Friday Mixtape: Wesley Gonzalez' hot and summery mix

Date
7 July 2017

This week’s Friday Mixtape is by Wesley Gonzalez, musician, singer and all round great guy. Anyone who has seen Wesley play will be familiar with his brilliant live performance, with his set ending by jumping off stage and shaking the audience’s hands.

Last week (30 June 2017), Wesley released his debut solo record, Excellent Musician, on Moshi Moshi records. To celebrate, he has created this week’s Friday Mixtape, full of gems that inspired the record, to be the soundtrack to the heatwave.

Over to the excellent musician himself!

Why have you picked these songs?

I tried to pick electronic tunes that are hot and summery, as I heard it’s gonna be a heatwave. I have really bad judgement on when stuff sounds summery, but I sat in my garden while putting this together and it is hot, so who knows? They are all songs I’ve been into over the last couple of years while making this record as well.

When or where should this mixtape be listened to?

Summer, 5pm onwards and maybe in a wood, with a phat biftah on the go.

What artist do you listen to that you’d turn your Spotify to private for?

I don’t use Spotify much. I get into YouTube recommended watch-holes, but there’s nothing I’m particularly guilty about. I can go from tonnes of gangsta rap videos, to suddenly listening to Spice Girls (I think Say You’ll Be There has some audible G-Funk influences). Possibly stuff like nu metal, which I have a perverse curiosity about, but I don’t think I could say that I truly liked it or listened to it much. It does fascinate me though, nu metal. I’m still waiting on the definitive nu metal documentary, that would fill me with joy.

What were you listening to while recording your new record?

Yellow Magic Orchestra, heavily! Isaac Hayes, Sly Stone, Shuggie Otis. Stuff I’ve put on the playlist. The Beatles and Beach Boys, as always. I started listening to lots of house music like Palms Trax, Theo Parrish and Max Graef. Lots of Billy Joel and Glen Campbell too. Everything.

If a film was to be made about the life and times of Wesley Gonzalez, what song would be on the trailer?

Say You’ll Be There by Spice Girls.

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About the Author

Lucy Bourton

Lucy (she/her) is the senior editor at Insights, a research-driven department with It's Nice That. Get in contact with her for potential Insights collaborations or to discuss Insights' fortnightly column, POV. Lucy has been a part of the team at It's Nice That since 2016, first joining as a staff writer after graduating from Chelsea College of Art with a degree in Graphic Design Communication.

lb@itsnicethat.com

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