When Grant first stepped onto the scene via his own label, The Lauren Bacall, back in 2014, it was one of the most sure-footed strides we have seen in recent years. His productions, which rolled out thick and fast, had the hallmarks of someone who had already been deep in the game for years: precise, swinging deep house numbers, all with bags of character.

In fact, Grant was the rebirth of a popular musician under a new guise, whose former identity remains unknown to date. What we do know about the artist, is that he is thriving in his new circumstances. Most recently, his album with Lobster Theremin sub-label Mörk (a second full-length release in the past two years) slipped comfortably into our Best Releases of 2016; a producer becoming more and more confident in his sound—a low-key, yet unforgettable brand of house, with a totally timeless feel. In this week’s podcast, Grant offers up a mix made up of entirely unreleased recordings—a genre-spanning, totally fresh selection of his own projects.

When and where was the mix recorded?
The mix was recorded, or I would rather say assembled, in my studio over the holiday period in late December.

Could you tell us about the idea behind it? How did you choose the records in it?
The mix is actually made of all unreleased material and a lot are tracks still in the works that I edited for the occasion so it could fit in the mix. This was a great exercise as in the process I made a lot of progress on the tracks individually, and listening back at the result a lot are now close to completion.

So the mix is compiled of only unreleased recordings. Do you have a lot of unreleased material? How did you choose the records in it?
The mix is indeed composed of all unreleased material and showcases the various collaborative projects I am working on. It ranges from hip-hop to contemporary cosmic jazz house, and to more deep dubby-influenced stuff, and some atmospheric bites.

How does it compare to a Grant club set?
It is pretty much that. I really like to play very deep and atmospheric, quite contemplative music—and at certain points pick up the pace with stuff that is more percussive and dubby. So I tried to cram all that into one hour. Obviously, in a real set things take much more time to develop.

Talk to us about the background of the Grant project, and your musical background.
Well I have been collecting records, DJing and producing for 15 years, give or take;
and over the years my taste has really expanded, and still to this day I am becoming increasingly more curious, listening to anything from African, Brazilian recordings, contemporary and cosmic jazz, ambient music, hip-hop, early liquid drum & bass, etc. I guess the common thread that ties everything together whatever the style might be a sense of deepness; there is nothing too aggressive or harsh, if that makes any sense. But it is always hard to describe how an individual feels about music.

What have you got planned for 2017?
I am releasing a new EP, Grant 001, next week on a white label series that I am starting, where the output is focused on original material – edits and unofficial remixes by me. I am also currently working on a solo EP for Lobster Theremin and putting together Grant 002.

Also, as you see by the tracklist of the mix, I am working on several collaborative album projects with some extremely talented individuals that I hope to release sometime this year. So I have quite a busy schedule.

[This download is no longer available.]

Tracklisting:

01. Zotos, Grant “Untitled 1”
02. Zotos, Grant “Untitled 2”
03. Zansika ,Grant – Untitled 1
04. Grant “Untitled 1”
05. Grant “Untitled 2”
06. George Btp, Grant “Untitled 1”
07. Grant “Dazu (Grant 001)”
08. Grant “Untitled 3”
09. Zansika, Grant “Untitled 2”
10. Grant “Untitled 4”
11. Grant “Malt Brun (Grant 001)”
13. Grant “Back Mind (Grant 001)”