Avran – SumMix 014
Ahead of our upcoming collaboration with Murky Sonics, we thought it’d be fitting to link up with Murky co-founder Avran for a mix and a catch up. Shifting between the gears with over an hour of percussive, bass-driven belters, the mix is brilliant snap shot of what makes Avran tick as a DJ. We can’t wait to see what he brings to the table on the 27th!
You can find the mix at the bottom of the page but first, read on to find out a little more about Avran, the history of Murky Sonics, it’s future and more.
Giddy: Hey Avran, nice one for doing the mix. Would you like to introduce yourself?
Avran: Thanks man glad to finally collab with yous! So I’m a DJ/producer/promoter based in Cambridge and originally from Birmingham. It’s hard to really confine my output within a specific genre, I play a bit of everything really but my true love lies in left field, bass-driven music. I’ve also been dabbling in a bit of ambient over the past year and done a few more art based projects away from the dance floor.
G: How was the mix recorded?
A: Recorded on Isochrone’s XDJ-XZ that he’s left in my possession whilst he’s in South America finding himself!
G: Was there an idea behind the mix?
A: It’s been ages since I sat down and properly curated a mix so I thought the new year was a good chance to get one done. I’ve been DJing for about 2.5 years now and my style has fluctuated so much especially given the wide array of nights I’ve done. However, over the past few months I’ve started to find my sound a lot more production and DJ wise and I feel this is a fairly accurate representation of it.
G: You co-run Murky Sonics, along with fellow DJ Isochrone. How did that start?
A: We started off doing a radio show on the student channel in 2020 called ‘Underground Sounds’ that led to a residency down at Goat Shed Studios in Bristol in 2021 where we were mostly spinning 140, jungle and DnB. However, our aim was always to get events going so once government restrictions allowed that we rebranded and launched ‘Murky Sonics’. Our first event was in October 2021 at MASH in Cambridge and since then we’ve run 4 more club nights in Cambridge, as well as a couple more in Bournemouth, Val Thorens (France) and a mini-festival in a stable we converted at Rob’s gaff!
G: What’s been your biggest achievement and biggest challenge whilst running the night?
A: I think the event we did at The Emperor was my favourite. We really created a clear brand image with the event decking the room in these polystyrene heads, chicken wire and posters. It definitely left a really good impression. Music wise as well I feel it was the closest to the kind of stuff I want Murky to be associated with. It was a much smaller venue than MASH and The Vault in Bournemouth and a much more headsy crowd so I really felt we could be more expressive.
Challenge wise I find Cambridge quite a frustrating place at times. There are loads of crews and nights all playing music that has overlaps, however, I find it’s lacking in terms of a unified scene which is disappointing because I know there’s loads of people who’d love to hear the music that us and others are playing but I feel since COVID that connection has been severed a bit. That’s why I’m really keen on getting collabs going with other crews and events this year and really trying to bring about a unified scene.
G: What artists and DJs are you feeling atm?
A: A label, I know, but I’m a massive Ilian Tape fan and love all their output and I’m especially a big fan of the longer length stuff they do as you don’t see that much anymore, even though the journey and satisfaction you get on a cohesive album or event track is immense. I can’t really stand the short form stuff we’re seeing at the moment geared towards streams.
In terms of individual artists Stack Effect, Rift, Idioteque, Delian Sound, Mossambi, Ingi, Clemency, French II and Lurka are all some slightly smaller names who I’m really paying close attention to. Definitely go and check all of them out, you can hear a few of their tracks in my mix!
DJ wise I definitely recommend checking out Luvah who we’ve got headlining the Rize Up collab in February. Unreal DJ with such a good knowledge of a score of genres. I’m also really digging Airali at the moment too. I’ve seen her a couple of times and she really gets the perfect balance between being versatile whilst maintaining a distinct style. Around the Cambridge scene there’s a few really good ones as well like Izzi, JD X and Nala who we have for our event this Friday, as well as the dynamic duo Gary + Ed, MilDred, Talulah, Sharleen, FALQSCTF. There’s a bunch of really good DJs coming through at the moment who I’m sure you’ll see at a Murky event sooner rather than later.
G: What plans have you got in store for 2023?
A: On an individual level I really want, or rather need, to get some tracks out into the wild. I’ve got a couple pieces I’m fairly happy with (you might hear some bits at the event) but it’s just finding the time to polish them off and then set them free.
In terms of with Murky my aim is to really cement our name in Cambridge among both students and locals, and then in September our plan is to start running some events in London. Also may or may not see some Murky records after summer…
Make sure you give Avran a follow at all the usual places and don’t forget to catch him in the flesh on 27th January at our party down at The Orator. Grab your tickets for that here.
Avran:
Tracklist:
Katatonic Silentio – Déplacement De La Surface
Ayesha – Swim
Lurka – Rhythm Hi-Tek
Tamlin – Flutter In Blue
Ossia – Tumult (Lurka Remix)
Akkord – Megalith
Dayzero – Tenten
Cassisu Select – Emergency D
An Avrin – Slalom
Aroent – Say (Ploy’s Skeletal Tool Remix)
Kareful – Dungeon (L U C Y Remix)
French II – Whaha Riddim
Atrice – FKX8200
Rhyw – Just in Case
Atrice – Nulspace
Ship Sket – RITUAL RIDDIM
Cocktail Party Effect – Racka
Ma Sha Ru – Null Azimuth
Keplrr – Esoteric Functions (Syz Refunction)
Diessa – Trans Femme Mecha Cult
Moscow Legend, Tripta – SSK
Pariah – Squishy Windows
Leese – Anäam
Mossambi – EBreakingSystem
Lurka – ssppeedd
LCY – SACRED
THUGWIDOW – You See How It Spreads Out Like A Fungus (Fiesta Soundsystem Remix)