mitamine lab: colectivo futurecast 036

Our next mix comes from one half of the intriguing arts collective Mitamine Lab. Spread across different cities, Mitamine is sort of an avant-garde mixtape and art curating platform dedicated to bringing new and interesting artists to light. In a manner that is not particularly uncommon in this day and age, its curators, Mim and Gli met over the internet. After realizing they shared the same taste in music, art, and more importantly the way in which to expose new artists to the world; Mitamine Lab was born. Nowadays they also curate a cassette tape label called mm+c which was established as an extension of the pair’s mission with Mitamine. Step into their world of abstract sounds.

Artwork is borrowed from an illustration by Mexican artist Andrea Gómez.

CF: how and where was this mix recorded?

Mim:: It was recorded in Mexico City while waiting for the alpacalipsis. I was thinking in ufo’s, Susumu (my cat), naked people, nature & all that stuff. Almost all the tracks in the mix were available for free.

CF: tell us the story behind mitamine lab. how did it all come together and what is the main idea behind the project?

Mim:: we met through the web, we are nerds so we understood each other very well. Internet is a useful & inspiring tool. We started as a project based on curating mixes of emerging and already established artists from all over the world. This year we founded our cassette tape label, The Mitamine Tape Club [MM+C], with the support of amazing friends from America, Europe & Asia. Now, we are working hard in collaboration with ArtedeProbeta (Mx) in arts & cultural management programs.

Gli:: Yeah…most of our conversations were about cameras cause I was digging her videos and photography. Eventually when we got talking about music, ML was starting to showcase the artists we both liked. I have to say…Alma is one of the few people I know that is as passionate about finding and promoting NEW art as I am. She might hear about a band today and by tomorrow she’s convinced them to do a mix for Mitamine. It’s great.

mitamine-lab-mixtapes

CF: you’ve released up to 89 mixtapes from obscure and not so well known artists, can you name some of your favorite mixes from the series so far?

Mim:: I seriously love all the mixes in ML but of course, I have a special connection with the first ones, they are all from people that believed in us from the beginning without expecting anything in return, just love.

Gli:: Its hard to pick just one or two…they are all there for a reason. But off the top of my head: #58 by Jamie Slater and #86 by Mituo Shiomi were great. I also like the very first mix because I have a deep connection to those tracks.

CF: what do you normally listen to at home? which are some of your favorite albums, new or old?

Mim:: I listen to lots of techno, classic house, acid house, ambient, home listening, dub techno, beats, experimental & folk. I’m a <<huge>> fan of Terre Thaemlitz, JD Twitch, Kerri Chandler and labels such as Aus, L.I.E.S, Nonprojects, Flau, PAN, Clone, Perlon, Prime Numbers & a lot more.  Three of my favourite records of all time are:

MyMy – Butterflies & Zebras
Trus’me – In The Red
Bodycode – Inmune

bodycode-immune

Gli:: Gotta co-sign the Flau and Nonprojects mention. I only have albums from Cuushe and Madegg on Flau but I love and collect music from the entire roster on Nonprojects. Every release. They are definitely some of my favourite new artists. Once an artist or label hooks me I keep coming back so I can compare their newer work and see if there is a progression. So, yeah NP is one of my go to labels. Leaving Records as well. And as far as individuals and bands: El Guincho, Broadcast, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Madlib, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Suzi Analogue, GB, Julia Holter, Carlos Niño, Actress, and the Whitefield Brothers. It’s impossible to name so few but those are critical. I listen to them daily and own multiple albums from all of them. From the older generation I’d say Carol Kaye, Delia Derbyshire, Mulatu Astatke, Monty Stark, Keith Jarret, and Tony Allen. Three albums from my younger days that I still consider essential:

Kraftwerk – Computer World
Herbie Hancock – Head Hunters
Peter Tosh – Equal Rights

herbie-hancock-head-hunters

CF: what is your favorite thing about living in Mexico DF and Virginia respectively?

Mim:: I love the food in Mexico, also the landscapes, art & folk music. I don’t know what to expect in the next 6 years with this shitty government but I have to stay positive to be happy. On the other hand, I hate lots of things… the Mexican nu-disco wannabe house musical scene, the unconscious people that earn money as DJs or something and they don’t even buy records, the lack of quality places to play music & a lot more… I’m a grumpy cat.

Gli:: Ha! There really not much of a scene here either. Where I live there are a lot of trees…I love observing nature and I find the variety outdoors is beautiful. Same thing with people and food. I’m not far from DC and a lot of my friends and neighbors are from around the world. The museums nearby are free too. Having said all that, living close to family is my favourite part about being in VA.

CF: what’s in store for mitamine lab in the future? are there any plans to step out of the internets and start working on more physical projects?

Mim:: I’m in charge of the mixes, Gli of the label and we both make visual stuff, so expect more sounds, tapes, art & collabs.

Gli:: It would be fun to do release shows for the artist tapes, but we’re so spread apart geographically. Mim summed it up nicely though, anyone who’s curious about what we’ll do next year can check our websites for updates and news.