A series where music lovers share some of their hidden gems.
Number 79 is by Squidge (FUTURO), a Chinese selector based in Amsterdam.
Tell me about your musical roots.
My musical root actually sounds horrible. As one of the millennials, the fascinating Internet always showed us the most popular and trendy stuff. So yes, I was a stupid EDM kid back when I was in junior high, lol. But later, when I went to college in Chengdu, I started to fall for the charm of electronic music in different underground clubs like .TAG, Funky Town, CUE, etc. But at that time, I wasn't into the Techno and House music being played in those clubs; instead, I liked something more ambiguous, like leftfield bass music or more experimental ones. But later, my taste turned to soulful house from the '90s and '00s and also some old rare groove stuff. Pretty weird, and I know, haha. But it is the old music I liked that helped to get me where I am now. So since the end of 2021, I started to collect my own vinyls, firstly like some '80s Chinese funk & soul stuff and also soulful house ones. Then I just naturally turned to the music I like now, like techno & house from the '90s.
What is your favourite place to dig and why?
To be honest, there's not much vinyl culture in China, especially for electronic music. Mostly, I just dig on Discogs for records. But there are still interesting hidden spots in China. Like Postpost in Beijing, where you can find really nice design books and enjoy various different proper mixes selected by my friend Oliver; maybe he'll dance with you after mixing wine 😂. And there's another record shop only focusing on electronic music called Yitong in Chengdu, which is well connected with the local underground scene. You can spend all day there just digging, then just go have fun at .TAG after a 5-minute walk.
What do you listen to when you want to chill?
I'd like to say some electronic ambient stuff from the '90s or late '80s. There are some excellent channels on YouTube sharing those beautiful, touching sounds like Paradise Is a Frequency and Sounds of the Dawn.
Can you share with me your favourite podcast at the moment?
There are a lot of high-quality podcasts now... can't name my fav, lol. But there are a few I'm always following, like Pokédex, Unusual Systems, Cymatix, OVERTHINK, etc. And of course, my own podcast called FUTURO, but it's new and still a work in progress; maybe later on I'll put more effort into it.
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