Russia's Andrei Zakharov, known worldwide as An-2, is the man behind some of the most memorable vinyl to hit the decks over the past few years.  His productions on Germany's Was Not Was and his own Thematic label stand out in the house and so-called "nu disco" genres, less sample-based tracks than original and fully-formed songs, with depth, melody, movement, and strange, otherworldly soul.  The disco re-edit craze, in paying homage to forgotten classics, seems so often to succeed only in turning the timeless into mere flavors of the month; Andrei's deep tech house epics and spaced-out midtempo jams, on the other hand, are sturdy and lasting and stay faithful to the spirit and feel of the deep and Balearic side of 80's italo disco.  Check the first episode of the new podcast, and see how comfortably his track "Diva" fits between classics by Kraftwerk and Larry Heard.  In fact, that's not a bad way to describe An-2's sound: somewhere between Kraftwerk and Larry Heard...with a touch of Celso Valli.

I've been following An-2's production career since the very beginning.  This started by coincidence.  While living in Ecuador in 2003 and 2004, I frequently deejayed with a Russian cat named Alex who at one point handed me a mix CD that a friend of his back in Russia had made.  At the time, Ecuador was pretty much all about progressive house and trance, and I was correspondingly frustrated and turned off music in general.  I don't remember what was on the mix, but I remember the effect it had on me: I wanted to make something similar.  I was being shown a musical vision that, for the first time in a long time, I could get behind, and was excited.  Later that year, when Andrei began gaining recognition and garnering comparisons to Metro Area with his releases on Was Not Was, he sent both Alex and I a copy of his first 12 inch, "Communicator."  Nice guy.

When Andrei first submitted the following mix to the ODDIOFILE podcast—the second of his I've had the pleasure of hearing—it came as a revelation of a similar sort.  Like the other mix, the music is top notch, but this time it appears to have been culled from a wider range of sources.  The set is brazenly eclectic, a collection of cinematic sounds and world-wide vibes, laid-back jazz-funk, prog rock, and deep disco.  But to look at it just like that, to take the "shuffle" view, is to miss the point completely.  What makes this mix is so good is its unique shape, the way it unfolds—moving across genre and tempo in a way that foregrounds the mood of each song and its composite instruments, and finds natural, practical ways to move between them.  There is a subtle grammar to this one, a beautiful and unique logic that makes it one of the most memorable mixes I've listened to in a while.

ODDIOFILE GuestMix 01 • Aug. 2008 • An-2's "Magnetic Mix"

• 1. Smoke - "Shelda" - Q-tape
• 2. Bob James - "Carribean Nights" - Tappan Zee
• 3. Unknown [Sumak (Les Edits Du Golem)]
• 4. Major Swellings - "Flavoursaver" - NOID
• 5. Unknown [Phoreski - Quiet Please (Barefirst)]
• 6. Chic - "Forbidden Lover" - Atlantic
• 7. Giorgio Farina - "Tawawa's" - RCA
• 8. Woolfey - "Oddysey" - Rong
• 9. Unknown [Beyond the Wizards Sleeve - Aglarsa Anam Aglar (3rd MYND)]
• 10. Faze Action - "La Bas c'est Naturel" - Mercury
• 11. The Voices Of Life - "The Word is Love (Mousse T.'s For The Heads Instrumental Mix)" - Club Tools
• 12. East West Connection - "The More I Get (Lifted Jazz Mix)" - ChilliFunk
• 13. An-2 - "Crystal Mystery" - Was Not Was
• 14. Vangelis - "Let it Happen"

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I first met DJ Vadim in late fall of 2006 at One Self’s tour stop in Minneapolis, where I was living at the time.  I had seen him DJ a few times on the west coast before that, but never seen him perform as part of a group.  I was unsure of what to expect, especially because at that time I’ll I’d heard of their album, “Children of Possibility,” was the massive single “Be Your Own” –which I’d been hammering in original, instrumental, and Amp Fiddler remix versions all summer long.

My friend Nathan and I were practically the first people at the Triple Rock.  They hadn’t even opened the doors when we arrived, and when they finally did we found ourselves milling around the venue; we quickly ended up staring at the schwag table, which, I was pleased to see, had a good deal of vinyl on it including the 2LP Album, the “Bluebird” single, and an white-label EP I’d never seen before.  I knew I could get the album for cheaper directly from Groovedis, but I’d never seen the EP before. “What’s on this?” I asked the attendant.  “This?” he said.  I said: “Yeah, y’know, what’s it sound like?”  “Rubbish,” he said. “Total rubbish.”

