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Reach Up (20)

23 July 2024

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Number 20 from my 'Year of Music' series of mixes is now called 'Reach Up'.  This is playing on the title of the previous mix (Get On Down) and the fact it's a bit of a banger of a house mix, some amazing tracks in there and there's one section where it breaks down in goosebumps kind of way. You're a music fan, you know what I mean. Reach Up!

 

The photo in the cover is the same photo as I used originally. It's photo I took in New York in 2012/13, though I've given it a light edit from the previous cover image.


If you want to know more about my 'Year of Music' series, then I've posted a short explanation [HERE]. If you prefer to make use of Soundcloud for streaming, then you can find that over [HERE].


 

Tracklist 

01. LP Giobbi ft. DJ Tennis & Joseph Ashworth - All In A Dream (Counter Records)
02. Rebelski & Madraas - Leaving Places (Erdi Irmak Remix) (Where The Shadow Ends)
03. K-os Theory - Hirayat (Kamai Music)
04. Nico de Andrea ft. Lola Melita & Cherry Lena - She Don't Love Me (Black Circle Remix) (Radiant.)
05. Sante & Re.you ft. Bishop - Road To Nowhere (Ae:ther Remix) (LSF21+)
06. Yotto ft. Sansa - Silohuette (Reflections)
07. Mattias Herrera - Naeza (-102°c)
08. Royskopp ft. Alison Goldfrapp - Impossible (&me Remix) (Dog Triumph Profound Mysteries)
09. Sebastien Leger & Tim Green - Duel (For A Memory)
10. Sina Bathaie - High Bridge (Hoomidaas)
11. Hidden Empire - Comoja (Stil Vor Talent)
12. Stimming - Alpe Lusia (Robag Wruhmes Troi Sdett) (Tulpa Ovi Records)



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Get On Down (21)

14 July 2024

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Originally number '21' in my 'Year of Music' series, which you can find out more on [HERE]. I've given this the new title of Get On Down, which to me evokes images of discos, mirror balls, lights and flares. It ties in well with the music in this mix which is very much on the funkier side of house, with some great feel-good tunes.... though it's not had many plays, so perhaps not so feel good. If you prefer a Soundcloud link, then you can find that [HERE] for the time being.


 

Tracklist 

01. Sister Sledge - Lost In Music (Dimitri From Paris Remix) (Glitterbox Recordings)
02. First Choice - Let No Man Put Asunder (Dam Swindle Remix) (Salsoul Records)
03. Purple Disco Machine with Bosk! ft Kaleta - Wake Up! (Columbia Local)
04. Sugar Hill - 4me (Transa Records)
05. Bohannon ft. Dr Perri Harris - Let's Start To Dance Again (Dimitri From Paris Remix) (Unidisc Music)
06. DJ Manuel - Oh Baby (Disco Machine Records)
07. Hotmood - Taste The Music (Pina Colada Records)
08. Marvin - I Know Your Ego (V Gentle Edit) (Vehicle Recordings)
09. Chic - Le Freak (Dimitri From Paris Remix) (Glitterbox Recordings)
10. Durand Jones & The Indications - Witchoo (Supertaste DJ Edit) (The Basement Discos)
11. Supertaste - What D'You Know About Me? (The Basement Discos)
12. David Penn ft Romona Renea - Stand Up (Defected)
13. Purple Disco Machine - Emotion (Club Sweat Records)
14. Sylvester - Over & Over (Kon Found A Friend Remix) (Kontemporary)

 

 

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... darkness is your candle (22)

13 July 2024

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Originally number 22 in my 'Year of Music' series, I've given this a new cover image and the title '... darkness is your candle'.


The musical content of this mix straddles the space between ambient and neo-classical / modern classical. To me it has a melancholic feel with elements of hope within in periods, so I've borrowed a partial quote from Rumi, if you don't know his works, then I'd encourage you to spend some time with him. The quote, as I remember it is 'What hurts you, blesses you. Darkness is your candle'. For me it says that we learn from the things that hurt us, the pain we go through shows us the way forward. It's not an easy path, but everyone must walk it at some points of life and it felt like the music on this mix sat very well with this.

 

The cover is a mix of using Ai and my own tinkering / design inputs, I think it turned out really nicely.

 

You can find out a little more on my 'Year of Music' series over [HERE] and you can find a Soundcloud player for this mix over [HERE].

 

 

Tracklist

01. Joe Trapanese - Introspection (Headphone Commute)
02. Vega Trails - Red Moon Rising (Gondwana)
03. Harry Towell & Guy Gelem - Central Park (Polar Seas Recordings)
04. A Model Kit - In Silence We Speak (Hidden Vibes)
05. Hania Rani - Sun (Gondwana)
06. Antonymes - Coming Into Silence (DRONARIVM)
07. Red Sun - Honey From The Baka (Leng Records)
08. So I'm An Islander - Symfoni A' Rændråfe (Symphony Of Raindrops) (Hidden Vibes)
09. Olan Mill - Disempowered (Serein)
10. LTJ Bukem - Point Of View (Goodlooking Records)
11. Ben Lukas Boysen & Sebastian Plano - Eisenach (Erased Tapes)
12. Cinematic Orchestra - The Workers Of Art (Ninja Tune)

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The Rhythm Of The Night (23)

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It's been a busy old time recently, so getting the rest of my mixes uploaded and sorted out has been a bit hit and miss lately, and will likely be a little sporadic over the next wee while, but I'll do what I can, when I can.


