Ariel Zetina launches Local Action and Finn’s Mixtape Club with new mix, Sestina

Ariel Zetina has launched Local Action and Finn’s Mixtape Club series.

The Chicago-based Smartbar resident, who released her last EP ‘MUAs At The End Of The World’ via femme culture in February last year, has kicked off London label Local Action and Manchester’s Finn’s Mixtape Club series with a new tape titled ‘Sestina’.

‘Sestina’ is a selection of new and unheard music from Zetina and her Peers, drawing on Ballroom pressure, Chicago hard house and Florida breaks. Speaking about the tape, Zetina said: “I’m obsessed with repetitions, motifs that come and return, repeating patterns and arpeggios, basically any time music is playing uses the mere fact that is repeating a pattern to create a mood. This mix is made up of about 50% unreleased tracks from me, and 50% tracks from my friends, most of whom live and work in Chicago and are vital to the sound that has come to define my scene.”

Known as Mixtape Club, the series is a response to the ongoing coronavirus crisis, which has effectively put the majority of selectors out of work since spring 2020, and works as a non-profit. Every act that contributes to the project is paid a flat fee, £150, with no rules or specifics on format. A budget of £150 is also offered to cover the costs of producing original artwork.  

Mixes will be available to download for free, although there’s also a Patreon system in place — those who can are invited to pledge £5 a month to help fund the project. Any cash left over after costs are covered will be saved until the end of the season and then distributed evenly between the artists.

You can listen to ‘Sestina’ here, and support Mixtape Club via Patreon.