jazzy house & broken beat for those summer daze…

For our first mix of 2022 we welcome head honcho of The Rhythm Social Club, Liam Pook. A DJ and party collective that began in London with its roots in the jazz and soul inflected styles of house music, The Rhythm Social Club is now making its way to Melbourne, where Pook has recently relocated. Keep your eyes peeled for upcoming parties.

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Can you tell us about ‘The Rhythm Social Club’? How did it begin and what’s it all about? The intention behind The Rhythm Social Club has always been to bring together similarly minded artists, producers and DJs in an effort to build a community and encourage collaboration. As a DJ, I’d get a massive kick from gig-swapping with other London-based DJs, making friends and discovering new music, all while playing to crowds outside our monthly residencies. We never felt at one moment we were in competition with each other - the focus was always about a shared love of music discovery.

After establishing the collective in London a few years back, I moved to Melbourne in January 2020. COVID has slowed progress, but being lucky enough to meet some incredible Melbourne-based artists, musicians and DJs has given me high hopes for 2022.

You recently made the move to Melbourne from London. People often cite parallels between the two cities. Have you found this to be the case, especially within the music scene?  Melbourne-based artists and labels are getting a lot of radio play in the UK, especially in the soul and jazz space, largely driven by the hype around artists like Hiatus Kaiyote over the last 5-10 years. Rhythm Section (based round the corner to where I used to live in Peckham, SE London) have been shining a light on the scene by signing artists such as Allysha Joy & 30/70 etc, all supported through heavy rotation by DJs like Gilles Peterson, who has always been a flag bearer for Melbourne-based artists (go check out Sunny Side Up - a compilation of Australian jazz/soul artists - released on Giles’ Brownswood label). 

The shared interest in improvisational music (e.g. jazz/soul), as well as more leftfield electronic selections, was a welcome parallel for me personally when I arrived heavily jet-lagged a couple years back. Swinging by Northside Records a day after arriving and chatting with the owner Chris about the scene here in Melbourne made me feel at home immediately.

How did you decide to approach your Lazydaze mix? Was there a concept behind it? As a Londoner living in Melbourne I wanted to create a musical bridge between Australia and the UK in the jazz and broken beat space, dipping into house and electronica. The selection of music is representative of the kind of vibe I try to create at Rhythm Social Club gigs - upbeat and positive, a space that inspires creativity and collaboration.

Are there any particularly special tracks or moments in there for you? I’m a big fan of the Emma-Jean Thackray version of Wayne Shorter’s ‘Speak No Evil’ taken from Blue Note Reimagined, which dropped last year. It’s a blessing for a DJ, blending jazz, broken beat and electronica, so the perfect track to transition from jazz to dance floor. I’d also recommend checking out her debut album from last year - one of the top releases of 2021 for sure.

I also wanted to pay homage to the broken beat/bruk scene out of London. For those who are less familiar with the scene, it emerged in the mid-90s/early 2000s, evolving from garage (but with more of a jazz influence) - for me a uniquely “London” sound. Kaidi Tatham (who features in the mix) was a pioneer in the early days, originally a member of Bugz in the Attic and now producing as a solo artist. If you’re looking to get school’d on the scene, go check out Co-op Presents Selectors Assemble on Worldwide FM where IG Culture and Alex Phonzi (label heads, and godfather’s of broken beat) host a monthly show.

What’s coming up for The Rhythm Social Club in 2022? Anything exciting you can share with us? After a false start in Jan 2020 and two years of cancelled gigs and a long list of lockdown guest mixes/radio shows, I’m excited to finally give The Rhythm Social Club its long awaited Australia launch. As well as a night at Melbourne’s Bodriggy Brewery, I’m chatting with a few venues to set-up a semi-permanent home for the collective. 

I’m also hosting a regular guest slot on Balamii Radio out of London for my pals at Shapes of Rhythm (shouts to Tom and Mark), showcasing the latest talent coming out of Melbourne/Australia.

It’s Sunday afternoon and you’re at home. What album are you putting on? Keeping things on a UK jazz tip, I’d pick Ashley Henry’s Beautiful Vinyl Hunter - his debut studio album that dropped back in 2019 - off the shelf. Ashley has roped in a few pals in the UK jazz/soul/hip hop scene (Theo Crocker, Sparkz etc) to create a flawless body of work, and the perfect accompaniment to a cuppa on a Sunday arvo. Top track: ‘Cranes (In the Sky)’.

TRACKLIST
Scrimshire - Within Without feat. Jessica Lauren
Tenderlonious - Song for My Mother
Bentley & Horatio Luna - Bingo Bongo
Byron The Aquarius - Space & Time
Emma-Jean Thackray - Speak No Evil (Night Dreamer)
David Versace - Love Expressions
Close Counters - Speak In Truth (feat. Allysha Joy)
Kaidi Tatham - Carry ft Mongo Man
Chaos in the CBD & Lee Pearson Jnr Collective feat. K LaDawn & Joe Armon Jones - It's Up To Me (Vocal)
Cody Currie - When The Time Is Right
Dan Kye Raro - Small Moments
Sampology - Running Around
Laurence Guy - Untitled Needs

// Mix artwork by Lyndon Pike //