The selection of tracks by London-based artist Izaak Brandt are soft, but also steamy, taking us through a blend of the material and the spiritual, in keeping with Brandt’s own multidisciplinary practice. It combines the witty lyrics of rappers struggling to survive the repercussions of financial success with the all-encompassing melodies of instrumental jazz.

Similarly, Brandt explores both dematerialized and tangible forms of expression in his work, such as dance, drawing, performance, and sculpture. We are thrust into a world of fame and luxury with the unmistakable voices of North America’s finest, including Jadakiss, and Kanye West. One observes that yacht sailing is excessive, while the other blames a lower self-esteem on one’s higher status. Their ironic ode to consumerism recalls Brandt’s own sculptural series “Deadstock”, in which the artist investigated sneaker culture. The phantasmagorical shoe sculptures, pale, still, and translucent, tap into a contemporary obsession with preservation and functionality. In the MIX’s cover image, the photographic grains and vintage covers convey a distinctly retro aesthetic which reflects the artist’s nostalgia for the pure, timeless classics of the 90s in music and fashion. Suitable for someone who describes hip-hop as having “shaped his outlook and interests” throughout his teenage years, extending into his routine and practice today. The transition into a melodic landscape of melancholy takes place at this point. Brandt introduces us to dixieland delight with Quasimoto’s “Jazz Cats”, a hip-hop ballad dedicated to history’s most illustrious jazz musicians. We are in for an introspective romp, with creative reverberations from Floating Points and Pharoah Sanders’ “Movement 6” to timeless tunes such as Miles Davis’ “It Never Entered my Mind”.

An appropriate array for an artist who seeks to further understand and spread love by challenging traditional conceptions of masculinity through his sculptural project, “Muscle Up”, that reimagines male gym equipment. A song about rivers closes the set, taking us on a spiritual and watery journey.