We welcome Harriet Gray to the VU Selects mix series on Souncloud. After becoming a regular at the shop over the last year or two, and always impressing us with her deep digs and impeccable selections, Harriet started helping us as a part-time buyer. Picking through the endless lists of deep / tech / psychedelic house releases and helping to curate the best of the bunch for VU, alongside the team here. So do give her credit for some of the quality releases that are appearing on the website recently.

An upcoming name on the scene who knows not only how to pick tunes, but more importantly how to play them, we’ve been deep her VU Selects mix, and we’re sure you will be too!

We caught up with Harriet to find out a bit more about her sound and passion for records.

Vinyl Underground: How and when did you get into DJing?

Harriet Gray: My love for DJing really started as an ode to my university days in London back in 2014, when I was first introduced to the underground music scene. I’ve always been fascinated by electronic music, and it’s always pulled me in. When I first started exploring the scene, I was really drawn to deep, dubby sounds, and my taste grew and developed over the years I spent in London. I initially started DJing at friends’ parties around 2018, and my love for it just grew from there.

VU: You’ve done a killer mix for our VU Selects series. What inspired it, and how does it represent your style?

HG: I really loved putting this mix together. It was inspired by some gems from my collection that I’d been saving for the right moment to bring together. I freestyled the two-hour mix, but wanted to explore a few key spaces within my sound. I always feel my best mixes come when I don’t plan too rigorously and just lean into the flow.

It represents my style through different paces and moods, starting in a really deep, warm dub techno space before gradually progressing into more upbeat, vocal-led deep house, then descending into groove-driven minimal and driving, progressive techno & house rhythms.

My style is quite eclectic but with a clear sound. I’m always drawn to tracks with a strong bassline, but I love playing across different moods, from softer, more upbeat sounds through to darker, moodier rhythms.

VU: You also play regularly on Voices Radio, what do you think are the differences between playing on radio and playing live?

HG: For me, radio is much more of a self-curated experience. You have the freedom to explore a particular sound or take a journey in whatever direction you want, and there’s something quite introspective about that process.

Playing live is different because you’re responding to the energy and atmosphere of the room. Rather than following a journey you’ve set out for yourself, you’re reading the space and letting that guide where you go. I love that it can take you in unexpected directions, and that the set can become something quite different from what you might have imagined beforehand.

VU: Tell us about some of you top tunes at the moment.

Christian Hornbostel | Obsession (Base lines Mix) | PRG I absolutely love this tune. I picked it up at Vinyl Underground back in the summer, and after hearing it play for less than five seconds, I knew I needed it. It’s an Italian track from 1993 on Progressive Motion Records, with a really classic ’90s sound and a brilliant driving bassline. It’s also a great mood-changer to throw into a set.

The Beard | Someday (Five O’Clock Shadow Dub) | Inspirit Music Another track I’ve been rinsing lately, although it didn’t make it into this mix. You’ll probably find this one in most of my live sets at the moment. It feels like a bit of an undiscovered gem on Inspirit Music, a vocal house track with an almost dreamy, moody edge. I can’t get enough of it.

Io (Mulen) | Prater | Politics Of Dancing Records An understated record from my collection on Politics of Dancing. This one has a deeper sound, but with an absolutely incredible bassline and rhythm. All four tracks on the EP are excellent, so it’s well worth checking out the whole release.

 

RDS | Live Pt.8 | Nesreh Another tune I can’t get enough of at the moment, and one that somehow finds its way into a lot of my sets. It has a much more minimal edge, but with a really catchy melodic hook that never fails to catch dance floor attention.

Brennan | The Flow | Amore Records This one has big grooving bouncy vibes from Brennan who is pumping out so many great tunes at the moment!

 

 

VU: What labels and artists are you rating right now?

HG: A strong label for me at the moment is People & Places, which is actually run by a friend of mine. They’ve been putting out some really interesting house and techno releases with a more progressive lean. A highlight was their Dreamphaze Glow EP, which came out last year. It has a really unique sound that sits somewhere between house and progressive, and is a real gem. Their latest release, Suspended Memories from Tywi, is also well worth a mention. It’s a great collection of driving tunes, with a really nice contrast between the sides. Side A has a darker, more driving feel, while Side B is lighter and bouncier.

