Specials

April 20, 2008

VOLKSMUSIK


JAZZHAMMER. PRESENTS:
VOLKSMUSIK
54M 07S

Late 70's & early 80's German New Wave and other oddities in between.

01 Die Dominas - Herr Ralfi und Herr Karl
02 Joachim Witt - Kuwait
03 Neon Babies - Junge Männer
04 Thomas Voburka - Black Box
05 DMX Krew - The Glass Room
06 Grauzone - Wütendes Glas
07 D.A.F. - Alles ist Gut
08 Die Doraus - Nordsee
09 Die Doraus - Arrivederci
10 N.U. Unruh - Gott Sei's Getrommelt
11 Tuxedomoon - Driving to Verdun
12 Un Departement - A3
13 Classix Nouveaux - 623
14 1000 Ohm - AGNES
15 New Musik - Areas


Volksmusik Mix
192 KBPS | 74.0 MB
(right click save as)

Posted by Fran at 1:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 3, 2008

REGGAE MIX II


JAZZHAMMER. PRESENTS:
REGGAE MIX II
54M 36S

Why not?

01 Gladdy Anderson - Freebase
02 Freddie McGregor - Bobby Bobylon
03 The Jamaicans - Ba Ba Boom
04 Andy & Joey - You're Wandering Now
05 Prince Buster - Girl, Why Don't You Answer?
06 Delroy Wilson - Won't You Come Home?
07 Soul Vendors - Swing Easy
08 Don Drummond & The Skatelites - Cleopatra
09 Don Drummond - Surplus
10 The Itals - Dawn Patrol
11 Glen Brown - Tel Aviv Drums
12 The Techniques - Purify Dub
13 Keith Hudson - Darkest Night On A Wet Looking Road
14 Johnny Osborn - Right Right Time
15 Culture - Behold
16 Cedric 'IM' Brooks - Put It On
17 Tommy McCook - Jamaican Bolero

Reggae Mix II
192 KBPS | 74.7 MB
(right click save as)

Posted by Fran at 8:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

December 30, 2007

STATE OF THE UNION 2007

JAZZHAMMER. PRESENTS:
THE STATE OF THE UNION 2007
66M 57S

Happy holidays!
It is now a tradition for me to compile a pop music compilation to cap the ending year; so without further ado:

01 Bill Callahan - Diamond Dancer
02 Sharon Jones - Let Them Knock
03 Robert Wyatt - Stay Tuned
04 Panda Bear - Take Pills
05 Mus-ok - All Right
06 Deerhoof - +81
07 Times New Viking - Devo & Wine
08 Spoon - You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb
09 Super Furry Animals - Into The Night
10 Grinderman - No Pussy Blues
11 Justice - D.A.N.C.E.
12 Kelly Polar - Chrysanthemum
13 Air - Mer Du Japon
14 Matthew Dear - Fleece on Brain
15 M.I.A. - Jimmy
16 Von Südenfed - Flooded
17 Cotti (feat. Kingpin) - Let Go Mi Shirt

State Of The Union 2007
192 KBPS | 91.6 MB
(right click save as)

A blurb or two coming soon.

Posted by Fran at 7:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 6, 2007

I DON'T KNOW HOW I GOT HERE

So I have been working on a nice summertime mix as a sort of bon voyage to myself and I realized 4 hours later that I side tracked and ended up with a ethno-jazz compilation in addition to my summertime pop mix.

This is a compilation of ethnic jazz music mostly from the 60s-70s that was inspired by a cultural shift towards travel, history, and um, culture. This was no doubt brought to us by the strengthening civil rights movement and the modern world being technologically advanced enough to provide better and cheaper air travel. A back to the home land, finally! mentality. I think it is important to realize how much of an impact this made to Black American jazz culture because jazz music seems lost upon people my age. White people also got their fun with the Nonesuch Explorer series. But this music lets you experience the world in a different, and perhaps richer and truer sense as this was what was happening then and there. Great scenes like the Chicago AACM scene (Roscoe Mitchell, Anthony Braxton, Philip Cohran) began introducing world motifs into their avant guard compositions. I talked briefly about this in one of my very first posts but basically from what I can figure there were several schools of thought from this re-enlightenment. 1) Spirituality (Pharoah Sanders, Alice Coltrane) 2) Ethno-Cultural Studies (Don Cherry, Ornette Coleman) 3) Direct Performance-Art Interpretations (Art Ensemble of Chicago). Forgive me if I am way too brief with information. This is a subject that is big enough for a thesis and I am definitely no expert. This music warrants endless attention.