This was number 23 in my 'Year of Music' series, you can find more about that over [HERE]. I've given this a new cover and the new title based on the fact this is a house mix with some really great percussion / rhythms, so it felt like a good fit.


If you prefer to make use of Soundcloud, then you will find that [HERE], but that link may not always be active. I'm very much up in the air with the platforms, whether to stick with Soundcloud, or lean more into Hearthis or Mixcloud. It's down to finances and which provide best value / return. Time will tell.


 

Tracklist 

01. Dim Kelly - Mangrove (All Day I Dream)
02. Eduardo McGregor & Jim Rider - Lights (Tale & Tone)
03. Fulltone - Far From This World (All Day I Dream)
04. Nina Simone - Thandewye (Everything Counts Club Edit) (Lump Records)
05. Serious Dancers - Airi (Melody Of The Soul)
06. Sahar Z - Back In My Arms (Shai T Remix) (Lost & Found)
07. Yamil & Clemente - Shesawa (Pieces Of Life)
08. Deividas Bagdanov - Baba (Lump Records)
09. Makebo & Amonita - Back To The Roots (Anunjadeep)
10. ARTBAT & Dino Lenny - Our Space (Upperground)
11. Delerium ft Sarah McLachlan - Silence (Avira Remix) (Armada Music)
12. Julian Koerndl - Messiah (Doctors On Deck Remix) (Somatic Records)

 

 

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A Liminal Space (24)

7 July 2024

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'24' in the 'Year of Music' series has a fresh cover and is now called 'A Liminal Space'. It's an ambient mix that has lots of nature sounds layered into it, so it felt like an appropriate title. Disappointingly this mix has the lowest play count of any mix I have posted online, which is a shame because it's not the worst, but it is what it is.


The new cover is a combination of AI and my own digital messing around, again, I thought it tied in quite well with the feel and title, but as ever, anyone that listens / reads / views can be the judge of that.


If you want to know more about that 'Year of Music' series I mentioned, then you can find a little explanation over [HERE]. If you prefer to use Soundcloud, then that's available over [HERE] for now, though the link might not always remain active.


 

Tracklist

01. anthéne - Warmer Light (Home Normal)
02. Soundstory - Rain Storm (Self Released)
03. Madeleine Cocolas - Emergence (Headphone Commute)
04. Ai Yamamoto - From Yamaha To Yamamoto (Past Inside The Present)
05. Okada Takuro + Duenn - Third Sector (UP-03) (Newhere Music)
06. Masayoshi Fujita - Fabric (Erased Tapes)
07. Fields We Found - Walk (Home Normal)
08. Inner Travels - Babble (Inner Islands)
09. Inquiri - Ruminating (Past Inside The Present)
10. Robin Saville - The Deepdale Halophyte Economy (Morr Music)
11. Andrew Wasylyk - Through The Field Beyond The Trees The Ocean Lies (Athens Of The North)
12. Green-House - Soft Meadow (Leaving Records)
13. Biosphere - Dissolving Clouds (Biophon)
14. Sofie Birch - Hallu (ft _iC_iC_) (Intercourse)

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Reggae Got Soul (25)

6 July 2024

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Number '25' from my 'Year of Music' series is now 'Reggae Got Soul' and I've given it a fresh cover too. Not much need for words here, it's a selection of soulful reggae from my shelves, all big favourites of mine. As for the cover, well, I've leaned on AI and done some touch ups and editing of my own, the tree of life to represent the soulful aspect, and the colours used in the sky represent the red, gold, green and black to represent the colours traditionally associated with reggae, rasta and black culture.


If you want to know more about the 'Year of Music' series, there's a short explanation over [HERE]. If you prefer to use Soundcloud, then this selection can be found [HERE] for now, though that link might not always remain live.


