Monday’s Mixer

This is music for the twilight hours. It’s electronic music with an air of mystery to it. It features crazy syncopated beats, otherworldly vocals, and all sorts of basslines. If you’re up late doing work or just wasting time in the wee hours this’ll suit you well.

01 Waves

Waves – J Dilla

We’re starting it off smooth and laid back with some instrumental hip hop. Obscured vocals get cut and scratched into the heavy bass backing, hinting at whats to come.

02 Building Steam With A Grain Of Sa

Building Steam With A Grain Of Salt – DJ Shadow

Things take a turn for the foreboding at the opening of this track. The steam builds to the middle where you get a taste of DJ Shadow’s break-beat skills. Then it gets funky. Then it’s spacey. Then it’s all of that at once. And then we end right where we started. Is it coming through you?

03 Believer

Believer – John Maus

The synths seem to soar and intertwine while the the straightforward baseline hums along. The notes bend in and out of tune ever so slightly while his vocals convey a sense of…yearning? earnest? Both? It’s hard to put your finger on it but it’s a powerful combination.

04 Archangel

Archangel – Burial

The tones ebb and flow as the beat rises and jitters. Otherworldly vocals strain over the crackle and hiss of a needle in a groove. It’s almost ghostly in the sense that it’s unsettling yet absolutely intriguing.

05 Xtal

Xtal – Aphex Twin

We’re gonna turn down the intensity a bit now and just drift. This song has the ability to  make you feel relaxed and utterly at peace but still making you want to groove as the low end thumps along. Few artists can produce the atmosphere Aphex Twin does, especially on this song.

06 Roygbiv

Roygbiv – Boards of Canada

Another laid back tune here. It opens with the deep synths characteristic of Boards of Canada. At first you can’t quite tell what the mood of the song is gonna be but by the time the deliberate drum beat drops and pushes us along its clear that this is all about feeling mellow.

07 NY Is Killing Me

NY Is Killing Me – Gil Scott Heron and Jamie xx

This one starts out pretty intense almost to the point of abrasiveness, especially after the languid affair over the rainbow. But once that beat drops you’re gonna dig it. Jamie xx (the man behind the beats of The xx)  reworks Gil Scott Heron’s vocals into an original song that is something truly intense.

08 CMYK

CMYK – James Blake

As the last tone from Jamie fades out the first ones from James trickle in. There’s a lot going on in this track and if you blink you’ll miss something (figuratively of course, ears don’t have eyelids). The voice that we are introduced to at the beginning is ever present, but more come in with the beat for an effect of several people all talking to each other (or maybe themselves?) at once.

09 Mysterons

Mysterons – Portishead

Trip hop. Straight out of 1994, there’s no modulation to these vocals. That’s just the prowess that is Beth Gibbons. Crescendo-ing drum rolls and a recurring pair of chords form the beat of this song. Throw in a theremin and you have a trip hop classic.

10 We Share Our Mothers’ Health

We Share Our Mother’s Health – The Knife

I’m convinced that there is no other band like Swedish siblings The Knife. This song– I don’t really even know what I can say about it. It speaks for itself. Masterful plain and simple.

11 Empathy

Empathy – Crystal Castles

The opening synths almost feel like needles. However, when Alice Glass’ vocals are steeped back in the mix with disembodied voice tones its divine.

Frontier Psychiatrist

Frontier Psychiatrist – The Avalanches

“That boy needs therapy.” This entire song (and album for that matter) is made up entirely of samples from records, films, comedy bits, and more. That alone gives the track a startlingly unique feel, but adding in some awesome scratching seals the deal.

13 GNG BNG

GNG BNG – Flying Lotus

Flylo gives you a full spectrum of electronic noise in this track most of which tend towards the hazy and fuzzy. It starts off sounding something like snake charmer’s music, but then the real beats come in with some buzzing synths for an all out break down.

14 Safe From Harm

Safe From Harm – Massive Attack

We end with Massive Attack who know how to smooth things over. Relax and calm yourself down as this one fades out and maybe you can finally head to the land of nod.

About Donald Placek

Right now I'm a student majoring in Industrial Engineering, but I've always majored in loving music. I'm a huge fan of vinyl and am always looking to expand my record collection. My top three things (yep, things) would be good sushi, 80s/90s indie rock, and absurd comedy, in no particular order. If you like Guided by Voices or Tim and Eric we're bound to get along smashingly.

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