Some big things happened for “the culture” in July. Barbenheimer… the beginning of the Women’s World Cup… new Computerwife singles… but arguably nothing compares to the much anticipated fifteenth edition of FBi’s monthly mixtape. Chock full of excellent selects from FBi’s very own, MM#015 covers everything from dnb to glitch pop to noise to dancehall – get stuck into it below!

Matt Do, host of Weekend Lunch on Sunday

Skee Mask – Studio 626

Skee Mask proves once again he’s in a league of his own with his new EP ISS009. ‘Studio 626’ stands out as the most unique track of the EP, and of his wider output more generally. Skee Mask eschews his trademark cold, dark atmospheric dnb for an uncharacteristically fun and playful track driven by four-on-the-floor and an rnb sample. It still has those breaks and an ambient passage you’d expect from Skee Mask, but ‘Studio 626’ gives us a little teaser of what he can do outside of his usual realm. Still (im)patiently waiting for someone to bring this man to Sydney…

Shapednoise – Metal

Spoilers in the track’s (and artist’s) name – this is unrelenting industrial bliss. When I need to lock in and concentrate on something, I like to put on noisy overwhelming music which leaves no space for wandering thoughts. ‘Metal’, and the rest of Shapednoise’s new record, Absurd Matter, has been hitting the spot and keeping me on track. It feels like being wrapped up in a warm, tight blanket of noise. Best listened to loud.

bar italia – Missus Morality

London trio bar italia quietly dropped my favourite album of the year, Tracey Denim, in May and I haven’t stopped listening. I’ve been racking my brain trying to figure out why they sound so nostalgic, and the only thing I can think of is that they remind me of Pavement at their most melodic and wistful. ‘Missus Morality’ feels like the perfect centrepiece of the album. I’m completely smitten by it’s addictive chorus and the masc/fem vocal interplay. I want this to be my karaoke song.

Marcus Whale and Gus McGrath, hosts of Sleepless in Sydney on Wednesday

Amnesia Scanner & Freeka Tet – Cat

I always thought I, like, understood Amnesia Scanner, but I have to admit full comprehension didn’t really hit me until I saw them at Soft Centre a few weeks back. This song stood out to me with its cartoon rhythm, amplified by the fact they were playing a GIF of the Jerry the mouse (from Tom and Jerry) marching while gleefully swinging a giant mallet. The studio version came out a week later and I have of course played it on repeat ever since.

Aiden Marceron – Sun

Aiden is one of these artists that gets a good run in our show. They’re a very online young person from somewhere in the north east of the US, who makes a very elastic kind of kind of IDM and glitch but also pop inspired style of music at this impossibly prolific pace, just churning out these gorgeous releases. This one is on the poppier end, with a hint of Aiden’s very processed vocals poking through the layers.

Jandek – The Wizard Awakens

We have a regular texter, Boris from Narwee, who a couple years back started sending us song requests usually by Jandek, the reclusive artist who makes the world’s most bonkers, atonal form of free improv singer-songwriter music. Over time, this has evolved into what’s essentially a segment, where Boris will fit a Jandek song into whatever theme we’ve come up with for the week. Our themes are often completely off-topic for Jandek, but Boris is somehow able to make it work almost time. We really cherish Boris’ input and truly encyclopedic knowledge and incisive interpretations of Jandek’s enormous discography and life. We asked Boris on air this week if there’s a recent Jandek song that he’s into and he reminded us that almost none of it is available online, of course, except this album called The Wizard’s Hour. So here’s ‘The Wizard Awakens’, a very psychedelic 20 minute cacophony.

John Troughton, host of Up for It! on Wednesday

Yussef Dayes – Tioga Pass (feat. Rocco Palladino)

When you see the names Palladino and Dayes together you know it’s worth sticking around for the whole eight minutes. ‘Tioga Pass’ oozes in effortless groove and unmatched talent, moving from atmospheric, chorus-laden bass to some of the tightest breaks you’ll ever hear. This new snippet of Yussef Dayes’ debut album Black Classical Music, which promises to be an ode to and exploration of the development of jazz, is my favourite to date.

Skeleten – Heart Full of Tenderness

There is an undeniable warmth to Skeleten’s catalogue that is hard to explain. Capable of lifting your mood in an instant, Skeleten truly captures both a lyrical and musical state of euphoria that feels as if it is just for you. ‘Heart Full Of Tenderness’ is the last piece of Russel Fitzgibbon’s much-anticipated debut album Under Utopia (out July 28), and it’s as gentle, optimistic and intimate as ever.

BAMBII – Wicked Gyal (feat. Lady Lykez)

Switching things up with a ferocious blend of dancehall, garage, and jungle from Toronto-based DJ/producer BAMBII. This track draws musically on her perspective as part of the Caribbean diaspora. A taste of her upcoming Infinity Club EP, I was hooked from the moment I heard the unrelenting, almost squelchy bass in the opening seconds of track, a sound that meshes perfectly with the always playful vocals of Lady Lykez.

Wanna hear more? Check out our full 2023 Monthly Mixtape playlist on Spotify below.