 

Tracklist 

01. Jackie Mittoo - Deeper & Deeper (Studio One) - [available on this compilation]
02. Susan Cadogan - Fever (Upsetter) - [available on this compilation]
03. Gregory Isaacs - Lonely Teardrops (GG's Records)
04. Bunny Clarke - Be Thankful (Orchid) - [available on this compilation]
05. Hortense Ellis - People Make The World Go Round (Studio One) (dL Edit)
06. Phyllis Dillon - Woman Of The Ghetto - (Treasure Isle) [available on this compilation]
07. The Upsetters ft Bob Marley - Highway Riding Dub (Pressure Sounds)
08. William 'Bunny Rugs' Clarke - Move Out Of My Way (Pressure Sounds)
09. Sylvia Tella - You Might Need Somebody (SRL) - [available on this compilation]
10. Shinehead - Billie Jean (Hawkeye) - [available on this compilation]
11. Nora Dean - Ay Ay Ay Ay (Angle-Lala) (Harlem Shuffle Records) - [available on this compilation]
12. Cedric 'IM' Brooks - Give Rasta Glory (Studio One) - [available on this compilation]
13. Joe Higgs - Got To Make A Way (Micron Music) - [available on this compilation]
14. Junior Byles - Beat Down Babylon (Upsetter) - [available on this compilation]
15. The Maytals - Monkey Man (Trojan Records) - [available on this compilation]
16. Leroy Sibbles - Express Yourself (Coxsone) - [available on this compilation]
17. Chosen Few - Shaft (Trojan Records) - [available on this compilation]

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Lost In The Moment (26)

4 July 2024

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'26' from my 'Year of Music' series is now 'Lost In The Moment', for no other reason than it's a mix of house, call it deep, call it tech, call it what you like, but it's music that you'd get lost in the moment on the dancefloor. It's a little bit deep, a little bit spaced with some hands in the air moments, so getting Lost In The Moment wouldn't be hard to do. Try and get over the first couple of mixes, I was still a bit rusty on the 4/4 stuff, but there's some cracking tunes in here!

If you want to know more about the 'Year of Music' series, then head [HERE]. If you prefer to use Soundcloud, then you'll find that [HERE].


 

Tracklist

01. Caribou - Never Come Back (Morgan Geist Remix) (City Slang)
02. KH (aka Four Tet) - Only Human (Text Records)
03. Radiohead - Reckoner (Chambord Remix) (Around Midnight)
04. Orbital - Belfast (Yotto Remix) (London Music Stream)
05. Bicep - Closing Sequence (50WEAPONS)
06. Ahmed Spins - Anchor Point (MoBlack Records)
07. Axel Boman - Eyes Of My Mind (Studio Barnhus)
08. FYI Chris - Pizza Dust (Black Acre Records)
09. Phran - Transformen (Hivern Discs)
10. DJ Koze ft Sophia Kennedy - Drone Me Up, Flashy (&me Remix) (Pampa Records)
11. Dr. Feel ft Philasande - ITHONGO (Hanna Hais Donkela Remix) (Bosom)

 

 

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Facing Down The Storms (27)

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I have to be honest, I thought I'd be finished re-populating the blog by now, but here I am posting what was originally titled '27', and I still have some way to go. I've had a lot going on of late, so it's a symptom of the limits of time... I'll get there eventually.


I've giving this one the new title of 'Facing Down The Storms', does it fit? I don't know, you can be the judge of that yourself. On a personal note, it feels like that's a permanent feature of life, so I guess that's where the title came from and why I've opted for it.

 

The cover photo is an image I took myself back in 2021, it's at Burghead beach on the Moray coastline and looking in the direction of Inverness. At the time, the sun was shining directly above us, and in the distance the sky was filled with menacing clouds, the rainfall was clearly visible and there were regular flashes of lightning. Literally facing down the storms.

 

If you want to know more about the 'Year of Music' series then you'll find a explanation of that [HERE]. If you prefer to use Soundcloud, then you can find it [HERE] though the link might not always be active, given the costs of hosting these things.

 

 

Tracklist 

01. Brecht Ameel - Tropico Fantasma (Hands In The Dark Records)
02. Good Weather For An Airstrike - Little Rain (Sun Sea Sky Productions)
03. Massimo Amato - All Related (Electronique.it Records)
04. WW Audio - Field Recording (Self Released)
05. Suso Sáiz - Linda Cubana (Music From Memory)
06. WW Audio - Field Recording (Self Released)
07. Cass. & Gianni Brezzo - Helge (Growing Bin Records)
08. Jonathan Fitoussi - Oceans (Obliques / Transversales Disques)
09. Air - Caramel Prisoner (Virgin)
10. Jack Cutter - Gift Of Our Fathers (Claremont 56)
11. Juana Molina - ¿Quien (Domino Recordings)
12. Ezra Feinberg - Aquainted With The Night (Related States)
13. Ferdi - Night Talk (Claremont 56)
14. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - Sea Of Vapours (Real World Records)
 

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To Rise & Fall (28)

28 June 2024

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This mix was  #28 in the 'Year of Music' series, it's now got a new title and cover image. I went with the title 'To Rise & Fall' because there's an elemental / water theme unintentionally running through parts of the mix, but when I thought about it I like the simile of the ocean rising and falling through tidal movements and the similarities in many ways to life itself. Ups and downs, movement that happens (often) without much control.


If you want to know what the 'Year in Music' I mentioned was about, then you can find an little individual post on that [HERE]. If you like your music via Soundcloud, then there's a link for you [HERE], though I might not always keep that account active due to costs. We'll see.


