Anonymous Z presents Not So Anonymous 32 on Scientific Sound Asia. Scientific Sound Asia is an Asian electronic music radio station and music-news platform connecting local and expatriate audiences across the region and internationally.
Anonymous Z is mostly revered in Saigon, Vietnam, for pioneering the epic Mad Circus parties. He also organised Bahrain’s first underground DJ collective, Glassroom, as a promoter of mayhem to the soul.
Heading a collection of misfits from different nationalities, he organised legal and occasionally renegade parties and after-parties remembered as local nightlife folklore. His motto then was "They tried to bury us, but they forgot we were seeds".
As part of the Banana Hustle crew, he helped shape their punchy tropical energy at events in Ho Chi Minh City. Originally a Techno head, he developed a taste for digging out distinctive Afro, House, Disco and Funk records.
His selections bring together hand-picked Techno and contemporary Indie Dance. His skills as a disc jockey opened doors to prominent underground Vietnamese venues including Arcan, The Lighthouse, Broma and Vitamin D after-parties.
His non-linear sets are often improvised in response to the crowd, moving through varied genres with tense, grooving bass lines and melodic storytelling. He explores world music and electro from its earliest era as his sound develops over time.
The programme can move towards trippy, dark downtempo material with tribal and South American influence, or darker grooving Leftfield Electro. It also draws on Nu-Disco, Electroclash, Wave, New Beat and Dark Disco alongside his broader record digging.
Not So Anonymous 32 opens with Brigitte Fontaine’s Ah Que La Vie Est Belle in Jacques Bon’s rework, a Downtempo introduction released through Hippie Dance. Armando Trovajoli’s Feitiço Da Noite follows in A-Tweed’s “Luanda Dark” edit before Rayko’s Disco Mutante, in Ilya Santana’s mix for Traveller Records, adds an Italo-Disco accent.
Frank Butters’ Make It Right, with Andrew Weatherall on vocal duties, leads into Richard Lane’s Shelves in Buff’s Cotton Bud Dub, paced at 115bpm for Cotton Bud. Nick Muir and John Digweed’s Steady State, remixed by Mordisco for Bedrock Records, brings Melodic House and Techno into focus before Mordisco’s Nocta receives Sascha Funke’s Indie Dance treatment on My Favorite Robot Records.
Lindstrøm’s There’s A Drink In My Bedroom & I Need A Hot Lady keeps the Indie Dance thread in place on Feedelity Recordings. Rigopolar’s Start From Beginning on Tom Tom Disco and Ichisan’s Terminal E on Bordello A Parigi extend that section before James Rod’s Belong City turns towards Deep House via Paper Disco.
Faithless’ Insomnia appears in Younger Than Me’s Never Sleep edit, followed by Celeda’s The Undergound in Peter Rauhofer’s remix. Roland Leesker and Andre Salata’s Oi then gives way to Depeche Mode’s John The Revelator in Tiefschwarz’s dub for Mute.
Effetto Joule’s Robespierre, in Flemming Dalum’s remix for Mannequin, returns to Italo Disco textures. Simian Mobile Disco’s Hustler, remixed by Skatebård for Interscope Records, shifts into House Music, while Dino Lenny’s Tokyo receives Damon Jee’s Indie Dance remix on Roam Recordings.
Mugwump’s Ignored Folklore provides the penultimate original mix before the closing record. Gaudi and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s Bethe Bethe Kese Kese, in Gaudi’s Dark New Wave remix for Six Degrees Records, closes the set with a darker House direction.
Not So Anonymous episode 32
Brigitte Fontaine - Ah Que La Vie Est Belle (Jacques Bon Rework)
Armando Trovajoli - Feitiço Da Noite (A - Tweed "Luanda Dark" Edit)
Rayko - Disco Mutante (Ilya Santana Mix)
Frank Butters - Make It Right (Andrew Weatherall Vocal)
Rich Lane - Shelves (Buff's Cotton Bud Dub)
Nick Muir, John Digweed - Steady State (Mordisco Remix)
Mordisco - Nocta (Sascha Funke Remix)
Lindstrøm - There's A Drink In My Bedroom & I Need A Hot Lady (Original Mix)
Rigopolar - Start From Beginning (Original Mix)
Ichisan - Terminal E (Original Mix)
James Rod - Belong City (Original Mix)
Faithless - Insomnia (Younger Than Me Never Sleep Edit)
Celeda - The Undergound (Peter Rauhofer Remix)
Roland Leesker, Andre Salata - Oi (Original Mix)
Depeche Mode - John The Revelator (Tiefschwarz Dub)
Effetto Joule - Robespierre (Flemming Dalum Remix)
Simian Mobile Disco - Hustler (Skatebård Remix)
Dino Lenny - Tokyo (Damon Jee Remix)
Mugwump - Ignored Folklore (Original Mix)
Gaudi + Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - Bethe Bethe Kese Kese (Gaudi's Dark New Wave Remix)
Listen on Mixcloud.