mixes for saturday

ok, i'm gonna cool off after recalling the unfortunate showing at spybar a few nights ago. here's a few mixes i've been enjoying lately, besides this bunker podcast by [a]pendics.shuffle i discussed earlier this month:

giorgio gigli - mnml ssgs mx31
when in doubt, refer to mnml ssgs. i first listened to this one a few months ago - well, technically i only listened to the first half on a night drive between chicago and northwest indiana, but i specifically remember how much bass this brought out of the car's soundsystem. i've listened to it all the way through a few times recently and still can't get over it. the first half is so dark and foreboding, slow and almost beat-less - i'll just quote the mnml ssg description which calls it a "deep, ambient soundscape." frankly i would be fine if the mix continued in this fashion, but almost precisely half-way through, the beat picks up, gaining steam for the rest of the mix and ending in an alarming, polyrhythmic whirl of sound. i only wish it would have pressed on for longer...

sandwell district - RA podcast 177
i'll admit i haven't heard much out of these guys, but i know they've been well-hyped across the internet for their modern, stark minimalism. this mix is by function, a member of the sandwell district label/collective. like everyone, my tastes are constantly evolving, but i always love a deep, insistent techno mix, and this one satisfies that craving very nicely. some techno veterans complain about how this compares or doesn't compare to a 4- or 5-hour performance in person; unfortunately, many of us are unable to see these guys live so i'll take an hour-long 'condensed' version for listening at home, thank you very much. check out the RA page for a brief interview and tracklisting.

lee burridge - RA podcast 129 - 'all day i dream of her'
this mix has since been archived on RA and is unfortunately unavailable there - i don't know why RA does this, they only share these 'casts with relatively low bitrates so i can't see their collection hogging up too much bandwidth. luckily, i tracked this set down via resonant vibes, another good dance music resource. you can read up a bit more on it (and hunt for a tracklisting in the forum) here on RA, where lee describes the mix as "lovely, dreamy, gorgeous, melancholic music," and i couldn't agree more - just listen to that first track, a melchior remix of pole's "pferd." lee just dj'ed at spybar last night, but i wasn't in the mood to go there again, especially after the nick curly fiasco from the previous night, so i turned this on to get a taste of what i was missing.


and why not an adorable picture of a smiling dog to cap off your week. hope it puts a smile on your face - happy saturday!