Messy, Beardy Mixtape

So, I finally got around to making a mix, which I originally put together for the ILM competition but decided to share here also. The mixing is patchy to say the least, but I did it all with vinyl and hopefully you'll enjoy regardless- more beardo fun. Chelsey is going to be assembling a cover/package of some type for the tape (the name is subject to change :)), so until I have some images of that to post, here goes...


DANCE AND SHAKE YOUR TAMBOURINE

A Mountain of One - "Can't Be Serious" (AMO)
Greg Wilson - "Cosmic DJ Delight" (RVNG)
The Bee Gees - "Love You Inside Out (Cole Medina Edit)" (American Standard)
Bonar Bradberry - "Dungeons" (Mindless Boogie)
Dr. John - "I Walk on Guilded Splinters" (ATCO)
Fleetwood Mac - "Tussskk (Beard Science Extension)" (Beard Science)
Universal Robot Band - "Dance and Shake Your Tambourine" (P & P)
Grace Jones - "Williams Blood (Yam Who? Cosmic Jam Mix)" (bootleg)
Soft Rocks - "Umut 2000" (Soft Rocks)
Unknown Artist - "Sir Mr. Doctor To You" (Golf Channel)
Hercules and Love Affair - "Hercules' Theme" (DFA)
Noir Désir - "Le Vent Nous Portera (Rubber Room Rerub)" (Mindless Boogie)
The Joubert Singers - "Stand On The Word (Larry Levan Mix)" (Tirk)

Old and New

This has been floating within my radar as various limited edition vinyl and cd reissues - along with blog hype) throughout 07 and 08, but I hadn't listened to it because I wanted to snag it on vinyl if i had the chance. Unfortunately, that opportunity has passed for now, so I downloaded it and it lives up to the hype. These guys sound like a garage rock version of the Jimi Hendrix Experience with a tinge of more spacey, guru guru guitar sounds. Totally freaked out, bordering on funky, and definitely worth the half hour of your time. Comparable to The Peace and W.I.T.C.H.

Chico Magnetic Band - self titled CD from 1973

Emeralds - What Happened - 2009 (No Fun)

I guess I am coming to Emeralds a little late, seeing as how they have released a billion cassettes and cdrs, but their latest release validates all the references to the analog drone, space, and ambient oscillation that very directly responds and alludes to the German minimal synthesizer work of the 70s. This latest album spans from Cluster to early Kraftwerk and Klaus Schulze. Albeit those signposts could signify a lot, and are definitely used abundantly in every album review ever these days, I do not think it is redundant or uncalled for here. However, most of the ambient or drone acts that receive krautrock genre pinning hardly resemble the true heritage of electronic music pioneers and ignores staple visionaries outside of Germany like Morton Subotnik's tape work or Henry Poussier's harsh microtonal electronics.

Anyways, Emeralds are a trio from Ohio that use analog equipment to produce serious ambient sounds that are tranquil and warm but stir up some demanding guitar solos along with voluminously building drone. The improvised quality to the music both adds to the edge that makes this worth listening to but provides a real reminder of the good old days when ambient music was always loud, ambitious, and zealously groundbreaking.