Appleblim (a.k.a. Laurie Osborne) is an interesting figure. In the mid ’00s, the Bristol producer was best known as one of the co-founders of Skull Disco, the pioneering label he operated alongside Shackleton. However, following the imprint’s demise in 2008, he’s taken a varied path, starting up his own Apple Pips label and initially releasing a flurry of collaborative singles in 2009 and 2010 before temporarily going quiet on the production front. As Osborne detailed in our interview with him last summer, making music doesn’t come easily for him, but he’s gradually learning to accept his role as an electronic musician. 2013 saw the release of his first fully solo 12″, along with several joint efforts with fellow Bristolian Komon. The two producers have hit something of a groove, as this week saw the release of the pair’s latest effort (and second this year), the Motion Blur EP, which is being issued via Aus Music. Given this burst of energy, it seems safe to say that Appleblim is back into the swing of things, so the time seemed right to enlist his services for the XLR8R podcast series.

Even during the Skull Disco era, Osborne was never an artist who strictly adhered to notions of genre, and this mix seems to indicate that his passion for hybrid sounds remains intact. Over the course of 76 minutes, he touches upon house, techno, garage, jungle, and some skippy bass permutations that are all but impossible to classify. That description may give the impression that Appleblim has put together something scattered, but the podcast is actually rather coherent. There’s a narrative at work, one that’s dark, occasionally brooding, and very much rooted in UK bass culture. And with Appleblim at the helm, it’s a story that’s very much worth hearing.

01 Henry Liam Collins “Field Recording: East Prawle Seaside Carpark”
02 Echoes from the Temple “Body Memory”
03 Appleblim “Echos Retreat” (Aus)
04 Code 6 “Quad 1” (Nu Groove)
05 Bruce “Tilikum” (Dnous Ytivil)
06 October “The Gate to Yesterday” (Skudge)
07 Spatial “Recover” (Ultramajic)
08 t.s.s.k. “Burrs Tim”
09 Zenker Brothers “Mount Eleven” (Ilian Tapes)
10 Rhythmic Theory “Tales of Dystopia” (Idle Hands)
11 Carl Craig “A Wonderful Life” (Planet E)
12 Logos “Savannah Overlord”
12 Roxy “Watch Dis” (ShelfLife)
13 Addison Groove “Allaby”
14 Acre “Powerlines”
15 Kevin McPhee “In Circles (Kamikaze Space Programme Drum Tool)” (WNCL)
16 DVA “Mad Hatter”
17 Fracture & Sam Binga “Grippin’ Grain” (Exit)
18 Second Storey “Shamen Champagne” (Houndstooth)
19 Appleblim “Ignite”
20 Henry Liam Collins “Field Recording: Rain Drips”

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