Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Late Nite Romance


So this is a fairly remarkable occasion to commemorate, my first mix CD on this blog. I did a halloween mix, last Oct., but that was mainly a sound-fx dj mix, whereas this is a good ol' fashioned mix tape.
I went over to my buddy Mark's house last night, to solicit advice on making mixes, at which he is most adept. He's got a dj setup and a killer vinyl selection, with tons of old soul, country, classic rock, reggae, and much weirdness (Mark is a fairly weird dude. He's from the same town as Capt. Beefheart.) We picked out a stack of records, put a blank tape in the boom box, i let him pick the first track, and two hours later, i had not one, but TWO mixtapes; glorious, romantic, weird, inspired, otherworldly messiness, made with 100% heart and soul. I was practically sweating with exhilaration, when it was all over. It inspired me to complete a digital mix i've been fucking around with for the past week, with smooth electronic jams, to rock yr bodies, exalt yr minds, soothe yr spirits, all yr tensions, all yr worries. In the night, you don't have to worry about the daytime, and what the daytime people do. You are free to be lovers, and poets and dreamers, and wild animals! and all those other things we hold so holy around here at Js Heaven. I wanted to make this mix because i have so much amazing music around, electronically, particularly electronic music, badass beats from near and far, and NOBODY can be expected to have all that DJ vinyl lying around their crib. But in the spirit of the mixes i made yesterday, these are kind of crude, far from perfect, but pretty damn good! Just imagine that they are all seamlessly mixed in Ableton Live, perfectly beat matched by Jeff Mills or Carl Craig or somebody brilliant. It will be good for yr imaginative faculties.
This mix has a little funk, a little house, a little folk, a whole lotta fuckin bass! Whereas we celebrate sweetness and light in these parts, we ARE NOT afraid to get down and fucking dirty, downright nasty at times. These are night-time jams, and night time is for lovers. Along the way, striving to dig out the perfect romantic techno tracks, i came across a new style, which is known as 'Lovestep', which is like the smoother, more soulful cousin of dubstep. Its still got the low-end, but its not being made for hooligans on ketamine, wielding machetes. It embraces dubstep's potential as BODY MUSIC, which is what i always loved about it, was willing to dodge drunken frat boys for. I am totally grateful to see dubstep, and underground dance music in general, moving forward, evolving. I have felt for the last ten years or so, that electronic music was the vanguard for brilliant, creative people, crossing multiple cultures and styles. It brings people together, and that's what this mix is all about: bringing people together. Love... its not just for couples anymore. Its something bigger than that, all encroaching, all encompassing. And this mix, its not only love, but ROMANCE, that most taboo of topics, previously only allowed in teenagers and effeminate men. Well, i'm here to say, i'm bringin romance back. It represents all the finest things in life. It represents a way of looking at the world, and when we are lucky, and when we are paying attention, the right person can open our eyes to this otherworld.
I've been accused of being a romantic, of being a daydreamer. Unrealistic. Impractical. Shallow, even. I'll wear that shit on my sleeve. I am a romantic, a poet and a dreamer and a lover. And i made you all a mix tape.

Late Night Romance

Track Listing

1. Overcome - Tricky; Maxinquaye
2. Teardrop - Jose Gonzalez; Teardrop EP
3. Dark & Long - Underworld; Dubnobasswithmyheadman
4. Wilhelm's Fucking Best - James Drake (james blake/drake mashup)
5. Slowly - Amon Tobin; Supermodified
6. Cockroach - Starkey; luvstep 2 mix
7. Freestylers ft. belle humble cracks (flux pavilion remix) - luvstep 2 mix
8. I Took 2 - Daedelus; Love To Make Music To
9. Something Beautiful - Trombone Shorty; Backatown
10. Thinking About You (s&s drunklove mix) - sticks&stones; webrip
11. Love is the Drug (Paris, Tx) - Burger/Ink; Las Vegas
12. Warm Windows - Casino vs. Japan; Go Hawaii
13. Adrift - Tycho (Shigeto's Adrift A Dream Remix)
14. My Angel Rocks Back and Forth - Four Tet; Live in Copenhagen


I like to imagine people driving around listening to this. It would make me happy if you did this. It would make me doubly happy if you told me about it. There's no cover art or anything on this release, as i'm not snappy enough yet to know how to do such things. Maybe next time... in the meantime, enjoy!

2 comments:

  1. Psyched to listen to this. In my car. With the top down. Maybe driving nowhere.

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  2. I would agree that those songs are good to be listened while driving a car.

    Cassy from Lead Guitar Lessons

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