Sharp FM 002: Bianca Lexis for Carta Nueva

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This past fall, we launched Sharp FM, our dedicated Soundcloud channel for all things audio-related in the world of Sharp Type. For our second mix, we asked our friend and NTS GOAT Bianca Lexis to put together a medley for the winter solstice. Bianca's show Panorama Heaven is a treasure chest, well-known for its deep digs into the world of 80s new wave, courtesy of the record collection she inherited from her dad. That said, she's a versatile selector whose mixes manage to feel both familiar and fresh, spanning genre and era with the sort of intuition that only comes with a deep appreciation and hunger for Music. 

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Bianca Lexis is an LA-based DJ who plays worldwide and hosts the monthly show Panorama Heaven on NTS

Our desire was to pull together songs that feel festive for the holiday season, but would be fun year-round; celebratory for gatherings, but companionable for a solo excursion. We finally requested that with all that in mind, Bianca should feel free to let inspiration take the mix wherever it needed to go, and she delivered. The opening bars of The Blue Nile’s “Saddle the Horses,” herald a fine line between beatific and wistful, before the swooning melodies of Suzanne Menzel and that tender outlaw Judee Sill fully open your heart.

"I wanted to put together intimate songs that remind me of going back home and spending time with loved ones gathered around our favorite comfort foods and a cozy fire," says Bianca. "Hopefully it gives the listener a similar feeling of nostalgic warmth :)"

As a type design studio, we started Sharp FM with the idea that the output would reflect the way we work: Compass over maps, emergence over authority, practice over theory, experimentation over safety, diversity over uniformity, intuition over process. We're excited to see how we can concept music mixes to connect meaningfully with our typeface releases, even though, at the end of the day, the music simply has to be good, and each mix has to exist on its own terms. 

We hope these songs provide a space for both end-of-the-year reflection and celebration. Bianca's mixes are definitively “feel good” and reward repeat listening, so it’s our joy to share Sharp FM 002: Bianca Lexis for Winter Solstice ‘22. This will be a perennial listen, full of rare delights and lesser-known pop gems, but it’s an ideal holiday soundtrack, too. By the time you find yourself enveloped in the synth clouds and gentle grooves of the second half, we hope you’ll feel at home, wherever you might be.

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Source Material for the cover collage taken from our collection of rare writing manuals

Track List:

The Blue Nile - Saddle The Horses

Suzanne Menzel - Winter Comes

Judee Sill - The Kiss

Townes Van Zandt - The Velvet Voices

Lucinda Williams - Fruits Of My Labor

Steve Kuhn - The Meaning Of Love

Dunkelziffer - See It

Gretchen Parlato - Weak

Jan Hammer Group - Don't You Know

John Martyn - You Know

Carole King - Bitter With The Sweet

Popcorn - Song For You

Vance And Suzanne - I Can't Get Along Without You

Jennifer Vyban - Miracles

Peter Ivers - Miraculous Weekend

Donna Lewis - I Love You Always Forever Sylk 130 Remix