November Mix (Music)

Get it here.

(Mediafire)

Or here.

(Spotify)

I wrote a ridiculously long email regarding this mix and other topics. If you didn't get that email but love the sound of a "ridiculously long email," let me know. You're just a FWD away.

October Mix (Music)

Well, I broke my mix-a-month streak, but here it is. A new month. A new mix. This is a collection of some brand new stuff, some stuff I've had for months but just couldn't decide on before and now it's a must (this means it could be on the radio, but I don't listen to the radio so I wouldn't know), and some "other" stuff.

You might not love it all, but you will respect it.

Enjoy by Clicking Here.

(...and then proceeding to download and decompress the file and drop into iTunes...and apply the supplied album art to the tracks. That's it!)

(Well I can't do it for you!) 

Bird Peterson

Here are two mixes by a guy I really enjoy. I listen to the 2nd one almost every other day on my bike ride home. His mixes are lots of fun.

Bird Peterson-Drankenstein 2 by maddecent

Bird P Til' Infinity (The Best of Bird Peterson's Hottest Trunk Poppers) by Bird Peterson

Diplo [Sirus/XM Mixes]

I guess Diplo and friends have a show on XM Radio. Great dance mixes. All over the place.

Diplo - Sirius/XM "Blow Your Head" 09-17-2011 by diplo

Diplo - Sirius/XM "Blow Your Head" 08-20-2011 by diplo

Diplo - Sirius/XM "Blow Your Head" 07-23-2011 by diplo

Diplo - Sirius/XM "Blow Your Head" 06-18-2011 by diplo

Jamie xx [Essential Mix]

Great mix by Jamie xx (of The xx). This guy is 22 or 23 and from the UK. Super talented musician. Makes some really interesting minimalist dance/electronic music/remixes. So hit play and enjoy some great beats.

Jamie xx Essential Mix by Young Turks

August Music (Mix)

DOWNLOAD

It's a little bit country and a little bit rock 'n roll... No. No, it's little bit pop and a little bit indie... and a little bit dance. Please enjoy responsibly.

Rye Rye & DJ Sega "RYEOT POWRR"

If you're like me and missed this mix... man, this thing is fantastic. Get it. I'm loving DJ Sega right now so this is just a delight. This is like classic Diplo/M.I.A. sounding stuff. I love it.

Get it here.

More DJ Sega

DJ Sega Sixer Series Vol. I by DJSega

Nicki Minaj "Super Bass" (Dino Roc & DJ CJ Remix)

It's a bit dance-y but hey, maybe you're into that sort of thing.

Nicki Minaj - Super Bass (Dino Roc & DJ CJ Remix) by Dino Roc

Amy Winehouse "Rehab" (Flam Clap Remix)

This is pretty cool.

Amy Winehouse- Rehab (Flam Clap Remix) by Flam Clap

MISHKA presents TRILLWAVE 2

A new Hood Internet mashup mix. Always enjoyable.

Grab it over at TheHoodInternet.com

Heartbreak Presents Moombahsoul Vol.II

Heartbreak Presents Moombahsoul Vol.II

Can't beat free music. Especially when it's good.

Get Volume 1 Here.

M83 "Midnight City"

Fantastic new song from M83.

Midnight City by M83

Kreayshawn "Gucci Gucci" (Long Jawns x Bobby la Beat Moombahton Remix)

Kreayshawn - Gucci Gucci (Long Jawns x Bobby la Beat Moombahton Remix) FREE DL IN DESCRIPTION by longjawns

It Can't Be Gone, We're Still Right Here (Mix)

DOWNLOAD

Beastie Boys x Major Lazer x Santigold Track

This is awesome.

Beastie Boys - Don't Play No Game That I Can't Win (Feat. Santigold) (Major Lazer Remix) by maddecent

You're So Good To Me (Mix)

Told you I had a non (well, less) electronic mix on the way. Well guess what. You're lookin' at it. This is a bunch of upbeat, fun, feel-good tunes from recent. It's feeling more summer-y where I live and it's definitely lifted my mood from where I was in the winter months. Two new albums by Foster the People and Hooray for Earth have been on repeat for me. They are stellar. A track from the new Bon Iver album makes me so happy. The whole album is amazing, but this one track has Peter Cetera and Bruce Hornsby all over it. I love it. The rest are just a mix of things that have been running through my headphones. Enjoy.

DOWNLOAD.

