Flash Atkins
By: Dream Chimney
The following interview was conducted on September 10, 2025
Flash Atkins is Ben Davis, main man at Paper Recordings, the North of England label that has been doing its own leftfield disco thing since the late nineties when it was brought to life by a group of Hacienda heads. He is shortly to release his Flash Atkins All Stars EP and on the week of the release, we ask him for his late-night selection to continue the vibe back at his. The lights are low, the brandy is out, and the shoes are off. This is the playlist.
Doctor L - Total Chaos
Doctor L is a Parisian producer based in Africa and has worked with some of my favourite artists including Les Amazones D'Afriques and Tony Allen. He's got a leftfield electronic vibe that's always out there and this channels beat poetry by way of free form jazz.
Elsa Hewitt – Blood Orange
From her brilliant 2019 album Citrus Paradisi, Blood Orange has a woozy analogue electronic feel created with layered vocals, instruments, loops and synths. Initially only available on cassette, Lobster Theremin picked it up and released it on digital / vinyl.
Daniel Ögren – Annalena
Quirky with a happy vibe, this will pull out anyone going under with a whitey at the afterparty with its overwhelming positivity.
Japan – Canton
I want to say this is a Balearic classic, but I've got absolutely no idea if it is or not. For me, it's Japan’s finest moment and pointed towards the more avant-garde direction David Sylvian would take; the production is amazing and it sounds as fresh today as when it was released in 1981.
FANGA/MAALEM ABDALLAH GUINEA - Noble Tree
Fifteen minutes of heavy afro grooves first put together for the Detours du Monde festival in France involving Afrobeat collective Fanga and Moroccan Gnawa master Abdallah Guinea. Close your eyes and get hypnotised.
Noori & His Dorpa Band – Saagama
Three years ago at WOMAD, this was played absolutely everywhere. Coming out of Sudan, it channels Surf, Latin, Jazz and desert blues, making a sound all of its own that is both melancholy and uplifting.
Raz Ohara & The Odd Orchestra – Losing My Name
Another one to wash over you with its filtered guitar and gorgeous melody from Raz Ohara. The album it comes from, II is a go to for any chill out session.
Lassana Hawa Cissokho – Ñogome
I’m a bit obsessed with this track at the moment, playing it at least once a day. It is deep cosmic trance from Gaye Mody Camara, a young Soninke raised in Mali who settled in France in 1977, creating a sound that mixes modern electronics with traditional instruments and voices.
Cavern of Anti-Matter - Mannequin Mass
With touches of Stereolab, library music and Serge Gainsbourg, this is taken from the soundtrack of Peter Strickland’s absolutely nuts and brilliant horror film In Fabric.
Steve Reich - Music for Mallet Instruments, Voices, and Organ
The final track of the afters is a 20 minute trip into minimalism that sounds like the kind of music you’d have in a dream. People can drift off or drift home to it.
Check out the latest release from Flash Atkins.