This mix is an introduction to ethno-free-jazz. Hopefully there are some treats in here for folks. I must say, the very limited reissue of Philip Cohran and the Artistic Heritage Ensemble a few years ago is one of my favorite records I own. I have been trying to fight laziness and start a treasure island records post series for a while now and this was going to be one of my first mentioned. It seems to have inspired the wonderful Salah Ragab and the Cairo Jazz Ensemble Ramadan in Space Time reissue last year. At least I tell myself that.

You might be wondering what the hell Masada is doing on this but a) that track is from a great fucking album and b) you totally get the Northern African traveling caravan motif.

Anyways, have a fun and safe journey.

JAZZHAMMER.'s Maiden Voyage Mix
78M 02S

01) SALAH RAGEB AND THE CAIRO JAZZ ENSEMBLE - DAWN
02) PHILIP COHRAN - THE MINSTREL
03) MULATU ASTATKE - METCHE DERSHE
04) ART ENSEMBLE OF CHICAGO - THEME AMOUR UNIVERSAL
05) ALICE COLTRANE - JOURNEY IN SATCHIDANANDA
06) DON CHERRY - BLUE LAKE
07) PHAROAH SANDERS - MORNING PRAYER
08) MASADA - NE'EMAN
09) ARCHIE SHEPP - NEW AFRICA
10) ALBERT AYLER - JAPAN/UNIVERSAL INDIANS

Maiden Voyage Mix
192 KBPS | 109 MB
(right click save as)


Posted by Fran at 9:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 5, 2007

ON A HOLIDAY

JAZZHAMMER.'s On A Holiday Mix
56M 14S

01) The Kingsbury Manx - Pageant Square
02) Gorky's Zygotic Mynci - Where Does Yer Go Now
03) The High Llamas - Checking In, Checking Out
04) Jim O'Rourke - The Workplace
05) Robert Wyatt - Free Will and Testament
06) Pram - Nightwatch
07) The Olivia Tremor Control - Hideaway
08) Super Furry Animals - Ymaelodi A'r Ymylon
09) Plaid - Ralome
10) Antena - Sissexa
11) Insides - Bent Double
12) Laika - Marimba Song
13) Disco Inferno - Summer's Last Sound

On A Holiday Mix
192 KBPS | 79.2 MB
(right click save as)

As I am getting ready to visit Europe for the first time and am feeling just great about that and the start of the summer, I figured I might as well make a mix to celebrate this grand occasion. A lot of late 90s British AM inspired pop on this. It's kind of strange but this mix goes back in time for the most part and it gets a bit crazier. No doubt the Panda Bear record has been on my mind and I seem to allude to it with the artwork (a nod to my 2 favorite record covers this year) and with the inclusion of wanting to go towards Disco Inferno. Their record Disco Inferno Goes Pop is a milestone in sample based art rock and it is the gold standard -- Panda Bear's Good Girl/Carrots samples a camera flash bulb and this immediately sends me to one of the most mind-blowing tracks from said Disco Inferno album, New Clothes For The New World. The album art of Person Pitch with the bats captures that song well. There is a sweet connection between these two records in that they were both made by relatively young and limited musicians who obviously have heard an overwhelming amount of music and jump into the game head first. Also, the organic drum and bass sound was something that many British musicians (including the Disco Inferno clique) experimented with in the mid 90's. Flying Saucer Attack's wonderful Mirror comes to mind. Anyways sorry to wonder off a bit. I hope you like the mix.

Posted by Fran at 9:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

March 16, 2007

TEMPER TANTRUM MIX

Um, I think only people from Massachusetts or Ohio would even remotely enjoy this.

