Ringleading

(Photo by Petr Šorfa)

Last night my ancient mechanical doorbell, which is not connected to the button at the door and does not have any power and has not made a sound for eight years, rang out for 30 seconds and then gave creepy whimpers for the next half hour. Like acid eating through the patina of Christmas cosiness and cheer, it led me away from the elegant avenues of my last two mixes towards angst-ridden alleyways. So here is a mix for exploring your claustrophobic corners of self-doubt. Like all good paranoia, it peaks early and has a long, long finish.

Ringleading

The Stalker – Green Velvet

Pruitt Igoe (Fall) – Kangding Ray

Look Who's Stalking – Steve Bug

Coma – Spektre

Can't Feel Anything – Jay Haze

Konrad Gets Lost On The Way To Dc10 (Konrad Black Remix) – Troy Pierce

Dazed – Maya Jane Coles

Nordlicht – Douglas Greed

Vibrant Member – Lee Curtiss

Monochrome – Maya Jane Coles ft. Cardamis

Self Conscience – Piranhahead

Fabrick – Maetrik & Maceo Plex

Even If It's Alone (Black Acid) – Troy Pierce

Even If It's Alone (Black Acid) (Louderbach Remix) – Troy Pierce

Okx – Plastikman

Domestic Tourism

(Picture by Ray Caesar)

Here we go again… Another week another continent… Forever suspended mid-air… Would rather be taking a journey around my room: around the world in 80 minutes.

Domestic Tourism

Memoria - Murcof

Diferente - Gotan Project

Arianna and I - Bruno Pronsato

O Fantasma - Laolu

El Bandido - Nicolas Jaar

L2 - Martin Buttrich

Farafinya - Rosa Lux ft. Doussou Koulibaly

At Home I'm a Tourist - Bruno Pronsato

Seraglio - Onur Özer

Chopsticks - Mihalis Safras

Soultan - Butch ft. Julie Marghliano

Quicktime (Roska Remix) - Naughty

Te Quiero - Zero dB

Erika Kohut

I thought I didn’t have much stomach for the piano. Then I remembered a thing or two.

Erika Kohut

What We Wish - Bruno Pronsato

Dr Whisker's Theme - Damian Lazarus

Firn - Hauschka

The Student - Nicolas Jaar

Shousetsu - Radicalfashion

Acid Bells - Efdemin

Deleuze's Will - Nicolas Jaar

Immune - Bodycode

Intensive Spot - Bocca Grande

As We Are - Ezechiel Pailhes

Inchworm on a Star

So we come to the end of my summer in Copenhagen, a city where the main drag is named after a writer of fairy tales and the main attraction is the world’s oldest funfair. Every bicycle carries a Rapunzel and every bureau a Rumpelstiltsken. Caught up in this world of childlike fancy, I was inspired to make a mix that yearns for long-lost dreamworlds of gilded youth. There is something about a country without topography – everyone is equal and there ain’t a hill in sight – that makes sehnsucht (that untranslatable concept) all the more poignant. We are earthbound worms longing for the stars.

Inchworm on a Star

Desolation Theme – Nordine, Frisell & Horvitz

Amalia – Dinky

The Micro Disneycal World Tour – Cornelius

Blanche Neige (Kinder Cut) – dOP

Swiss Glide – Michna

Moon River – Como Carousel

Luchin – Chica & The Folder

The Snow Queen – Vikki Jackman

The Fine Art of Poisoning – Jill Tracy

Maybes – Mount Kimbie

Twin Lake – Arve Henriksen

Chim Chim Cheree – The Postelfonia

The Tinderbox – Our Sleepless Forest

Foller (Zan Lyons Remix) – Various Production

Die Glückliche Familie – Christian Al-Kadi

Weer Alle Sind Qualle – Felix Kubin

Sugar Plum Fairy Coda (Recoda) – DJ BC

March On Swan Lake – Tomas Barfod & Fredski

White Rabbit – Noveller

Blinkende Stjerne – Kontext

Inchworm – Danny Kaye

Shoals – Taylor Deupree

Wish Upon a Star – Ringo Starr

Building and Jumping

Building and Jumping by strcprstskrzkrk

Mainly done on an iPad with large quantities of bourbon helping the liberal use of loops. Film samples from Whirlpool (Otto Preminger, 1949) - despite The Wire deciding that film samples are passé - fuck you!

