Babylon X Mix
Babylon X is the duo project by MYKI and Olsvangèr. Born through and for their own imprint Tofistock, they naturally unite together for a special need and common feeling to relieve times and energies on the dance floor or as they say the “sense floor”. Taking over Tapes #75, they bring you unreleased music for this high-energy mix.
Their first track released in the label's boutique collection and considered the theme of the collection - ‘Hyper Love’ represents part of their perception of the space of time and nostalgia, a value that they deal with in their work consistently.
This month, on September 22, they released an EP called Truckupidööm, a conceptual and diverse 5 tracks that provides a journey in a disintegrating and creaking truck, rolling through magical landscapes, underground, in the deserts of the unknown.
Hey both! Lovely to have you on the series and welcome back Olsvangèr :)Why don’t you start by introducing yourself?
Hey, thank you so much for having us! Babylon X is the duo project of MYKI and Olsvangèr, first of all, we are two soul brothers and music lovers. I would def say we are sharing the same respect and fear for many common feelings that music can give birth to. From the explorations these feelings hold, through the creation of a peak time energy made by using very specific techniques to the endless inspiration each of us brings to the studio, all of these fill up the gas in our truck :)
The project started with a vision of producing a track for the label’s signature release; ‘Hyper Love’. We decided to stick to a production method that basically says: no cynicism, strict emotions with no doubts, naive melodies, euphoric layers of strings and pads, we have it all on the Hyper Love Vol.1 and very soon on Vol.2, keep an eye it’s going to be a blast.
Tell us more about this mix, I know it's mostly unreleased tracks - favourite track inside?
Yes, the mix loads with many upcomers from both of us. It starts with a remix of the one and only Haruomi Hosono, which def affecting our musical perspective and productions, so it’s a moment of tribute for a mind which had experimented with genres, synths, cross boundaries technics, and psychedelics many years ago.
Ideal setting to listen to it?
It's a high energy mix, but at the same time very deep. It's very connected to our mutual B2B’s, at local parties in TLV and Jerusalem in the recent few months, and actually, we had a crazy closing set that was taken from the same energetic fields, that was a morning set together at ‘Taltalistim’ last Purim party in Jerusalem.
We can’t describe the euphoria we had in the booth. Purim is a customs holiday so at some point this morning turned so psychedelic and unique, there were 1000+ people in a huge parking lot with a semi-perforated ceiling. So we can say - that’s the ideal setting:)
Tell us about how Babylon X started? You both run ‘Tofistock’ which is one of our favourites at Origins. How has that been going?
The project started when we realized that we both share a high dose of nostalgic longing, we started rolling out the concept of our VA “Hyper Love”, and from that as a result we gathered in the common studio of the label, to explore the sound of the collection, the melodic result we create led us to think about references and influences, and we realized what a crazy time capsule we are able to sculpt, and through that, we can express all musical ideas about reality.
But at the same time, we tried to find out all kinds of other topics that are not at all related to music, about the human soul, existence, ethics, aesthetics, and anxiety. We are both romantic types, this affinity for what was once in the past, for how humans felt and moved in the world, we both love and worship philosophy, the concept of dialect, and discussion while building a thesis based on an overflow of private conclusions, which will eventually unite into a common super-perception exists in our space always, without control.
What’s the best part about running a label?
To see it grow with your hard work, to see new audiences get to know the discography, and to see exciting support coming through sales and plays. Of course, the creme de la creme is to know that you built a nice place for you and for the artists around you to release their music when they produce something gorgeous.
Who are you listening to right now?
When we are together we really enjoy listening to bossa nova. Every month one of us sends the other some lost gem that he found in the depths of the ocean of this enchanting little intimate music.
Eyal (Olsvangèr) is really into ‘John Cage and Jan Steele - All Day’, “this is one of the warmest soul blankets I have recently found”.
Mikey has recently returned to listening to Robert Wyatt, “he has accompanied me for years and recently I find in him an anchor and a source of musical sanity, one untouched by the demon of greed”.
Favourite place to party?
Honestly, we rarely go out dancing at parties. Because we are often playing and it takes a lot of energy from us, we prefer to rest in our free time, go to exhibitions, and concerts, read books, and watch movies.
Producing or DJing?
To create and express, any platform that allows us this resonating instinct that exists in both of us is blessed.
Thanks for being a part of the Tapes series!