - When I Wake Up
Otik - Gravel
Cameo Blush - Crimson Arch
Thrived - Anthea
Max Duley - Shiver
Nectar - Duality
The Stone Roses - I Wanna Be Adored (Bloody Valentine Edit)
Daso - Daybreak
Frankel Harper - Under Pressure
Marc Vain - Samurai
The Black Dog - Riser
One True Parker - Killer (B.L.I.M. Remix)
Linda Eder - Something To Believe In (P.Q.M. Amped Up Mix)
Dave Angel - Rudiments (Remix)
Tom Vr - Partner
Golden Boy With Miss Kittin - Rippin Kittin (Beroshima Remix)
Ghost Piss - Worry (Kareem Ali Remix)