For the next instalment of our podcast series we welcome an artist in every sense of the word. Playing a pivotal part in the UK house and techno scene, Adam Shelton has built a reputation that, at its very core, has been built on an unwavering love for music across the board. From his co-founded genre-defining One Records imprint alongside Subb-an to his central role in Birmingham’s Below party series, Adam is a well-respected figure in the world underground music community. Adam’s journey as an artist has had many highlights along the way, and aside from this legacy, he counts his work being remixed by the likes of XDB and Akufen, remixing Craig Richards under his Scumdolly alias, as well as his work with Subb-an as SAS.
As well as penning and releasing seminal music, Adam has been a lifelong collector of music that also spans the width and breadth of the sonic spectrum. This well-trained ear led him to be jointly responsible for curating the wax offering at Birmingham’s Cafe Artum and, in turn, the much lauded Trevinos record store at Houghton Festival. With Trevinos record store featuring staple uk independent sellers such as inverted audio, all my friends, diskfrisk and temple of vinyl, there is always gems to be found in amongst the madness of Houghton. Adam’s fathomless love for grooves of all shapes and sizes has always given him the artist freedom to bend his sound to each occasion he finds himself in. This may take the form of sun-kissed daytime sets at festivals like Love International, his many performances at Houghton Festival, or perhaps under his electro and Detroit-focused A-Future alias at the now unmissable IICON Block9 stage at Glastonbury.
Building his legacy even further, Adam has harnessed the power of his A-Future alias by way of his EON record label, which is a home for his electro creations and that of a bespoke array of artists that share his vision. With all this knowledge and experience in the music industry, Adam has also helped to give artists of the future an insight into the world of production via the Youth Music UK program that took place at Powerhouse Studio in Coventry. Citing this as more of a necessity given his time served in the industry, this is invaluable when nurturing the talent of tomorrow.
Moving on to his recording for our mix series, it will be no surprise to learn that this is nothing short of a tour de force through the peak time side of Adam’s sound. Joining the dots between lush breakbeat moods in the opener from Thomas Bulwer and Voigtmann to acid-soaked numbers courtesy of Christian AB and Anna Wall, Adam quickly gets up to full operating speed. With special nod to the wide-ranging sounds from Ryan Elliott’s Faith Beat imprint, and of course to UK artists Domenic Cappello, Subb-an, Sam Bangura, Adam Pits, and fellow Cafe Artum curator Jayson Wynters. What makes this mix and Adam Shelton as an artist is his transparent love for music and the people that create it, so much so that he has even insisted on sharing the tracklisting for his mix to support his beloved underground community.
Tracklisting –
Thoma Bulwer & Voigtmann – Elector / YoY
Kasper Marott – Megatu / SSPB
Christian AB – Coded Whispers / Faith Beat
Anna Wall – Escape Velocity / Self Released
Charles Green – Subtle Shifts In Expression / System Revival
Domenic Cappello – Sceptical Soul / Craige Knowes
Gerd – Envision / Frame Of Mind
Mehdi M – Tare Mode / Faith Beat
G.Flame – Broken / Self Released
Precise Daily Rhythm – Illuminate / Seven Hills
MoMA Ready – Groove And Walk / Self Released
Mehdi M / Sunday Service / Faith Beat
Subb-an – Inner Mind / Sub Series
No Moon – Aoe Rushin (Adam Pitts Remix) / X-Kalay
Miles Atmospheric – Orbis Alius / Bedrock
Christian AB – My FM Fantasy / Faith Beat
Sam Bangura – Letting Go / Self Released
Jayson Wynters – Filtered Xploits / EON
Miles Atmospheric – Transmission / Applied Rhythmic Technology
Thee J Johanz – Sunny Dawn / Zeitnot
O-Wells – Liquid Sun (Club mix) / Mojuba
Huey Mnemonic – D’Wave Zone / Self Released
Dj Bone – The Music (Accapella) / Subject Detroit
You can catch Adam Shelton in action in the coming months at Little Fields festival, Houghton festival, Love international festival, and Home of the Drum festival.
More info on Adam Shelton
Instagram | RA | Soundcloud | Discogs