(For the mix purists out there, and I know there are a bunch, I did break the 80min mark. It was either, respect this ancient established value for traditional reasons (and whoever still burns CDs) or just give you all the songs I wanted to and spit in the face of tradition. So I spat.)

Hyetal: Phoenix (Fantastic Mr. Fox Remix)

This is crazy and cool.

Hyetal - Phoenix (Fantastic Mr Fox Remix) by Black Acre Records

Robyn: Call Your Girlfriend

3.5min of just Robyn dancing. One take. Very entertaining. I can't believe you don't hear her on the radio. Something is seriously wrong with radio.

Old Mixes

Since I find myself swimming in new music and therefore putting together mixes every time I turn around, I thought I'd organize my older ones into one place. So in order of most recent to not, here they be (they're all on Mediafire, hands down the best and fastest file hosting site).

Possibly my favorite cover art so far. Too bad I completely misspelled "Rhythm."

1. Donezo!!
2. 8OH!21OH! Appendix
3. 8OH!21OH!
4. Don't Stop Now 
5. But I Don't Blame Them
6. Rythym & Blues & Zombies
7. I'm Workin' On It
8. NOW That's What I Call Dancehall, Vol. 1
9. TIII
10. Best of LOST
11. I Can't Believe It's Not HipHop
12. From: Jamaica, To: Di Worl
13. Mixtacular

And that's about it I think. The last one is from before we went to Jamaica so it could be dated, but I'm sure there's still a gem or two on it. Same for the other older ones.

More to come.

Donezo!! (Mix)

This is part one of the recent music in my ears. Part II will be more band (non-electronic) oriented. So rather than mixing bluegrass between club bangers, I'll just keep them separate. However, to call these club bangers would be... inaccurate. There are a couple mainstream-ish songs, but at least half of them are of kind of wacky and by artists I've never heard of till recently. All of them very cool in their own way. So check 'em out and turn up your bass. (Well, for some of you, turn down your bass. Scott.)

DOWNLOAD

Stay tuned for the next mix. It's going to have some solid tunes on it.

Tom: Meeting in one hour, if you don’t make it you’re on my donezo list.

Ben: Oh, what’s a donezo list?

Tom: It means you and I are donezo. Hangin’ out gettin’ food together, donezo. You wanna come over to my house and play video games? Donezo. Hey Tom, you wanna come play putt-putt with me? No, we’re donezo.

Goob: Flying and Falling

Looks like a Scottish Fold on the right!

The Only Watch of Its Kind

Found this in an old magazine the other day. Pretty awesome. Gold AND digital. A rare and valuable combination. Plus the benefit of just one button over the usually pesky four. I know I personally wish I could toggle through all my watch's option with a single button. So much more convenient.

What more could you ask for for $99? How about a free gift box? Done.

8OH!21OH! Appendix

Because I didn't want to break the 80min mark... I present the Appendix.

Don't Forget to Download it.  Here.

8OH!21OH! (Mix)

I guess I've been on an electronic thing musically lately. It happens to everyone.

Just promise you'll use more than your computer speakers to listen with. 

At least once.

Download.It.Here.Now.

My Coolest Living Room Yet

Spent part of my five day weekend taking everything off the walls, painting the walls twice, and then reinstalling everything plus more shelves. I suppose it really didn't take as long as it sounds. All the shelves from Home Depot. Really easy to install. I think it came out really well. Definitely my coolest living room ever.

RAA & Lord Huron

Saw both of these guys at Hi-Dive last night. First off, I love the venue size of Hi-Dive. It's a perfect 200+ size. However, it's the worst layout I've ever seen. This is it (the blood looking stuff is people)...

So yeah, you come in and the stage is behind a wall right next to where you come in and there's like 10ft of gap between the wall that runs down the middle. So that gap get's way congested and you can't get anywhere. Other than that it's great.

So the bands... The first we saw was Lord Huron. I never hold my breath for opening acts, in general, but these guys were awesome. It was like Animal Collective meets Vampire Weekend. Really Fantastic stuff. I bought there record 15sec after their set was done. Check em out at bandcamp (which is one of my favorite sites for indie music nowadays).

And of course the main act was Rural Alberta Advantage which I was just ecstatic to see. And they didn't disappoint. At all. It was the perfect size show. Maybe around 100+ people, $12/ticket, nothing fancy, just rocknroll in a small room. Those are my favorites.