So enjoy!


JAZZHAMMER. PRESENTS:
JAZZHAMMER.'s Whatever, Dude Mix
47M 06S


Whatever, Dude Mix
196 KBPS | 87.7 MB
(right click save as)

01. Eddy Current Suppression Ring - Get Up Morning
02. Times New Viking - Imagine Dead John Lennon
03. Donna Parker - Go Fuck Yourself
04. Jeff & Jane Hudson - PCP
05. Units - High Pressure Days
06. Goblin - Safari
07. Chris Corsano - How Do You Know Where To Throw The Ball
08. Mouthus - Go To Freeze
09. Hive Mind - Untitled
10. Tom Recchion - Lepidotera
11. Populaire Mechanik - Scharfer Schnitt
12. Geisterfahrer - Geisterfahrer
13. High Rise - Sadame
14. Endless Boogie - Outside Of My Mind


This is a Punk/Drone/Noise/Power Electronics/New Wave mix I just threw together. Quick disclaimer: I fully believe in the never putting the first track of an album on a mix policy but the first couple of bands are up and comers and need all the push they can get. Best foot forward so to speak. This mix has nothing to do with Boston, just a part of my life I miss and some good things about my new home, Brooklyn.

Love,
Fran


Posted by Fran at 8:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

January 21, 2007

JAZZHAMMER LOST EPISODE

Here is one of several lost mixes I have made the last few years that never made it to the site for one reason or another. This one is a psychedelic funk type mix. Pardon the vague description. This was what I was listening to exactly a year ago. I am trying to finish a Scandinavian Post Rock compilation that was almost completed 2 years ago. The art is done and I like how it is turning out. Hopefully I will find some time.



JAZZHAMMER. Psych-Funk Mix | 39M50S | 79MB (right-click save as)

01. THE WEB - THINGS ARE GOING TO WORK OUT RIGHT
02. MCNEAL & NILES - PUNK FUNK
03. PURPLE IMAGE - WHAT YOU DO TO ME
04. HUW JONES - MATHONWY
05. MAULAWI - STREET RAP
06. EBONY RHYTHM BAND - DRUGS AIN'T COOL
07. BLACK ROCK - YEAH YEAH
08. WHEN - CUT
09. MADVILLAIN - SUPERVILLAIN THEME
10. CIMARONS - WE ARE NOT THE SAME
11. DIXIE CUPS - IKO IKO


I made this for a girl.
I don't think she liked it.

It didn't work out.


(font from http://www.misprintedtype.com/ -- he's really good)

Posted by Fran at 10:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

January 16, 2007

DISCO SPECIAL PARTE TRES

Ok so the many people who do not read this thing have been asking:
"So how do you dance to this weirdo disco you like?"

Well, being the swell guy that I am, here is a tutorial of sorts:



DISCO SPECIAL: PARTE TRES | 48M38S | 90MB

01. BRUCE JOHNSON - PIPELINE
02. SCOTCH - PENGUIN'S INVASION
03. FUN FUN - HAPPY STATION
04. ORLANDO RIVA SOUND - MOONBOOTS
05. PEECH BOYS - DON'T MAKE ME WAIT
06. CHRISTIANE F - SUECHTIG
07. DINOSAUR L - KISS ME AGAIN

Now this is where the party begins. The last two compilations were a primer. This one is my version of a disco mix. Eclectic Warrior 2 could be the title. In fact, I got into this whole disco thing by trying to make a second in the Eclectic Warrior series. I got a little distracted. 6 months later we arrive here. I have got plenty of ideas and some gem 12"s so it is definitely coming. Hopefully this makes a strange yet fun listen for you. Happy New Year!


Ahem, if anyone knows anyone that is looking for someone to play some records on any crappy night let me know.

Posted by Fran at 9:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

December 21, 2006

STATE OF THE UNION 2006

JAZZHAMMER. PRESENTS:
THE STATE OF THE UNION 2006
69M 52S

It is time.

