mix: YouTube -> XLII PT. I & II

Maxell XLII

Lately it seems my listening habits revolve around YouTube, which is basically a treasure chest for mix makers. Problem is, recording YouTube DJ sets isn't all that easy. So I took a traditional route, plugged my Sony VOR recorder into my Headphone out, and recorded whatever I had cued up straight to tape. Will be uploading more of these daily. Stay tuned.

YouTube -> XLII by McG

Pt. I
Robert Schroeder- Rotary Motion
Nike7Up- In Bloom Until I Die Mix
Creatures- Digital Rebel
Carly Simon- Why? 12” edit
The KLF- Elvis on the Radio, Steel Guitar In My Soul, 3A.M.
Double Fantasy- Universal Ave.

Pt. II
Larry Norman- UFO
Bongwater- Psychedelic Sewing Room
Cleaners from Venus- Ilya Konichiwa Looked At Me
Wreckless Eric- Whole Wide World
Neil Young- Mr. Soul 12” Extended Remix
Rainbow Serpent- Distant Ambience
Delia Derbyshire- Love Without Sound
Japanese Commercial

mix: GAMES Heaven Can Wait Vol. III

"For Blazers Only"

GAMES tracks always hit harder post-midnight. It's, like, a state-of-mind, or something. Narco-zones infiltrating basements MacGuyver'd into mini-disco's, man'd by ecstatic youths hopped up on god knows what. "For Blazers Only" speaks volumes. As does the luded out vocals that dominate and set the 60-frames a second atmosphere.

Heaven Can Wait Mixtape Vol. III by Games

Download the wknd ready Heaven Can Wait Mixtape Vol.III (FBO).

old: c86 mix tape

"Been Playing With A Spike"
With an endless string of fuzzy loft pop bands currently making waves, the term c86 seems to be appearing all over the Intraweb. Often cited as a reference point for such fine young acts, I really had no idea what c86 was, or what it referred to. A mythical Russian spy program? A new strain of DNA? Of course, half a mili-second on Google taught me that c86 was a mixtape compiled by Britain's finest purveyors of rock gossip and overindulgent hype, the (in)famous New Music Express (NME). Anyway, in 1986 the NME issued this mix tape along with a copy of their magazine and, more or less, introduced the world to reverb soaked, fuzz pop with a punk ethos. Primal Scream, The Bodines, The Wedding Present, We've Got a Fuzz Box and We're Not Afraid to Use It and a slew of other bands that the members of The Pains of Being Pure at Heart probably really, really like. For anyone wondering what's up with all this c86 talk, below is the answer to your curiosity; a digital copy of the tape in question.

Download c86 mix tape (tracklist in comments)

prevue: Booka Shade- DJ Kicks

"Move Out / Don't Mess Around"

Nowadays it seems like everyone and their mother are jumping on the mixtape bandwagon, making it difficult to sort through the crap to find the worthwhile gems. Long considered to be one of the jewels of the genre, !K7's DJ-KiCKS series has consistently delivered the goods over the years and now carries the well-deserved reputation of purveyors of top quality mixes. Since 1995, the DJ-KiCKS series has sought out the hottest names in electronic music (including Bobka faves Hot Chip and Erlend Øye) to craft exclusive mixes targeted towards the home listening audience.

The latest DJ-KiCKS comes courtesy of Berlin-based electrohouse wizards Booka Shade. Founders of the successful Get Physical label, Booka Shade are more accustomed to producing and remixing tracks rather than simply spinning other artists, which made this mix even more of a challenge. And like every mixtape crafter, Booka Shade were forced to strike a balance between finding obscure tracks to make their mix unique, while not sacrificing the overall pacing and cohesiveness simply to prove how large their record collection is. In response to the challenge, Booka Shade have created a strong and well-balanced product. The tracklist is eclectic yet focused (mostly new-wavey tech-house with a few curveballs) and the mixing itself is nearly seamless. The flow and pace keep the listener engaged, but isn't overly demanding. Simply put, this mix is one of the gems, and proves why DJ-KiCKS is a reliable name and how Booka Shade got to the top of their field. Check out a three track sample below and look for the album in stores October 22.

DJ-KiCKS Preview mixed by Booka Shade
Featuring:
Yazoo- Situation (US 12" Remix)
Akiko Kiyami- The Misida Monarchy
Lopazz- 2 Fast 4 U