Frank, AB by theraa

I don't know what else to say. It was a phenomenal show. (I met the drummer and told him how awesome he is and then bought their first album on vinyl.) It was really the first live music I'd seen since going to Jamaica (not counting the larger Girl Talk show we saw last month). It definitely rekindled my love of seeing music made right in front of me.

(If you want to hear more of RAA, just say the word and I'll put it in your (e)mailbox. Seriously, any word, at all, and it'll be there.)

Tuesday. Music.

Because some things just won't make a mixtape and because so much music comes out so often, it's time for some links.

I don't exactly know what all this Moombahton stuff is about (sorry, I got lazy there for a sec), but it's interesting. And this short EP reminds me of how crazy, off-the-wall cool Diplo's earlier stuff was (not that he doesn't put out good stuff now, it was just a newer style in the beginning). This is cool stuff.

(Get it at MadDecent.com (or directly here))

Then there's this mixtape by one of the guys who helped on Major Lazer's album GDKPLD. I browsed it and it seems pretty fun.

(More at MadDecent.com)

Bouncin' Bush Stew ft. Prince Zimboo by blondtron

Then somehow I missed this Blaqstarr Mixtape whenever it came out. Good stuff.

Another one I think I'm going to enjoy is Com Truise: Free Here. It's 80s-synth-Baths type music. Pretty cool.

Oh man. And just when I thought the night couldn't get better I come across a Star Slinger Mix with an intro by Donald Glover. I'm loving everything this guy puts out. (Warning: Troy cusses!)

STAR SLINGER - FABRIC MIX - APRIL 2011 by Star Slinger


Good luck with the rest of your week.

Vinyl

Jesse got me a record player for my birthday last month. I've been meaning to write about because it's incredibly cool, but I've been busy being depressed.

Here's why I love it so far...

Records don't sound "better" than CDs. They sound warmer and more unique (nothing compares to the clarity of digital). Records, in contrast, have a very physical, imperfect sound. There are variations in record flatness and turntable rpms that change the way the music sounds every revolution. Things just sound amazing on it. The Beatles? Van Morrison? It's like a time machine. It completely transforms the way the music sounds.

I love that records aren't convenient. It places so much emphasis on just listening to music. You can't listen to records in the car or during a workout. You put on one album at a time. No shuffle. No impulsive changes. It's for start-to-finish album listening. And you have to flip it at least once during the record! (GT's Night Ripper is two records meaning TWO flips!)

I love that I'm buying a physical copy of the music. I don't like buying mp3s. Records typically cost what CDs used to cost ($15-20) so they aren't cheap, but you get everything with it. You get the biggest copy of the album artwork (which is all but lost on mp3s) possible. You get a code to download the digital copy free with the record. And the best thing to me is that I have a physical (and probably limited number of) copy of this music; a physical copy that I can pass on to my kids. I can't wait to pass Bon Iver and Neutral Milk Hotel on to my kids. I love that.

(Look what Jess just got us! AMAZING album.)

And finally, I think records are going to be around forever. They've made it this far whereas several other mediums haven't. In fact, it's the only one still around that's been surpassed by something else, isn't it? So unlike a collection of 8-tracks (which I've had) vinyl will be useable forever. That's pretty freakin' sweet.

So it's definitely given a new form to my passion. I'm not interested in collector's editions this or that, just great albums. And there are lots of great ones out there.

(My first flat TV and wall mounted speakers! Record player sits atop the shelves Sam and I installed.) 

Don't Stop Now Mix

This is the result of songs I didn't get to use last time and new songs that needed to be shared asap. There's some dance, remixes, indie and soundtrack. I tried to arrange it in the least jarring way possible.

Just remember, even if there's just one song you don't hate, I've done my job. Well.

Get it.

I Wonder

I love The Crystals. It's such upbeat, hopeful, romantic music. Naive, but not. It's just... amazing oldies. Driving melodies and towering vocals.

This is a song I'd never heard before. Came across it on their Best of album. It reminds me of other songs by them but/so I dig it.

In other news...

I helped an old Peace Corps friend out with some campaign posters this week. She gave me the ideas. I just produced them. TV themes.

A Bad Note On an Otherwise Good Day

I was out taking pictures at a job site today when I came across this guy. It was shocking and depressing. I don't know where he came from because there weren't any houses around. But the fact that he had a shirt on told me he was someone's very good friend. And if I had taken the time to put a shirt on my very good friend... this would break my heart. Into way too many pieces. I wish I could've told whoever that there dog wasn't alive anymore. I would always want to know what happened to my animals whatever the case may be. I saw this right as I started walking the site. It was hard to get back on track. 

