Category: Entertainment

With a bit more free time on my hands than usual, I finally put together another mix CD. If you’re a friend, e-mail me and I’ll send you a URL to download it. (Okay, and who actually reads my blog that I don’t know, anyways?)

In true blog form, here’s a description of the bands and tracks on the disc, with plenty of navel-gazing along the way.

1. Dandy Warhols – You Were the Last High. Rock. From Welcome to the Monkeyhouse, 2003. Dave Burke was a big fan of these guys, but I didn’t hear their stuff until last spring. They played a fun show at the Commodore in the fall.
2. We are Wolves – L.L. Romeo. Rock/Electronic. From Non-stop je te plie en deux, 2005. I went with Hendrik and others to a show at Richards in the fall, and this Montreal band opened with a really fantastic live show. Paul and I saw them play at the Drake in the winter, and then I saw them again at Richards a few weeks ago. Just a great live show, and mighty entertaining costumes.
3. Calexico – Güero Canelo. Rock (folk rock). From A Feast of Wire, 2003. Erin, a Tucson native, was a big booster of Calexico and Big Sand, and I really liked the disc she loaned me. I was waiting in line to get into Richards for the show when the power for the entire block went out. The band came out of the club and played mariachi tunes in the street for us until the power came back to the surrounding skyscrapers. Now I just need to listen to some of their newer discs.
4. Cat Power – Cross Bones Style. Rock (folk rock/lo fi). From Moon Pix (1998) and the Everything is Nice compilation (1999). Lars introduced me to Matador Records with the 1999 compilation, but I was initially lukewarm to most of the disc, except this one Cat Power track. I saw her play a very tempestuous set in a tiny club in Yverdon, but her constant complaints about the sound guy didn’t endear her to me. I didn’t get around to listening to any more until about a year ago; I’m a fan now, but she’s depressing in large doses.
5. Beth Orton – Mount Washington. Electronic/Pop. From Daybreaker (2002). I’d heard Beth from her Chemical Brothers days of course, but it would never have occurred to me to listen to her pop disc. It was in the library though, and I came across it eventually. It’s the type of overproduced pop I like, and her vocals here are stellar.
6. Nash & The Pharcyde – 100 Million Ways + It Ain’t Nothing Like. Hip Hop / Electronic. From Rae & Christian: Another Late Night (2001). This is really a Rae & Christian track: they assembled a Nash loop and some Pharcyde vocals into a really catchy track. I found their music initially via the Verve Remixed series and have since been a big fan. I found this disc in the $5 bargain bin at HMV.
7. Tosca – Boss on the Boat [Deadbeats version]. Electronic (dub/downtempo). From Suzuki in Dub (2000) and Delicious Tunes (2001). Mike Ang introduced me to Tosca (and Richard Dorfmeister’s earlier K&D project) back in 2000, and I’ve been a fan ever since. Oddly enough, there’s no connection between this Deadbeats remix and the artist Deadbeat in the next track.
8. Deadbeat – Texas Tea. Electronic (minimal dub/downtempo). From New World Observer (2005). I discovered this Montrealer featured in Zulu Records, and really liked the disc; one of my best finds from last year, a really minimal dub taking off where Pole left off.
9. Aphex Twin – Heliosphan. Electronic (ambient). From Selected Ambient Works 85-92 (1993). I enjoy the influence Aphex Twin exerted over the electronic music scene (particularly Squarepusher), but I’ve never really gotten into most of his music. His ambient pieces are very accessible, and top notch, though.
10. Astrud Gilberto – The Gentle Rain [RJD2 remix]. Jazz / Hip Hop. From Verve Remixed 3 (2005). I’ve enjoyed the entire Verve Remixed series. They’re never solid albums, but there are always a few great tracks, and this one was the highlight from this series. My brother Mike got Paul and I onto RJD2 at about the same time. Paul and I saw RJD2 at the Phoenix in June, and he played a really fun set.
11. Hird feat. Yukimi Nagano – Keep You Kimi. Electronic (acid jazz). From Future Sounds of Jazz 9, 2003 (and finally released on full-length LP Moving On in 2005, but I haven’t listened to that yet). I discovered Compost’s Future Sound(s) of Jazz series in the $2 bargain bin at Zulu several years ago, and I’m now a big fan. The style is a bit too uniform at times though, so volume 9 was a refreshing change from the earlier discs. I should check out some more tracks from this Swedish artist at some point, I think.
12. Lamb – Cotton Wool [Fila Brazillia remix]. Electronic (trip hop/drum & bass). From Rebirth of Cool 6, 1996 and Brazilification (Remixes 95-99), 1999. Both Lamb and Fila Brazillia seem to be better known for their remixes than their original tracks, so this is an appropriate combination. (Like many, I first heard Lamb through the excellent Trans Fatty Acid remix on The K&D Sessions.) I do like Lamb’s original tracks too, but they’re often a bit too moody and slow for a mix CD. This track was my introduction to Fila Brazillia, but I’ve since come to really like their remix work. The Rebirth of Cool series has a special place for me too, since Mike Ang introduced me to the world of electronic music when he loaned me volume 5 back in 1996.
13. Mocean Worker – Diagnosis. Electronic (drum & bass). From Home Movies from the Brainforest, 1998. I just discovered this guy this year, and he makes some real quality drum & bass / jazz tracks. Eddy was a fan, I think, but I never bothered listening to his CDs since the name sounds like a really bad house DJ.
14. Space Manoeuvres – Stage One [Total Separation mix]. Electronic (trance). From Sasha & John Digweed – Northern Exposures: Expeditions, 1999. Yes, trance is well past its best-before date. But I still wind up breaking out this disc when I need an upper, and mostly for this one track. It characterizes the best elements of trance: super cheesy science fiction samples and sound effects, but very positive and upbeat.
15. Pete Tong & Chris Cox – More Intensity. Electronic (house). From It’s All Gone Pete Tong soundtrack, 2005. I really enjoyed the mockumentary, and this is easily the best track from the soundtrack. For house, there’s a surprising amount of diversity in this five minute track. But that’s not saying much.
16. Metric – Dead Disco. Rock. From Old World Underground, Where are You Now?, 2003. I got on the Metric bandwagon a bit late, but it’s still been a fun ride. And yes, even great tracks like this one are already getting a little tired for me – which is why it’s the last track on the mix. I can easily skip the cheesy trance / house / new wave when I get bored of it.