Widely recognised as one of the world's finest selectors, German DJ, producer and Cómeme label fixture Lena Willikens has been a friend and regular guest of Glasgow label and promoter Huntleys + Palmers for several years now. Tonight she plays at Glasgow School of Art alongside Ben UFO and Sapphire Slows for the first of 10 tenth-birthday parties H+P is throwing throughout the year. To get you in the mood, we asked H+P’s Andy Thomson to take us through his five favourite mixes by the Salon des Amateurs resident.
Versatile Records (2011)
During 2011 my laptop was stolen and for about a year, I only accessed whatever podcasts and mixes I could find on iTunes. I signed up to the usual ones like Resident Advisor, but I needed to find more and was pleased to discover that one of my favourite labels, Versatile, had a series.
I had no idea who this Lena Willilllillikens person was, but I had played at the Salon des Amateurs club in Düsseldorf before – where she is a resident – so that was enough of a good sign to give it a listen and what I heard blew me away. At the time I was trying to figure out a way to thread my own tastes together in a coherent way and this mix was one of those lightbulb moments where I instantly felt an affinity and connection with Lena’s own tastes. It really gave me a lot of confidence that a broad taste in music can be utilised in an effective way.
Resident Advisor (2014)
It wasn’t for another year after rinsing that first mix that I booked Lena’s first show in the UK, and I’ve booked her again regularly ever since. It’s been so exciting to watch her grow as an artist and make that same connection I felt to a much larger audience around the world. I think her RA mix put her on the map and quite rightly so. It’s a classic.
RBMA Train Wreck (2014)
This is a cracker for the same reasons as above and it also introduced me to the amazing Sano track Duraco, which was eventually released on our own H+P Chapter 2 EP.
Dekmantel (2016)
Closer to the present, last year’s mix for Dekmantel is a great example of how Lena has developed a distinctive sound of her own which encompasses a multitude of musical styles and genres without anything sounding out of place. It’s really exciting that her championing of the unusual has made her a highly sought-after artist on big international platforms and festivals.
Sentimental Flashback (2012-present)
I haven’t singled out a particular show from the Radio Cómeme series as they are all very varied and it’s probably better for you to dive in and explore the themes she has covered for yourself – everything from Arpeggiated to For the Sleepy Heads.
H+Px10 with Ben UFO, Lena Willikens and Sapphire Slows is at the Glasgow School of Art on Thursday, 23 February, 11pm to 3am, £10
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