Mystic Bill Mixes Business with Pleasure for Wax Your Cracks Records Debut

Long before the now-defunct ATV Records opened its doors, a connected record label was always in the works. The venue, which closed unexpectedly in July after four years, served as an intimate lounge accompanied by the underground's finest track selectors.

Symbolically, ATV Records was the successor to the Electric Pickle, which closed in 2018 after a decade in Wynwood. The ethos of both venues was bass bleeding over vinyl, blisters on your fingers from crate digging, and if its spins, it plays. Thankfully, ATV Records' spirit lives through owner Will Renuart and his partner Alo Gonzalez's latest musical venture: Wax Your Cracks Records.

A new EP by DJ/producer Mystic Bill (AKA Bill Toress), Obzession, set for release on October 11, will be the label's inaugural release. (It's available for preorder via UK-based Juno Records.)

"I think people will figure out it's not going to be what it says online," Torres tells New Times regarding the EP's flummoxing "deep house" label on Juno Record.

On the A-side is "Obzession (Blue Mix)," made in collaboration with Renuart. The "Blue Mix" is an Italo-disco offering that rides like a hot-pink speed boat under the sun. The percussion hits and reverberates, and the synths bounce as they pay homage to the '80s. The balmy vocal work carries the track home.

"On the 'Blue Mix,' I was going for Italo-disco vibe and keep it vintage in sound and make it sound like it was recorded in the '80s. It's a little rougher sounding — rawer," Torres explains. "Will gave me some of his ideas. I went to finish it off, and he would reach out saying, 'I like this part,' and I would go back and either add to it or change it around. We eventually went with an earlier version."

The B-side features "Obzession (Black Mix)," which Torres believes serves as a contemporary piece to rival the nostalgia. The "Black Mix" is acidic and dark — precisely the track you want to drop mid-set.

"When I was putting the record together, Will mentioned giving him one more mix — maybe an acid mix. And that's where I went," he says.

During his European sets last month, Torres tested the tracks on the crowds. Unsurprisingly, the funk-driven overtures of the "Blue Mix" and the acidity of the "Black Mix" proved formidable on the dance floors of Amsterdam and Berlin.

"I've been playing it out with the test pressing," he adds. "Everybody has been hitting me up, wanting to get digital copies."

Unfortunately, Torres intends to keep Obzession as a vinyl-only release. However, the label may release digital mixes of different versions.

"There may be a 'Green Mix' or a 'Pink Mix,' and they will sound slightly different in their own way," Torres notes.

Mystic Bill's roots are planted in Chicago, where he has carried the torch for vinyl, house, and the queer rave scene as a producer and label boss. He has earned remixes from the likes of Ricardo Villalobos, and in Europe last month, he played alongside Eris Drew and Octo Octa. Locally, he often spins at venues like Gramps and Floyd, and he's set to make his III Points debut later this month.

"I have an EP coming up for Rawax in Germany and another project for Dark Entries in San Francisco," he says. "There will also be an album. I'm still working on it little by little — there is no rush."