 

Tracklist

01. Emily A. Sprague - Water Memory Poem (Rvng Intnl)
02. Phi-Psonics - First Step (Nightnote Records / Gondwana)
03. Alif Tree - Rain River (Compost)
04. Melissa Pons - Around The Water (Self Released)
05. Colorlist - Where Will We Go (Serein)
06. Olga Wojciechowska - Lazy Indifference (Time Released Sound)
07. Damm - Just In The Moment (A Strangely Isolated Place)
08. Alfa Mist - Mulago (Sekito)
09. Andrew Wasylyk - Awoke In The Early Days Of A Better World (Athens Of The North)
10. ʕ•͡ᴥ•ʔ - Paus (141201) (Omena Ltd)
11. Tenderlonious - Journey To Thra (22a)
12. Max Ananyev - Proportion & Reaction (Whitelabrecs)
13. Sofie Birch ft. Nana P - Observatory (intercourse)
14. Chocolate Weasel - The Nonsensical Rambling Of A Lunatic Mind (Ninja Tune)

 

 

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Flashback (29)

22 June 2024

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Things take a wild turn from the previous post to this one, from experimental electronica and ambient, into banging techno. This mix was formerly titled '29' but is now 'Flashback' and it has a completely new cover too.


Let's address the new title first. Flashback is not only a nod to the classic Laurent Garnier track that I used in this mix, it also alludes to the fact that techno was a very big part of my musical tastes over the years, granted it's not been so much a part of my playlists in more recent times, but from the early 90's and for a good 20 years or so, it was a big part of what I listened to. Techno is quite a wide ranging genre, so as mentioned, artists and DJ's like Laurent Garnier and Carl Craig who moved between techno, detroit techno, house etc, to artists like The Prodigy or Daft Punk, all probably viewed a bit more commercially these days, and many names in between - Pullen, Cox, Landstrumm, Vogel, Bolland, Slam, Green Velvet... the list could go on and on. That's before you even debate whether music in the Scottish hardcore scene was techno or not, guys like Ultra-Sonic and labels like Club Scene, or the Euro scene with labels like Bonsai. As I said, the word techno covers a lot of ground, at least in my mind. So, yeah, a techno mix that felt like I was having a bit of a flashback to a harder and more intense sound than I'd been listening to, but all a part of trying to raise funds for charity during my 'Year of Music' series.


So, having thrown out some names in this post and putting the point over that I didn't just jump on Beatport (though for the sake of easiness most links below are to Beatport) and hit up the top 10 techno tracks, that I have some history of listening to and enjoying techno it's at this point I confess I had never done a proper techno mix, not in my own understanding of the word anyway. I've skirted around the edges with tech-house and electro that some might class as techno, but not quite for me. So, this was, I think, my first techno mix. Unplanned and done live, in one take, as all the mixes are. If there are mistakes or glitches, they remain in there. So, posted as it happened, but know that fun was had making it.


The cover as I mentioned is new, it's a combination of Ai and some my own bits and pieces, which I've enjoyed playing around with. Loosely linking into the title, with Flashback to how robots and artificial intelligence were perceived in years gone by.


As I always mention on the 'Year of Music' posts, you can find out what all the was about over [HERE] and if you prefer a Soundcloud player, you can find that [HERE], though I'm not sure if that link will always work, I'm struggling to make my mind up about the platform I want to use going forward, with cost playing a bigger part in my thinking than engagement, especially as that's decreased so much in recent years. It'll be what it'll be.


 

Tracklist


01. The Burrell Connection - Acid Rapids (Craigie Knowes)
02. Confidential Recipe - BLP1 (RSPX)
03. Kontal - Discord (Setaoc Mass Rework) (Revolt)
04. Drunken Kong - Spark (Tronic)
05. Christian Smith - Turn The Lights (Alessandro Grops Remix) (Tronic)
06. Danniie - Desordem (Primitive State Records)
07. Risa Taniguchi - This Guy (Kneaded Pains)
08. Drunken Kong - Ichi (Tronic)
09. Aiken - Drive Unit (Non Series)
10. Stefan Vincent - Renunciation (Symbolism)
11. Linear System - Static Position (Illegal Alien Recordings)
12. Keith Carnal - Ape Shit Crazy (Bpitch)
13. Laurent Garnier - Flashback (F Comms)
14. Flug - The Punisher (DCLTD)

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Growth & Decay (30)

20 June 2024

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This was originally number 30 in the 'Year of Music' series from back in 2022. I've given it the title 'Growth & Decay' and although the photo I used for the original cover is the same, it's had a bit of an edit to work with the title a little better.


I went with the title 'Growth & Decay' for a couple of reasons, firstly some of the music ties in beautifully with that, listen and judge for yourself. Secondly, the photo was a macro photo I took in my garden a few years ago, I forget what the flower is, but the original image is showing the flower at that point where it's bloomed, it's done what it needs to do and it's beginning to degrade and decay.


I might have said this about other mixes I've posted recently (I listen to them before I repost them), but this is one of my favourite mixes from that year, it's got a nice flow to it, and of course, I bought the music for my own listening enjoyment, so of course I'm going to feel something towards it, but it also is one of the most played mixes of mine from recent years, so it must have struck a chord with other people too, which is always nice to think.