01. M. Ward - Chinese Translation - Kind of Devendra Banhart-ish to me. A nice, sweet, little song.

02. Liars - The Other Side of Mt. Heart Attack - It feels heartfelt yet half-assed, but extremely likable. Typical Liars.

03. Yo La Tengo - I Feel Like Going Home - Yo La Tengo are in fine form on this one.

04. Espers - Children of Stone - I think this is very lovely. Tender but creepy at the same time.

05. Brightback Morninig Light - Everybody Daylight - A sun-damaged, hippy jam. But good!

06. Major Stars - Pocket - Major Stars now has a girl vocalist. This is a good blend of their patented wailing, distortion-addled solos; and well, a girl singing something you would hear at a dive.

07. Awesome Color - Grown - Pretty fucking sweet. That yell makes it obviously. What is wrong with the Stooges?

08. TV on the Radio - Wolf Like Me - C'mon. You have to admit that it is a pretty addictive song.

09. Ellen Allien & Apparat - Way Out - As much as I pick on Ellen, this is a very nice single. I wish the rest of the record were as good.

10. Herbert (w/ Danni of course) - Something Isn't Right - To me, the standout track on this mix. When Matthew and Danni are on, they are unstoppable.

11. Booka Shade - Body Language (Interpretation) - They make it sound so easy. It is not.

12. Lindstrom - Further Into the Future - Technically from 2005 but this is an edit from his It's a Fidelity Affair compilation that is different from the original 12" (for the better). I tried really hard to get into that compilation but I couldn't. Lucky for me though, this track is absolutely stellar.

13. Various - Hater - Another one not technically from 2006. In late 2005 - early 2006 Various Production released 3 extremely limited singles this one being one of them. They were soon touted as the next big thing -- mostly by loser blog people like myself. I am talking Massive Attack and UNKLE big, which honestly was hyped by the equivalent of loser blog people a more than a decade ago. The album came out a couple of months ago and didn't make a whimper unfortunately.

14. Ghostface Killah - He's the Champ


State Of The Union 2006

160 KBPS | 81.5 MB
(right click save as)

Posted by Fran at 1:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

October 27, 2006

DISCO SPECIAL PART DEUX


DISCO SPECIAL: PART DEUX | 77M02S | 109MB | NOW iTUNES READY!


01. SISTER SLEDGE - LOST IN MUSIC -- Not really space disco, but it has that feel. I first heard this as a Fall cover off the criminally underrated Infotainment Scam.
02. GANYMED - FUTURE WORLD -- This one is kind of silly but it is great thinking how it was definitely really cool to some people in Europe 30 years ago.
03. CHARLIE - SPACER WOMAN -- This is the definitive space/italo disco track. A step in the right direction for the female vocals though it maintains the appeal. It is great to compare this to the previous track to see how things evolve.
04. STARFLIGHT - DANCE TO THE BEAT -- Just solid.
05. GIORGIO MORODER -- I'M LEFT, YOU'RE RIGHT, SHE'S GONE -- A personal hero (my aspirations of having my own line of lamborgini come from him.) Giorgio can be credited for helping pioneer most modern electronic music today. All hail the great moustachio'd one.
06. EUROFUNK - MANSHORTAGE -- This is the original version of the great track off Morgan Geist's classic Unclassics. The re-pressings sold quickly but I was lucky to have snagged a copy.
07. LIME - ON THE GRID (DUB) -- Cheesy synths, an endless pulsating techno beat, and lyrics about being a great dj --nuff said.
08. YAZOO - SITUATION (DUB) -- Good stuff. The original is a great tight little number. It was not surprising for some well known disco producers to have visited studio one every so often. There is plenty of dub references in a lot of left field disco.
09. SHERAVARI - A NUMBER OF NAMES -- there is a krazy, dark kraut vibe here.
10. KANO - ALL THE BEST -- Everyone loves a vocoder. This one is subtly a bit all over the map.
11. GAZ NEVADA - I.C. LOVE AFFAIR -- I have been hearing these sounds a lot lately.
12. KEBEKELEKTRIK - WAR DANCE -- My absolute favorite Tom Moulton mix. His vague take on Kraftwerk. If you compare this to the original 2:30 minute version you can really see what Tom did so well. One of my favorite dance tunes ever. The horns with the pitch change near the end slay me.



