“The Maverick Sessions are a group of producers/individuals we believe will bend the mould or perception of how to make music in today’s given music environments.” So says Jay Scarlett, informing us on Ubeat's series of compilations of which the second volume features Academy alumni, Onra and Mau’lin.
Whilst the nine-track digital EP marks London 2010 participant Mau’lin’s first release, Onra and Jay Scarlett have linked before. Jay picked tracks from the French producer's collabs with Byron The Aquarius (working together under The Big Payback guise) for the original Beat Dimensions, and again when asked to compile New Worlds by Japanese label, Circulations.
“Baby-making music” is how Onra describes Lying Beside You, a track that fits alongside the 80s-influenced material presented in his Long Distance LP. “It was made sometime last year, on a hot summer afternoon if I remember well. I was listening to the Isley Brothers' classic album Between The Sheets, and I was like, "Damn, somebody gotta do something with that sample”.
Although made at a similar time to Onra’s, Mau’lin’s song, Deadcab, reached the compilers a different way, “I sent the track to Jay a while back on Soundcloud, he got back soon after saying he wanted it on his new compilation. It was crazy because I had just been chatting about the first Beat Dimensions to a mate like ten minutes before I saw the email!”
More’s in store from Mau'lin later in the year, as the Englishman reveals, “I have a three track 12" coming out on Fortified Audio late this Autumn. Each track has a distinct vibe so it will be cool to see if it works out for people or not.”
Co-run with Istanbul’s No.1 beat-pusher Onur Engin, Jay sums up the ethos of their contemporary venture, “Ubeat is a symbol of independence, a project to capture the times and energy of a movement that others aren't so keen on”. Whilst it may not appear on mainstream prime time playlists, the music certainly appeals to many people’s tastes. The Maverick Sessions lie in wait for you to listen to.
BONUS:
Jay Scarlett (Beat Dimensions, Munich/London) - Train Wreck Mix
Onra (All City Records, Paris) - On The Floor! - Live at La Bellevilloise - Pt.1
Onra (All City Records, Paris) - On The Floor! - Live at La Bellevilloise - Pt.2
Mau'lin (Twickenham) - London Sessions
