Finlay Shakespeare is up next on Editions Mego with Domestic Economy, an 11-track album and a debut under his birth name. All previous releases have come as Future Image on Future Image Records; you’ll find four EPs in total, broadly encompassing glitch, IDM, acid, and ambient. The latest of these, PACh ArcEL, surfaced in 2008, after which Shakespeare’s focus was drawn to Future Sound Systems, an independent musical device manufacturer. Domestic Economy is the Bristol-based artist’s first new music in over a decade.  

There isn’t much else to be said about Shakespeare, barring that the dropping of his alias appears to be emblematic of a swift change in sonic direction. Domestic Economy, out February 11, is a strong dose of electronic pop, with sharp beats and Shakespeare’s own ecstatic vocals. It’s a highly original piece of experimental work; and with the aim of giving it some context, Shakespeare compiled a mix of some of the records that inspired him to work on it. You’ll find the tracklist below, alongside the WeTransfer button for the download. 

“Being asked to put a mix together is always a nice thing, though can easily place you halfway between the arrogance and the fear of pushing your musical taste upon unsuspecting ears. More arrogantly, the tracks below are all fantastic. There are some usual suspects in this mix, as well as some perhaps unexpected choices, mostly recorded from vinyl then cut together digitally. There’s a good bunch of vinyl exclusive cuts here too, not found on yer typical Spotify jaunt, and also a Severed Heads edit I made for this. Listen out for stuff played backwards—thanks Reloop. More fearfully, if you like these, there’s a chance you might like what I do. Who knows? Get up and dance off the cold, Mark Allaway is king here.” — Finlay Shakespeare

Due to issues regarding the GDPR, EU readers can download the podcast here.

Tracklisting

01. The Human League “The Path of Least Resistance” [Reproduction, Virgin, OVED 114, LP]

02. Empress Of “Water Water” [Me, Terrible Records, TRLP038, LP]

03. Harold Webb “Changeover” [Decimal Points, BBC / DITB, REMO 46M, LP]

04. AFX “Lisbon Acid [Analord 07, Rephlex, 55667, 12”]

05. Le Car “Vinyl Seat” [Auto-Reverse, Clone Classic Cuts, CCC030LP, 2xLP]

06. Autechre “Debris Funk” [NTS Sessions, WARP LP 364, 12xLP]

07. Foals – Gold Gold Gold [Red Socks Pugie, Transgressive, TRANS075, 7”]

08. Blood Sport – Harsh Realm [Return to Disorder, RTTD007, 12”]

09. Jessy Lanza “Never Enough” [Oh No, Hyperdub, HDBLP030, LP]

10. The Human League “Marianne” [Holiday ’80, Virgin, VIP-5906, 12”]

11. Kraftwerk “Numbers” (Re-Mix) [Showroom Dummies, EMI 5272, 7”]

12. Burial “Forgive” [Burial, Hyperdub, HDBLP001, 2xLP]

13. Jean-Michel Jarre “Arpegiator” [The Concerts in China, Polydor, PODV 3, 2xLP]

14. Severed Heads “New Explosions” [Stretcher, Medical Records, MR-060, 2xLP]

15. Severed Heads “Now An Explosive New Movie” [City Slab Horror, Medical Records, MR-035, LP]

16. The Human League “Do or Die Dub” (Special Edit) [Methods of Dance, Virgin, OVED 5, LP]

17. Crash Course in Science “Force The Habit” [Near Marineland, Vinyl on Demand, VOD67Re2, LP]

18. New Young Pony Club “Everything Is” [NYPC, The Numbers, NUMBER02LP, LP]

19. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark “Time Zones” [Dazzle Ships, Virgin, V 2261, LP]

20. Jim Harold & Matthew Sansom “Last 30mins” [Alt-Vinyl, AV-012, 11”]

21. David Bowie “Subterraneans” [Low, RCA, INTS 5065, LP]

22. Sylvan Esso “Slack Jaw” [What Now, Loma Vista Recordings, LVR00137, LP]