If you want to know what the 'Year of Music' was all about, then you can find out [HERE]. If you prefer your player to be of the Soundcloud variety, then you'll find that [HERE], though it might not always be live.


 

Tracklist

01. Andrew Lang - Stark Light (Rusted Tone Recordings)
02. A Veil Of Water - I Walk With Ghosts (Hidden Vibes)
03. Endless Melancholy - Still (Hidden Vibes)
04. Gamardah Fungus - Life Long Journey (Hidden Vibes)
05. A Winged Victory For The Sullen - There Is One Of Which Your Never Speak (Artificial Pine Arch Manufacturing)
06. BMRN - Going Down Fighting (eilean rec.)
07. Brusgenerator - That Was Then, This Is Now (Whitelabrecs)
08. Carbon Based Lifeforms - Submerged (Self Released)
09. Penelope Trappes - Nervous (Houndstooth)
10. Jo Johnson - Discontent Arises From A Knowledge Of The Possible (Self Released)
11. Dag Rosenqvist - Leave Everything You Love Behind (Hidden Vibes)
12. Porya Hatami - Restless (DRONARIVM)
13. Domenique Dumont - Watching Boats Pass By (Leaf)
14. ZH2 - Ocean Waves (Self Released)
15. Jörgen Kjellgren - Evening Lul (Past Inside The Present)
16. Robert Cole Rizzi - Water Stream Skamling (Self Released)
17. Claire Deak - Dampen The Waves (Past Inside The Present)

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Shades 2 (31)

18 June 2024

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Originally '31' in the 'Year of Music' series, now imaginatively titled 'Shades 2' and given an equally imaginative 'new' cover.

 

Okay, not very imaginative at all, but the musical content is mostly based around contemporary jazz, nu-jazz.... or call it what you will, which was similar for 'Shades (48)', so yeah, I manipulated the cover and stuck a 2 on the end of the title. There doesn't have to always be a deep and meaningful connection with the music and the cover does there? 


If you want to know what the 'Year of Music' thing is about, then there's an explanation [HERE]. If you prefer a Soundcloud player, then you can find that [HERE], though my subscription to there might change in future and the link may well vanish.



 

Tracklist

01. Danny Scott Lane - Six (Shimmering Moods Records)
02. Amara - Blue (Sola Terra)
03. DJ Cam ft. Donnie - Elevation (Inflamable)
04. Floating Points - The Sweet Time Suite (Pt 1) (Late Night Tales)
05. Kutiman - 6 am (Siyal Music)
06. Nat Birchall - Omniscient Beings (Ancient Archive of Sound)
07. [Re:Jazz] - Inner City Life (INFRACom!)
08. The Detroit Experiment - Midnight At The Twenty Grand (Ropeadope Records)
09. DJ Takemura - Harmonium (Mo Wax)
10. Funky Monkey - LA Riot (Funky Inc.)
11. Christian Prommer's Drum Lesson - Trans Europa Express (Sonar Kollektiv)
12. Alex Reece - Jazz Master (Kruder & Dorfmeister Mix) (!K7)

 

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Into The Ether (32)

16 June 2024

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This one was number 32 in the 'Year of Music' series. It was posted a few day's after what would have been my Mum's Birthday, so the tracklist and feel of the mix reflects how things were feeling that week. The David Boulter track in particular, not just for some of the words within, but the track title too; I planted a Cherry Blossom tree for her where her ashes were scattered. Ironically, June 16th, the day I'm reposting is also a poignant day, for different reasons, but it's funny how these things are thrown up in life.


The new title I think reflects quite well the thoughts and feelings behind the selection. The definition of ether being "the clear sky; the upper regions of air beyond the clouds". The image is the same image used during the 'Year of Music' and is a photo taken from the banks of the Lac du Bourget at Aix les Bains in France. It's a beautiful part of the world where I had to have an emergency overnight stop because my bike was playing up during a tour in Europe in 2019. I hope to make it back one day, I was on my way to Grenoble and to take in the Combe Laval balcony roads, which I missed out on with bike troubles changing my plan. I love the light in the photo, but also the fact it's slightly out of focus, it all kind of ties in to me.


If you want to know more about the 'Year of Music' series, there's a little info on that [HERE]. If you prefer to use a Soundcloud player, then you'll find that [HERE] though the link might not always be live and you might need to just roll with the Hearthis player.


