Optimo

Enjoyed listening back to this newly uploaded set from Field Maneuvers last year: https://soundcloud.com/resident-advisor/ra-live-optimo-field-maneuvers-uk

Unless my memory is playing tricks on me there was even more after this recording ends though?

i think that was right near the end no? i have to confess i don't recall how the set ended.

Well it was the end of a rather heavy weekend so I could very well have a loose grip on the facts! I trust you :D

One thing I will say is that one of my friends still hasn’t forgiven you both for teasing “Boys” and then not playing it! You know what to do at Watching Trees…

ha! i don't recall, that either and was 100% sober.

Very excited to see y'all are coming to Austin next week

it has been a long time. excited to be back and also to hopefully catch the eclipse.

Everyone has eclipse mania!

The entire blind test series is some of the best music content on youtube and todays episode is no different

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyxTU0M9k_8

yep, always enjoy this but that was a lovely surprise when it popped up

love this series, very hyped to see the guest!

Was happy to get 4/10 on that one ^

Got 1 spare ticket for the Optimo Watching Trees festival if anyone is looking?

want that 242 t-shirt.
i have one, but its too subtle and doesn't really make it clear re my love for 242.

ooops.
i have a 242 t-shirt,
but it's not clear as to what its about as it's quite random re the connection to f242.
in other news : every track on this video is bloody brilliant.

time for new beat revival !?

Yessssss, new beat revival now.

Watching Trees was magical, huge congrats to Optimo! Good to meet you stirmonster, wouldve said hi earlier when i was in a slightly less mangled state, but i could see you were a busy guy. Hope the recovery's going well!

it was a wonderful 24 hours. returning to normality today as I'm back at work but I'm still buzzing a little

question : how are African Headcharge without Adrian Sherwood on the mix ?
the non-AMS version have a gig near where i live later this year, and kind of tempted,
however, African Headcharge for me is all about the AMS production ..

They were good! The new lad on the buttons seemed handy enough. Pretty sure it was Steve Davis, unless i was more out of it than i thought (entirely possible)

I suspect I will succumb and go check them out.
I think the lad on the buttons was probably Pats Doktor ..
he has been a massive part of the reissue campaign re sorting out the masters and looks after the official On-U FB group etc.
ta for the nudge.

there were a few different mysterious characters up there. definitely bonjo though!

lovely to meet you in person nick. i'm still catching up on my sleep but still glowing from what a magical time it was.

so, this was AHC Soundsystem as opposed to the band. It involved Bonjo on percussion and vocals, a keyboard player whose name i didn't catch but was not Steve Davis or Pats Doktor and a DJ. it was good but i think AHC full band would be better.

ha we kept telling Nick it wasn't Steve Davis but he wasn't having any of it

we were stood a snookertable's length away and i swear he was a deadringer for him

i know steve lives in the west country and is really into modular synths and weird electronics and stuff, it made sense to me :))

also stirmonster, there was hardly anyone around for them but the yusu and lupini early morning sets were some of the most transcendant music experiences i've had recently. so good!!

ha ha! he was a ringer for steve davis so i can totally see why you thought that.

i heard half of yusu and then had to go get a couple of hours sleep so missed the second half of her set and sadly all of lupini's. i heard they were great though sadly, or maybe sensibly, most people had chosen to get some sleep so crowd was apparently quite sparse for them.

quite a few people were disapointed with the beatless rave as they had read it as beatles rave and were hoping for eleanor rigby with added hoover noises.

haha! that bit was dead good though! wish i could remember more of what was played, but jane 'it's a fine day' into 'halcyon' was a complete melter for me, jesus christ

going to keep a lot of people buzzing for a good long time i feel, that whole festival

oh the real stunning bit of lupini's set btw was her playing richard youngs' 'time is an avalanche' at full pelt, the sound just bouncing around that space like a cathedral, 6.30 in the morning, birds and trees just waking, sun not quite warming things up yet but trying, absolute head-expanding moment

i'm going to pass that on to her if you don't mind? i'm sure that will mean a lot to her.

haha i told her myself straight afterwards, but i did look like a mumbling mud-splattered maniac tbh

ha ha!

there were so many great moments but the Tia Cousins & Rosie Ama set, midnight Optimo set and that early morning sun with Yu Su (although I missed the first half) are my personal highlights

we did crack a lot of "Beatles Rave" jokes