#183

Glad you liked it.

That Bardot track is a curiosity- she had a relationship with Serge Gainsbourg and he wrote lots of songs for her, undeterred by the fact that she couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket. Apparently Contact was written to order because she wanted a song for a space themed insert on a tv show. I’m not sure Bardot is worth too much investigation as a recording artist, there are loads of great Gainsbourg compilations- the best is probably Initials SG (which has some of the Bardot duets, other duets and solo stuff) or Vamps et Vampire which all songs he wrote for various female singers on it (Contact is on that). I think Contact is amazing. It sounds like Can almost 10 years early.

Prelude is the classic Deodato album, along with Deodato 2. If you like that sort of stuff it might be worth looking for a compilation of stuff released on CTI records on the 70s (there are lots of them around) - they are great.

I like Sabbath when they go a bit proggy (though I like them the rest of the time too). There’s nothing quite else like Planet Caravan that I know of, maybe Laguna Sunrise on Vol 4 is the closest I can think of (it’s not that great, but Vol 4 is a brilliant album).

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#184

Also worth investigating if Bardot intrigues - French lounge and exotica compilations!

I’ve got this one. It’s very, very good:

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#185

PARTY

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#186

party.png850×435 190 KB

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#187

@woweezowee, thanks for a diverse and interesting space mix. Although I recognise a lot of the artists (if not the tracks), I’m taking away some follow-ups for further listening.

I thought the mix started well with the dance-flavoured opening run to PSB (the original version of my mix started with their opener from Race For Space, but I decided against it in the end). Funnily enough, I wasn’t a massive fan of the Underworld track either (love their albums up to and including Beaucoup Fish, and Barbara, Barbara is also excellent, but I didn’t feel this was very Underworld-y). The Dr Octagon and Kelis tracks worked well together and led into my first favourite, The Pattern Forms who I’ll definitely pursue further. I liked the De La Soul track (I think this is the third or fourth track I’ve heard with that sample). Love Floating Points’ debut, so must get Kuiper.

I think I preferred the back half of the mix to the first half, and was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed the Flaming Lips track (went off them when they overplayed the whimsy on Soft Bulletin). Particularly enjoyed The Cinematic Orchestra and Steve Hauschildt tracks (can see why you included him) but Chris Bell was the only big turn off for me. Never a fan of Big Star, and not a fan of this either. Where should I start with Cinematic Orchestra (and Pye Corner Audio for that matter).

Thanks again for your care in mixing and sequencing and for including the dialogue, which is a nice touch and one I’m quite enjoying myself (at least Space is an easy mix to find good works for…)

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#188

Yes, there are, I think I have a mixtape’s worth in my head as I type…

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#189

Hahaha yeah it was a by overkill, but I had a load of that packaging in so it had to do!

Yeah it’s great to see different interpretations of the theme via different genres. Whether that’s song titles or artist or whatever! I think Space meant you could have gone with a certain sound but I went with the tried and tested song titles (mainly because it’s easier to think).

Hope there’s something you like on there. I tend to know most depth about hip hop, ambient/droney stuff so there’s usually a mish mash of that in mine whatever the theme!

Look forward to giving the ones I’ve received a spin also.

#190

Came home to a rather large package and was confused for a second as I didn’t remember ordering anything recently! Love the artwork and the cards, the printed CD is a nice touch. Another one with a majority of tracks I’m unfamiliar with, so far this theme has brought up a lot of great new stuff to my ears, so looking forward to giving it a listen.

I will report back asap, cheers!

#191

Argh, I feel bad - @paulo13 and @Scagden - I’ve both your mixes, but been preoccupied with things. I’ve listened to bits and pieces of both though, will feedback properly soon, sorry! :frowning:

Also, I’ve mixes to send out but need to get to a printer.

