Norsicaa is driven by a rare passion for music. Vastly knowledgable, her sets are a continual education, helping to broaden the minds of the audience while also making them move.

Her latest move is one of Norsicaa’s most personal projects to date. ‘Ayo Ke Disco: Boogie Pop & Funk from the South China Sea (1974-88)’ is out on November 8th, and it finds the selector sifting through the crates, exploring way-out sounds from South-East Asia.

The project has been years in the works, and represents her curatorial nous, her flair for unearthing fantastic sounds, and Norsicaa’s commitment to this seam of music.

Set to host a special album launch party at Brilliant Corners in London on October 26th, she’s also piecing together a limited edition zine to shine a light on these artists, musicians, and producers.

Stripped from the compilation, ‘Mangge Mangge’ by Black Brothers has just been placed online – check it out below as a sampler.

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Ahead of this, Norsicaa has built a very special mix for CLASH – slightly further forward in time from the compilation, this mix shows how the scene developed, as digital programming began to make itself felt, birthing countless sub-genres in the process.

It’s a wicked listen – laced with colour and invention, it’s a real window into a certain era. Norsicaa comments…

This mix is a love letter to 80s and 90s electronic music from South-East Asia – where local genres and languages started blending with synthesisers, drum machines and vocoders. It starts off with a bang – mirroring how Asia leapt onto the world stage as it became an economic and manufacturing powerhouse during this time.

Halfway through the mix it becomes more light-hearted, moving from house to Cantopop and Singaporean breakdance. The ride finishes with Korean funk, electronic breaks, synth and a Taiwanese cover of a Japanese city-pop song. These are some of my favourite tracks that I haven’t stopped playing in years.

Tune in now.

夢劇院 – 飄去夏天
Rahimah Rahim – Mencari Destinasi
Priscilla Chan – 地球大追蹤 (African Dance Mix)
Namie Amuro – Body Feels (Latin House Mix) (Norsicaa Edit)
Noorkumalasari – Sayang Oh Sayang
Rafika Duri – Catatan Kisah
Prudence Liew – 玩玩
Roman Tam – 激光中
Denny Malik – Jalan – Jalan Sore
張少林 – 恭喜恭喜
나미 – 허수아비
Yoshinori Sunahara – The New World Break (Exo Mix)
George Lam, Cherrie Choi – Conversation
The Rollies – Disco
Tian Niu – Deng Ni Zai Yu Zhong

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Catch Norsicaa at the following Asian shows:

22/23 Nov – Seoul, South Korea
29/30 Nov – Osaka, Japan @ Escape
5 Dec – Fruityspace, Beijing, China
7 Dec – Fono, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
8 Dec – Sputnik Recordz, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
13 Dec – Singapore @ Offtrack SG
15 Dec – Wonderfruit festival, Thailand
18-19 Dec – TBC Vietnam

Photo Credit: Lou Jasmine

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