I looked up.  The man before me, sipping on a coke as he manned the merchandise table—as I’m sure you’ve already guessed, as I was only then beginning to realize—was, yes indeed, Mr. Peare himself.  DJ Vadim—a man who seems so busy on the production and gig front that it’s a wonder he ever gets any sleep—also sells schwag at stops along his seemingly non-stop tour route.  We struck up a conversation: moving to England when he was young, the origin of the sample for “Be Your Own,” where the tour had taken him and whatever destination he was off to next.  I don’t remember how exactly, but we got to speaking in Spanish for a while, then moved back to English. I was struck by his good nature, good humor, dedication, and humility.  Also his Spanish accent, which was, as they say, de puta madre.  My friend bought some mix CDs, and I decided to take home the vinyl, which he explained was a tour exclusive. “Don’t worry,” he said, “You can always sell it on eBay if you don’t like it.”  

At that time I had, for the better part of a year, been churning out new episodes of the ODDIOFILE Podcast every seven days, and so was on a constant lookout for new mixes to share with listeners.  Almost as reflex I asked if Vadim if he had anything he wanted to share, any genre. He said, “Sure,” but explained that it wouldn’t be for a while, not until they finished touring and were back in England, where he had his records, or DJ setup, or something.  I took this for a polite no, and didn’t think much about it until one day, many months later, when a CD mailer from the UK came in the mail.  

If this story has a moral it’s this: always show up early for concerts.  The mix debuted as episode 50 of the original ODDIOFILE Podcast, a few months before the “Soundcatcher” album dropped.  It was one of the most popular episodes, with download counts reaching into the thousands in its first month alone.  I’m happy to make it available once again, as a permanent fixture of the new webpage.  File under dub and hip hop.

ODDIOFILE GuestMix 02 • Oct. 2008 • DJ Vadim's "ODDIOFILE Mix"

• Sorry, No Tracklisting.

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If I remember correctly, it was Lars Behrenroth who first put me on to DJ Offbeat.  It was in 2006 o 2007, and I was organizing the occasional deep house event in Minneapolis and looking for guest DJs.  Lars sensed that we had a great deal in common, musically, and though I never managed to get him out to the Twin Cities, we sparked an important friendship and correspondence. 

Those who have been following the site for a while know that he has featured a number of my mixes on his weekly radio show "Future History of House," and that he, Chris Galvan, and I collaborated on a series of decade-ending label and artist retrospectives.  Gerardo Frisina, Far Out, Schema, Especial, Scandanavian Jazz--I was continually impressed by both the depth of his crates and the breadth of his musical knowledge, not to mention his passion for the music and dedication to his listeners.  He and Chris recorded a bunch of other specials without my participation (Compost, Jazzanova, Nicola Conte, Strut, 4hero) because I couldn't keep up with their pace of recording every single week. 

A lot of DJs talk about how diverse their musical interests are, but few manage to deliver the same variety in their sets.  I could mention the wide sampling of genres one can find in an Offbeat set, but that wouldn't be appropriate.  Offbeat doesn't play genres; he plays MUSIC.  Good music, in the order that seems natural, switching tempos and styles when it feels right.  He is one of those rare DJs that can make rapid evolution in a set seem smooth, despite the warm contours and rough edges of each song, the timeless--the polyrhythmic drum track serving as a sturdy backbone.  Even having heard literally dozens upon dozens of his sets, he still manages to surprises with his selections and the order in which he plays them.  Offbeat is, for me, one of the most exciting DJs out there.

For more from Offbeat, check out www.futurehistoryofhouse.com.

ODDIOFILE GuestMix 03 • DJ Offbeat's "ODDIOFILE Mix"

• 1. Ikebe Shakedown - No Answer
• 2. Anausa Professionals - Enwan
• 3. Banda Favela - Neguinho
• 4. Fertile Ground - Yellow Daisies (Nicola Conte Remix)
• 5. Gilles Peterson presents Havana Cultura ft Danay & Carina - Think Twice (Marc Mac Remix)
• 6. Uppers Show Band - The Next Chapter (CaZ edit)
• 7. Dele Sosimi - Ghedu 1
• 8. Block 16 ft Jon Lucien - Morning Sun (Pepe Bradock Brad's Deep Mix)
• 9. Beatless - Love From The Sun (Alex Alternate Mix)
• 10. Minus 8 - Come Along
• 11. Aurora - Fly From East (Kyoto Jazz Massive Remix ft Vanessa Freeman)

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