I first encountered Stefan though through Casa Del Popolo, the Main’s main den of épatering the bourgeoisie since the 90s, when they booked me for what was only the second Days of Steam night after the first at Rye Wax. The old booth was set up like you were in a chapel, dim as hell for me but enough of a remove from the audience without being too removed. They’re a longtime organizer in Montréal activist circles, the mind of @freecityradio, with a CV too long to summarize here but one that shows genuine belief and investment in the causes he champions. I’d seen them years back before we knew each other, as part of the city’s experimental undercurrents, with releases of introspective piano for Howl Arts alongside local luminaries Sam Shalabi and Peter Burton and mainstays d’la marge like Aural Canyon and Beacon Sound. Tapestries of field recordings and plunderphonics, part of a long tradition of musique actuelle in the city without intentionally trying to be so. The mix he sent over is almost entirely as of writing recent pieces, with compositions (what they all feel like more than ‘pieces’ or ‘tracks’) from Berkeley, Brooklyn, Brazil, Houston, Jaffa, Milan, Montréal - the sound of the uncertainty and rage of the now, but never restoring to despondency, moreso righteousness.
"It is my pleasure to share these tracks with you. On a basic level these tracks were shared mostly by friends in the context of exchanges and ongoing collaborations with folks in cities all over the place, around creating content for Radio AlHara in Palestine and beyond. I love that this mix jumps between vibes and styles. I also included a couple of tracks from recent releases that I worked on. I hope you enjoy the mix. – Stefan."
Notnef Greco - Scooter Riding in Bombay [2024, Sublamental]
Grimório de Abril - A Torre Poligonal do Astrólogo Caldeu [2024, Subliminal K7]
Matteo Uggeri - ...for You Bleeding Goddess [2024, 13 Records]
Totenbaum Träger - Fleur de néon VI [2023, Cuchabata]
Stefan Christoff - Guitar in Griffintown [2024, Cuchabata]
Matteo Uggeri - ...for Daughters and Sons [2024, 13 Records]
Stefan Christoff - Chalga Remixed [2024, Samizdat]
Grimório de Abril - The River Used to be a Signal [2024, Municipal K7]
Stefan Christoff - In Burgas [2024, Samizdat]
Azraq - Baby Please Don't Go [2021, self-released]
Badawi - A Curse on All Murderers (Extended Dub) (excerpt) [2024, self-released]