 

Tracklist 

01. Yumiko Morioka - おだやかな海 (Métron Records)
02. Akira Ito - Praying For Mother Earth (Part 1) (Light In The Attic)
03. Andrew Wasylyk - Lost, Aglow (Athens Of The North)
04. Twigs & Yarns - Sanyu (eilean rec.)
05. Ishmael Ensemble - First Light (Severn Songs)
06. Snow Palms - You Are Here (Village Green)
07. David Boulter - The Cherry Blossom Tree (The Spoken Word)
08. Polaroid Notes - Oh Dear Heart (Büro für Erdrotation)
09. Scrimshire ft. Pie Eye Collective - Discussion (Albert's Favourites)
10. Green-House - Chysis (Leaving Records)
11. Chip Wickham - Astral Traveling (Gondwana Records)
12. Vega Trails - Tremors In The Static (Gondwana Records)
13. Susumu Yokota - Tears Of A Poet (Leaf)
14. The Green Kingdom - Sky Trails (Hidden Vibes)
15. Emantive - Dawn Child (Sunrise) (Jazzman)
16. Alice Coltraine - Prema (Antartica Starts Here)

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Living In Hues Of Blues (33)

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Number 33 in the 'Year of Music' series is now named 'Living In Hues of Blues', and it's had a new cover made too.


The music in this drives the title and cover, with shades of blues music running throughout. It's a selection rather than a mix for this one, sharing a selection of music from my record shelves that I'd find hard to use in a more conventional mix.

 

As I always try and do, you'll find a linked up tracklist below. This time around I'll be relying mostly on Discogs links to the releases I own, but did around if you want something for yourself, you might find better deals on other versions of the same release, or via Ebay etc.


If you want to know more about these 'Year of Music' series of selections and mixes, there's an explanation [HERE]. If you prefer to use a Soundcloud player, then you'll find that [HERE], but that link may not always be active, given the cost of keeping these things running.


 

Tracklist

01. Shuggie Otis - Gospel Groove (Epic)
02. Esther Phillips - Scarred Knees (Kudu)
03. Gary Burton - Pain In The Heart (Atlantic)
04. Marlena Shaw - Call It Stormy Monday (Cadet)
05. Messengers Incorporated - Rebecca (Jazzman)
06. Francis Coppieters - Blues In The Basement (Be With Records)
07. Dudley Moore Trio - Blues For Boots (Decca)
08. John Heartsman & Circles - Everyday I Have The Blues (Jazzman)
09. Nina Simone - Brown Baby (Vinyl Passion)
10. The Deirdre Wilson Tabac - The Other Side Of Life (Be With Records)
11. Isaac Hayes - Hyperbolicsyllabicesquedalmistic (Stax)
12. Donny Hathaway - Tryin' Times (Rhino Records)
13. Marlena Shaw - Liberation Conversation (Cadet)
14. Wilbert Harrison - Let's Work Together (Back To Mine (Fatboy Slim))
15. Baby Huey - Running (Curtom)
16. Willie Wright - It's Only Life, That's All (Numero Group)

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In Natures Hands (34)

13 June 2024

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This mix turns back towards ambient and abstract sounds, with some spoken words coming from Jeff Bridges too. It was originally number 34 in the 'Year of Music' series but I've gone with 'In Natures Hands' for the new name.


There's a few reasons why I came to this title. Firstly, the music to me feels organic and natural, I used a field recording from Melissa Pons as the opener to emphasise that feeling of nature. Secondly, I leaned into the cover image that I used originally, which is a photo I took locally and is the same image as above, but I've give it an edit to give it a trippier feel, if I can use that term. And thirdly, ultimately we are all in natures hands, none of us can escape that, and as I type this I'm in the midst of a flare up of aches and pains that have been feature of life for some time. It is what it is, but as that's how I'm feeling it seemed pertinent and timely and that it connects into this mix / title / feeling. 

 

A few of these releases were supporting a variety of charities, so check the links if you want to pick things up and support the labels and artists in their support of others.


As a side note, this is one of my favourite mixes I put together for this series, though it hardly had any plays, barely getting into double digits. I'm going to take a little break from posting and perhaps it'll get a little more attention from being left as the most recent post, but no big deal if not. I've got quite a lot on my plate so time needs spent on other things for the moment, but I'm sure I'll be back, speaking into the ether before too long, perhaps sooner than I think, but it'll be when it is.


If you want to know more about the 'Year of Music' series, then there's a little on that [HERE]. If you prefer to use a Soundcloud player, then you can find that [HERE] for the moment, it might not always be there as costs / benefits are entering my thoughts for when my subscription expires.


 

Tracklist 

01. Melissa Pons - Around The Water (Self Release)
02. Jeff Bridges - Feeling Good (Self Release)
03. Padang Food Tigers - Rise Before The Rain (Under The Spire)
04. Part Timer - Myr (Home Normal)
05. Hinako Omori - Cloud Painting (Headphone Commute)
06. anthéne - The Traveler (Distant Bloom)
07. Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch - Ruby's Dance (Headphone Commute)
08. Ben McElroy - Bed Down In The Murk (The Slow Music Movement Label)
09. High Skies - The World Forgotten (Self Release)
10. Hinako Omori - The Richest Garden In Your Memory (Houndstooth)
11. Jon Hopkins - Arriving (Domino Recording Co.)
12. Jonny Nash & Ana Stamp - For You I Am Missing..... (Melody As Truth)
13. Letna - Sava (Whitelabrecs)
14. Rose Riebl - Near Dark (Headphone Commute)
15. Morimoto Naoki - Into (Whitelabrecs)

 

 

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Back To The Disco (35)

11 June 2024

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Number '35' in the 'Year if Music' series is now 'Back To The Disco' and it's had a completely new cover done too.