The track listing is approximate:

Something's Jumpin' In Your Shirt (Featuring Bootsy Collins & Introducing Lisa Marie) - Malcolm Mclaren & The Bootzilla Orchestra

Discipline09-3 - Ras G

Towers Fall (Cassette Mix) - Mi Ami

Wir Bauen Eine Neue Stadt (Alva Noto Remodel) - Greie Gut Fraktion

Break Down - SIS

Mainline Robags Relokk Tokk Mikks - Brendon Moeller

Running Out - Morphosis

Lacan - Claro Intelecto

Opiate of the People

With the start of the World Cup today, I was inspired to make a mix at the musical melting point where South Africa meets Afrophilic Europe and America. This is not the place for discussion of the ethics and economics of cross-continental filching – good food for thought in that direction is here. But does it seem like the distinctions are blurring? Viva miscegenation!

Melting Pot

Wavin' Flag (The Celebration Mix) - K'Naan

Radio Freedom (DJ Zhao Edit) - Terre Thaemlitz

African Rhythms - Bookworms

Don't Go Lose It Baby (Dub Mix) - Hugh Masakela

The Centre Of Time - Bodycode

Radio Freedom - Terre Thaemlitz

Pitch Black Afro - Pitch Black Afro

Mugwanti / Sgwejegweje (Schlachthofbronx Mix) - Mujava

Grounation (Berghain Drum Jack) - Deadbeat

Drumbeat - Jim Ingram

I Exist Because of You (Live Version) - Henrik Schwarz & Amampondo

Leka-Leka - Kalahari Surfers

Endroduncing Kadebostan - Kadebostan

African Drug (Coldcut Edit) - Bob Holroyd

Radio Freedom (DJ Zhao Edit) - Terre Thaemlitz

Hippocampus

The hippocampus is a paired structure, with mirror-image halves in the left and right sides of the brain. This mix is a tribute to good speakers.

Hippocampus

Wrong - Abstract Elementz

Désorienté - Galerie Stratique

Isotope - Function

Sarg Wualb - Olene Kadar

Phased Out, Oscillation, Funkalogic,

Monoplex, Multiplex, Panback,

Blue: Prussian - Frank Bretschneider

Loomin - Actress

Suashi - Chris Herbert

Victoria Station - Berg Nixon

Picnic On A Minefield - Warren Suicide

From Within (Marcel Dettmann mix) - Scuba

SphericalType GasHolder - Alfred Brown

Taps - Mount Kimbie

Wunschen Brunnen - 19 26 1 18 5

Beacon - LV & Untold

Gengis

Berlin has taken a sudden slip back in to winter- time to wrap up warm, close to the horses, make more tea and keep singing. Been making up for a lack of vinyl purchases with a trawl through my cd collection digitising stuff I like. The throat singers appear on a compilation called The Musical Silk Road and the track title translates as the Eulogy for Gengis Khan. I started randomly listening to some of the tracks and a couple with voices seemed to suggest Secondo as accompaniment. The track is off his album A Matter of Scale, which I've had for some time but never connected with-it felt too bright. But on re-listening the more slowed-up whacked-out ones sound great. When I looked for pictures to go with this I googled Gengis and the first pics to come up incuded this one above. I have the same postcard in 'my postcards of men' collection. But I'd always assumed he was some Buddhist scholar. The mix was done with Technics, Traktor and Wavelab.

