Local star Wax Motif mixes for Strictly Rhythm

Alongside his Canadian studio partner Neoteric, Sydney-bred DJ-producer Wax Motif has been tapped to mix Strictly Rhythms Vol. 9, the latest chapter in the legendary label’s mix-compilation series. The duo follows the likes of Radioslave, Dirty South and Ramon Tapia into the Strictly Rhythm vault, and they’ve emerged with two discs: ‘Go Deep’ and ‘Get Down’.

The DJs have selected 27 Strictly Rhythm classics and offered them up to 25 different remixers for a 2012 update, with some of their own studio handiwork in the mix too. That roll-call of remixers includes Australian talent like Light Year, Yolanda Be Cool and Country Club, the meeting-of-minds between Shazam and Cassian. Wax Motif and Neoteric were earmarked by Strictly Rhythm following their production work together for labels like Mad Decent and Southern Fried, as well their guest spot on the Crookers album Dr. Gonzo. We had a chat with Wax Motif about getting the call-up from one of the most revered labels in house music.

First up, can you tell how the opportunity for this mix came about from Strictly Rhythm?
I think initially we came up on their radar through our track Go Deep which has some great success on Beatport and really strong international support (actually it’s being re-released on Dim Mak in October 2012) and through our remix of The Rapture’s How Deep Is Your Love.

Also probably through our collaboration with Crookers on the Dr. Gonzo project. The Strictly guys went to go watch Neoteric when he played at Fabric and I guess they got talking and things went from there. I remember getting woken up by a 5am phone call from Neo with the news and then not being able to get back to sleep from excitement.

What was your approach on this with Neoteric on this mix? Does Strictly Rhythm open up the vaults for you to delve into?
We are both such big fans of the label that we really wanted to do something special. House has kind of come around full circle and with so many classics in the catalogue, we though we’d take the same approach Radioslave did on his compilation and reinterpret some of our favourites. We knew a lot of our friends were Strictly heads too so bringing them on board was only natural. Also we were lucky enough to have some heroes and up-and-comers jump on board too. We look at it like a collective of like-minded people who are re-interpreting the catalogue for a 2012 audience. It’s also really cool to be able to end up with a whole compilation of tracks that are 100-percent exclusive to our discs.

Those vaults run so deep! Strictly gave us access to pretty much anything they had in their catalogue as well as Subliminals. It was really overwhelming at first seeing how much music there was. Neo and I sat there for about two to three days listening to every single track. It was challenging because it wasn’t as simple as picking tracks we liked and making sure they formed a good mix, but it also had to suit the artist we had in mind to re-work it and it also had to be a track that hadn’t been remixed or used too many times in the past and on previous comps. That process was probably the most challenging part of the whole experience.

Can you give us a feeling about how the discs are programmed, and the kind of moods and styles you move through?
The first disc leans towards a deeper sound. A lot of deep house, left-field and techno vibed stuff. Some of the names you’ll find on disc one are Oliver $, Lightyear, Subb-an, Jacques Renault and Optimo. On the second disc it starts getting a bit more up-tempo with party-vibed, still house-y stuff but also some French and nu-disco sounds, plus tracks for bigger rooms. Some of the names on disc two include Yolanda Be Cool, Drop The Lime, Oliver, and Solo. There are also three remixes/re-edits from Neoteric and myself.

Wax Motif & Neoteric Present Strictly Rhythms Vol.9 is due out on October 15th on Strictly Rhythm.

CD1
01. The Untouchables – ‘Little’ Louie’s Anthem Part II (Factory Bar RMX) (Sean Roman + Douglas Carter Edit)
02. Erick Morillo – Feeling Hot (Louie Fresco Remix)
03. Dave Mayer & Roland Clark – Funky Like That (Poupon’s ‘Keepin It Funky’ Remix)
04. Black Magic – Let It Go (M.A.W Dub) (Subb-an Remix)
05. DJ Sneak – Keep On Groovin’ (Oliver $ ‘Boompty’ Re-edit)
06. Chocolate Puma & Bingo Players – Touch Me (Monkey Safari Remix)
07. Underground Solution – Afterthought (John Roman Rework)
08. DV8 – C’mon (Light Year Remake)
09. Beatboxx – Keep On Jumpin’ (JD Twitch Optimo Version)
10. Jack and Jill – Work It Girlfriend (Eli Escobar Edit)
11. Buddah Khan – Buddah Khan Theme (DJ Madskillz 2012 Re-edit)
12. Storm & Herman – Digital Moon Dancers (Jacques Renault Edit)
13. B.O.P – Alright (Wax Motif & Neoteric Re-edit)

CD2
01. Hardhead – Toothbrush Country (Country Club Remix)
02. Lou 2 – Freaky (Jet Project’s Werk Em Edit)
03. Live Element – Be Free (Oliver Remix)
04. Erick Morillo Project – Jazz It Up (Yolanda Be Cool Remix)
05. Planet Soul – Set You Free (Chaos In The CBD Remix)
06. Marlon D – Jesus Creates Sound (Astronomar Remake)
07. Circle Children – Indonesia (Stefano Ritteri ‘Goes Percussive’ Remix)
08. Todd Terry All Stars – Get Down (Wax Motif & Neoteric Remix)
09. Ms Barbara Tucker feat Darryl D’Bonneau – Stop Playing With My Mind (’96 Bulls Remix)
10. The Funk Junkeez – Got Funk (Fifteenth’s ‘Funktastic Outa Space Junkee Bass’ Edit)
11. DJ Sneak – Throw Your Hands (Wax Motif & Neoteric Re-Edit)
12. Phunkie Souls – Tha Music (His Majesty Andre Remix)
13. Tiger Stripes – Snake Charmer (Botnek Remix)
14. Ultraworld – Life After Death (Beats Untold Mix (Drop The Lime Reefix)