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| Back To Mine 2019 |
What we're gonna do right here is go back, way back... Well, not that far back really, in fact no time at all but it does feel like a lot longer. In 2016, myself and Andy Pye from Balearic Social pulled together some great people who provided some wonderful music in the form of the seasonal chilled mix series. If you scroll through previous posts on the blog you'll find them all. The following year I handed my side of things over to George Mihaly from Quality Music Lovers Society and it was decided that we'd resurrect the classic Back To Mine series.
The concept isn't new, it's been done by countless others in various guises, but the whole 'Back To Mine' feel was is such a great platform to share great music without worrying too much about mixing or sticking in a narrow parameter of genre. Even the title evokes memories of heading home after a good night out and digging through tape, record and cd collections finding gems that carry meaning, memories or simply sounds to get lost in until the morning light starts filling up your room.
I do want to reiterate that this isn't a "mix" and it's not about pulling out obscure, underground tunes from my collection or throwing the latest hot tracks into a mix. It's a compilation that is a personal journey of music that has some memories or meanings attached to it. I really enjoy digging through my music and pulling things out to use for this so don't be surprised if there is a 2020 version down the line. I'll finish my wee blurb with the caveat that I've used (perhaps liberally on occasion) a touch of reverb to help get those tracks to sit together through some of the intros / outros - it's still not a mix though! One last piece of info - the cover image is taken 50 yards further along the road from where the image for the first 'Back To Mine' I put together came from and is round the corner from my house in Aberdeenshire.
If you prefer to use Soundcloud you can find the mix OVER HERE.
If you prefer Hearthis and want a download, you'll find it HERE.
Tracklist
My previous 'Back To Mine' selection was going to include a handful of the tracks on this selection, and [Re:jazz] was one of those artists. Hard to pick a track from them to be honest because I have a few favourites. This is a cover of the classic Jazzanova track on Compost Records from 2001 and I really love the change of direction. Also worth checking out the [Re:Mix] album.
It's a classic song, covered by many an artist but not with this kind of vibe, which to me is a cross between modern soul jazz and trip hop. I have to say I wasn't overly keen on the whole Head Kandi thing but as with a lot of compilation series, it was a good way to find the odd gem.
Drum 'n' Bass wasn't really a big thing in my neck of the woods, so I wasn't exposed to it and artists from that scene as much as someone would be in London / Birmingham for example. That said, there was the odd bit that would appear on radio and Bukem on the Essential Selection was one of those. When I bought this LP it was bought on the strength of his D'n'B material that I'd heard and enjoyed, so when this kicked in it was way off from what I expected to hear and I loved it and opened doors to explore other D'n'B artists.
In the late 90's - early 00's there was a music channel on Sky, the name escapes me but it could have been Music Choice, or something along those lines. It was a channel that had what was effectively sub-channels dedicated to various genres. At the time I lived North of Inverness and was running an Ebay shop, and doing quite well too. I'd buy record collections and sell online. I loved it. This channel would be running in the background a lot whilst I was researching/cleaning/listing/packing records to post, and this track was one of those that came on fairly often. It just stuck in my head, and I think it's aged quite well compared with a lot of music of the time.
I love this man and his music. Perhaps a bit 'pop' for some folk, but I never tire of him and could have included any number of his tracks.
For the life of me I cannot recall where or how I came across Taj Mahal. What I can say is that this track has been sung in the direction of my better half for the best part of 20 years. Ups and downs, yes, but she's still my queen bee. I often refer to her as 'Her Majesty' on Facebook, and this is what is in my mind when I say that.
No great story behind this. A lot of records I've bought in recent times have come via Ed Davies who runs his own online record store via Facebook and Discogs, although he's been in the industry a lot longer than FB or Ogs. I encountered this through one of his many emails and thought it worth inclusion.
My previous 'Back To Mine' included one my all time faves from Jackie Wilson, and this is another that is up there. Jackie Wilson was behind the first record I ever bought. When I say bought, I mean I badgered my Father to pick it up for me, that was Reet Petit on a white 7", long since lost, but it opened up a different world of music to me.
Another track with no great story attached, other than the fact that I adore Nina Simone. It's a toss up between her and Roy Ayers for the most appearances in my record shelves, so it isn't the first I've shared from her, it won't be the last.
The LP this came from is one of my all time faves. This and 'Protection' are my two favourite tracks and that is in no short measure down to the vocals of Tracey Thorn. In modern times, not many vocalists come close to her in my book.