Gengis Khan vs Secondo - AZ201 by Crawford

The Unhemlich Manouver

As spring pulls in, not least in my heart, by some deft sleight of hand this mix appeared. It burrows down most tenaciously and explores some techno wormhole I've long wished to visit. Then there is the obligatory ethnic track just to tempt you back into the fold plus a dab stab at euphoria.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/0adlav285t09x02/unheimlich%20manouverings.mp3?dl=0

The Unheimlich Manouver

Flug 8 – Sie schaut

Digitaline – oz

dOP – Dein Verlangen (Kalabrese rmx)

Matthias Tanzman – chano _second mix

Oni Yahun – 003

Cio D’Or – Goldbrokat

Sian – Red Cloud (Minilogue rmx)

Chaton + Hopen – life is wonders (donato dozzy reconstruction)

Baeka – Right at it (Michel Cleis rmx)

Sian – World Within

MRI - Pilgrimage

Catalogue

'The greatest masterpieces created by man are now bound to a freedom from death as they are contained in records, and a child of three may hold weighty spititual secrets in small hands.'
Maurice Maeterlink
(picture and quote from http://blindpony.blogspot.com/

As promised, a full and frank disclosure of consumption. Records I've bought this year:

Alex Smoke – lux+

ALOG / ASTRAL SOCIAL CLUB -39/40

Baeka – Right At It

Basti Grub – See Seniol

Big Strick – 7 Days

Brandt Brauer Frick – Iron Man

Camp Vidab (day 1-4) – Various

Choice/ Ricardo Villalobos –Acid Eiffel/ H.E.I.K.E.

Digitaline -080808 ep

DJ Sprinkles – Masturjakor ep

dOP- Dein Verlangen rmx ep Portable/Kalabrese remixes

Fanatstic Mr Fox –Sketches ep

Field,The –Yesterday and Today Remixe

Flug 8 –Löscht dein Profil

Hieroglyphic Being - +++ 01

Joker - Untitled_RSN / Flying Lotus

Kadebostan – Vodka Wedding

Leon Segka: Kude - Bodycode mix

Mark Pritchard – Elephant Dub

Matthias Tanzmann –channo

MRI - Pilgrimage

Noze – Minimal Elvis/Maximal Michael

Pangaea – Pangaea ep

Patrick Cowley & Jorge Socarras –Burn Brighter Flame Oni Ayhun rmx

Ravi Shankar –four raga moods

Shellak 2 The Future Gets Involved - Various

Tom Demac/ Kink –draw me in/ bitter sweet

Tony Lionni – figure spc E

Tribal Music From East Africa - Various

XX, The - album

House Captain

Here is a mix made especially for Sasha - in other words pure shameless champagne-shouldered house. Perhaps one not so much for Cubby as for one or other of the imaginary audience of this blog?

House Captain

I Wanna Be Everything - Gadi Mizrahi ft. Baby Prince

Who to Call - Soulphiction presents Missing Linkx

This Heart - Delano Smith

Everyday House Music - Tevo Howard

Just a Track – Efdemin

Makes Me Wanna Dance – Prosumer & Murat Tepeli

Gimme Your Love (Belocca & Soneec Mini Dub Mix) - Gary Blade

In the Mood - Damian Schwartz

We Cannot Turn Back - Francois K Minitek Sunday Sessions

Free Your Mind - Tony Lionni

A New Day (Oliver Koletzki Remix) - Chopstick & Johnjon ft. Fritz Kalkbrenner

MDMazing - Lee Jones

Plus extracts from:

President House (Acappella Mix) - Roland Clark ft. Urban Soul

Sermon of Jack (Jacks Old Skool Mix) - Jon Kennedy ft. Tasha

Top of the Class

My top tunes of 2009

Lowtec - Angstrom EP

Long, hypnotic and of uncertain mood.

dOP - Dein Verlangen; The Genius of the Crowd; Change!A Various ep

Basically, last year they could do no wrong. The unassailable charm of the French.


