Wonderland.

SUMMER PLAYLIST: SQUELCH AND CLAP

As part of our Summer Playlist series in the current issue of Wonderland, we asked a horde to tastemakers to list their favourite seasonal anthems. Here are party promoters-cum-record label Squelch and Clap’s choices.

Squelch and Clap, sure, but “woozy”, “whizz”, “pang”, “burr” and “shudder”, too. This party promoting, record releasing and all round hell-raising operation from Sheffield started life as a pub disco in 2010, when DJ founder Mike Bishop’s “fear of jobs” prompted him to take action, and has since developed into one of the UK’s labels to watch. S&C’s first release, Tete De Tigre’s Pelican Bay EP (2011), was an intricate affair, rammed with whistles, clicks and schizo drum fills. From there, the label’s released six utterly singular and luminous dancefloor oddities from artists including Kidnap Kid, Arcade and CDBL, with amazing, pulp-comic cover art from Robin Beck.

What’s in the pipeline for summer? An EP from B-Ju and an album from Chesslo Junior, but also a move. “My own plan over the summer is to relocated S&C towers to somewhere hot for a few months – see a few people in Europe then rent somewhere for a bit and get rid of the 2-years worth of English summer / studio tan!” In this spirit, Bishop’s compiled an exclusive playlist for Wonderland to get the ball rolling. “A perfect summer track for me is something that stokes up that special feeling you get at summertime. Something warm and inviting… stell drums can help a lot as well. Jamie XX’s ‘Far Nearer’ is a prime example. And of course there’s the Dilla track I put at the top of my chart. That one is king of summer. If it doesn’t make you feel like putting on your shorts and drinking rum then there’s no hope for you.”

1. J DIlla / Jay Dee – “Rico Suave Bossa Nova”