M&A #48: DJ PJ

Milk & Alcohol celebrates music which is deeply tied to black communities and black culture. The racist treatment of black people by police and society as a whole is more apparent now than ever, and so we believe it's important to give back to these communities. We want to tie our posts to some recommendations for places you can go to learn more about what we can do, or what you should understand, in order to actively help fight it:

• If you are financially able to, donations to bail funds helping protesters in the US can be spread using this tool: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ms_blm_homepage_2019

• Donations to UK based charities supporting POC are just as important. A range of great charities (by no means an exhaustive list) can be found on this spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15gBiGqIB5ViNtfl__jlER0qNNRkxX8R0GGuryMu2k4A/edit

• A range of resources to read, long and short, can be found in this google drive: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/10-sqmyDKIN1FK_RKOd7Anzm4E0jlnUnz

• This tool helps you write to your MP to demand condemnation of the US response to protests, justice for Belly Mujinga and Shukri Abdi and further action to change attitudes from the top of government: https://write-for-changes.herokuapp.com/

• Something I have personally found useful, and there are many of these, is this write up from CRACK Magazine, containing more petitions, causes needing your donations, reading etc: https://crackmagazine.net/article/long-reads/help-black-lives-matter-protests-donate-organisations/

This time is one for reflection. The virus has affected us all, but it is temporary. The injustice experienced by black and other people of colour has survived over countless generations and has shaped society in ways we must acknowledge. Here we look to focus on a love for music, and all this music comes from the creativity and hardship of black communities. The least we can all do is give back, maybe with your time, maybe with money (for example, the amount you might have spent on a night out if corona wasn't a thing) and go forward consciously elevating these voices.

This next mix is one for glorious sunny days (how convenient!). DJ PJ (A.K.A. Maddy Pulman-Jones) had the goal of DJing a Cambridge club night in her pyjamas before her degree was out. This could yet happen, but with clubbing in its familiar form next year looking more like a hope than a certainty, she's put together this charming and diverse mix for us, to debut her disc-jockey monicker. The mix draws on Russian electropop, turkish psych-rock and a beautifully twee little French 60's number which acts as a palate cleanser before the introspective second course. Refreshing is definitely the word that comes to mind when you first stick this on. It's bringing together so many hidden gems from around the world, starkly contrasting scenery but blended together through that thick heat that sits atop a boozy late summer evening outside a taverna, bistro or bar. It pairs well with the wave of satisfaction that comes from a well-earned first sip of cold beer, sangria or G&T. Bon Appetit.

How did you get the mix together?

This mix draws on the pretty eclectic selection of music I’ve been listening to over the past year. I was living in Moscow from September to January which definitely influenced my taste and habits - several of the tracks that ended up on the mix I found through friends I made there!

What were you trying to do with it?

This quarantine has been full of ups and downs - I wanted a mix that flowed easily from groovy to snoozy. Incorporating yé-yé and jazz into a predominantly funk and electropop mix was a bit of an experiment. I think the result is pretty fun!

What’s your musical guilty pleasure?

I don’t know if I believe in “guilty pleasures,” but recently I’ve been loving the soundtrack to the movie ‘Yentl’ directed, co-written, co-produced by and starring Barbra Streisand. It’s about a young Ashkenazi Jewish woman in the 1900s who has to dress and live as a man in order to be able to study the Talmud. Michel Legrand wrote the music and Streisand sings every song. It’s fabulous. People should check it out.

What’s the last song you listened to?

‘Theme from the Godfather’ by Jesus Acosta and the Professionals

Who is your favourite producer/performer/artist at the moment?

Anushka Chkheidze - she’s an incredible electronic producer from Georgia. Her new album ‘Halfie’ is fantastic. I’ve also been listening to a lot of Phoebe Bridgers.

What is your go-to banger?

A definite tie between ‘Burning Down the House’ by Talking Heads and ‘Because the Night’ by Patti Smith

What’s coming up for you during/after Quarantine?

I’ll be back in Cambridge for my fourth year in October (*fingers crossed we’re all back*). I haven’t DJ-ed in Cambridge before, but am looking forward to getting involved, whether we can put on nights in-person or not.

DJ PJ's Tracklist:

‘Tibetan Dance’ - Ryuichi Sakamoto
‘Цанцевать’ - Molchat Dom

‘Ratchuli’ - Vziad Mgebry
‘Nessuno’ - Mina
‘Quand Le Film Est Triste’ - Sylvie Vartan
‘¿Porqué te vas?’ - Jeannette
‘Cemalim’ - Erkin Koray
‘Zindagi Meri Dance’ - Vijay Benedict and Alisha Chinai
‘Bsslama Hbibti’ - Fadoul
‘Позови меня’ - Kristina Obrakaite
‘Кто остановит этот дождь’ - Musia Totibadze
‘LED (лед)’ - Kedr Livansky
‘Joe le taxi’ - Vanessa Paradis
‘Monument’ - Katie Eristavi and Dea Bezhuashvili
‘Everything Happens To Me’ - Chet Baker
‘Я шагаю по Москве’ - Nikita Mikhailov