Veteran house specialist Alan Abrahams has been somewhat quiet over the past few years, as barely a peep has been heard from either his ambient-inclined Portable moniker or his more dancefloor-oriented Bodycode alias. In fairness, a new Portable EP on Abrahams’ Süd Electronic label is reportedly in the works, as is a new 12″ for Perlon, but in the meantime, the South African-born artist has offered to provide a window into his current musical headspace by putting together an exclusive mix for the XLR8R podcast series. Having spent long stints of his life in various locales, including Cape Town, London, Lisbon, and his current home base of Berlin, it’s no surprise that there’s nothing singular about Abrahams’ music. Listening to his selections here, it quickly becomes apparent that he has little trouble blending tribal African grooves with the mechanics of Chicago house and the dark precision of German techno. If there’s anything tying it all together—apart from Abrahams himself, of course—it’s a commitment to rich, full-bodied sounds. The sounds aren’t exactly souful, but there’s undoubtedly a real sense of soul at work, and a genuine warmth to the proceedings. It’s a winning combination, and one that he’ll be bringing to North America during a short tour that begins next week. Abrahams’ itinerary can be found below, along with the podcast tracklist.

North American Tour Dates:
3/14 NYC – Output
3/15 San Francisco – Honey Soundsystem
3/22 Chicago – Smart Bar

01 Caswell James “Corazon Angustiado (Juju & Jordash Remix)” (Süd Electronic)
02 Portable “Albatross” (Süd Electronic)
03 Lord Tusk “Female Bodyguards (Arms House Mix)” (Levels)
04 John Grant “Black Belt” (Partisan)
05 Reggie Dokes “Cyber Love” (Still)
06 Wax Master Maurice “Stop Screaming” (Dance Mania)
07 Freund der Familie “Porentief (RNDM Remix)” (Freund der Familie)
08 Sly & Lenky “Now Thing” (Soul Jazz)
09 Bodycode “A New Species” (Naïf)
10 Gabbamonkey “2 Pace Back” (Still)
11 Portable “Continue” (Perlon)

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