Jack Tomson AKA Bitzer Maloney, is a resident on local Manchester radio, Limbo and has appeared on Nextup Throwback’s own Afternoon Breakfast Show on Reform Radio. His party Bakk.Heia was one of our favourite nights last month; when he played his closing set at The White Hotel to a sizeable crowd who’d stuck around till 8am, he secured a lot of hearts, buoyed into the early hours with the superior tune selection. He answered a few questions before compiling this mix, that heads left into the ambient and post-punk territories of Optimo and the Salons des Amateurs family.
First, our usual ice-breaker. What’s your first musical memory?
My parents both have fairy limited record collections but i do remember listening to Beatles tapes in the car, along with the Grease soundtrack and Nelly the Elephant, real formative stuff ya dig?!
You started playing out in Newcastle… How did you first get involved?
Well me and my friends used to buy crap records and play at house parties, but I had my first club gig at a great party called Inertia at World Headquarters, which is the club we grew up in.
Now you’ve moved to Manchester, how does it compare to back where you first started?
Manchester is bigger, so there’s obviously more scope for promoters/parties to take risks, and in some ways Manchester is more open minded in its approach to music. But don’t get me wrong, Newcastle has a small yet dedicated and passionate scene and there is a lot of people doing great things, less inhibited by a reputation that Manchester has.
Your sets are renowned for their varied nature so you must’ve been interested in music for a while? What was the first band or artist that piqued your interest that you still play now?
Got to be Kraftwerk! My mates brother had a set of Stanton turntables and we used to run home from school to get there before him so we could have a blast on them. He had a load of hip hop and funk records that we used to mess about with, trying to scratch, but I remember he had Kraftwerk – Boing Boom Tschack and it blew my mind. That was when I was 13, and they have been a massive part of me musically ever since.
How did you become involved in the music scene in Manchester? Was there a particular Segway into the scene?
I co ran a party called Hi Ku with my friends Tom Laidler and Lucas Holt. It ran for three years and we made lots of mistakes, but had some great parties and met a lot of lovely people in the process.
You first came to my attention as a resident at Hi Ku, when you dropped Laid Back – “White Horse”, a song that rarely gets played out. What’s your approach when playing in the club?
Well, I suppose it totally depends on the party, but generally making sure everyone has fun!
You’re resident on Limbo radio. Can you give us a run-through of the idea behind the show and how you got involved?
My Limbo Radio show is great because it allows me to play absolutely everything that I’m in to, with out restrictions. It’s very cathartic!
Now for some Manchester focussed questions…
Where’s your favourite place to buy records in Manny?
Piccadilly is the spot! But all of the record shops are great.
What are some of your favourite parties to go to?
Wet Play is a special vibe, W.O.M – for harder stuff; Jon K and Tom Boogizm’s Pariahs for the all round mind benders. High Hoops is great and has a lovely mixed crowd, same goes for Banana Hill (shouts to Marcos, Robbie and Chris respectively).
What new / young talent should we be keeping an eye on at the moment?
My friend Johnny makes music under a couple of aliases, currently releasing under Schuttle, check him out, he’s mint. The homie Jorg Kunning is another one to watch, he makes transcendental modular bangers and more people need to hear his stuff . Several Wives – horrifically beautiful otherworldly noise and Bianca Scout are another couple that deserve a mention.
You’ve run a night called Bakk.Heia for the last year or so in Manchester, which has live acts and then DJs, can you explain the concept behind it?
I wanted a to run a party that represented the music that I love. So the aim was to be able to go from straight up noise + experimental music, to more dance floor focused stuff. When people arrive at a party it takes a while for the room to come together comfortably, so having unsettling far out shit at the beginning makes sense to me and as the night progresses, the music gets a bit more forgiving! Previous bookings have included Duckett, Brian Not Brian and Trevor Jackson.
How would a venue affect your decision to attend a party?
Venue and sound is everything, you can have the best line up ever, but if the venue isn’t up to scratch, then you’l leave feeling disappointed.
Could you tell us about the mix you’ve made for us?
Recorded in the Limbo radio studio, big ups to them, recorded on two turntables with a pioneer. It is meant to basically represent the formula for the Bakk.Heia parties, from ambient to dance floor. I have acquired all of the records in it in the past couple of months, many of them have quickly become firm favourites. Particularly the Carlos Cutaia tune, total banger, that synth solo at the end man, gets me every time.
What’s coming up on the horizon we should look out for?
Next party is in Autumn, the line up is just getting finalised now, but 27th October at The White Hotel. Save the date!
Tracklist:
Dick Hyman – Maid Of The Moon
Schuttle – Oilskin
Druss – Thirst
Harmonia – Ohrwurm
Severed Heads – Godsong
Daniele Ciullini – Soft Marble
Randomize – Extraños Aparatos
Public Image Ltd – Fodderstompf
Chris And Cosey – Cowboys In Cuba
Neud Photo – Syntax
Frak – Reynerdes
Talk Talk – Such a Shame (Dub Version)
Frederico Leocata – Zunächst
Marie Davidson – Excès De Vitesse
Jack Pattern – Odex
Carlos Cutaia – Sensacion Melancolia
