The Mix 024: Farsight

While you can definitely hear references to hardcore continuum, there’s also a distinct Latin flair to your tracks…

I mean I’m half-Peruvian and I speak Spanish you know, I love shit like that. Not too long ago I was in Peru and I went to a house party where everyone was taking turns YouTube DJing, and every single track was a different reggaeton classic that I hadn’t heard of. It was just blowing my mind seeing all these tracks go off and it was a big moment for me where I looked around and thought “these are my people” and “this is my heritage.”

I met Pearson Sound a couple of years ago and we ended up speaking about reggaeton. He casually dropped the fact that reggaeton stems from dancehall samples and I was like “What the fuck, David Kennedy you just blew my mind bro!”

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Latin club is really having its moment right now, so the hipster and contrarian side of me doesn’t want to jump on the bandwagon, but I am putting out some Latin club tracks on a sick Mexican label called WVWV later this year. I love the project and I love the label so, ultimately, I’m really happy we’re doing it.

Having watched your sets at Boiler Room and The Lot Radio, I came across your peculiar choice of headphones. Where did you get the idea to use a telephone from?

Hahahahaha. I saw a DJ in LA use a (singular) headphone in 2017 and I thought it was really sick. In my defence, I did not run out and buy a headphone until like three years later, but I would say that I really value showmanship. I enjoy the spectacle, not in a way where it is more important than the music, but in a way where the two complement each other.

We’re all used to DJing and it is innately boring to watch someone standing behind the decks as opposed to watching a traditional band in full swing where there’s the interaction between musicians, the ebb and flow and stuff like that. Obviously the really bait DJ stuff like getting on the table is out of pocket but I feel like the phone is a way of creating visual interest in a way that’s non-obtrusive. For context, it’s a 15 dollar plastic red phone with an aux cable that I’ve had for five years. It’s held up okay but I must say it sounds like utter shit.

You recently completed your European tour. How did you find it?

It was incredible, it’s really rewarding and I feel very blessed that I’m at the fortunate point in my career now where people give a fuck about what I’m doing and are very kind to me at shows. It’s heartwarming honestly! People really fuck with me in London.

I’ve been to the UK quite a few times now and I’m at a point where I can appreciate what it is and, over the years, I’ve slowly built up some strong friendships here. It doesn’t feel like tourism anymore, I’m just seeing loads of good friends.

I have nothing but love and admiration for my peers and all the parties going on in America but the UK and the rest of Europe just excites me so much more as far as opportunities and the actual culture of partying goes. They just really get what I’m doing across the Atlantic.

What was your favourite place to play?

I mean I enjoyed every night in its own different way. London is of course mega but I will give a shout out to the night I played in Leeds.

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The show was really nice and the afters was crazy. We went to a rammed house party with cheap monitors and a little DJ controller setup where everyone was playing UKG classics, bashment edits and 2000s pop. Everyone in the room seemed to know every word. The Leeds crew really showed me a proper time, I had a roast and enjoyed the full experience, so shout out to Buckley and Harpriya.

Aside from the aforementioned WVWV release, what’s next for Farsight?

I’ve got a collaborative EP with JIALING coming out on Eleanor’s CLASICO label in the next few months, and I’m working on a new vinyl-only DJ project that features 90s speed garage, breaks, house and more, but I want to take as much time as I need to make sure my vinyl skills meet my quality standards.

I also collect ‘45s and recently played a three-hour set comprising dub, reggae, soul and 60s pop. I’d love to spin dub ‘45s at Carnival on a proper soundsystem one day!

Finally, tell us about your mix.

This is a three-deck mix showcasing music I have been playing out recently, including unreleased bits from myself and a friend, across a wide range of genres and rhythmic motifs. The energy is representative of what I might play at peak time, with rapid-fire passages contrasting against longer, more hypnotic blends. As with any mix I create, I like to think no algorithm would ever be able to pick this selection of tracks, and no AI would ever combine them this way.

Thank you to Monarch for letting me record this on their setup, it’s a lovely venue where I’ve had many great memories. Also thanks to RITCHRD of NO BIAS for helping me on the day of recording and lending me a iPhone to USB A cable!

Tibor Heskett is a freelance writer, follow him on Instagram