VF Mix 101: Mica Levi by James Heather

Mica Levi’s shape-shifting genius.

There are very few musicians operating today who step between worlds as seamlessly as Mica Levi. Whether tapping the veins of lo-fi pop with Micachu & the Shapes, garage and grime with Tirzah or contemporary minimalism alongside the likes of Oliver Coates or Christian Marclay, Levi has quietly created some of the most radical and original music of the last decade. And that’s before we even talk about soundtracks, with Levi behind two of the most acclaimed scores of recent years in Under The Skin and Jackie.

Drawing all these threads together in a fabulous new 70-minute mix is James Heather, whose solo piano compositions have found a home on his shimmering debut Stories From Far Away On Piano, which was released on Coldcut’s Ahead Of Our Time imprint last month.

A composer whose music has drawn comparisons with the likes of Jóhann Jóhannsson, Heather is a fitting successor to VF Mix 100 and his choice of Mica’s records are a refreshing reminder of the breadth of his influences as a musician.

Tracklist:

1. Mica Levi & Oliver Coates – Pre-Barok (Slip)
2. Golden Shivers – Train For A Brain (Micachu Remix) (Rough Trade)
3. Micachu – Hold On A Minute (feat Brother May) (Rough Trade)
4. Tirzah – No Romance (Greco Roman)
5. Micachu – Stay (feat Miss.Bienek) (Self-Released)
6. Micachu – Just In Case (Rough Trade)
7. Micachu & The Shapes – Low Dogg (Rough Trade)
8. Roots Manuva – Dub Styles (Micachu Remix) (Big Dada)
9. Kate Tempest – The Truth (Micachu Remix) (Big Dada)
10. Micachu – Visual Mind Control (feat Speech Debelle) (Self-Released)
11. Speech Debelle – Better Days (feat Micachu) (Big Dada)
12. Matthew Herbert – August 2010 (Micachu’s Dance Music Remix) (Accidental)
13. Micachu – Do Dat Deep (feat Brother May & Mayhem (47)) (Rough Trade)
14. Kwesachu – Freefire (feat DELS) (Self-Released)
15. Brother May – Fine (feat Micachu) (Self-Released)
16. Micachu & The Shapes – You Know (Rough Trade)
17. Micachu & The Shapes – Golden Phone (Rough Trade)
18. Micachu & The Shapes – Lips (Rough Trade)
19. Micachu & The Shapes – Relaxing (Rough Trade)
20. Babyfather – God Hour (feat Micachu) (Hyperdub)
21. Micachu – Taboo (Self-Released)
22. Mica Levi – Vanity (Editions Milan)
23. Micachu & The Shapes & The London Sinfonietta – Fall (Live) (Rough Trade)
24. Micachu & The Shapes – Oh Baby (Rough Trade)
25. Micachu & The Shapes – L.A. Poison (Rough Trade)
26. Mount Kimbie – Marilyn (feat Micachu) (Warp)
27. Kwesachu – 7-5 (Change) (feat Elan Tamara, Coby, Grant Of Clout!) (Self-Released)
28. Mica Levi – Lee Harvey Oswald (Editions Milan)
29. Eliza McCarthy – Riding Through Drinking Harpo Dine (From)
30. Mica Levi – Lonely Void (Editions Milan)
31. Mica Levi – Love (Editions Milan)