The first exposure I had to this track wasn't Bob Marley. Believe it or not, I first heard a version by Annie Lennox that had been remixed by Howie B, a version which I can't find online to link to. There wasn't a huge amount of reggae around my household, although I have a love and appreciation for it now, but the first time I heard this version was actually on an Essential Mix by none other than Paul Oakenfold. It sounds crazy; he was a trance DJ, but he did this one mix for the show that was so out of the norm, both for him and DJ mixes that were broadcast at the time and I still listen to it on occasion to this day.
15 minutes and 52 seconds of brilliance. The marriage between the vocals and guitar is something I'd never encountered before, and will forever be a fave as a result.
I've said it before on social media. This is one of my all time favourite remixes. Possibly the BEST remix of any track for me. Can I call this Drum 'n' Bass? I just have. I hate labelling music, but sometimes it needs done. The way McSherry and Cobby transformed the original into this is just amazing. Probably my favourite Fila Brazillia thing too.
Nothing they have done since has come close to Homework. A classic LP, it'll live with me forever although I appreciate it's marmite for a lot of folk. Not me. It's in my top 10 electronic LPs quite comfortably. This track was overlooked by DJ's in general but I loved it, and it was clearly the start of Bangalter going down the path of those filtered loops that he did so well.
Sneer all you like. The Hour Of The Bewilderbeast came out at a time where I had a lot of difficult stuff going on and it was a bit of a soundtrack through that period when I felt like I too was often pissing in the wind. As a side note, just how good was Joan Collins in that video, and how much of a surprise was it to see her bathing alongside BDB?
I picked this up in error. What a good mistake to make though and led me to picking up the rest of Kings Of Convenience releases which of course, I'd urge to look into if you feel so inclined.
A classic track that has featured on so many compilations through the years, there was a point where I couldn't bring myself to listen. That has happened to a lot of tracks over the years, but this is one of the few that managed to return to the fold. Interestingly, Nightmares On Wax has just released a new Back To Mine release, with the actual series having been resurrected - I wager after the popularity of our homage to the series a couple of years back (tongue firmly in cheek).
This might seem a slightly obscure inclusion to a list like this. I cannot recall where I came across this track but I do know took a while to actually ID it. When I did, I felt that if you never found out the name of the track, you could almost guess. It fits and the mood just resonated with me, probably in the very way the title suggests.
JJ Cale. What do I need to say here? Well, I guess the track everyone knows is Cocaine. It was the first track of his I think I heard, but when you dig deeper, there is a lot more quality to be found. This is one of my favourites and I happen to be a fan of the shrub too :)
Quality soul / northern soul music that stands the test of time. I need say no more.
One of the finest vocalists. Ever. Lost to illness in her prime, I often wonder when listening to her just what we might have had yet to come. This particular track has some sentiment attached to it for me, and dL from Decades actually put together an extremely subtle extended edit for me some years ago. Seek and you will find.
No great story attached to this one. I have a load of Sly in my collection so it felt reasonable to include something. This has always been one of my favourites. That's it.
This is another that came about because of Ed Davies. That vinyl pimp causing us music addicts to spend more money than we can afford. In all seriousness, this is from a great 4 track EP, well worth picking up.
Another classic piece of music, covered by many, but never matched.
If you make your debut at the age of 14, in a golden era of soul music, then you must have something about you. Merry Clayton's self titled album is one to own.
That opening hook. It does hook you in. It's the formula that so much music through the 60's / 70's worked on.
What a label Philadelphia International Records was. I say was because it's now owned by the horrors of Sony, but like so many labels of yesteryear, they are hoovered up by the big boys. You just need to look through the artists The O-Jays, Lou Rawls, Teddy Pendergrass to name a few. This Billy Paul track is one of my faves though.
I love a track where there is crowd participation. I also love a good protest song. So this ticks the boxes. It's very shameful of us as a species that we haven't moved on very far since the time of this track. People still being shipped off to far flung countries to fight "wars" that shouldn't be fought, all because someone, somewhere is making coin from it.
The Doors, or probably more accurately, Jim Morrison was a bit of an obsession for my other half. It just so happened that when we met I was just discovering their music for myself, and this is up there as one of my favourites.
I opted to finish on a track that I've used to close an actual mix with before. My 'Is Anybody Listening?' mix is probably my best mix. I spent 6 months looking for tracks to us specifically for that mix and it was the last time I planned a mix out to any degree. Since then it's been hit record and see what comes out, and the standards haven't come close. Anyway, I thought this was such a great track to close on, I figured it a good opportunity to plug that mix once more, which you can find here....
