TuneLab
Paula Tape
Mixmag Lab London
Paula Tape in the London Lab, and immediately we're in different territory. This isn't a set for rushing the front; it's for leaning against the back wall, eyes closed, letting the world music-infused rhythms wash over you. The vibe is humid, percussive, and deeply balearic, a welcome antidote to four-on-the-floor literalism. The sound is a lush, mid-tempo exploration averaging 124.3 BPM, rooted almost entirely in the open, hypnotic key of 12A.
The energy analysis is telling: an exceptionally high low-frequency average of 0.772 creates a deep, subterranean pulse that feels more like a heartbeat than a kick drum, with mids and highs used sparingly for texture and melody. Paula Tape's mixing is narrative and patient, often letting tracks like the 28-minute 'Yothu Yindi - Treaty' unfold as immersive, standalone journeys. Her crate is a global dispatch. Courtney Bailey's 'Animals Ate The Mushroom' is a psychedelic, broken-beat opener, while 'Treaty' is a monumental, politically charged piece of indigenous Australian house that commands the room.
Teknoafro's 'Mama Africa' brings raw, analog warmth, and Eden Burns's '22 Dance Demo' offers a slice of dusty, lo-fi deep house. The inclusion of Propaganda's Soviet-era pop on 'Яй-Я' and the clever double-play of George Michael and The Ones' 'Flawless' versions shows a playful, eclectic mind at work. The journey begins with the stellar drift of Panorama Channel's 'Kinly Estellar,' weaves through the cultural peak of 'Treaty,' and lands gracefully on her own remix of Joakim's 'Formosan Rock,' a closing track that ties the global threads together with a perfect, sun-drenched melody.