Ancient Puzzle Arts Podcast #49: Shugazi's Fever Dream Selection

It wouldn’t be an Ancient Puzzle Arts mix without a unique origin story. Before Shugazi became a ubiquitous name in the Philly DJ club scene, I knew him as a staff member of a music production space in Philadelphia. I was producing a lot of work there post-pandemic—notably ‘Venom’ (Throne of Blood Recordings) and the majority of my album Law of Averages (NOREMIXES). While working in the studio, Shugazi stood out as the one person who shared my specific musical interests. He eventually showed me his incredible visual arts work, leading us to collaborate on the music video for ‘The Leisure Hive,’ my track with Zillas on Acid.

Fast forward to the last two years, and Shugazi has exploded as a DJ in Philly. His party series Highbeam has featured “Of the Now” local DJs and talent. Not only does he pay extra attention to futuristic musical curation for his parties, but he also has fantastic visuals to go with the performance. Shugazi is a master of synesthesia here in Philadelphia.

For this Ancient Puzzle Arts mix, he has transitioned away from his typical high energy future club antics and instead explores a harmonic, euphoric ambient and down tempo selection, then closing it out with some eclectic 4x4 and breakbeat. Here’s a description of the mix in Shugazi’s own words:

Nostalgia is both an essential tool and the main crutch for club DJs, but I wanted to present personally nostalgic tracks that evoked some of my own fleeting dreams - pulling “Blown Fruit” from repeated steam room sessions at an old apartment, “Kokomo” from a college friend’s blog, “Aqui & Ahora (Y Despues)” from a sunrise set I played at a legendary forest rave two summers ago. Once, I had a dream that Nail Salon was playing the most angelic dub techno at a lounge, and told me that he’d probably be playing “So Peaceful” by Jeremy.

I recorded it at home with my mastersounds rotary mixer + space echo pedal. When I first started DJing 6+ years ago, I was really into soulful house and disco music like I was hearing at BWC parties and classic mixes from Joe Claussell, Theo Parrish etc. As my tastes and High Beam’s direction have progressed, my mixing has become rapid and riskier, with faster club oriented music, 3-4 decks etc.

This mix was an effort to go back to a more restrained mixing style while still presenting the eclectic, no rules approach of High Beam in the first hour as the room slowly builds. A mix that can be put on right before drifting off into a 20 minute disco nap. It’s Bright, Breakbeat, Acid, Dub, Rock, Noisy at points. All of my usual calling cards but in a home listening package!!

Track listing:

Carl Craig - C-Beams Glitter

Kelly Moran - Prism Drift

Dub Squad - Blown Fruit

Jeremy - So Peaceful

D. Tiffany - Get Back to You Soon

fka boursin - coma

Freak Heat Waves - The Time Has Come

Talaboman - Dins El Llit

Object Object - Hurt You

Dirty Beaches - I Dream In Neon

Gustavo Cerati - Aqui & Ahora (Y Despues)

Gallifre - Set Your Mind To It (Winelight Instrumental Mix)

Brother Nebula - Parting Infinity

Ex-Terrestrial - Urth Man

Lay Bac - Kokomo