Mix: Kidz

00:00. IT IT – “Pig Death” [ending] from IT IT (self-released, 2016)

00:39. Matinee Orchestra – “It’s a Fantasy World / Everyone Has the Right to Protest Even If No One Listens” [excerpt] from Matinee Orchestra (Arable, 2006)

05:21. Ludwig Berger – “After Nature” from Cargo (Canti Magnetici, 2019)

09:54. Áine O’Dwyer – “The Little Lord of Misrule” from Music for Church Cleaners (Fort Evil Fruit, 2012)

17:45. John Collins McCormick – “Oh Boy” from No Most Fatigue (self-released, 2018)

18:25. Horaflora – “Lunacy in the Garden of Forking Paths” from Eaves Drop (enmossed, 2020)

20:46. Raven Chacon – “MVHS” from An Anthology of Chants Operations (Ouidah, 2020)

22:39. Manja Ristić – “Spring” from The Nightfall (Naviar, 2018)

28:42. Ezio Piermattei – second untitled track from Gran trotto (Chocolate Monk, 2018)

32:19. Nina Ryser – “Whoever Listens to This Tape…” [ending] from I Hope All of Your Dreams Come True (Ramp Local, 2016)

32:33. Climax Golden Twins – first untitled track from Locations (Fire Breathing Turtle, 1998)

35:26. Mémoire vide – “B” from Mémoire vide (Affenstunde, 2020)

Mix: Next Generation Leeders

My attempt to survey the variegated Leeds noise rock “scene” from the other side of the Atlantic (and as such no one, I repeat, no one, is more qualified to do so). Everything from barely rhythmic shit-fi free skronk to tight, claustrophobic, angular constructions. With the wide range of genres and influences also comes significant variance in production styles; I did my best to get all the tracks to be the same volume, but shit’s difficult.

00:00. Belk – “Cows” from Belk (self-released, 2020)

02:42. Thank – “Fragile Ego” from Sexghost Hellscape (Cruel Nature, 2017)

06:09. Klöße – “Sent Home with a Puzzle” from Klöße (self-released, 2020)

11:27. Guttersnipe – “Pipa Pipa Portalspawn” from My Mother the Vent (Upset the Rhythm, 2018)

14:16. Cattle – “Tanking the Piss” from Nature’s Champion (self-released, 2016)

18:47. Irk – “Spectre at the Fiesta” from Recipes from the Bible (self-released, 2018)

21:36. Blacklisters – “Fantastic Man” from Fantastic Man (Buzzhowl, 2020)

25:39. Hookworms – “Away / Towards” from Pearl Mystic (Gringo, 2013)

34:11. Cool Jerks – “Eh” from England (Night Versus Day, 2020)

37:02. Polevaulter – “Ra” single (self-released, 2020)

Mix: Unruly Electronics

A selection of tracks for when one needs a nice brain-scrubbing but also desires something more structurally and texturally complex than plain ol’ harsh noise. Solo artists, duos, and larger collectives make use of a wide variety of electronic materials (I’ve provided the materials used to create each to the best of my ability) to generate the sizzling blasts of static and percussive oscillations that grace these eight pieces, yet all maintain an addictive, complete volatility.

00:00. R/S – “(20.27)” [excerpt] from One (Snow Mud Rain) (Erstwhile, 2007) computer, synthesizer

06:01. Kiiln – third untitled track [excerpt] from Is Music Invisible? (caduc. recordings, 2017) tapes, radio, objects, guitar, piano

11:09. Jin Sangtae – 25th untitled track from Shadow Boxer (popmusic25, 2015) hard drives

13:10. William Hutson – “170214 (Dedicated to Ellen Gallagher)” from Six or Seven Steps to the Door: Solo Improvisations (a wave press, 2017) reel-to-reel tape

17:25. Klaus Filip, Toshimaru Nakamura, Andrea Neumann & Ivan Palacký – “M1 Crab Nebula” [excerpt]” from Messier Objects (Meenna, 2012) computer, no-input mixing board, inside piano, amplified knitting machine, photovoltaic panels

