EpicMixtape

Inspired by Jamie Summerfield and Russell Tanner’s collaborative mixtape EV002: Summertime I’ve stuck together a playlist of my own on the same theme.

Cheekily giving it the EV002a number as it hangs from the same thread I’ve made it a (roughly) 80 minute CD compilation rather than a C90 format mixtape.

You can hear it on Spotify and the tracklisting (with some comments from me) is right here:

1. Light & Day / Reach for the Sun - The Polyphonic Spree
   Somewhat bastardized by a certain supermarket the ‘Spree never the less capture the carefree elation of a sun-kissed day of freedom. I signed on to their cult in 2002 (ish) when I saw them at Rock City, Notts.
   
   
2. A Summer Wasting - Belle and Sebastian
   There seems to be a sort of theme within a theme emerging - that I think summer is primarily about lounging around enjoying longer days from beneath the sun beams. I cannot deny it, in my core I feel this is the natural order of things.
   
   
3. Summer Breeze - The Isley Brothers
   This has so much goodness in it I can’t hear it without feeling dappled sunlight on my back and smiling in a relaxed all-is-good sort of way.
   
   
4. The Sea - Morcheeba
   More musical evidence that I like kicking back and letting go of responsibility when the season hits.
   
   
5. Drinking in LA - Bran Van 3000
   There was a summer (‘99) when I would cry drunkenly weep & whirl around the dancefloor to this. It was actually November when I headed out to LA for the drinking (hey, America, I respect your age-restriction laws. I promise there was nowt cheeky about my Vimto) but it’s kind of always summer in LA.
   
   
6. Boys of Summer - Don Henley
   This kind of polished production appealed to me in my pre-teen years and when something harpoons your heart at that age your head can never really talk you out of the dumb love.
   
   
7. Hot in the City - Billy Idol
   On a various artists vinyl album I liked when I was about 7. For a while I thought Billy Idol was representative of the punk movement because, image wise, he’d got mixed up with Sid Vicious in the catalogue within my child mind. It’s alright, I’ve reclassified him now.
   
   
8. Summer - Buffalo Tom
   This is one of those songs that was a 20 second clip in my brain followed by the Chart Show ident, featuring as it did on one of the many indie chart countdowns I’d taped onto VHS for repeat viewing pleasure. It got included on this merit alone.
   
   
9. My Own Summer - Deftones
   My better half turned me onto a great many things and Deftones is but one of them. This is here for him as much as me…that is to say, it’s inclusion is for Us.
   
   
10. Burn Baby Burn - Ash
    Of course I, myself, have never had a sunburn *cough*
    
    
11. Island in the Sun - Weezer
    There is loads of their surf-pop infused recordings that I could fit into this theme but as this one had ‘sun’ in the title it made it. Sounds quite melanchonic for the most part, with a sinister edge provided by the chirpy blustering chorus.
    
    
12. Staying Out for the Summer - Dodgy
    In 1995 I did my GCSE’s, turned 16, wore Adidas Campus with my dad’s old Fred Perrys and had a Justine Frischmann-inspired graduated bob. In many ways I was a complete arse, in others I was just your typical Britpop teenager. I did, indeed, stay out for the summer.
    
    
13. Sunny Afternoon - The Kinks
    Love a bit of storytelling in song.
    
    
14. Under the Boardwalk - The Drifters
    I know, gutting that I didn’t chose the Bruce Willis version *wink*. Nice vocal harmonies that ultimately lead to uncontrollable outbreaks of hip swaying and finger clicking.
    
    
15. Waterfalls - TLC
    I have no clear reason for including this. It just says summer to me in someway. Guess we just have to deal with that.
    
    
16. The Road to Mandalay - Robbie Williams
    I am a sucker for a europoppy bah-bah-BAH and this is Bob’s aural twinkle. I can’t say I like him, but he’s been in the background of my life for so long he’s kinda become part of the furniture…
    
    
17. Unemployed in Summertime - Emiliana Torrini
    This was on a mixtape someone made for the aforementioned better half when we were indeed ‘only just turned 21’. It captured a moment in time and still reminds me of our first weekend away as a couple (Portmeirion).
    
    
18. For Tomorrow - Blur
    This song is nearing two decades in age but is still box fresh for me. Mixed up memories of summers of ‘93/’94 listening to Modern Life over and and over but also last summer, front line at Hyde Park, the sun setting behind me as I lalalala as I ascend to gig heaven.

