Ann Tweak: The ‘Shine A Light On’ Mix

A classy assortment of tracks, folk up north don’t do things by half measures.

Listen and read the interview below:

Please introduce yourself… Who are you, where are you and what are you? 

Hey there, my name is Ann Tweak I’m an Edinburgh born n’ bred DJ I co-run The Mirror Dance alongside my cousin Taisce at the 100 capacity sweatbox Sneaky Pete’s. We’ve had the pleasure of hosting the likes of Yu Su, Dreamcastmoe, DJ Python, Dar Disku, K15, Sofie K B2B Joe Delon, Shy One, Tia Cousins and the mighty Ruf Dug a handful of times. You can hear me on EHFMs weekly Monday morning radio show with my wonderful cohost, flatmate and chef extraordinaire Lietzsche for all your sleezy music needs to get you into gear for the week ahead.

What does your music sound like? Can you draw what you think it sounds like for us (an image from the old internet is acceptable)? 

I captured some photos of people dancing at my last gig it really evokes some raw emotions, hopefully people can understand the music I play through these images.

Where was the mix recorded?

I recorded the mix at home in my kitchen most likely annoying the neighbours.

What would be the ideal setting to listen to the mix?

On yacht coming to dock in a small Mediterranean town during the golden hour or on the Lothian 16 bus from Granton, they both have the same effect.

What should we be wearing?

Silk shirt and open toed sandals accompanied by a pack of Camel blues.

What would be your dream setting to record a mix: Location/system/format?

I’d love to record a set at Field Maneuvers outdoor stage. It’s the only outdoor stage at the festival so everyone comes together each day until the sun goes down, it’s like Sunday Mass just with more poppers and an inflatable tall boy as the priest. The system they’ve used the past few years has been great, you can hear what’s going on from that stage all through the campsite.

Which track in the mix is your current favourite?

Serge & Tyrell ‘Pump-O-Matic’ – It’s one I’ve had for ages and never gets old for me, guaranteed to release your inner freak!

What’s your favourite recorded mix of all time?

It’s got to be Suzanne Kraft’s ‘Ray Ban x Boiler Room 007’. Without a doubt the mix I have listened to the most, its the ultimate Sunday scaries remedy or a great soundtrack to wallowing mood.

If you could go back to back with any DJ from throughout history, who would it be and why?

Larry Levan, simply one of the best to ever do it! His edits and remixes always get a spin when I’m playing out and they still sound fresher than ever.

What was your first DJ set up at home and what is it now?

I started with a two channel controller I could just plug into my laptop and a pair of Rokit 5s. I used to pack this set up into a big blue Ikea bag before a night out in preparation for the afters. Once the club was shut and some poor bastard volunteered to have folk back round to theirs I would get a taxi back and pick up the Ikea bag then head over to the flat to play tunes. Those were some of my earliest experiences of playing out to people.

Now I’ve got two compact XDJ 700s they’re my favorite decks to play on, stripped back with just the bare necessities – I find the 3000s have far too many bells n whistles going on, it’s easy to get lost in all the specs. – A pair of PLX-500 turntables, a beautiful Condesa Lucia rotary mixer, the same one Sneaky Pete’s has but two channels instead of four. A Boss Re-20 Space Echo Pedal, it’s a lot of fun to play with, it takes up a lot of willpower not use it on every transition and the very same KRK Rokit 5s I took out to parties nearly 10 years ago now.

What’s more important, the track you start on or the track you end on?

I really enjoy being on the warm up so I find they’re both equally as important, the opening track sets the tone for the first few hours of the night so I’m thinking ‘are we hitting the ground running? Are we creating some atmosphere first while the venue fills up?’ For the last track, again if it’s warm up I want to make sure whoever is on after me has enough headroom energy-wise to take their set in whatever direction they feel is best for them.

What were the first and last records you bought?

The first record I bought was DJ Sneak’s The Polyester EP, I bought it just for the A1 ‘Show Me The Way’ at this dive bar, Paradise Palms in Edinburgh. It is a great place for picking up second hand records usually from older DJs in the city passing on preloved records as well as new releases from local labels and artists, basically a great effin’ place to get to grips with what my city is putting out into the world of vinyl + you could have a pint while digging through the crates.

The most recent record I picked up was at my work Underground Solution, its this amazing Gospel disco track reissued by Edinburgh’s Athens of the North label by Spirit Of Love ‘The Power Of Your Love’. I was mindlessly looking through the 7s at the end of a shift when I stumbled across it, I was in disbelief to see it there as I had been tasked with stock checking all the 7″ not too long ago. There’s no better feeling than finding a dessert island disc in the flesh!

If this mix was an edible thing, what would it taste like?

Sweet, salty and chewy so something along the lines of a sated caramel confectionery.

If it was an animal what would it be?

Something aquatic that’s also a land dweller, so anything from a Capybara to a frog – I’ll let the listener decide.

One record in your collection that is impossible to mix into anything?

Eddie Grants ‘Electric Avenue’ is a nightmare to mix and yet I still try and still clang it every time! If anyone reading this has decent edit please send it my way.

Upcoming in the world of…

Anything else we need to discuss?

We’ve got Steven Julien coming up on Saturday 15th March to play at Sneaks as part of his DJ Kicks tour, aside from that TMD is eyeing up some guests for later this year and we’ll be celebrating 8 years of parties in September!