These days, it isn’t so rare to find a DJ equally comfortable in exhibition halls and dance halls, in galleries and clubs, but long before such renaissance styling was the norm, DJ Olive was the high-low liminal culture figure to watch — and to listen to.
A veteran of the Whitney Biennial who’s also performed with such characters as Minutemen punk bassist Mike Watt and jazz guitarist Charlie Hunter, Olive (born Gregor Asch) has a way with rootsy material, as evidenced on a realms-crossing mix he posted over at plumindustries.org back in September.
Titled “Titicaca BBQ Mix,” the hour-long set places field recordings from Kenya, Cambodia, and Guyana (among the various stops) alongside the electronic and otherwise outward bound music of German iconoclast Karlheinz Stockhausen, British digital audio sculptors Autechre, and Italian film-score legend Nino Rota, with a little Cheech and Chong tossed in for good effect (MP3). While the broad and excellent selection speaks to Olive’s taste, it’s the spots where the tracks meet that his skill at locating artful parallels and contrasts is best evidenced.
Click through to the Plum Industries link above for a full set list. More on Asch/Olive at djolive.com.