Over and out, Sarah :)

Hello there! Andrew Beeken here with my first mix. This tape is a little on the personal side as it’s pretty much made up of a lot of the tracks I would have included on the tapes I made while I was at school. It covers 1991 - 1998, the years in which I guess I was discovering my musical soundscape.

As I was compiling this I noticed that the sides kind of have their own identity - side A is very bright and full (generally) of brit-poppy tunes, while side B is a little darker with more emphasis on grunge and some heavier tracks.

Side A (listen on Spotify)

1. “Muzzle” by Smashing Pumpkins
2. “Little Pink Stars” by Radish
3. “Cast No Shadow” by Oasis
4. “Sale of the Century” by Sleeper
5. “Something Changed” by Pulp
6. “Hope St.” by Levellers
7. “Oh Yeah” by Ash
8. “Alright” by Supergrass
9. “Buddy Holly” by Weezer
10. “When I Come Around” by Green Day
11. “Lump” by The Presidents of the United States of America
12. “Perseverance” by Terrorvision

Side B (listen on Spotify)

1. “Israel’s Son” by Silverchair
2. “Nitro {Youth Energy}” by The Offspring
3. “Maxwell Murder” by Rancid
4. “Philthy Phil Philanthropist” by NOFX
5. “Nowhere” by Therapy?
6. “Nancy Boy” by Placebo
7. “Lounge Act” by Nirvana
8. “Jennifers Body” by Hole
9. “Pretty Noose” by Soundgarden
10. “Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)” by Deftones
11. “Hey, Johnny Park!” by Foo Fighters
12. “Leash” by Pearl Jam

Hope you enjoy! I’ve had a lot of fun making this and the tracks have evoked some good memories for me. If you want to ask me about any of my song choices, you can catch me at @abeeken on Twitter.

OK, so here’s my first contribution.

It’s a load of “Alternative” tunes from my “indie” DJing days of the late 80s to early 90s. Some crowd pleasers, some personal favourites - you can even dance to a fair number of them!

Here’s the track listing:

Side 1:

1.”Nothing Can Stop Us” - Saint Etienne

2.”Take 5” - Northside

3.”Fishes Eyes” - New F.A.D.s

4.”Cab it up!” - The Fall

5.”Only Losers Take the Bus” - Fatima Mansions

6.”You made me realise” - My Bloody Valentine

7.”Big bad baby pig squeal” - Silverfish

8.”Remember what it is that you love” - The Family Cat

9.”Destroy the heart” - The House of Love

10.”Shallow” - Catherine Wheel

11.”Quick as rainbows” - Kitchens of Distinction

12.”Jacket hangs” - The Blue Aeroplanes

Side 2:

1.”All on you (perfume)” - Paris Angels

2.”Mama told me not to come” - The Wolfgang Press

3.”The storm” - World of Twist

4.”Robinson Crusoe” - Cud

5.”Don’t fear the reaper” - The Bridewell Taxis

6.”Dreamtime (Mix)” - The Heart Throbs

7.”Sweetness and light” - Lush

8.”Deus” - The Sugarcubes

9.”Trumpton Riots” - Half Man Half Biscuit

10.”Buffalo” - Stump

11.”Lil’ Devil” - The Cult

12.”Do it quick” - Snuff

I’ve blogged more fully about it here, and you can listen/download from soundcloud. Also, anyone who is a “friend” to me on Twitter can request an actual cassette copy - although I’ll have to limit this to 10 copies sorry!

Respect due to Sarah, Dan, Jamie, Russell, Andrew and the rest of the @epicmixtapecrew!

Cheers

John

Mix number two is out now - another C90 collaboration, this time between Russell Tanner and Jamie Summerfield.

And the tracklist (with comments from the compilers):

Side A compiled by Jamie Summerfield

• Here Comes The Sun – The Beatles
  “This had to be on there, little darlings!”
• Good Vibrations – The Beach Boys
  “No Summertime mixtape would be complete without some sun-drenched Beach Boys vibes. Cliches? Moi?”
• At The River – Groove Armada
  “You can smell the briny sea air, seaweed and candyfloss”
• Saturday Sun – Nick Drake
  “Best played on a sunny Saturday morning! Beautifully chilled out”
• Pure Shores – All Saints
  “Shimmering pop perfection from The Beach soundtrack”
• Wake Up Boo! – The Boo Radleys
  “The sap’s rising on this one – bring on the horns!”
• Sorted For Es and Whizz – Pulp
  “Ah, Mr Cocker. Glad you could make it. The soundtrack to that perfect summer festival”
• Waterfall – Stone Roses
  “There’s no song I’d rather hear on a balmy summer’s night. Crystalline and cool as hell”
• Cherry Blossom Girl – Air
  “Ethereal magic from Air – aural blossom floating on the breeze…”
• Don’t Falter – Mint Royale
  “Classic summer sunshine featuring the fragrant Lauren Laverne on vocals (Save6Music by the way)”
• Girls and Boys – Blur
  “Ah, the glorious summer of Britpop in 1995. This sums it up for me”

