If you haven't heard of him already, Bobby O'Donnell is an incredibly talented musician and dj originally from the infamous seaside town of Blackpool, now based in the musically-rich Northern city of Leeds where he's lived for the last decade or so. Bobby has long been a mainstay of the city's thriving electronic music scene as a resident of Mint Club playing regularly for their in-club House & Techno event System, annually at the Cocoon in The Park and Mint Festivals, in addition to an endless list of parties locally in the city, and elsewhere in Europe for various promoters. Although his regular appearances at Mint naturally fall into the dance music category, he has an incredibly eclectic range of styles backed up by an even deeper knowledge of music history, theory and his own diverse record collection.
In terms of music production, this is where Bobby's talents are truly beginning to flourish. Having founded the Strobewax record label established around two years ago, releasing his astounding Epsilon solo EP alongside two others on the imprint so far, the label has received well-deserved attention as a very promising imprint for the UK's underground. Independently from his own label though, Bobby has deservedly attracted the ears of other top UK labels such as Mora Music and Catch Recordings. Then in 2014 his 'The Shards of Our Childhood' track was featured on the brilliant compilation - Selected: Compiled by Fred P which was released on one of Fred P's many great labels, the emphatic Soul People Music.
2016 will see much further release success for Bobby, with tracks going out on top northern label Illusion Recordings, Adam Shelton's One Records and another on Fred P's Soul People Music; this time it's a full EP for the Boards series. Bobby also has a track on the very first various artist release for our very own new label Snare Tapes. So his release schedule is gathering some rather impressive momentum.
Demonstrating his vast musical repertoire and diversity for Snare, Bobby has curated quite simply a beautiful mix here. Entirely absent of any 4/4 beat, he's decided to bring together a stunning collection of ambient, ethereal and cinematic masterpieces that creates one whole piece of sublime mix artistry brimming with emotional depth and a melancholic rhetoric that is deeply moving. It provokes thought, is well considered in the structure and subconsciously tells the listener a story. These attributes are often overlooked in the mix tape form, which is a shame given that for many, is what it should be all about. More interestingly, sat quite comfortably next to tracks from outstanding producers like Boards of Canada, Max Richter and Dj Koze, are two of Bobby's own esoteric productions; 'Riders' and 'Broken Rave Cassettes'. Two lovely pieces of music that sound at home next to the timeless other pieces that are in this mix, further reinforcing why his work is gaining recognition from the growing number of his admirers in the industry. As a friend and a musician, it's an absolute pleasure to have him on the series and the record label.
Tracklist
Vangelis- Memories of Green (Full Moon)
Actress - Jardin (Warp)
DJ Koze - Bodenweich (Kompakt)
Max Richter - Infra 2 (130701)
Bobby O'Donnell - Riders (Unreleased)
Tobias - Dark And Troubles Things (Ostgut Ton)
Boards Of Canada - The Colour OF Fire (Warp)
Bobby O'Donnell - Broken Rave Cassettes (Ambient Mix) (Unreleased)
June - Lost Area (DJ Sprinkles Empty Dancfloor) (These Days)
1991 - Harm Autumn (Opal Tapes)
Blair French - Frames (Delsin)
BRK - Scape 1 (Simphonic Silence Inside Records)
Alva Noto - Xerrox 2ndevol2nd (Raster-Noton)
Brian Hodgson and Delia Derbyshire - Outside The House (BBC Records)
Isorinne - Reality Is What You Can Get Away With (Field Holland)
Dasha Rush - Lumiere Avant Midi (Raster-Noton)
Dasha Rush - Ocean Shy (Deep Sound Channel)