An ode to weird, trippy warm-up set sounds from Manchester’s Abena.
Manchester-based Abena is an ambassador for the city’s thriving underground music scene and its community-centred values. A talented DJ whose sets oscillate between fast, bass-heavy sounds and slower, experimental electronics, Abena is also one of the figures behind All Hands On Deck, a Manchester-based collective that hosts open deck parties and DJ workshops for people who identify as women, non-binary and trans.
Since the collective’s first open-deck party was held at Manchester’s Partisan in 2018, All Hands On Deck has become a vital part of the city’s musical landscape. Although Covid temporarily halted their parties, All Hands On Deck continued to build on their core ethos, expanding to incorporate a mix series and music production workshops, while Abena played a marathon 12-hour DJ set in late 2020 to raise money for charities helping refugees and asylum seekers.
“My last few DJ set have been opening slots which I’ve enjoyed because I love setting the tone for the evening,” Abena says. “There’s also more room to be weird and play stuff that people might find challenging during peak hours.” These recent sets provide the inspiration for Abena’s Fact Mix, which is described as “an ode to all the weird trippy sounds you might hear from me between 11pm and 1am.”
Follow Abena on Instagram and SoundCloud. Find more information about All Hands On Deck here.
Tracklist:
Ed Ruscha V & The Only Things – ‘Waves Over Stones’
Cousin – ‘Pistol Shrimp’
DJ Double Oh! – ‘Afterglow’
EYRA – ‘Snooose’
???? – ????
TSVI – ‘Modulatrum’
Clemency – ‘Myth Retinoid’
Ehua – ‘Aquamarine’
Simo Cell – ‘Short Leg’
B E N N – ‘Mangaya’
Piezo – ‘1045’
schuttle – ‘Weaver’
Nueen – ‘Hum’
Kylie Minogue – ‘I Believe in You’ (BFTT’s take as long as you need edit)
Big Hands – ‘Girde Maye/Astere’
Plebian – ‘Enzymes’
Bambounou x Bruce – ‘Crash’
Ebb – ‘Visions’
Simo Cell & Abdullah Miniawy – ‘Music Gene’
Bambounou – ‘Hale’
Hagan – ‘Ultra’
Bulwark – ‘Glances’
Farsight – ‘Salkantay’
Two Shell – ‘Speedrun’
De Grandi – ‘Strike’
Rhyw – ‘Geomest’
2Lanes – ‘Baby Born to Fish’ (feat. Kesswa, John F.M., Ian Fink & Shigeto)
Listen next: Fact Mix 848: Bored Lord
