A lockdown-inspired mix from “the Frank Sidebottom of techno”.

In a world of promo pool techno, deep-v T-shirts and mainstage festival posers, Doris Woo’s sets as DJ Bus Replacement Service are a welcome breath of absurdity. If you don’t know the name, you may well know her by the rubber Kim Jong-un mask she wears at every gig. As FACT said in 2018, Woo is perhaps “the Frank Sidebottom of techno“.

It would be easy to dismiss DJ Bus Replacement’s stage persona as a gimmick, but as a DJ she goes to places other selectors refuse to reach. Techno and hardcore are staples, but you’re just as likely to hear donk, forgotten pop classics or recordings of North Korean newsreaders in her sets and mixes. Anything goes, especially if it makes you laugh on the dancefloor.

DJ Bus Replacement Service’s FACT mix is loosely inspired by COVID-19 lockdown measures, with three distinct sections in mind.

Section 1: “Some of my favourite tracks I played in clubs in February and March before the lockdown.”

Section 2: “The BABYMETAL track delineates the time I was becoming more concerned about getting COVID-19 in crowded places, which also happened to be around the time I saw their show in Manchester. My last gig before the lockdown followed two weeks after that. This section represents tracks I would play in my imaginary Club COVID: a mix of topical soon-to-be classics and questionable cash-ins. Both are welcome in my club.”

Section 3: “This is a cross-section of what I would play at my imaginary club’s season closing party and in preparation for the post-lockdown return to an agrarian and/or feudal society (TBC). During the lockdown, I’ve been watching and live-tweeting during reruns of past Eurovision Song Contests organised by the folks behind Eurovision Again. There’s a degree of perverse pleasure I get from mixing Eurovision bangers and howlers with everything else I play, and getting a combination that elevates everything in the mix. My favourite contender for this year’s now-cancelled Eurovision was one of the finalists from Finland’s national selection: an unapologetic ode to the infamous porn star-turned politician Cicciolina…with a bit of Russian hardbass added by me for good measure.”

If you like the mix and would like to help during the pandemic, Woo suggests donations to two charities: The Trussell Trust and Lanai Cat Sanctuary. Find DJ Bus Replacement Service on Instagram.

Tracklist:

Marc Almond & Gene Pitney – ‘Something’s Gotten Hold of My Heart’
Deep Forest – ‘Sweet Lullaby’ (Shivaxi Bootleg)
DJ Roy – ‘Citizen’ (DJ BAR@BASS remix)
Bobby Ranger – ‘Aerobic Gymnastics’
H&M – ‘Perception’
Schacke – ‘Full Contraction’
Chris Sattinger – ‘1-976-Timeblind Side A’
Tommy Holohan – ‘Trancegression’
BABYMETAL – ‘BxMxC’
Psychs – ‘Spreadin’ (Coronavirus)’
Julien Andreas – ‘Lethal Hardcore 3’
Lil Boodang – ‘Fuck Covid 19 Ima Go Do Gay Shit With My Homies’
Lil Boodang – ‘Fuck Covid 19 Ima Go Do Gay Shit With My Homies’ (2x speed)
Scatta – ‘2 Tha Clubb’ (feat. Los & Bojaq)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail – ‘Bring Out Your Dead’
Coronavirus – ‘Hand Sanitizer’
Ilana Bryne – ‘Theoretical Medical Genitals’
DIMI – ‘Groove Away’
Bogdan Raczynski – ‘Net Assets’
Selfsoul – ‘Cairo’
Verka Serduchka – ‘Dancing Lasha Tumbai’
Hard Bass School – ‘Lyutyj Hardbas’
Erika Vikman – ‘Cicciolina’

Listen next: FACT mix 754: BADSISTA