- A clinic in minimal from the elusive Acting Press boss.
- Why do certain sounds cultivate a cult following? Simply put, it's often because they resist easy consumption. PLO Man and his imprint Acting Press lean into this. Searching for the Berlin-based DJ and producer, you won’t find much online presence, interviews or conventional PR. What you will find, if you look hard enough, is a catalogue of records and mixes with a kind of tape hiss charm (a spiritual successor to Basic Channel and Chain Reaction, but scuzzier and lighter on its feet).
Founded in 2015, Acting Press once seemed to belong to the short-lived "outsider house" trend, but is now synonymous with a certain strain of modern minimal, one that is analogue, spacious and pointedly opaque. PLO Man's output, both solo and collaborative, is equally sparse by design: this week, he joins the RA Podcast with characteristically elusive style, accompanying the near two-hour mix is a one-answer Q&A that gives almost nothing away.
Stripped-back, ever-so-slightly sleazy and coated in dust, PLO Man's RA Podcast continues that lineage in style. Opening with the featherlight microhouse of Margaret Dygas, RA.988 unfolds into a carefully curated spectrum of minimal, dub and deep techno. Among familiar names—look out for the blinding Rhythm & Sound and Moodymann blend—are deep cuts and left turns from minimal contemporaries alongside the odd outlier, like lovers' rock pioneer Gregory Isaacs.
Even as a young generation develops a newfound appreciation for minimal, there's something quietly radical about how little RA.988 tries to please. It's patient, looping, at times hellbent on thwarting easy gratification—a reminder of how inscrutable some of the genre's hypnotic classics felt on first runthrough. Like the best of his forebears, PLO Man wants it to take time for you to settle in. But once you do, you won't want to leave. – Bella Aquilina
How and where was the mix recorded? And can you tell us the idea behind it?
The mix was recorded at my apartment in Berlin—two decks, X:one 62 and a recorder. The mix is all records that I have in my record bag anyways and is stuff that if you came to check me out somewhere you'd potentially hear.
There are lots of memories for me in this music: friends, places, experiences etc. I wanted to acknowledge all the people that I love in my life with music that reminds me of them, and our relationships
Photo credit: Patrick Woodling
TracklistMargaret Dygas - See You Around
Ricardo Villalobos - Lub
Baby Ford & Zip - Morning Sir
Bobby Konders - Dub Massai Style (Mark's Mix)
Dan Lodig - Nulf
Brinkmann / Scanner - Adria
Kotai + Mo - Silencer
TD5 - Cofferdam
Jeff Mills - Protector
Alex Cortex - Untitled
Unik - Tilt
Critical Digital - It's House
Fingers Inc. - I'm Strong (Instrumental)
Cari Lekebusch - Output-1
KMFH - Dances with a Sun Goddess
IAMTHATIAM - Time 4 Harmony in This World
Exos - Maya
Rhythm & Sound - Mango Drive
Moodymann - Freeki Mutha F Cker
SnPLO - Untitled
Burger Ink - Love Is the Drug (Paris Texas)
Ron Trent - I Feel the Rhythm (Paul Johnson RMX)
SnPLO - D
Studio 1 - Rosa 2
Rhythm Maker - Experiment No.1
Mononom - Untitled
Yim - Untitled
Baby Ford - Westway
Grungerman - Ambient Grunge
Djigui - Ladilikan (Natty Bass Sound System Dub Mix)
Gregory Isaacs - Make Me Prosper