21:56. Gert-Jan Prins – excerpt from side A of RG-58-GJ (Creamgarden, 2002) radio, television, percussion

24:15. MIMEO – third untitled track from second disk of Lifting Concrete Lightly (Serpentine Gallery, 2004) a whole-ass ARSENAL

29:59. Choi Joonyong, Kevin Drumm & Hong Chulki – second untitled track [excerpt] from Normal (Balloon & Needle, 2015) CD player, turntable, guitar

34:32. Cremaster – “8,40 n/m²” from 32,41 n/m² (absurd, 2003) mixing board, pickups, prepared guitar

Mix: All Hallows’ Eve

This is the fourth and final of my Halloween mixes. Tomorrow is the big day, so here is a collection of immersive horror-soundscape tracks, spooky samples, and general scariness to get you in the spirit.

00:00. JC Greening – “Trick ‘r Treat” from Halloween Haunts & Terror Tales Volume I: Trick ‘r Treating for Children (self-released, 2018)

02:46. Walt Disney Sound Effects Group – “The Dungeon” from Halloween Songs & Sounds (Walt Disney, 1997)

05:37. Tobe Hooper & Wayne Bell – main titles from The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (dir. Tobe Hooper, 1974)

08:55. KevOz – excerpt from “Part 2” of Haunted Halloween: 1 Hour of Spooky Music and Scary Sound Effects (self-released, 2017)

13:04. Black Mountain Transmitter – excerpt from Behold the Undead of Dracula (Lysergic Acid, 2019)

16:40. Nick Reinhart – “Post-Slaughter” from Scary Sounds II (self-released, 2014)

19:59. Vacation Bible School – “t h e _ s a t a n i c _ p a n i c” from Fall Festivals and the Satanic Panic (self-released, 2019)

23:52. Edward Is My Middle Name – “heed” from Halloween / Autumn (wdgrain, 2018)

25:31. Loyalty Freak Music – “The Swamp” from Witchy, Batty, Spooky, Halloween in September !! (self-released, 2018)

28:39. Unknown Artist – excerpt from side B of Campfire Tales (Tribe Tapes, 2020)

32:08. Avery Alexander – “Butcher” from Halloween 2020 (self-released, 2020)

35:00. Climax Golden Twins – “Disappointed Expectations” from Session 9 (Milan, 2001) [continues to end]

37:36. Kill the Hippies – “Buried Alive (Just Before Retirement)” from Spectacular Halloween Sound Effects Vol. I (Phoenician MicroSystems, 2015)

Mix: Grave Rave

The music plays, the bass thumps, thuds, thumps. The moon shines high overhead despite you being 90% sure you’re inside. Fog rolls in across the sticky beer-drenched floor and a chilling wind blows, but it just feels like a nice breeze to your overheated, sweat-drenched body. What’s that on your forearm? Looks like a rash. You go to scratch it and recoil in horror as a decent-sized chunk of skin comes off with a single rake of your fingernails. Kneeling down to pick up the glob of gore only causes more to slough off as the rotted flesh of your back splits wide open, exposing your spine and your rib cage, out of which slide two sluglike, smoke-blackened lungs. You look around in helpless terror to see all of the other clubgoers gleefully shedding their outer layers, down to realize that it’s not beer that stains the floor, but blood, and up to the ceiling/sky, where the moon now shines a deep orange, casting the mass of dancing, prancing skeletons below in a bath of jack-o-lantern light. Welcome to the grave rave.

00:00. Kim Petras – “Close Your Eyes” from Turn Off the Light (BunHead, 2019)

03:47. Darkless – “Unholy” from Unholy (No Tomorrow, 2020)

08:14. Pink Tooth – “Unlock” from Mustard (self-released, 2016)

10:21. Owl Vision – “Dead Shall Rise” from The Black Plague (DGA Fäu, 2011)

14:26. Knife Party – “Ghost Train” from Lost Souls EP (self-released, 2019)

18:42. Toy Shoulders – “Crypt Delivery” from EP G (self-released, 2017)

21:13. KSHMR – “It Follows [Halloween Special Remix]” (self-released, 2015)

24:12. Video Life – “Inner Thought” from Eat Your Friends EP (EDM Network, 2015)

31:19. Randomer – “Stigma” from HS002 (Headstrong, 2018)

37:00. clipping. – “Body & Blood” from CLPPNG (Sub Pop, 2014)

Mix: Wholesome Halloween

Halloween has been my favorite holiday literally since I was born. See below for proof—I’m on the left. I hope you enjoy this collection of wholesome Halloween tunes (appropriate for all ages).