Starkey - Miracles Jamie Vexd remix

Pure synaesthesia, a head banging, bass worrying earworm

Brackles - LHC

Wayward synth action, more bass and a soul diva laments. This and Miracles are the dubstep fruit I've been waiting to get my teeth into.

Pangaea - Memories

Another wailing RNB lament with skippity bass. And I'm off.


Hieroglyphic Being -So much noise to be heard

Oh, baby I like it raw and Jamal delivers as usual.Machine music handed down by the gods.

Hauntologists - EP2

Loping, hermetic excursions

Bodycode -What did you say

It's the Imitation Lover dub that does it-all his distinctive sounds roughened up and leavened with melancholy


Jimi Tenor - Selfish Gene

An ageing bachelor tells it like it is.

Oni Ayhun 03

Techno steeped in the early 90s which neatly sidesteps nostalgia.Don't ask me how they do that.

Omar S

My introduction to him-like Autechre discovering a big button marked JACK.

Winterpracht

Listen to this voice...
Like two people whose paths seem to cross and then they don't...
There is some neutrality here. No, I wouldn't call it neutrality ... but a need to concentrate on each sound, so that every blade of grass would be as important as a flower...
It could be like a break on the radio. Such signals sometimes sound as if they lasted an entire life.
Of future, or past, and outside time...
Listen.

~ Arvo Pärt playing and speaking of "Für Alina" in Arvo Pärt: 24 Preludes for a Fugue

(Kirlian photograph of meadow grasses by Tarrl Lightowler)
(photo and quote from the the fascinating woolgathersome.blogspot)

Winterpracht

Winterpracht

Fm3 - Zheng

Lawrence English & Sawako - Manufacturing Content

Chihei Hatakeyama - Starlight Reflecting on the Surface of the River

Biosphere - Birds Fly by Flapping Their Wings

Jan Jelinek - A Concert for Television

Voices, field recordings, throat singing and drumming from Smithsonian Folkways Tuva Among the Spirits

?

The XX - Space Bass (Jamie XX's mix)


After 5 weeks on holiday, returning to Berlin in mid January feels somewhat like being cast out of Eden. Fortunately, unlike those other postlapsarians, I've been exiled with a decent record collection.
This mix was done on Traktor with edits in Wavelab.

Ice record

A new year, a new decade, the whole of northern Eurasia

locked under ice, and I am moving the to the Nordic lands.

My nervous anticipation of nine-month winters has

prompted me to listen to the songs of experience. Turns

out that winter is indeed eternal, an endless twilit blizzard

punctuated by will-o-the-wisp glimmers of pop-song

comfort. Wrap up warm everyone.

Winter Part I

Waiting for Snow Part I - Peter Benisch

Ice-Pulse - Cocteau Twins

Schnee - Laub

Tokyo Freeze (remix) - Ital Tek

Snowflakes & Frozen Lakes - Pac-Man

Iridescence - Hildur Gudnadottir

Winter Depressie - Estroe

Outside on a Cold Day - Felix

Snow Samba - Shrift

Glacial - Dinky

Winter Thaw - Shigeto

Tears of Happiness - Klimek

L'hiver - Geneviève Toupin

Winter Part II

Peter Venkman Part II - Ben Frost

Ice Record - Katie Paterson

Cutting Ice to Snow - Efterklang

Ice Touch - Masha Era

Winterslow (remix) - Dan Cat

White Winter Hymnal - Fleet Foxes

Winter in Seney - Deepchord presents Echospace

Comme la Neige - Dasha Rush

Icicles & Snowflakes - Inchtime

Snowflakes & Frozen Lakes - Pac-Man

Snowflakes - Max de Wardener

Snow on Snow - Rue Royale

-73°C - Shrubbn!!

Baby it's Cold Outside - A Weather

Eternal Winter - KTL