Joy to the world! It’s the return of our favourite festive tradition, the Joyzine Advent Calendar, back for its 22nd consecutive edition, which as far as we’re aware makes it the longest running on the net.
As always, every track is completely free to download and we don’t require you to sign up for a mailing list (though you can if you want to) or hand over your personal data – it’s our way of saying thank you to everyone who’s visited the site during 2025 and to hopefully bring a few more listeners to some very deserving artists.
However, if you do enjoy the tracks we would love you to consider making a donation to our chosen cause, which this year is HOPE not hate, and their stirling work researching, campaigning, and supporting communities to build HOPE and oppose far-right extremism. You can make a donation here.
Dextro is the pseudonym of Ewan Mackenzie, AKA, chief drum skin pummeller for Newcastle’s finest Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs. Featured last year in one of Joyzine’s ICYMI features here, Dextro is a friend of Joyzine’s and boy do we love this exclusive track titled ‘12:07am’ that he has very kindly gifted us for our calendar.
’12:07am’ is a driving drum and bass slow burner that layers on throbbing (and occasionally wonky) electronica, synths, instrumentation, various and finally ends with the laid back delivery of the minimal vocals. It’s hypnotic and washes over the listener with it’s repetition and insistent beat. One would have to be comatose not to have a physical reaction to this deliciously addictive track. Just brilliant stuff once again from Dextro. We can’t wait to see what 2026 holds for him.
We caught up with Dextro for a festive q&a session:
Tell us a little bit about your track please
The track is called ’12:07am’. It’s an exclusive track and has never seen the light of day anywhere else before now. It’s something I wrote when I was a student in London a good few years back, and I managed to get some time in a studio to write, record and mix it. It’s a party tune of sorts, rhythmic and pulsing, and it came from a sense of openness and adventure among new friends and experiences in a new city. I felt very in awe of the world and life, and all the new possibilities ahead. As much as I am really fond of this song, it’s one that I was not able to square with the direction and feel of the Dextro releases I was producing at the time. On its own however it’s got a unique character and buzz, and I’ve not had an opportunity to put it out until now. So this seems like the perfect time, for a great and important cause, and in the festive spirit 🙂
What have you been up to of late?
I’ve recently had the album Respire out (in late 2024), and performed a bunch of lovely live shows on the back of that, including at the Moth Club in London (promoted by Bad Vibrations) and a sold out show at the Star and Shadow in Newcastle (with Rubber Oh). I was also lucky enough to be asked to remix ‘Watussi’ from Harmonia’s classic Music Von Harmonia in 2024, and my remix appeared in the 50th anniversary reissue of the album alongside other reworks by Stuart Braithwaite, James Holden, David Pajo, Michal Rother and others. It was also a pleasure to capture the Dextro live set with a live studio session at Blank studios (watch it here) in late 2024. In early 2025 I remixed Nick’s Warren’s track ‘cobble pot’ on the Soundgarden label. I also played shows alongside Warrington-Runcorn New Development Plan and opened for GNOD and João Pais Filipe on December 6th at the Star and Shadow in Newcastle.
And what are your plans for next year?
To continue writing and being inspired with new ideas and new directions, while playing more live shows. I’m in the middle of conjuring a bunch of new ideas for a release which I’m really excited about! There will also be some exciting collaborations with some artists I really respect, with more news coming soon.
What have been your musical highlights of the year from other bands/artists?
I really loved Melostme’s (aka Jayne Dent’s) new album This Material Moment (I also played drums on some of tracks, which was a real a pleasure to do) Jayne’s new work is so inspiring, moving through so many images and feelings, and she’s not afraid to face into darkness, all the while being completely real and brave. I also loved the new Greet record I Know How to Die (on Dry Cough Records) as well as Smote’s new album Songs From The Free House (On Rocket Recordings).
Christmas: The most wonderful time of the year or a big bag of humbug?
In terms of Christmas as a time of year, I tend to focus more on the Hibernal Solstice and Yuletide. The embrace of the darkness is a process of deep contemplation and renewal, and it’s fascinating. I have real problems with the capitalist takeover of Christmas and overconsumption, as you might imagine, but I love the focus on goodwill and selflessness.
Stream and download ’12:07am’ below
Make a donation to HOPE not hate
Dextro: Facebook / Instagram / BlueSky / Threads / Bandcamp / LinkTree
Rubber Oh is the pseudonym of Sam Grant, producer extraordinaire, owner of Newcastle’s Blank Studios and guitarist and fellow Dextro bandmate in Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs. As with Dextro, Rubber Oh are friends of Joyzine where they have been featured for their single ‘Nothing’ here and the 2022 LP Strange Craft it features on here.
This track ‘The Well’ that Sam has kindly given us for our 2025 calendar features on his 2024’s release SOIL and it is an absolute banger. Opening with an insistent drumbeat and a bassline as thick as treacle, this is quickly overlaid with an unsettling electronica (replete with a theremin) and an equally unsettling chorus of voices that just take the listener to places that they may not want to go. It’s a relentlessly driving track that has the soundtrack feel of a folk horror film, a la ‘Midsommer’, that sonically is nightmare fuel to be honest. It’s equal parts disquieting and equal parts very VERY bloody good stuff. Now I want to re-watch The Wicker Man for some reason….. We look forward to hopefully having more Rubber Oh in 2026.
We caught up with Sam for a festive q&a session:
Tell us a little bit about your track please
‘The Well’ is the opening track from the last Rubber Oh record, SOIL. It’s a song about foolish human behaviour. Or maybe it’s about self sacrifice for a greater good. It’s a bit bleak to be honest, not very Christmassy. But maybe it has a halo of something profound. Hopefully it’s a welcome counterpoint to the infinite repeat of Christmas songs you’ll hear everywhere else.
What have you been up to of late?
We had a Pigs record come out in April this year, and most of the year has been spent touring that. So not a lot of Rubber Oh activity unfortunately. But I’ve been back into the writing these last couple of months, feeling some things out.
And what are your plans for next year?
Hopefully I’ll be writing and releasing some more music in some form or other! No hard plans or guarantees as of yet, but it’s slowly picking up some momentum.
What have been your musical highlights of the year from other bands/artists?
The release I’ve been most excited about is the Smote record, Songs From The Free House. That album is great!
Christmas: The most wonderful time of the year or a big bag of humbug?
Ahh, it’s a wonderful time! I have a 6 year old kid, and viewing the whole thing through his eyes is magical. One day I’ll write a Christmas song…
Stream and download ‘The Well’
Make a donation to HOPE not hate
Rubber Oh: Instagram / Threads / Bandcamp
Check out more fantastic free music on this year’s calendar:
1: Piney Gir & Parenthesis Dot Dot Dot
2: Syd Howells
3: The Happy Hollow
4: Stephen Evens
5: Ombudsmen
6: The Scaramanga Six
Check back tomorrow for another free festive download!
Keep up to date with all new content on Joyzine via
Facebook | Bluesky | Instagram | Mailing List
8 comments