STM 079 - Presha

The author of the mix is Geoff Wright, also known as Presha, a prolific New Zealand DJ and record label owner who now lives and works in Berlin, Germany. Active since the mid-1990s, Presha has engaged in many creative activities: event promotion, radio shows, and the distribution and trade of electronic music. He was also a speed metal vocalist and an old-school skateboarding aficionado, always obsessed with Japanese art. Presha is most notable for owning and managing the authoritative Samurai group of labels (Samurai Music, Red Seal, Horo), focusing on vinyl releases of subtle dance floor music. He is one of the important figures in today's drum and bass music scene, constantly pushing the genre forward and regularly presenting new talents such as Tokyo Prose and FIS, among others. He is always playing the freshest music with precise mixing and complete passion. Presha has been performing extensively as a DJ across New Zealand, Australia, Europe, Japan, and America alongside top international drum and bass artists such as Klute, Calibre, Marcus Intalex, Doc Scott, and many others. Now, Presha is here to uncover a deeper and more experimental side of his music collection—the sounds he listens to at home and that have influenced him since he moved to Berlin.

“Secret Thirteen Mix 079” is a deliberate and fluid studio mix that gradually shifts, creating a well-balanced, sustained, and rich wholeness. The mix includes 30 high-quality and precisely produced records that were mostly released in the last two decades. However, the fundamental part of the mix is based on recently created pieces by extremely experienced artists such as Genotype, FIS, Demdike Stare, Emptyset, and Dominick Fernow's Rainforest Spiritual Enslavement. There is also a collection of untitled and unreleased records; two of them by FIS and Ena are from the upcoming compilation on Presha's Horo label. This fact enhances the mix with even more mystery and unexpectedness. It is also possible to hear some early drum and bass works flavored with crafty amen breaks, hoover-type samples, and sci-fi vocal cuts by legendary producers such as J Majik, Source Direct, and Instra:mental. The mix contains a piece by David Long, written for Presha's brother Douglas Wright's modern dance performance “RAPT.” The foundation of this mix stands on extensive obscure ambiance, arithmetically deforming rhythms, mathematical hardware-generated textures, and drowned intense low vibrations. The micro background layer is enriched with frequently moving and expanding inventive effects modulation, cinematic melody arrangements, and auxiliary, slightly expanded cathedral soundscapes. Presha's mixing is carefully measured, exemplary accurate, and smooth, allowing the listener to fully merge into the professionally developed psychological and strangely emotional sound solidity.

“Secret Thirteen Mix 079” is like Max Ernst's arcane and dimensional abstract painting “Configuration No. 16,” where potent and cosmic shapes create a modern-age "Iliad" of the mind. Presha's progressive selection ideally mirrors Ernst's metaphysical painting. By analyzing the inventive amplitude of these two specific creations—their arrangement and encoded narrative significance to the observer and listener—it becomes clear that Presha's mix is worthy of comparison to one of the greatest surreal painter's masterworks. Presha's expressed and implemented intention, his contemplation on the mix's structure and its micro connections or particles, perfectly reveal his profound personality, dexterity, and skills. It also presents him as a versatile record selector who has accumulated a vast music library. This mix is for those who aim to be hypnotized by the supreme synthesis of smooth, refined dance floor convulsions in Presha's unforgettable audio voyage to the abyss of sounds.