At the time of doing this mix, I hadn't put together a mix of edits for a couple of years, so I was a bit rusty. That's leads me to the new cover, which as you can see is old, unused and a little bit rusty disco equipment; a mirrorball, lighting and studio gear, all a little worse for wear.


The previous post I had up sharing this mix mentioned that I put this together (live & unplanned - as all these mixes have been) whilst having a few ciders on a Friday night, and really I just had a little fun with it. As mentioned, I was a little out of practice with this kind of thing, so one or two of the mixes / levels aren't the best, but I remember having fun doing it and that was more important to me given that the weekly mix thing had felt a bit of a chore by this point. So, all things considered, I posted it anyway, imperfections and all.


I always try and post a fully linked up tracklist to the mixes I share. I feel like it's the least I can do when I'm sharing music this way, thinking that it might lead to a sale or a new follower for the artists. With the edit based mixes, many will have been taken down, either by the person who edited the track, or because they've been forced to, so the tracklist is going to be very limited for mixes of this nature. If you dig around though, you might find them yourself if I haven't been able to, and you can always try and get a copy from the edit creator if you ask them nicely.


If you want to know more about the 'Year of Music', this is the link [HERE]. If you prefer a Soundcloud player, you can find that [HERE] for the moment.

 

 

Tracklist 

01. Sir Owned - Hooked (Kon's Night Time Mix) (Gold Finger)
02. Deadly Sins - Mary's Red Hot Groove (Kat)
03. Donna Allen - Joy & Pain (Em Vee Meditation Edit)
04. Marvin Gaye - Heavy Love Affair (The Revenge Rework) (White Label)
05. Lionel Ritchie - All Night Long (The Reflex Revision) (Revision Records)
06. Dr Packer - Contemplating (DiscoDat)
07. Sly & The Family Stone - Family Affair (Late Nite Tuff Guy Edit)
08. The Owl - It Was Gonna Be Good (Editorial)
09. McFadden & Whitehead - Ain't No Stopping Us Now (Unknown Rework)
10. Black Heat - The Jungle (Pied Piper Redux)
11. The JB's ft. James Brown - Hot Pants Road (Hansi's Slam Dunk The Funk Edit)
12. Wild Cherry - Play The Funky Music (The Reflex Revision)
13. Dolly Parton - 9 to 5 (Surecut Kids Re-edit)
14. Tom Tom Club - Genius Of Love (Redrum Edit)
15. Fingerman - The Happy Track (Self Released)
16. Donna Summer - Love To Love You Baby (JF's Remix)
17. Tugboat Edits - Love Sounds (TZ's Intimate Strangers Edit)
18. Golden Flamingo Orchestra - The Guardian Angel Is Watching Over Us (Golden Flamingo Records)

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Still 36

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The only mix from my 'Year of Music' series that will be retaining the name it started out with is this one. '36' is still called '36'. I've also used the same cover, though I've given it a couple of very minor tweaks, giving my own pseudonym some real estate on the cover which wasn't there originally.


When I started the series of mixes / selections, I always had it in the back of my mind that I'd throw in a label focus or artist focus. By that, I mean only include tracks from one label, or one artist. Considering the artist 36 has been one of my favourite ambient artists in recent years, it seemed obvious what I needed to do for this mix.


The artwork makes use of the actual album art that the tracks I used came from. I put the images into a random collage generator and then played around with some edits, and this is where I settled.


You can find 36 (aka Dennis Huddleston) at Twitter //  Bandcamp  //  Instagram

 

If you would like to know what was behind the 'Year of Music' series you can find an explanation [HERE]. If you prefer to use Soundcloud, well you'll find it [HERE] though it might not always be there.

 

 

Tracklist 

01. 36 - Goodbye Yesterdays World / Music For Isolation (Part 1) (3six Recordings)
02. 36 - Lahaina Noon (Past Inside The Present)
03. 36 - Shadow Play (After Dark Reprise) (A Strangely Isolated Place)
04. 36 - Diamond Rain (3six Recordings)
05. 36 - Room 2 (A Strangely Isolated Place)
06. 36 - Apartment 451 (Reinterpreted) (A Strangely Isolated Place)
07. 36 - Moravian Fields (Special Species Records) also on this <<compilation>>
08. 36 & Duenn - Built On Lies (Past Inside The Present)
09. 36 - Pulse Drive (3six Recordings)
10. 36 & Zaké - (Stage 2) (Past Inside The Present)
11. 36 - Time Without Motion (Version) (3six Recordings)
12. 36 & Awakened Souls - Past Self (Past Inside The Present)
13. 36 - London (A Strangely Isolated Place)

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What Happened To You? (37)

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'37' from my 'Year of Music' series has become 'What Happened To You?' as well as receiving a fresh cover image.


