February 2021

I’ll skip the preamble that I had in the last monthly favourites. Below are some albums, mixes, articles and books that I enjoyed - and had some thoughts on in the month of February.

These are my five favourite albums I’ve listened to in month of February. I wrote some thoughts on each one if you’re interested.

These are my favorite mixes I’ve listened to this month, as well as some thoughts on each one.

O-Wells (live) @ EOS Radio

This is probably my favourite mix I listened to in February, it’s unbelievably good. The majority of the tracks are unreleased O-Wells material, which makes it even more exciting. I’ve been enjoying the EOS Radio sets recently and I’d highly recommend you check them out. The mix is a blend of sounds from ambient to techno to bass. I’ve listened to it quite a lot and you’re definitely missing out if you’ve not already taken a listen.

pontiac streator 'dnb explosion' ⓜⓘⓧ ①⑥

Pontiac Streator is quite the name in the ambient scene, their Select Works is a gorgeous example of that. However, on this mix they go in heavy with a ‘dnb explosion’ with every track hitting hard. It’s high energy, high tempo and will get your head bouncing. So good!!

spring/summer dubs 2020 - anz

Production mixes are usually incredibly good, if it’s a good producer that is. Anz sets the bar high with her annual production mixes. I finally got round to listening to her 2020 one which basically contains everything you could ever want. It’s a nice boost to help cope with lockdown and has elements of garage, 2-step, funky, dubstep, jungle and more. She’s such a sick producer and you cannot say one bad thing about this mix.

Eich w/ PAS1, Nikki Nair & Voicedrone @ Balamii

Such a good show from last November with big guests. There are very big tunes throughout in the realm of techno, bass and footwork. Nikki Nair also comes with a heavy half an hour guest mix at the end.

Raji Rags w/Barker @ NTS

This is a mix from 2019 with a b2b between Raji Rags and Barker. It’s such a good selection throughout, they have such a good vibe and the tracks bounce off each other so well. This is probably the mix I shazamed the most tracks from this month if that counts for anything. The tracks get heavier as the mix goes on and ventures through a variety of sounds, I’d highly recommend.

These are my five favourite articles from the month with a few thoughts on each one.

1.
The art of DJing: Avalon Emerson

I love the art of DJing series by RA and this is probably the best one I’ve read. This one is an insightful look into Avalon Emerson’s process for selecting and organising her library. There’s a lot to learn from the article and it contains the sort of technicalities that are often overlooked when people talk about DJing. If you just DJ on your own for the most part, it’s nice to feel like you’re learning from people, and this is probably the most in-depth stuff about professional DJ’s process. If you know of anything similar please let me know.

2.
The Mathematics of Beauty

This is an article from the old OkCupid blog which now exists on Internet Archive. The blog contained quite a lot of interesting but controversial stuff, which I imagine is the reason it’s not up anymore, although I don’t know for sure. The post ‘investigates female attractiveness’ and ‘the reaction she creates in the reptile mind of a human male’.

To summarise the article, it analyses OkCupid data to come to the conclusion that females with more contentious features or accessories, are likely to get more attention on the dating app. This is in contrast to women for whom there is a broad consensus as to their overall attractiveness. Attention is based on the amount of messages the women received each month. It’s quite an interesting article, I’d recommend you check it out. I think they did a similar one for men but I don’t know if that exists.

3.
The problem with prediction

This article outlines the way prediction has risen to a dominant place within our society in a world of algorithms and tech. ‘Predictive models construct the feeds we scroll; they autocomplete our texts and email, prompt us to leave for work on time, and pick out the playlists we listen to on the commute that they’ve plotted out for us’. It goes on to argue that the prediction engines have primed us to be receptive to the idea of the predictive brain.

‘Scientists may believe that they are simply building conceptual and mechanical tools for observation and understanding. But the tools of observation can be fastened all too easily to the end of a weapon and targeted at masses of people. If predictive systems began as weapons meant to make humans controllable in the field of war and in the market, that gives us extra reason to question those who wield such weapons now’.  

4.
on doing what you love

I’ve been really enjoying Ava’s substack this month and it’s probably my favourite one I follow. It was hard to pick one article as a favourite but I’m basically recommending you check out any of her writing. She writes so well and has a style that flows beautifully. All her topics feel very intimate and offer interesting personal perspectives. She writes about a variety of things from personal feelings and emotions to societal and cultural norms. Some of the best stuff I came across this month.

5.
The Use of Knowledge in Society

This article focuses on Hayek’s 1945 essay The Use of Knowledge in Society. It’s summarised by saying that most knowledge in society is local rather than universal and it is key for efficient resource allocation to be able to have access to this local information. It gives decentralisation as a possible solution to rapid adaptation to ‘changes in the particular circumstances of time and place’.

It argues that the price system solves this problem as ‘prices can act to coordinate the separate actions of different people in the same way as subjective values help the individual to coordinate parts of the plan’. The article gives specific examples to illustrate the points which makes it easier to understand, so have a read if it sounds interesting.

These are the books that I read this month, of which I wrote a few thoughts if you’re interested.