Side B compiled by Russell Tanner

• Seagulls – P J Harvey
  “the pure sound of the seaside”
• Let’s Go Surfing – The Drums
  “and what do you do at the seaside except…go surfing of course!”
• California Soul – Marlena Shaw
  “an absolute summer classic…funky and laidback”
• Feel The Sun – Tindersticks
  “a wee bit depressing, but summer’s not just about fun!”
• Asleep On A Sunbeam – Belle and Sebastian
  “jingly jangly sunny loveliness, the chorus sums up the feeling of summer”
• Summertime – Fun Boy Three
  “Soooooo many versions of this song to choose from, but I’ve gone for the Fun Boy Three version because it reminds me of childhood summers and because they’re a fave of Sarah Lay!”
• Honolulu Rock-a Roll-a – Kitty Daisy & Lewis
  “a grass skirt and coconut bra of a song”
• Long Hot Summer – The Style Council
  “class”
• Unforgettable Season – Cut Copy
  “like the memory of a summer several years ago, when it was really hot every day and you swore you’d be best friends forever”
• See Jungle! (Jungle Boy) – Bow Wow Wow
  “a really fresh, optimistic sound – always reminds me of the famous dejuner sur l’herbe cover. And in tribute to Malcolm McLaren RIP”
• At War With The Sun – The Big Pink
  “sums up my struggle with sunburn over the years. Also, Dominoes was a bit rubbish and got overplayed, but there were some nice tracks like this on The Big Pink’s album – appeals to the JAMC fan in me”
• Genius Of Love – Tom Tom Club
  “big, smiley, infectious NYC summer song”
• Let The Sunshine In (Reprise) – The Fifth Dimension
  “rounding things off with some hippy love-in stuff (requires nude dancing and afro wigs)”

There is a Spotify list of all but one track and the compilers have both blogged about the mix. Read Russell’s blog or read Jamie’s blog. The art work will be in the Flickr group soon!

Here is the first mix of the blocks then - a collaboration between Dan Slee and me (Sarah Lay) who have done a side of a C90 each on the theme of ‘Manchester’.

Side A - as mixed by Dan Slee

• The Smiths - This Charming Man
• Charlatans - The Only One I Know
• The Fall - Mr Pharmacist
• The Stone Roses - Waterfall
• Guy Called Gerald - Voodoo Ray
• 808 State - Pacific 202
• Buzzcocks - What Do I Get?
• The Fall - Bingo Master’s Break-Out
• The Smiths - Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want
• Happy Mondays - WFL
• The Stone Roses - I Am The Resurrection

Side B - as mixed by Sarah Lay

• Charlatans - Weirdo
• Inspiral Carpets - Saturn 5
• Brassy - Play some D
• New Order - Regret
• Oasis - Masterplan
• Doves - Here it comes
• Badly Drawn Boy - Once Around the Block
• Elbow - Starlings
• Puressence - This Feeling
• Joy Division - Atmosphere
• Morrissey - Irish Blood, English Heart

There is a Spotify list of most of the tracks and images of the cover art work will be added to our Flickr group (add you own artwork there).

Mixtape - A homemade music compilation (usually on cassette or CD-R) that contains all your favourite tracks. Often you give such a compilation to the guy or gal of your fancy in hopes that it will help you win their heart. (from Urbandictionary.com)

This blog celebrates the art of the mixtape. What you will find here is playlists, artwork, links and discussions all about making epic musical compilations. These mixtapes are designed to stir up emotions, make listeners feel happy, sad, elated; so check out our suggestions, drop them onto a CD or (if you’re feeling particularly retro) a C90 cassette tape. Feel free to submit your own playlists and don’t forget to provide links (where possible) to Spotify and MFlow.

There are only a few rules:

1. Your mix should be epic
2. It should adhere to one of the following formats:

• CD - a playlist of no more than 80mins
• C90 Tape - two playlists (Side A and Side B), no more than 45mins each

Artwork is optional but would add to the sheer epicness of your mix.

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