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Low Culture Podcast Seven: Mariam Rezaei On Turntablism
John Doran , March 1st, 2021 12:37

The seventh in our subscriber only series of podcasts features Mariam Rezaei talking about the often misunderstood art of turntablism and the pros and cons of having one foot in the hip hop camp and one foot in the world of experimental music

Thanks to the ongoing pandemic the knackered old Quietus jalopy is breathing a lengthy sigh of relief, up on bricks, leaking oil all over the pavement outside tQ towers. So instead of heading out on a Low Culture adventure, John and Luke are again speaking to their guest remotely via the power of Zoom and a beleaguered wifi signal.

This month the pair are delighted to be speaking to one of tQ's artists of 2020 (and beyond), Mariam Rezaei - a musician/turntable artist from Gateshead who is also a lynchpin of the Newcastle weird/ DIY/ experimental music scene that centres round The Old Police House venue.

She talks about her journey from competitive trick-style DJ to experimental musician, the pros and cons of competition turntablism and the wonders of the Vestax Controller One deck. And she also talks about how her English/Iranian heritage has influenced her practice and how this is audible in her 2020 album SKEEN and she talks us through incredible live sets by DJ Q-Bert and Kid Koala.

Plus there are the usual encaffeinated ravings from the Quietus co-pilots about why John's dog Vader sounds exactly like Nick Cave, the evil Tory vibes coming from Matt Smith's Doctor Who, not to mention excellent books Cal Flyn's Islands Of Abandonment and Jennifer Lucy Allan's The Foghorn's Lament.

This responsibly produced and socially distanced podcast was recorded remotely in accordance with the latest COVID-19 guidelines.

To listen to The Quietus' new Low Culture podcast, you'll need to become a subscriber and sign up to the Low Culture or Sound & Vision tiers. You can find out more about why we're introducing the subs and all the amazing perks you can get here and join via the checkout below.