Part 2. On this compilation, we leave the planet earth for a bit. Most of theDon't worry, we will return with part 3. There is just too much good disco that I would love to share.

Posted by Fran at 11:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

October 17, 2006

DISCO SPECIAL


DISCO SPECIAL: PART ONE | 68M44S | 97.1MB | NOW iTUNES READY!

01. Fred Wesley - House Party
02. The Detroit Emeralds - Feel The Need In Me
03. Double Exposure - My Love Is Free
04. Silvetti - Spring Rain
05. Bunny Sigler - By The Way You Dance (I Knew It Was You)
06. Universal Robot Band - Barely Breaking Even
07. Suzy Q - Get On Up And Do It Again
08. Tamiko Jones - Can't Live Without Your Love
09. Donna Summer - Love To Love You Baby


Disco. What a fucking genre. Why was it burned at the stake by the general population? I don't recall there ever being public record burnings of smooth jazz and that probably deserved it more. What people seem to forget is that disco is one of the most musically intelligent and adaptive of genres. There is no Disco Duck here. Disco has fast become one of my favorite musical genres and I am always surprised by what I find. So I'd like to share.

This is the first of a two part series. (possibly three.) It is the more traditional disco mix of the two. (or three.) You might want to call it "A Tom Moulton Mix" since he mixed quite a few of these tracks. I would also recommend you check out the new Soul Jazz Records compilation by the same name. Track 02 is on it. My jam of the year. There is plenty on the web on Mr. Moulton but two quick points is that he is a founding father or the extended mix and consequently the 12". A very important man.

I am vaguely trying to give a balls out overview of the massive nature of disco but that will be impossible to do. Nothing incredibly rare here, but it would still all sound as good in the clubs today as it did then. This mix starts with more Philly/Northern Soul and Funk type Disco and proceeds to the more Orchestral side of things and then hangs out in Miami and I end it with what some consider the best Disco track ever: the epic, Love To Love You Baby. Everyone should hear it at least it once in their lives. Stay tuned to part deux. It will be pure mayhem. Space, Dub, Italo, Electro and other indescribable sorts of Disco. And don't even get me started with Arthur Russell and nor the de-constructionists. Trust me, it will be fun, fun, fun.

Posted by Fran at 11:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

December 25, 2005

STATE OF THE UNION 2005

YO!

JAZZHAMMER. PRESENTS:
THE STATE OF THE UNION 2005
64M 40S

Once again, I'd like to finish off the year on a positive note. There is no better way to do that than with pop music. These are some of my favorite songs this year:

01. Quintron & Miss Pussycat - Squirrel Gardens
02. Stephen Malkmus - Baby C'mon
03. A Band Of Bees - Hourglass
04. Jamie Lidell - Multiply
05. Devendra Banhart - Long Haired Child
06. Super Furry Animals - Frequency
07. Stereolab - Interlock
08. Broadcast - I Found The 'F'
09. Low - California
10. Silver Jews - How Can I Love You If You Won't Lie Down?
11. Dead Meadow - At Her Open Door
12. The Fall - What About Us?
13. Circle - Tulilintu
14. Sleater Kinney - Jumpers
15. M.I.A. - Bingo
16. The Juan Maclean - Give Me Every Little Thing
17. The Game - Hate It Or Love It

State Of The Union 2005
128 KBPS | 58.8 MB
(right click save as)

A blurb or two coming soon.


Posted by Fran at 10:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 29, 2005

BEHIND THE WALL OF HAZE

JAZZHAMMER. PRESENTS:

BEHIND THE WALL OF HAZE
a primer of the new generation of psychedelic rock
72M 26S

01 Dead Meadow - Golden Cloud
02 Dead Meadow - Me and the Devil Blues
03 Comets On Fire - Whiskey River
04 Major Stars - Song For Turner
05 Surface To Eceon - The Open Sea
06 Bardo Pond - Every Man
07 Six Organs Of Admittance - On Returning Home
08 Acid Mothers Temple - Universe of Romance
09 Sun O)) - Rabbits' Revenge

Behind The Wall Of Haze
160 KBPS | 84.3 MB
(right click save as)

To mark my [hopeful] return to my site, I made a mix of psychedelic guitar rock (a.k.a. stoner rock) for you alls. I think it is a good way of reintroducing myself since I guess if I were forced to pick a genre that I fall back on, it would have to be this one.

