The last 18 months must have been pretty overwhelming for Scots duo LF System—aka Sean and Conor—from keeping Beyonce’s “Break My Soul” off the top spot and scooping Song Of The Year at this year’s BRITS to sell-out shows across the US, Australia and New Zealand, and major spots at just about every large scale festival this summer.
They’ve achieved staggering amounts so far. That much is pretty obvious, but it’s worth acknowledging that it’s been quite a journey for them, even if it might appear to be overnight success. In fact, the pair met in 2015 at The Arches in Glasgow as part of a wider friendship group. Eventually, this group started making music together, starting as a collective of around 8 or 10 members, ultimately ending up as a duo and settling on the name LF System. Originally, it was Stateside EDM that had their attention, dazzled by the scale and spectacle of events such as Tomorrowland, before Conor’s now brother-in-law introduced him to house and techno.
From there, they started diving into the Defected podcast, going deeper and deeper into house music and the disco tunes that inspire them to this day. Of course, they found their breakout with “Afraid To Feel”, built around an electrifying sample of Silk’s Philly ‘79 soul classic “I Can’t Stop (Turning You On)”, but they’re keen that the song doesn’t define their sound. In fairness, as the rest of their output proves, it’s more than just catchy samples. French Touch, ‘90s house music, even Ballroom can all be heard in various measures. French Touch, especially, is a centrepiece in this mix that was recorded at Hideout Festival in Croatia this year.
We caught up with Conor and Sean to talk more about their mix and some of the music that inspired them over the years. Press play on that below, and read more on the flip.
Tell us a bit about your selections in this mix.
Sean: In this mix, we wanted to have a bit of fun with it. We included our usual LF tunes mixed with big-energy party records, a nod to some of our favourite French artists with some French Touch stuff, and ‘90s to 2000s bangers.
What was the one track you absolutely had to include?
Conor: Adelphi Music Factory’s “Save Me”. It’s been doing the damage for us recently; goes off every time! It’s a great track, mixing a powerful soulful vocal with a chunky beat. What a weapon!
Any tracks that narrowly missed the cut?
Conor: Too many to name. We just picked what felt right at the time but we could have played all sorts as the Hideout crowd is always up for a dance, no matter what. We wanted to play it all but sadly didn’t have time.
What’s the first single or album you ever bought?
Sean: The Kooks’ Inside In/Inside Out. Classic!
Conor: Paolo Nutini’s Sunny Side Up. It’s still one of my favourite albums, to this day, that I continue to listen to. I think I’ve lost the CD, though.
What’s the last physical record you bought?
Sean: It was a track called “Future” by Armando.
Conor: Paul Johnson’s “Foreign Music”. We were invited by Deezer to do some record shopping in Paris; we hit up three different places, and we both bought these at Heart Beat Vinyl. It was great fun.
What do you want to see happen musically over the next 12 months?
Sean: We want to get more releases out and share what we’ve been working on and continue doing what we love. It’s so satisfying getting tunes out into the world that we graft on. It can be a long process but always worth it when we get to pump them out to a live crowd for the first time.
What trend or scene absolutely needs to die right now?
Conor: We’re not wanting to get cancelled here so we will keep this to ourselves [laughs]. We’ve got houses to buy!
Tracklist:
1. LF SYSTEM - Hungry (For Love)
2. Ben Hemsley - Shroom Power
3. LF SYSTEM - Stronger On My Own
4. Solidisco - Gotta Have It
5. FakeFunk - Blazin’
6. Husko - Goodnight
7. Robbie Rivera - Keep on and you don’t stop (shagadelic mix)
8. Discobuster - Discotech 2000
9. First Optional Deal - Stockholm 2 Paris
10. Bando - Mike Input
11. Pierre De La Touch - Dance All Night (Distorded Remix)
12. Antoine Clamaran - Freak It
13. LF SYSTEM - Dancing Shoes (Got My)
14. Maxx ’n Cala - Retro Fire (Scorccio Hot Mix)
15. Lemin - Back Together
16. Bailey Ibbs - Jungle Splash
17. Thomas Bangalter - Outrun
18. JX - Son Of A Gun (Airwolf Paradise Edit)
19. DJ Torture & X-COAST - Shout N Out
20. Adelphi Music Factory - Save Me (Club Mix)
21. Mark Knight - Second Story
22. Lock N Load - House Some More (Club Caviar Rio Mix)
23. LF SYSTEM - Afraid To Feel
