Michael Beharie seems to live beyond boundaries and comfort zones. The Oberlin Conservatory grad is amorphous across his records, and often within them. His resume includes composing for dance and film, studio musician, and one half of the group Tezeo. He’s released projects on Shinkoyo and Words+Dreams. The latest record is the Lace EP on Astro Nautico.
Perhaps the common ground Beharie’s records share is the planet earth, which only offers the limitation of the Blue Marble’s circumference. The Lace EP navigates world club, Jamaican dub, and polyrhythmic percussion that is not limited to one specific region. It is this “artist as world citizen” mentality that influences his explorations on record and as refugees wander through Europe seeking asylum it’s clear Beharie brings that mentality and sympathy to his Friday Night series contribution. Beharie’s “Second Chance Mix [for Impose]” traverses the globe without a passport. It sees no borders, treats those lines as they are in reality—invisible. Beharie does not go on record in his commentary on the inspiration for the mix but his translation of Gabriel García Márquez’s Nobel Lecture hints of the issue on his mind.
This mix includes club bangers and textural, noise-based tracks. Some of the music was made by friends and some was found during down-the-rabbit-hole Youtube searches. The words at the beginning of the mix translate to English as:
‘The most prosperous countries have succeeded in accumulating powers of destruction such as to annihilate, a hundred times over, not only all the human beings that have existed to this day, but also the totality of all living beings that have ever passed through this planet of misfortune. But it is not too late to engage in the creation of the opposite utopia. A new and sweeping utopia of life, where no one will be able to decide for others how they die, where love will prove true and happiness be possible, and where the condemned races will have, at last and forever, a second chance on earth.’
Michael Beharie’s Lace EP is out now on Astro Nautico.
“Second Chance Mix [for Impose]” tracklisting:
*Gabriel García Márquez Nobel Lecture (excerpt)*
01 Jon Hassell, “Chor Moiré (excerpt)”
02 DJ Marfox, “Rádio Oxigénio AM”
03 DJ Bamanan, “Goni Bala (Branko ‘Desert Rave’ Edit)”
04 Dubbel Dutch, “No Futuro”
05 Shackleton, “Freezing Opening Thawing (mashup edit)
06 Michael Beharie – Earthy Drum (mashup edit)”
07 Gundecha Brothers, “Raga Malkauns 1. Alap (excerpt)”
08 Doron Sadja, “Curse Silence Like Light “7”
09 Dutch E Germ, “Nine”
10 Florin Salam, “A Iesit Soarele Din Nori”
11 Bliscord, “Hiding” (feat. Taja)
12 T.O.K., “Footprints”
13 Jon Hassell, “Empire III (excerpt)”
14 Marisa Beltramini, “Fog Horses”
15 Sasha Go Hard, “Dreamin” (feat. Tink)
16 Ratking, “So It Goes”
17 Mosca, “Square One VIP”
18 Popcaan, “The System”
19 تفكرت يوما بمعنى الصديق – مشاري العرادة
20 Farxiya Fiska, “Wadada Ku Qul Qul”