00:00. Lonesome Wyatt and the Holy Spooks – “Halloween Is Here” from Halloween Is Here (Tribulation, 2013)

02:24. Ray Parker Jr. – “Ghostbusters” from Ghostbusters Original Soundtrack (Arista, 1984)

06:19. Dead Man’s Bones – “In the Room Where You Sleep” from Dead Man’s Bones (Anti-, 2009)

09:29. The Marshmallow Ghosts – “The Hearse Song” from The Marshmallow Ghosts (Graveface, 2011)

13:10. Oingo Boingo – “Dead Man’s Party” from Dead Man’s Party (MCA, 1985)

19:30. DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince – “A Nightmare on My Street” from A Nightmare on My Street (Jive, 1988)

24:28. David Bowie – “Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)” from Scary Monsters (RCA, 1980)

29:17. Whodini – “The Haunted House of Rock (Extended Version)” from The Haunted House of Rock (Jive, 1983)

35:45. Rockwell – “Somebody’s Watching Me” from Somebody’s Watching Me (Motown, 1983)

39:31. Orange Hell – “Hybrid Moments” (Misfits cover) from Three Hits From… (Funeral Party, 2018)

Mix: The Shadows of Memphis

Someone once asked if it was perpetually Halloween in Memphis, referring to the oppressive, gloomy, even disturbing atmosphere that was laid to so much tape by many of the artists in this selection, among others. One could spend their entire life studying the complex 90s Memphis hip-hop scene and its stylistic or cultural impact, and this fascination with the gritty and the macabre is just one part of these formidably creative artists’ work that survives in modern trap and other subgenres. This is the first of several Halloween-themed mixes I’ll be posting over the next few weeks (I am attempting to salvage at least some of the holiday spirit that seems to be dead-on-arrival this year), and combines my favorite examples of actual horrorcore both classic and contemporary.

00:00. Blackout – “Mission of a Murda” from Dreamworld (Snubnoze Muzik, 1995)

04:44. Lord Lyrico – “Hell Made Me w/ ayeisaac” from Heartbreak & Savages (self-released, 2017)

07:27. Graveyard Productions – “Lookin for a Murderer” from The Havoc (self-released, 1994)

10:51. JAK3 – “Vulture (feat. DJJT & Outby16)” from Moonlight Radiation (self-released, 2019)

13:13. MC Holocaust & DJ Akoza – “Time 2 Brutalize” from Products of da Undaground (DOOMSHOP, 2017)

15:42. Lady Bee – “Mask to My Face” from Strictly for That N***a (Gimisum, 1994)

19:47. Orange Juice Click – “Homicide” from Gangsta Tales (self-released, 1994)

25:10. Lo Key – “Wassup Now” from Test My Nutz (Street Smart, 1994)

29:41. Slim Guerilla – “Morgue 12 Gauge” from Blue Light Cemetery 2 (self-released, 2020)

31:21. Koopsta Knicca – “Crucifix (feat. DJ Paul)” from The Devil’s Playground (self-released, 1994)

35:24. Krone – “////AMMONIA//// (feat. EVILLAIRE)” from XRK NeBULA (self-released, 2019)

37:43. The Buttress – “Ratcatcher” (demo) from My Name Means Heavy (self-released, 2016)

Mix: Anything Goes

You can make music too! Confine yourself to a room with some trusted lunatic loves. Bash some metal garbage cans, scream your takeout order from last night over and over again, stomp on a thrift store guitar until it begs you to stop, use your human body as the highly mobile vehicle of destruction that it is. You’d be surprised at the amount of completely unmarketable trash you can generate. But hey, if it’s quality trash, someone—probably just me, but hey, I’m someone—will listen to it and put it on a mix.

