October

Julian Raymond Smith

Bristol

Turkish born Dutch man; October has been operating in Bristol since '96 and is a true veteran of sound and culture. As comfortable in the world of Italo-disco and new-beat as he is at the mixing desk producing dense doom-metal soundscapes, the NTS resident has a back catalogue of music that weaves effortlessly between face-melting techno, acid, industrial and the indefinable. With numerous dance-floor focused EPs and singles on labels ranging from Honey Soundsystem Records to Fred P’s Soul People Music; his albums 'Black Body Radiation' on Skudge White and 'Death Drums' on Ossia’s No Corner both received critical acclaim whilst exploring techno’s more peripheral and weirdo industrial edges. Away from dance-floors his Spritiflesh project / live band with Bristol’s Borai, explores the dark spaces between post-punk, drone-metal and industrial power-electronics in what RA described as a "phantasmagorical trip into the duos own musical universe" for their debut album on No Corner. Also known for their visceral and confrontational live shows, Julian's voice leads you through a truly un-nerving and cathartic sonic experience of percussive tropical drums, bass guitar and nightmarish noise displaying his range as an artist. These influences obviously run much deeper than contemporary electronic music scenes, as well evidenced in Sacred Pools, his monthly slot on NTS Radio where you're just as likely to hear death metal, doo-wop or pop as you are club music. His two-hour show delves into his record collection that defies genre and spans decades. His eclectic mixes for Crack Magazine, Boiler Room and Stamp the Wax show October as an adventurous club DJ without adhering to trends; delivered in a timeless narrative that gels the past and future seamlessly without loosing sight of making bodies move. Through this ethos - Julian's lucky enough to have performed in most continents, and institutions such as Fabric and Berghain have both invited him back several times after his genre defying selections proved him the type of DJ comfortable building an event with considered selections or stepping up at peak time. His regular bookings by the widely respected Freerotation and Honey Soundsystem, have both led to offers of on-going DJ residences. With more releases on Honey Soundsystem and a sophomore album forthcoming; 2020 will be noisier than ever for the Chameleonic entity that is October. Honey Soundsystem, NTS Radio, Spiritflesh, No Corner, Skudge, Tempa, AUS, Soul People Music, Voodoo Down, OCT, Berceuse Heroique...