Smear is Al Mathews, perhaps better known to many as one-half of Forward Strategy Group. DJ’ing and producing under both the FSG and Smear names, his sets regularly include everything from 80s Industrial, Italo Disco and Acid House through 90s Minimal & Industrial Techno to the deeper, spacier sounds of noughties heroes like Donato Dozzy.
His 2008 solo release on FSG “Transect” was one of the year’s highlights and he’s since gone on to release and remix under the Smear name for key labels MNX, Perc Trax, Labrynth and Zooloft amongst others.
Forward Strategy Group’s productions blend 90′s influenced industrial techno with tightly wound sound textures and a new twist. FSG releases and remixes on their own label as well as Perc Trax, Dynamic Reflection, DSNT are now regularly charted and playlisted by the likes of Surgeon, Peter Van Hoesen, Norman Nodge, Inigo Kennedy, Mike Parker, Rob Hall, Donato Dozzy etc…
Smear and Walker’s intense shows, a mix of both live & DJ performance have caused a storm at leading UK clubs like Plex, Colony, Techno Therapy, Detatched and Edinburgh’s Substance while recent gigs overseas, including a 5 hour set in New York for Erratic and a headline slot at the mighty Tresor have quite rightly seen them labelled one of the next big things in global Techno.
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Smear plays a rare back room set for us at next month’s Future/Past promising a mix of deep, tripped out techno, industrial, acid house and drone. His set will be recorded for a future podcast and while you wait for that just check out his recent 2 hour mix for Leeds based Snare Music, it’s a killer…
Kim Rapatti – Mood (Plug Research)
Deneuve – Never Give Up (Telepathic)
Klettermax – Spaceville (Source)
Steevio – Dusk (Mindtours)
Jasper – Forget (Cytrax)
Yusaku Shigeyasu – Something Direct (Torema)
Andy Bowman – Redrock (Gecko)
Joey Anderson – Thee Analysis (Strength Music)
XDB – Cagomi (Metrolux)
Magic Illusionist – Outer Limits (Terminal)
Portion Reform – Cold War (Stolen Version) (Progress Report)
Epoch – The Crossover (Surface)
SB Project – Unconscious Behaviour (Cosmic)
XDB – 119 (Metrolux)
Adrian Forciniti – Swedish Royal Ass (Blank LTD)
Fumiya Tanaka – Go Out (Torema)
Epoch – Katino (Surface)
Who Cares Who – Alternative Source (Rewired)
Fingers Inc – I’m Strong (Instrumental) (Clone Classic Cuts)
Arthur Russell – Treehouse (Lil Toni Remix) (Electric Minds)
Levon Vincent – Man Or Mistress (Novel Sound)
Rob Alcock – Afterlight (Continual)
Claude Young – Fading The Edges (Deta)
Joey Anderson – We Are Not Alone (Inimeg)
Dozzy & Nuel – Untitled (Aquaplano 000)
Bruce Ivery – Untitled (Stilove4music)
Tim Taylor & Freddie Fresh – Untitled (Fear Of Music)
Aubrey – Double Image (Solid Groove)
Pacou – Connection (Tresor)
Inigo Kennedy – Tube Track (Molecular)
Sympletic – Ace Space (Warp)
Ordinary Folk – Brain Repair (Fragmented)
Numbers & Feelings – So Lonely (Techno Blanc Work) – (Be.S.T)
More Smear from the archives…