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#192

Ahhh, distape guilt, I know it well…

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#193

Glad you enjoyed it! There’s something about that mix of beats and retro-futurist style synths that really hits my musical sweet spot – so I tried to pitch for that in the music and artwork while retaining diversity. The Chris Bell track is the one song I included that I never thought quite fitted in with the others - I wanted to round the mix off with a few more introspective songs though which punctured the sense of expansion up to that point, and it fitted the bill so I kept it.

I also turned down the Beta Band and Kelis tracks a little because they been pushed to the absolute limit on the mastering and completely messed up the songs either side of them. The Neptunes did some cool things production wise, but they or whoever mastering duties were handed over to could do with backing off the limiter a little.

I’m a big fan of the Underworld albums you mention too, and I actually really like A Hundred Days Off, though I’d never try and convince anyone it’s one of their best works. It’s probably them at their most understated and I rather like that downbeat feel, but if this one didn’t click with you I probably wouldn’t investigate it any further.

I agree Floating Points debut is excellent. The full version of Kuiper is 18+ minutes long, but I found a two part single version on itunes and bought that to include instead. Re. the De La Soul sample, my first exposure to it was the Lightning Seeds single that sampled it as a kid (You Showed Me). They did a great job with it too.

The Pattern Forms album (Peel Away The Ivy) is a good un, but I’d say that song is only partially representative of their sound. There are a few in this vein, and a few a little more 80s synth pop in flavour. I was trying to think earlier about who the latter reminded me of, and then it came to me – Currents era Tame Impala. So, if that’s something that appeals to you, it’s worth further investigation.

Nice to hear the FL song won you over - I linked it to the previous track with some found sounds claiming to be planet recordings that were clearly synths!

The Pye Corner Audio song is more representative of their sound. Stasis is a really good record imo, full of old vintage synths – I’d check that out. And on Cinematic Orchestra, the featured song is on Ma Fleur which is good in parts, but falls into noodling jazz drift in others. Every Day is their masterpiece I think, more urgency and great textures. I would definitely recommend that album. Steve Hauschildt also very much worth checking out more if you enjoyed.

Thanks for the nice feedback :slight_smile:

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#194

Fuck, length of that reply! Typed it on an email earlier where it didn’t look so long & just pasted it now. Probably too much information, apologies.

#195

No worries! :slight_smile:
Hope you like what you hear!

#196

Been listening to it on and off just now. Standouts are Circle Takes The Square (both brutal and melancholy), Teenage Spaceship by Smog, John Murphy’s Sunshine Theme and the Richard Youngs one, which made me feel really odd, but in a good way. :slight_smile:

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#197

brilliant! That’s a great description of that CTTS track :slight_smile:

#198

No problem with long feedback, to me that’s half the point of these mixes. Mastering volume can be a real pig, but I find Audacity is pretty good for amplifying quieter tracks (rarely had problems with loudness).

DJ Food’s Turtle Soup is another version of that sample, pretty much just breaks over the top of it, but I do like it:

I think Pye Corner Audio will be first on my list to investigate. Can’t remember whether you or @bornin69x put this on a previous mix, but they’ve definitely been on a past mixtape I’ve received. I will give the Cinematic Orchestra album a listen to and also Steve Hauschildt (that’s a faff to type) - any advice on where should I start with him?

Thanks again!

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#199

Your cd arrived today, thanks. will listen and give feedback when I get a chance!

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#200

Cool, I think the feedback and the discussion generated is as much a part of the fun of these exchanges as the making/receiving of the mixes too.

Thanks for sharing another use of the sample, that was cool to hear. Seem to remember the original being The Turtles and hearing it in my dad’s record collection as a youngster :grinning:

I haven’t used Pye Corner Audio before in a mix, so it must have been another tape. When I bought the album, they guy in the record shop told me it was his favourite record of the year - high praise coming from a record shop guy.