Over the years, as my musical tastes expanded and I spent some time in the world of soul music, one of the things that often came to my thinking was wondering what happened to the singer / song writer. Where did the depths of lyrics come from? Was it personal experience? Was it observations from others around them? Was it tapping into the nature of humans and their psyche, and using it creatively? However it was arrived at and delivered, that's the reasoning for my title.


The cover image is a combination of experimenting with various, very descriptive prompts on AI artwork applications and then giving it an edit myself until I felt happier with it. I think it captures a person in a contemplative moment with an appropriate brooding and atmospheric scene around him.


It's worth mentioning again from time to time, as I repost / rename these mixes and selections that they were a part of a project to post a fresh mix or selection, every week during the course of 2022. The aim was to raise funds for a charity that has been close to my heart and you can find more about that via this link [HERE] which will take you to a standalone page on my blog. It wouldn't have been as fun or interesting if I just churned out 52+ mixes of house or ambient so I tried to vary the genres over the course of the year to keep it interesting for myself and for anyone who happened to listen, so sometimes it was more of a selection than a traditional DJ mix.


If you prefer to use Soundcloud over Hearthis, then there is a link to Soundcloud [HERE], though that link might not always be active, it depends how I feel about keeping the subscription costs going and swallowing all these costs over time.


 

Tracklist 

01. Darondo - Do You Really Love Me (Kent Dance)
02. Marvin Gaye - Woman Of The World (Blue Note)
03. The Deirdre Wilson Tabac - I Can't Keep From Cryin' Sometimes (Be With Records)
04. Willie Hutch - You Can't Miss Something You Never (Be With Records)
05. Esther Williams - Last Night Changed It All (Jazzman)
06. Lyn Collins - Wheels Of Life (Get On Down People / Universal)
07. Inell Young - What Do You See In Her (Soul Jazz)
08. Mike James Kirkland - What Have We Done (Luv N Haight)
09. Curtis Mayfield - Beautiful Brother Of Mine (Curtom)
10. Gloria Ann Taylor - Jolene (Luv N Haight)
11. Pearl Dowdell - Good Things (Mukatsuku)
12. Little Gregory & The Concepts - Get Away (Tramp Records)
13. Marlena Shaw - I Wish I Knew (How It Would Feel To Be Free) (Cadet)
14. Nicole Willis & The Soul Investigators - Feeling Free (Timmion Records)
15. Edwin Starr - Time (Motown)
16. Carrie Cleveland - Love Will Set You Free (Funky Planet)
17. Billy Butler - Right On Track (Okeh / Epic)
18. Don Thomas - Come On Train (NUVJ)
19. Betty Davis - My Soul Is Tired (Light In The Attic)
20. Alice Clark - You Hit Me (Right Where It Hurt Me) (BGP)
21. Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons - The Night (Motown)

 

 

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Bon Voyage (38)

10 June 2024

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Another selection as opposed to a mix, this was originally titled simply as '38', but now is called 'Bon Voyage'.


I struggled to come up with a title and image for this one, sometimes you hit a mental block and that was the case here. Anyway, I've got over that and gone with Bon Voyage. Why? Well, I'm not sure you could call this Yacht Rock, or AOR, or Disco, but it's got flavours of all of the above, so I'm leaning into the Yacht Rock aspect with the title and cover. Unfortunately the image isn't a photo of mine. A couple of Mojitos on the deck of a luxury yacht is most definitely appealing, this is actually an edit of an image I made using AI, which I honestly find mind blowing... if I didn't mention it I'd wager hardly anyone would be able to tell.


If you want to know about the 'Year of Music' series, then click [HERE]. If you prefer to use Soundcloud, you can get that over [HERE] for the moment at least... it might not always be active.


 

Tracklist 

 

01. Young Gun Silver Fox - Long Way Back (Légère Recordings)
02. Rick Cuevas - The Birds (Self Released) >>> Available on V/A - Fingertracks (ESP Institute)
03. Hudson-Ford - 90° In The Shade / Daylight (CBS)
04. Tender Leaf - Coast To Coast (Cool Sound)
05. Maria Muldaur - Midnight At The Oasis (Reprise Records)
06. Jaye P. Morgan - Can't Hide Love (Candor Records) >>> Recent reissue on WeWantSounds
07. Life Force - Slow Dancer (Favorite Recordings)
08. Daryl Hall & John Oates - Alone Too Long (RCA)
09. Alessi Brothers - Do You Feel It? (A&M Records)
10. Morrison Kincannon - To See One Eagle Fly (Spacetalk Records)
11. AM & Shawn Lee - Persuasion (AM Sounds)
12. Rosebud - Money (Star Gazer)
13. Jaki Whitren & John Cartwright - Stay Cool (Emotional Rescue)
14. Franne Golde - Isn't It Something (Portrait)
15. Mark Capanni - I Believe In Miracles (Jazzman)

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