This compilation starts of with a two parter from Dead Meadow, one of my favorite rock bands these days. As will be seen with a great portion of the tracks, the affirmative influence of heavy psychedelic rock fore-fathers, Black Sabbath is only the beginning. Dead Meadow display the most straight forward blend of solid Black Sabbath and Pink Floyd fueled psychedelic rock of all the bands covered on this compilation. Yet the results are still refreshing and show that this genre still has a few more tokes left.

Comets of Fire (which sometimes features Ben Chasny --who is Six Organs of Admittance) come in with a bombast that is straight up MC5 --The cannibus-inspired political rock jesters of the 1960s.

Next up is my local darlings, Major Stars. Once you hear this monster, there is nothing much else to say. Dueling guitar solos by both Wayne and Kate and plenty of feedback fun for the whole family.

Surface to Eceon come in with their Northwest blend of Space Rock. Complete with a concept of reaching the surface of Eceon, a planet millions of miles high above earth with some dragons and shit. Rad.

Bardo Pond, probably the hardest working and most underrated band in this compilation come in with a beauty from their last record. Formally associated with the 90s Psychedelphia scene, they put out some great records on Matador and now are on the All Tomorrows Party label which was specially created to put this and the Magic Band's new record. A psilcybin inspired, hazy and eerie folk and feedback laden beauty featuring vocals from the leading lady of psych-rock.

As previously mentioned, one of the darlings of psychedelic music today is the John Fahey and Raga educated Ben Chasny. He is a talented young guitar player who rocks out with Comets on Fire and does his own thing as Six Organs of Admittance. His albums usually contain acid folk, raga, ambient drone and he excels in them all. For more of the Raga and Folky Psych, check out Jack Rose and Glen Jones. (And also do hear the father of American Guitar Raga, John Fahey) Ben also touches upon the stylings of the Free Folk Scene which includes Tower Recordings, Jackie O' Motherfucker and No Neck Blues Band.

Acid Mothers Temple come to us from Japan. Having seemingly put out almost 100 records in the past couple of years, and not to mention that they try almost every combination of Psychedelic Rock possible --from drone to heavy metal to Ghostish traditional japanese psych, it is hard to pick something. I decided to put out a straightforward piece that shows them doing a simple whizzing and buzzing noise technique over some softspoken feedback often heard in this type of music. I think it comes off well.

Finally we reach Sun O)), named after the famous amps of the same name. Critics can say that they are a great Earth revivalist band but I just say lets end the night here, with Sub-Bass Doom Rock.

Posted by Fran at 12:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

March 15, 2005

ECLECTIC WARRIOR

Its about fucking time...

JAZZHAMMER. PROUDLY PRESENTS:

ECLECTIC WARRIOR
57M 41S

01. Yellow Magic Orchestra: Firecracker
02. Clinic: The Second Line
03. Jorge Ben: Umbabarauma
04. Kate Bush: Eat The Music
05. M.I.A.: Amazon
06. Derrick Laro: Don't Stop Till You Get Enough
07. McNeal & Niles: Summertime
08. Black Devil: 'H' Friend
09. Matthew Dear: Dog Days
10. Luke Vibert: I Love Acid
11. Colder: Crazy Love
12. Primal Scream: Come Together

Eclectic Warrior
128 KBPS | 52.3 MB
(right click save as)


Eclectic is right. This mix runs the gamut in terms of style. The first half has a very lush, worldly flavor but then the Black Devil disco track ups the ante and a dance party emerges. I definitely took advantage of the fact that I could be as random as I could and I steered far from where the mix began, but man, once my feet started shakin', I couldn't stop! I hope it flows reasonably well and I tried to be creative in the mixing. (okay, okay gimmicky) But more important, I just hope that it is fun for you and your friends.