Bad things happening to animals upsets me very much. It makes me want express my feeling with the 'f' word. You don't even know how much I want to write this using the 'f' word. 

:|   fuck.

Silent Alarm

When's the last time you listened to Bloc Party's Silent Alarm? I think 2005 was an amazing year for indie music. That's when I really got into it and met Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Regina Spektor, MIA, Sufjan Stevens, Mike Doughty, Okkervil River... seriously massive year of music. And Bloc Party is right at the top of that list. Silent Alarm is a phenomenal album. The energy and pace and drums and vocals are just... they're all there from start to finish. It's one you just start at the beginning and let run. It's up tempo British indie rock at it's absolute best. I mean, talk about incredible driving music! It's so energetic and persistent.

Anyway, it's one of those you listen to from time to time and it never ceases to amaze you. I randomly decided to put it on this afternoon for my drive home and it changed my life. Again. For like, the 6th time.

And if you haven't heard it, well, don't tell me.

A Mix of What's Inside

I guess if you know more than three things about me you know that I have a huge passion for music. And while I post a lot of hip hop and pop and dancehall, I listen to far more than just that. I listen to pop and dance when I'm happy, but when I've got a lot on my mind it just doesn't fit (Well, dance always seem to fit. I love a good beat!). I've also never thought of myself as "good with words" or "able to properly express my feelings" so music and art really helps me there. A lot of times the best thing I feel I can do is hand someone a CD and say, "Here I am. Please listen with headphones."

Something I find interesting about music is the timing of it and how we receive it. Ten years ago I wouldn't have been ready for most of the music on this mix. It's amazing music, but I had to grow to where I am to receive it with open ears. It just wouldn't have happened before now. I think when an album hits you at the right time or you come back to something you weren't ready for at the time, it sticks with you forever. This James Blake album is what Bon Iver's For Emma was for me. It just couldn't be more appropriate for me... for right now. Bon Iver rocked me emotionally when I heard it. I don't even know how many times I listened to Neutral Milk Hotel's Aeroplane when I was finally ready for it. This is why when I think something has potential but I don't love it right away I always keep it for later. You just never know when that time will come.

As for the songs on here... Don't you always wish you could explain why you picked every song on a mix? Like why it's important to you? Suffice it to say all of these are big to me. It's what I've been listening to lately. A lot. Many of these are electronic... based. Regardless of the beat, I love tension and intensity in music. That's why there's a Mumford & Sons song and a Deadmau5 song on the same album. They both have wonderful intensity. Hearing that loudly helps me release tension (which is one of the reasons why the neighbor thing was such a bummer; it wasn't just an inconvenience, it was stifling.)

I've also really been enjoying this guy, Starslinger. His mixes are hazy and nostalgic with fantastic, laid-back beats. Which brings me to another type of music I've been loving that I wouldn't have before. I know when most people hear "electronic music" they think of Fatboy Slim or Tiesto or something. Most wouldn't think of Caribou or Baths. So much is done "electronically" nowadays. It's expanded to so much more and I've been loving the influx of this style of hazy, lo-fi, warm musicians.

Some randomness on there... The Punch Brothers song is phenomenally beautiful. The chords are dark and warm and Chris Thile's voice just floats right over them. It's flashbacks of the darker side of Nickel Creek. A couple of great Iron & Wine songs. If you like Bob Dylan you'll love the Tallest Man on Earth. The Ceo album is terrific. I love the joy in that song. I bought the Teen Daze album on a whim and loved it. It's like the soundtrack for the greatest kid's party ever. Jónsi's album, Go is also one that's just so quirky and full of joy. Listening to it, it just sounds like love translated to music.

I don't want to say this is the greatest mix I've ever put together. I won't say that. I would, however, disagree strongly with me not saying that because it's true. It is the greatest mix ever. I don't know if it will translate what's going on in my heart, but it's a good effort.

So here I am. Please listen with headphones. Download Here

(ps. There is no hiphop or dancehall of any sort on this. It is 100% safe for women and children of all ages.)

I Feel Like...

Like there's something really great ahead of me, but all I can see is the mud blocking my view. I know good is out there, but stuff just kind of sucks right now. It's been cold as balls here this past week. We've had several pipes freeze and bust. We spent a few days without heat and now a pipe on the other side of the bedroom busted leaking water down our wall and into the carpet. So we're currently sleeping in the living room. There's not enough room to sneeze without bumping into something. It's enough to drive me out into the snow to freeze to death. Not that I don't love sleeping in the cat's nightly playroom, but the place is barely big enough as it is and this is just beyond... You can't carry out a normal life living in 10sqft. It's maddening.

