An introduction, please … who are you, where are you, and what pays the bills?
My name is Leo Hallin aka Leolyxxx and i’m a graphic artist, record collector and happy father of 2 from Stockholm, Sweden.
Where was the mix recorded, and what is the inspiration behind it?
The tracks are rips i did in my livingroom from original vinyl copies, mainly from Nigeria but also a few Ghanian LPs.
I did 3 mixes of Nigerian boogie/disco/soul called Plastic Inners for the American label Origin Peoples and this was material i gathered alongside the records i used for those mixes but never really fit into the boogie outfit due to them being more rootsy and traditional in style
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Strictly vinyl? Strictly digital? Couldn’t care less?
I really don’t care as long as it’s good, i rather listen to a good mp3-dj than a bad vinyl nerd, but on a personal level i’m foremost a collector rather than a dj and it has been that way for years.
Doing mixes is great and goes well with me working as a designer as it’s always fun to do art for your own mixes.
Of course i have deep love for vinyl records both in sound and just all around appeal but just because that’s my love i don’t have to force it someone who makes due with electronic stuff, make the tool work for you and you’re good.
‘Balearic’, seems to be a somewhat overused term these days, but if you had to – and we are asking you to – describe the essence of ‘Balearic’ in one record?
Picking one record from a genre i love is impossible, Balearic to me also almost automatically means eclectic so inside the balearic genre there’s Balearic Disco, Balearic Rap, Balearic this and that and the other and i can find tracks in every little corner of those genres and pick great bits..
But ok … a few that really nails it for me is Antena ”Camino del Sol”, Linda Di Franco ”My Boss”, Richard Sanderson ”Check On The List” and probably Sade ”Smooth Operator”.
But if i stick with the Nigerian theme i really gotta highlight Sina Fagbenros ”It’s Your Life” on Nigerian HMV, I used one track from that LP in all my previous afromixes and they are all perfect Balearic pop tunes, a bit pricey and only available as original so far but if you have the spare dosh it’s definitely worth it.
Favourite place you’ve travelled to? And why?
Another somewhat impossible question.. i have to be that boring person and say all good traveling is the best, can’t really compare places to each other as they are different.
But I loved California in many ways, Cambodia I have been to once and loved, Italy is super nice and something I would like to visit again soon but also just going to some cabin in the woods is great, my inlaws has the best country house and being there is always rad.
Most embarrassing record(s) you’ve bought? Most expensive? And your best bargain bin finds you’ve digged out over the years?
Don’t know if it’s embarassing but i got scammed once in 2005 by a Belgian/Italian guy for about 150 quid on a soul 45, I really went to great length to try and see who this was and what he was doing. Turned out he had multiple aliases and did it on multiple platforms ripping people off for thousands of pounds, Discogs wasn’t so big for soul back then so more on Ebay and GEMM, he used his girlfriends name and his mothers adress, really shady dude!
Never saw the money but warned others and had sorta fun being a detective, I even called and left a message at his mothers answering machine.
For finds i can go on forever, I have found great records basically just outside my door but I think my best finds have been online and it still baffles me how well the internet can work when played right.
I found the soul 45 ”squeeze” by group Ex-Ta-C on Ok&T because the guy who just listed his whole collection spelled the name wrong and i tried to use that as a search trick on google to see if anything popped up.
When i asked the guy if he wanted to sell it he said it was no sales list and just his collection (and it had basically no other soul records), but he would make an exception and said i could buy it for 1 dollar + shipping, I offered more for it as it’s worth that but he declined and said i should send the money in an envelope, I thought it was total bs of course but then after a few weeks the record arrived in perfect condition.
Favourite DJ you’ve heard play out over the years?
Probably some friend of mine locally when the vibe was just right, I haven’t been the best dude to check out shows i’m afraid and i spend a lot of time in the studio rather than clubbing but some gigs that I loved was Morgan Geist, Mylo, DJ Harvey and of course soul-dj Soul-Sam!
Locally i gotta rep my buddy Farbror Resande Mac those rare times he plays, for mixes i gotta say hands down JAZ is killing it.
Anything else we should know about you or what you are up to … and do you have a track listing for the mix you provided?
I’m on parental leave with my second son Ivan, which is great. But as a freelance worker you don’t really take ”leave” from stuff so I work a lot, no complaining though as I do what I love but it’s a busy year for me for sure.
Most recent stuff upcoming is going to DJ at Reel to Reel in Barcelona alongside my buddy James Pogson who I started a reissue label called Fantasy Love Records with and American label owner and DJ Randy ”Hotthobo” Ellis, super stoked about that. Then in October I’m going to Israel to paint a big wall part of an art festival that Broken Fingaz hosts, also something I really look forward to.
Lots of upcoming goodies all the time so check the good ol’ social media places if you wanna stay updated. Instagram: @leolyxxx / Website: leolyxxx.com
Thanks to Leo for taking the time out to answer these questions.