Steve Hauschildt is a relatively new discovery to me. The only record I know and the one featuring both selections is called S/H. It’s a huge compilation which is apparently odds and ends compilation, but I think that label does it a disservice as it’s consistent and good (big washes of synth and arpeggios). Strands is his latest album which is on my ‘to buy’ list. Has good reviews, but I can’t really vouch for it. He’s on Kranky, so in excellent company with plenty of other DiS favourites!

#201

@funkycow I’m really enjoying your cd, thank you! I’ll just go through a track-by-track report because I’m unimaginative like that!

I’ve not listened to much by Fuck Buttons at all, but it’s a great start to the cd and sounds to come.
No big opinions on Mbongwana Star but it leads on nicely to AR Kane, who I don’t know at all other than from one of my winter mixes I received and quite enjoyed. The Slowdive song doesn’t do too much for me, but I’ve heard a couple of bits from their new album which I liked / mean to listen to more. Don’t really have any fondness for the Girl Band song unfortunately (which I can see is also on @Icarus-Smicarus’s mix), too much of a garage/guitar band for me.

My favourite run of songs is then next. I would never guess the Jóhann Jóhannsson song was by him (from what I’ve heard), but really love it. The Biosphere song which follows is also brilliant - really like the sample/speaking voice in it. and then Leila is also good - love it when the strings arrive. Really love these three songs together.
Have heard a couple of songs of Devendra a long time ago, and wasn’t moved much either way, but I like this. & as mentioned I alread love Adem lots, and was maybe one of the last artists that just didn’t make it on to my mix.
case/lang/veirs is really good. I know their names, but haven’t particularly listened to them. Will check them out a bit more.
Escape works well as part of the mix/theme, very spacey. Very ambient, as you say, so it’s not really a song I could say that I like as such, but works well as part of a whole.
I love the Roly Porter song and the epic feel of it. Will have a listen to his albums.
The Seefeel song is a bit too long for me, but am impressed with the vocals you’ve added to it. The New Kingdom song is not really my kind of thing, although my head does slightly bop along to it.
I’ve deleted the bonus track from my computer though - I just can’t!

Anyhow, it is a really good mix, thanks. Even the songs that I didn’t love that much all seem to work well as part of the album, and I’ll definitely keep listening to it. & I’m really impressed with how it was all mixed - really fluidly done. What did you use to mix it all, and is it simple enough to learn with a bit of trial and error?

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#202

Thanks for the really thorough feedback @paulo13! It does really make it worth doing these and is much appreciated!

Fuck Buttons, other than the child unfriendly band name, are great. Very much into building borderline noisy techno, and you can’t go wrong with their opening trio of albums (probably worth going in release order). Danny Boyle used one of theirs to open the London Olympics opening ceremony. The Slowdive track is from when I thought they got interesting (Souvlaki), their debut did nothing for me (and I’m a big shoegaze fan). Girl Band are a bit marmite I think.

The Johann Johannson track is from the Arrival soundtrack, which is really strong with or without having watched the film. I’d strongly recommend it. The Biosphere track is from the album of the same name, which predates most people on here’s favourites (Substrata and Cirque, both of which are much more ambient than Patashnik). Again, I’d really recommend Patashnik, which is strong throughout. The Leila track is from her debut, it’s all over the place, and I wouldn’t say the track is typical (Won’t You Be My Baby, Baby is the other standout, and is an absolute tune). In the same vein, Roly Porter’s Life Cycle of a Massive Star works really well as a five song cycle. His follow up (Third Law) isn’t as strong imo.

I’ve long liked Laura Veirs, very much a traditional folkie (start with Year of Meteors, then July Skies). Case/Lang/Veirs is a supergroup that actually really works.

I knew the Seefeel track was an extravagance, hence including the dialogue. Re: mixing, get Audacity, it’s free from here: http://www.audacityteam.org/. You also need the LAME encoder, which they link to on their site. Mixing is very easy, and I’m happy to PM you some quick start up tips if you want to give it a go. I download the dialogue from youtube and then build that in as and when.

Thanks again for taking the time to feed back and listen!

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