Note: Be prepared for some jarring transitions. Maybe this will teach you to always stay on your toes.

Micro_Penis live in 2009, photo by Pascal Bichain

00:00. Akke Phallus Duo – “Kendal Black Drop” from An Insatiable Demand for Tea (Devastation Wreaked by) (Tanzprocesz, 2015)

06:37. Global Distance – “I’m Dancing (My Troubles Away)” from Lover’s Cove (Human Conduct, 2012)

10:22. Roman Nose – “Ty Tryst” from Roman Nose (Singing Knives, 2018)

14:46. A Band – “All Good Things” from April Twelfth Nineteen-Ninety-Two (self-released, 1992/2009)

17:39. Micro_Penis – “Chimio” from Tolvek (Doubtful Sounds, 2015)

20:25. Katz Mulk – excerpt from side B of Katzenungen (Sacred Tapes, 2017)

24:42. Bren’t Lewiis Ensemble – “Hummus” from Out Patience (Butte County Free Music Society, 2011)

28:31. Can – “Peking O” [excerpt] from Tago Mago (United Artists, 1971)

32:22. Prick Decay – “Sneaker Pimp” from Guidelines for Basement Non Fidel (Very Good, 1995/2016)

36:41. Psychic Sounds Ensemble – “Batch 2” [excerpt] from Sonic Fermentations (Psychic Sounds, 2019)

Mix: Temporary Places

This is a collection of mostly abstract pieces that seek to converse with both natural and industrial surroundings in ways well beyond simply documenting them. The title comes from Nicolas Snyder’s recent release of the same name, which also provides the first track of the mix. Each of these tracks has its own unique world or environment of direct field recordings, skeletons of melodies, wistful drones, spidery percussion, assorted audio detritus, crackling auxiliary textures, low frequency rumble, and other elements, beautifully coalescing into semi-stagnant meditations, immersive excursions, temporary places.

Additional artwork for ‘Temporary Places’

00:00. Nicolas Snyder – “CLAYhands” from Temporary Places (Shhpuma, 2020)

07:29. Daphne X – “First the Mouth” from Água Viva (tsss tapes, 2020)

09:43. Ximes – “like some gamelan of the dead” [excerpt] from Zener_04 (Sensory Leakage, 2019)

12:58. @c – “76.4” from Music for Empty Spaces (Baskaru, 2010)

17:20. R. Schwarz – “Wind 4” from Wind 4-7 (Audio. Visuals. Atmosphere., 2018)

21:27. Small Cruel Party – “La Poussière des Murs Détruit le Passé” from An Accident in Substance (Harbinger Sound, 2012)

25:08. Manja Ristić – “Autumn” [excerpt] from The Nightfall (Naviar, 2018)

30:56. Radio Cegeste – “1897, Detail (Song for Richard Henry)” from three inclements (Consumer Waste, 2014)

Mix: Motivational Motorik

A collection of my favorite propulsive, driving motorik(ish) grooves. There’s more of a unifying vibe than that, but you’ll see what I mean. For the most part, the intensity ramps up as it progresses. Use it for a cleaning day or maybe a nice drive.

Klaus Dinger (photo by Wolfgang V. Groote)

00:00. Broken Social Scene – “Pacific Theme” from We Forgot It in People (Arts & Crafts, 2002)

04:52. Caudal – “Well, I Suppose” from Fight Cry Fight (Katuktu Collective, 2018)

09:01. Salaryman – “The Companion” from Karoshi (City Slang, 1999)

12:54. Blue Man Group – “3 to 1” from Three (Rhino, 2016)

16:51. Public Service Broadcasting – “Spitfire” from Inform-Educate-Entertain (Test Card, 2013)

20:40. Maserati – “Synchronicity IV” [excerpt] from Inventions for the New Season (Temporary Residence, 2007)

24:35. Pell Mell – “Vegetable Kingdom” from Interstate (DGC, 1995)

30:34. Holy Fuck – “Silva & Grimes” from Latin (Young Turks, 2010)

35:42. Oneida – “The Adversary” from Happy New Year (Jagjaguwar, 2006)