Cheers.

(I apologize for the flagrant use of explosions. Wait, no I don't.)

I would like to thank Mr. Ryan Browne for the amazing cover art. He is an extraordinarily talented illustrator and an extraordinarily talented friend. Please do yourself a favor and check out his work at http://www.ryanbrowne.net.

I am more than happy to announce that this is the first in the series of guest artist cover art for my silly mixes.

Posted by Fran at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

January 23, 2005

QUARTERLY CONCERN: WINTER 2005 MIX

A long time ago, I hinted that I tend to listen to more predominately "eclectic" music than traditional pop. I have the annual State Of The Union Mix showcasing highlights of pop music I hear during said year. Now, I would like to introduce the Quarterly Concern Mix Series which is a way for me to keep track of the experimental music I listen to. So every season, I will present a new mix.

This is music made by real artists. They are constantly deconstructing musical components and rebuilding them anew to undertand their intentions, create work of stark originality, but most importantly, to progress the evolution of music since, as those who get it understand, music is a living, breathing creature. These musicians understand the concept of sound since it is an invaluable component of their work. It is made to envelop the listener and provoke feeling as opposed to just relying on traditional simple melodies that win us over by familiarity. (Though there are plenty hidden in this mix if you pay close attention)

What I mean by this is: PLAY FUCKING LOUD!!!

JAZZHAMMER. QUARTERLY CONCERN: WINTER 2005 MIX
69M 06S

01. Wolf Eyes: Stabbed In The Face
02. Liars: Hold Hands And It Will Happen Anyways
03. Circle: Jalet*
04. Polmo Polpo: Requiem For A Fox*
05. Bark Psychosis: From What Is Said To When Its Read*
06. Battles: SZ2
07. Keith Fullerton Whitman: Weiter
08. Spring Heel Jack: Lata
09. Radian: Shift
10. Fennesz: Circassian
11. Pixel Display: Scrapple From The Apple*

Quarterly Concern: Winter 2005
128 KBPS | 61.5 MB
(right click save as)

Notes and Warnings:

For those of you taken back a little from this mix, please know that my next mix is going to be a party album tentatively titled, "Eclectic Warrior".

Posted by Fran at 3:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

December 4, 2004

STATE OF THE UNION 2004 MIX

I present the newest, most brand-spanking-est JAZZHAMMER. compilation.
(number three if you are keeping score)

JAZZHAMMER. PRESENTS:
THE STATE OF THE UNION 2004
59M 36 S

These are my picks for some of my favorite moments in pop music this year.

01. Devendra Banhart - We All Know
02. Beta Band - Space
03. Mice Parade - Focus On A Rollercoaster
04. Air - Mike Mills
05. David Byrne - Glass, Concrete & Stone
06. Azita - In The Vicinity
07. Dungen - Panda
08. The New Year - Plan B
09. Mclusky - Without MSG I Am Nothing
10. TV On The Radio - Dreams
11. Franz Ferdinand - Auf Achse
12. Matthew Dear - Tide
13. LCD Soundsystem - Yeah (Stupid Version)

State Of The Union 2004
128 KBPS | 54.2 MB
(right click save as)


While making this album I noticed a couple of things:

Azita rules.

Animal Collective's Leaf House should be on the mix but for some reason I dislike them right now. Probably cause they smell. (Their first album is GRATE though)

2003 was a much better year for pop. I quickly realized that most of the tracks that immediately came to mind were from last year. I guess this makes sense since this year has flown by so quickly. Seriously, the last month I remember was March. Quite depressing. It sucked thinking of a song and putting it on my list only having to double check if it really came out this year. Such songs include: The New Pornographers' The Laws Have Changed, Deerhoof's Dummy Discard's A Heart, Steve Malkmus' Vanessa from Queens, Luke Vibert's I Love Acid, The Rapture's House of Jealous Lovers, Beth Gibbon's Tom the Model, Outkast's Hey Ya, Ween's Tried and True, Parsley Sounds' Erase Yourself and Glide, Super Furry Animal's Hello Sunshine, Ted Leo/Pharmacists' Where Have All the Rude Boys Gone?, Dinbot's Whipsta (google it). Mixtape that, motherfuckers.