Another label I’ve been enjoying is Nesreh they’ve only put out two releases so far, but both are really strong and a label I’ve got my eye. My favourite is the RDS release (mentioned above), a more minimal-led EP with some brilliant melodic hooks.

A bit of a niche Discogs rabbit hole I’ve found myself down recently is the work of The Beard, who was an in-house engineer and DJ for Inspirit Music in the early 2000s. I’ve been digging through loads of his edits, particularly on melodic deep house tracks, and there are some amazing finds in there. Definitely worth exploring if you enjoy that sound.

In terms of artists/DJs I’ve seen out recently, it has to be Jane Fitz for me. She has such an incredible selection of music and an amazing sound. Her sets are always unforgettable and stay with you long after.

VU: When you’re digging, what are you looking for and what piques your interest?

HG: When I’m digging, I’m generally looking for something that grabs my attention, whether that’s through a label or artist I recognise, particularly when it comes to older records.

This might be conventional digging advice, but I’ve actually found that being a designer has made me pretty good at identifying records through their artwork. I think different eras have quite distinct design styles and typography, so I can often recognise the period a record is from just by looking at the sleeve or label. It’s become a surprisingly useful skill when I’m faced with a huge selection of records.

In terms of sound, I tend to gravitate towards late ’90s and early '00s house and techno, generally up to around 2010. That’s probably where a lot of my favourite records sit, although I’m always open to finding something unexpected.

VU: What have you got coming up and where can people find you on socials?

HG: I’ve got quite an exciting few months coming up! I’ll be playing at Hoxton Cabin on Friday 6th November with Hoxton Cabal, alongside Darren Roach and Big Nick D. Expect some deep, hypnotic selections for this one. https://ra.co/events/2536028

I’m also playing monthly at Noir Bar in Northampton alongside Vinyl Underground residents, and further afield, I’ll be playing at the 2027 edition of Funk in the Forest in Wales. I’m really excited about what’s coming up, with hopefully a few more things in the pipeline soon. 

You can find Harriet on Instagram and listen to her output on her SoundCloud, including sessions for Voices Radio.

Now check out the mix and full tracklist below, or head over to Soundcloud and get stuck in! Many of these records came through VU, but lots gone already (eek), we're seeing what we can still get back so add to your wantslist and watch this space...

As always respect to the artists and labels for their creations. 

1 Leonidas & Hobbes | Aranath featuring Riad Abji (Original Mix) | Hobbes Music
2 Autokinetic | Subthought | Different Times
3 Idealist | Stage One | Idealistmusic
4 Satoshi Tomiie | 48 Steps Deep | Phonogramme
5 Counter Plan | 90° | Soma Quality Recordings
6 John Jastszebski | Combo | 
7 The Rasundas | Facial Exercises | Lonesome Hero
8 Sixteen Souls | Strange Girl (In Bed Mix) | Alola
9 Dexter | Blue Tack | Slow-Wave
10 Grant Dell | Simple Effect | Rhythm Trax
11 Nolga | Voltage | Aesthetic
12 Swin | The Deep End | Canny Records
13 Brennan | The Flow | Amores
14 Jay Tripwire | Fevr Rising | Méchante Recordings
15 Rev | Up In Smoke (Original Mix) | Ing Recordings
16 DJ Foxx & Wyatt Earp | Portugese Dream | Vibernt
17 namastrange & Pletnev | Desire Machine | Earth Dog
18 Dockett Eddy | Micro Offense | Tunnel
19 RDS | Live (Pt 8) | Nesreh
20 Cristian Sarde | Saed Nihs | Timeless
21 Oho | Hear Things | Albeit Records
22 Christian Hornbostel | Obsession (Bass-Lines Mix) | PRG
23 TERR | Burn The Past | Hotflush
24 Deanne Day | Honk (If You've Seen The King) | Emissions Lo-Fi
25 Bekanta | Tha Sound (Original Mix) | Skyline Records
26 Tywi | Off Axis | People & Places