So we're looking at other places. Things out here cost a lot. Food, living, everything. So we need more space but it costs more. However, if I had an engineering job (that paid me the appropriate amount) we could move out tomorrow. We'd have plenty to get a 2br place maybe with a garage. And we found one and it's awesome, but we have to decide whether or not it's worth stepping out and holding it or to wait  till I find a fulltime job and keep looking. It's frustrating and everything would settle down and we'd get to living life here rather than just scrimping and waiting to run out of money if something would just pan out soon.

I'm sure it will. I know it will. But until it does, it's like wandering the desert. Then boom, someone calls you with a glass of water.

Sorry. Just a bad week.

Unnecessary Information, Vol.1

I wonder how many people love driving. I mean, really get a kick out of steering and accelerating and shifting. I do. I love driving. I also love not having to drive, but that's a different story. Driving is so fun me. I've been particularly enjoying driving around Denver. There are lots of stop signs and lights, but there are tons of corners and curves and cool over/underpasses. While I don't like driving in stop and go traffic with the manual transmission, I absolutely love shifting through the gears throughout town. On top of that the street lanes in Denver are much skinnier than TN's which you'd think would make it worse but I think it makes you have to pay attention more and therefore focus more on just driving. I'm sure if I wasn't scooting around in a little Civic I'd be singing a different tune, but I am, so whatever. I don't get as good of gas mileage out here. Probably a combo of the cold and city driving. So what if driving it like a rally car yields me 30mpg instead of the usual 33mpg. Seriously.

I just started a temporary job doing some stormwater plans and general CAD work for an environmental company. There are so many routes to get there! Commuting is an odd thing. It can be a daily drain on you or it can be a fun few minutes you get to enjoy being alone and listen to music as loudly as you want. I know anything get's old after a while, but there are so many ways to travel through Denver. I find that on the way to work I want to take the fastest way possible regardless of how many cars will be on the road with me. However, on the way home I'm up for taking any which way as long as it avoids me sitting in traffic.

And another thing! Since I'm trying to avoid anymore interactions with my funbag of a neighbor, I don't listen to music very loudly at home. It get's old but I'd prefer never to speak with funbag again. (Although I did pass him the other day coming in the entrance. I said, "What's up, Mike?" in the friendliest tone possible and he responded with a very cheery (seriously) "Hey! How's it going, pal?" I don't know if he actually knows what I look like. Maybe he just gets angry and blacks out and comes and yells at me. Either way, it was odd.) So anyway, because of all that, the car has been my stereo for jams. And I must say, it's a good one. A sub is about the best investment I can think of for a car stereo. My 12" is like an instant pick-me-up for me. I get in the car, away from everyone who can complain, and start shaking the mirrors. So combine that with the joy of driving and I feel like I'm in Need for Speed every time I commute. It's like a club on wheels but I don't have people all up in my mix everywhichway. It makes me so happy. There aren't a lot of things doing that lately. I'm really getting tired of not having a "direction," so to speak, in life. Temp job is working out fine, but it's only for a month and everyone else I call, it's just, no one is hiring in the Civil Engineering field right now. I know something will work out. It has to eventually. I know. But it's still stressful and disheartening.

I think Radiohead, Chemical Bros, Baths, and The Field are good morning commute soundtracks. In the evenings it's Dancehall or Swedish House Mafia or something of that nature. Those dancehall mixes by Kalibandulu are absolutely mad. If you check out one Dancehall mix your whole life, get Jugglin' from Mars, Vol 3. This guy makes killer mixes.

That's all for now I guess. I got a new lens for $192. Quite possibly the best deal for an amazing lens ever. The 35mm f/1.8. Big thumbs up. Also got a printer because it's really annoying to go to Office Max to print everything. I've also cut white carbs out of my diet and started doing kettlebell swings everyday. I guess that's pretty fun. With that diet I've been cooking a lot and have discovered my two favorite additions to any meal: lemon or lime juice. Either one literally transforms anything into pure tastiness. Lemon Juice: The New Salt.

Oh. And I've been kind of sick. I've been doing this every morning and it's awesome. (huh. more.)

It's all down hill from here... till Monday. Then it's back uphill.