30 Years Of Freerange at BBE Store

Philippa

Philippa started DJing in the halcyon days of the late 90s, an era ring-fenced by Motorbass’s smoky ‘french touch’ deep house and the American overlords DJ Sneak and Derrick Carter - artists who were endlessly churning out grinding disco loops, brutalising astute global dancefloors into pulverised messes. House music was by turns art based, intellectual and relentlessly fun/ctional. These cutting edge international sounds made their way to clubs in New Zealand where a young and impressionable Philippa earnestly lapped them up. Working by day in seminal Auckland record store BPM, nights she learnt to DJ in the city’s brilliant corners of sound. As a training ground there's nothing quite like the weekly residencies of local scenes: breeding grounds of talent where artists are nurtured and toughened up by the critical presence of week in / week out dancefloors, and that’s certainly what happened here. Philippa would go on to become a leading light in the New Zealand underground. By the time she left in 2013 she had headlined six national tours under her party banner Chicago Disco, won music industry awards and accolades, and hosted Friday Drive on the nation’s electronic music radio station George FM for seven years. Curiosity however, can be a bitch. Questions had been entering Philippa’s mind - were European dance floors really as intoxicating as they seemed from afar? What could she learn if she leapt from the safe waters of her natural home? Moving to Berlin in 2013 perhaps inevitably meant that DJing took a back seat, and as such these years were difficult. With no production background to act as a business card, Philippa came to a vital realisation - that she could either start again and work her way up through the city’s innumerable clubs, or embrace a new era of learning and double down on music production. She chose the latter. Working by day teaching tertiary level students in an institution of arts and technology, Philippa spent weekends focused on learning a new craft - not one of rotating records, but one of synthesisers, samplers and sound design. Immersed in this world Philippa went to ground, emerging finally in 2019 with the birth of her record label At Peace - named so to honour what she’d given up by moving to the often brutal grey city that is Berlin, and the frame of mind she’d decided to adopt in response to those losses. It was through the launch of this label that Philippa’s sound came to the attention of hugely respected UK house label Freerange. In the early days of the pandemic, label head Jimpster asked if she would consider submitting demos - and consequently Philippa’s Freerange EP ‘There’s A Ghost in My Synthesizer’ was released in September 2022. The record was well received in house music circles and was followed by another release in December 2023: ‘Latent Magic’. Further releases followed - Philippa’s ‘Rainy Nights’ ep came out on London’s Slothboogie in June 2023 and was a big record for the label internationally. 2023 was also the year Philippa was asked to remix iconic New Zealand band Fat Freddy’s Drop, with the track ‘Bones’. And her remix of classic house cut Roach Motel ‘The Night’, for the UK Faith Fanzine and Defected Records banner label Faith, came out early January 2024. 2024 saw a joint ep with Freerange label head Jimpster - All I Wanted. Followed a few months later with a release on Canadian label Lazy Days, featuring a remix of the track Blue Skies by Dutch house heroes Fouk. There's more production work planned for release in 2025, including an ep for Swedish label Local Talk, as well as a bunch of remixes, and a track on Slothboogie's 15 years compilation.

Conrad Lee

Hudson’s Choice

Whether DJ’ing, in the studio, working for Freerange Records or behind the counter at Phonica. Scott approaches his craft with a reverence for the roots of electronic music. With an unwavering commitment to authenticity he pays homage to the pioneers who paved the way, alongside the heroes of today. 2024 was a breakthrough year for Scott. As a producer, he released his debut EP, Myatt’s Field, in collaboration with long-time mentor Jimpster. In the club, he appeared on bills with Session Victim, Mafalda and Crazy P, as well as launching a new party series - Universal Melodies. His DJ sets span soulful house, deeper tech, ecstatic disco and global left-field sounds, while productions bridge trippy slow-mo techno and percussive house jams. With a strong sense of community at the heart of everything he does, the sounds of Hudson’s Choice invite you to feel something deep, deep inside. The seed of all this can be traced back to the Essex town where Hudson grew up. Cutting his teeth at local bars, often putting in 6 hour shifts in the DJ booth, these were the kinds of sets that allow you to explore your full collection, and hone your craft. Having put in the hours behind the decks, his hand soon turned to parties, and a booking that has helped shape his early output. A council-funded arts centre in Braintree might not be the spot you’d expect to see one of the most respected house DJs and producers of his time. But Scott made it happen. Having renovated the upstairs room at a theatre in his hometown, he invited down another local head by the name of Jamie Odell - AKA Jimpster. As another ardent enthusiast for all things community, of course Jamie said yes, and new connections were formed. Hudson’s tastes had already been shaped at home from a young age. His father’s collection was often on rotation, boasting timeless disco, soul, funk, and proto-house. The likes of The Peech Boys, Lonnie Liston Smith, Maze, D Train, The Whispers… the list (and the beat) goes on. Taking these influences and reappraising them in today’s context, DJs like Ron Trent, Antal, Midland, Move D and Weatherall became early reference points for his evolving tastes. The ability of these artists to recontextualise sounds and eras, both in their DJ sets and productions, stood out, and remains a guiding principle for the work of Hudson’s Choice. Those dusty 12”s from his Dad’s collection are still getting dropped in a peak time set, or being reimagined as part of a new tune. His production journey also took root in his hometown community. A chance meeting with Ray Hurley in 2020, with Ray sharing wisdom on Logic and sampling, was the push that Scott needed to start creating. 2024 then saw his debut release on Delusions of Grandeur, the Freerange sublabel. A four track collaboration with label-head Jimpster, the Myatt’s Field EP received support from Bill Brewster, Sean Johnston, Axel Boman and Kruder & Dorfmeister. Moving through psychedelic chug, wonky cross-rhythms, and percussive groovers, the EP received praise as an “eclectic studio debut” with “Weatherall-esque” moments. Myatt’s Field not only encapsulates the musical journey of Hudson’s Choice to date, but also serves as a promise of what’s to come. Since debuting on community radio in 2020, Scott has held residencies with Brixton Radio and Loose FM, as well as making regular appearances on Balamii and Voices. His party, Universal Melodies, centres the fundamentals of a good party: low lights, big sound and good people, and all a stone's throw from his front door. Proper community dancing. As well appearing regularly at Universal Melodies, Scott has appeared at Omeara, Space Talk & Servant Jazz Quarters amongst several other London venues, Acanteen in Chelmsford, Rumu in Lisbon and Rest off the coast of Sicily.