Oh and speaking of mixes, that Hollertronix made a good one.

I listen to more avant guard music than pop. (hint, hint.)

Fran is heartbroken but wants to dance!

Posted by Fran at 1:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

November 26, 2004

KOMPAKT MIX

Fresh from the publisher, its JAZZHAMMER.'s KOMPAKT MIX!

I have been rather obsessed with this Cologne label for a while now. I am sure my roommates have been perturbed by the constant 4/4 beats emminating from my bedroom late in the night. I tried to make a mix that represents the label as best as I could. It starts off with a simple, beautiful pop tune that has a quality of techno past. Quickly it moves on to one of my favorite M. Mayer, let alone favorite vocal techno tracks ever --Amanda. There is a mix of quiet somber tracks (Superpitcher's Tommorrow) as well as full-on 4/4 dance ragers (Reinhard Voight's Proteckt). It even closes with a sampling of what to expect next from KOMPAKT, DJ Koze's Brutalga Square. A perfect way to end the night --full on chaos just when you think its over. (Much like what Aphex Twin did with Digereedoo only with 1/8th the BPMs) Unfortunately I couldn't get anything from KOMPAKT's wonderful Ambient Pop Album Series in this mix due to time contraints. (Tracks on this mix are 6 minutes + !!!) Maybe next time...

KOMPAKT MIX:
70M 21S

01. Jurgen Papp - So Weit Wei Noch Nie
02. M. Mayer - Amanda
03. Closer Music - Departures
04. Joachim Spieth - Nie Mehr Allein
05. Reinhard Voight - In Aller Freundschaft
06. The Modernist - Abi '81
07. Naum - Ari
09. Superpitcher - Happiness (M. Mayer Mix)
09. M. Mayer / Reinhard Voight - Unter Null
10. Superpitcher - Tomorrow
11. Reinhard Voight - Protekt
12. DJ Koze - Brutalga Square

Kompakt Mix
128 KBPS | 64.2 MB
(right click save as)

This is a rather great compilation if I may say so myself. No thanks to me, of course. KOMPAKT has been the premiere german techno label for more than half a decade now. If you have been apprehensive about dance techno, this is a great opportunity to see that it can be well crafted and fun. Take it from a hardcore IDM man and put on your dancing shoes.

Posted by Fran at 3:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

October 14, 2004

REGGAE COMPILATION # 1

I present you:

Reggae Compilation #1:
Celebration, Mayhem & Redemption
45M 18S

01. The Upsetters - Popcorn
02. Blood Sisters - Ring My Bell
03. The Marvels - Rocksteady
04. Sound Dimension - Full Up
05. Junior Murvin - Police & Thieves
06. Cutty Ranks - Who Say Me Dun
07. Dillinger - Cocaine In My Brain
08. Peter Tosh - Steppin Razor
09. Future Pigeon - Gift Tax
10. The Paragons - The Tide Is High
11. The Congos - Fisherman
12. Third World - Satta Massagana

A while back I threw a little reggae party and this was the setlist that I spun. It is not the most thorough or obscure compilation of reggae music in the world but I think its a pretty solid set. I tried to have a good variety of genres to play that would give a decent representation of the depth of reggae. Here you will find some rocksteady, dancehall, soul, funk, disco, roots, and even a modern dub track. This compilation is mixed live as I played it, complete with the bad mixing, crackling and other goodies you get from spinning vinyl. I also mixed it at a slightly higher speed since I wanted people to boogie. As the title suggests, there is a theme to this mix. People were probably too drunk to have realized it when I played it. But I hope you like it. Definitely more to come.

Reggae Compilation #1
128 KBPS | 41.4 MB
(right click save as)

I'd like to thank Al for mixing the recording with his studio wizardry.

And feel free to ask me for a cdr, espcially if you were there.

Posted by Fran at 6:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)