Forty Five Minutes Of Justin Robertson

Justin Robertson is a DJ, producer, artist, writer and natty dresser and hat wearer who started out behind the counter at  Manchester's Eastern Bloc records shop while studying at the university and in Spice and Most Excellent was at the centre of two of the city's late 80s/ early 90s Balearic clubs. The mix below is based around his recent musical adventures, in his Deadstock 33s guise (which he adopted circa 2009) and his Formerlover project with his wife Sofia Hedblum (a trawl through his 90s back catalogue as Lionrock and his remixes for everyone who was anyone in the 90s would be a very different mix). Some of the tracks in this Sunday mix are among my favourites of the last few years, Justin finding a sound that pulls in dub, acid house, Nigerian house, post punk and dark pop. 

Forty Five Minutes Of Justin Robertson

• Formerlover: Correction Dub
• Formerlover: Discomfort (Dub)
• Justin Robertson's Deadstock 33s and Brix Smith: Brix Goes Tubular (Dub Version)
• The Deadstock 33s: The Circular Path (Asphodells Remix)
• Daniel Avery and The Deadstock 33s: Magnetic
• Justin Robertson's Deadstock 33s Feat. Formerlover: Dark Endless
• Justin Robertson's Deadstock 33s: Numerical Discord Swap

Formerlover is a lockdown born project, Justin and his wife Sofia Hedblom, marrying Lagos beats, dub and a sleazy underbelly. Correction Dub came out on a Galactic Service Broadcasting compilation and Discomfort on Bandcamp in 2020. The Deadstock 33s and Brix Smith single is from only a few weeks ago, a 2022 treasure. The Asphodells remix of The Circular Path came out in 2013. The Daniel Avery and Deadstocks collaboration was a four track EP on Optimo in 2012. Dark Endless is from a compilation from earlier this year, put together by the Spun Out Agency called More Of That Frightful Oompty Boompty Music, the stand out track to these ears, nine minutes of dubby/ cosmic Balearica. Numerical Discord Swap was the A- side of a 7" on Paradise Palms in 2017, a fantastic slice of upfront acid disco. 

Correction Discomfort Discord

Last year Justin Robertson and Sofia Hedblom released two songs as Formerlover, self styled 'sleaze dub enthusiasts'. The first Correction Dub came out on a compilation for Viscera- rattling percussion, dub bass, some phased guitar chords and Sofia in dominatrix mode on vocals, giving instructions and making threats and promises, 'tell me all about your inner feelings... write to me about your mama... tell me how you wanna sing my name... would you like to know me better? I said, would you like to know me better?... I'd like to lick your soul'

The follow up, Discomfort, came out last September. If anything Discomfort was even better than Correction, a perfect fusion of bass from Jamaica, rhythms from Nigeria, guitar from 60s surfers in California and slide guitar from the Deep South, all seemingly inspired by late evening strolls down Venice Beach. More psychodrama/ longing and unrequited sexual stuff from Sofia's subconscious spoken on top. Get Discomfort and the dub version at Bandcamp. 

Justin Robertson has made a ton of music as Deadstock 33s, two albums and plenty of singles and remixes. Numerical Discord Swap came out in 2017, a limited 7" single with buckets of acid house energy, juddering bass and bleeps and loads of bounce.

Numerical Discord Swap

Discomfort

One of my favourite songs of last year was Formerlover's Correction Dub, a track released on a compilation called Galactic Service Broadcasting Vol. 1 last May. Justin Robertson and Sofia Hedblum combined dub space and bass with Nigerian rhythms and a vocal giving instructions and asking questions via a late night chat line. Video here. 

In September last year there was a second Formerlover release which to my shame I missed until this week. Bassline from Jamaica, percussion from Lagos, slide guitar from the Delta, echo from the 1960s, a surf guitar lick, a Miami beach vibe, another unmissable vocal- not only do these seemingly disparate influences work together really well but sound like they were made specifically for each other, like four different records playing at once. Buy it and a dub version at Bandcamp and put some shimmy into your Friday.

Correction Dub And Other Songs

This came out at the start of last week and despite all the time we supposedly have on our hands at the moment I've only just got around to listening to it this week. It's a sixteen song compilation from Viscera called Galactic Broadcasting 001 filled with the kind of line up of names that would have me expecting to find a new one from Andrew Weatherall in there somewhere- Scott Fraser, Hardway Bros, JD Twitch and Ess O Ess are all present and are all familiar names to this blog as well as Nightwave, Kincaid and others. The opening track is Correction Dub by  Formerlover, a new project from Sofia Hedblom and her husband Justin Robertson, and is dark dub disco with a detached spoken vocal from Sofia about desire and punishment.



Scott Fraser's Mercury (Celestial Mix) has a jackhammer beat and shimmering synths via Detroit. System Overload from Hardway Bros is eight minutes of tension, ricocheting sounds and chug and a monstrous buzzing bassline. JD Twitch's Ballachulish Moon is swooping, bouncing science fiction techno. The compilation, pulled together quickly, costs ten pounds of your hard earned cash but any profits are going to charities supporting NHS workers so you can do some good while enjoying the cosmic dance. It's at Bandcamp.