And just like that, summer is on us once again. That means a general hiatus to the blog because I’m not in the office on Fridays. I’m not in the office today either, but I didn’t want to just ghost everyone. There might be posts here and there, but no regular schedule until September.
This mix is the fruition of an idea that came to ground a few years ago called ‘As If In A Dream’. I did four or five mixes in that series. They were live mixed soundscapes, sort of sonic collage. This is rightly part of that series even though I layered it via computer program because the basic idea is of that time. That means is weird so strap in.
Otherwise, all I have to really talk about is my growing anxiety that goes with a world opening up again.
Like this oriole at the feeder, I am flying off for a bit. Have a great summer!
NOTE: New “The Funkomaticjamatron Presents…” podcasts are generally posted on Fridays. The show archives are around ten shows deep. Beyond that, if the link isn’t active, the mix has been deleted to make way for new material.
This isn’t a standard mix, so no proper tracklist. The main building blocks are “Variations II” by John Cage, “Great Expectations” by Miles Davis, and “Fall” by Wendy Carlos.
Hate to be a bummer, but the pandemic isn’t over yet, so keep wearing a mask indoors for at least a little while. Thanks.
Somehow the social calendar has gone from a barren flat plain into full SUMMER ALL YOUR WEEKENDS ARE BOOKED mode in no time flat. To be frank, I am not emotionally prepared for this.
I love stickers, but I almost never stick them to anything. You’d be surprised at home much space this fact takes up in my brain.
This week’s mix was almost an hour of music from the 50s and 60s, at least half of which would have been instrumentals. Then it was almost an ambient mix (btw you should check out the work of Constance Demby on Spotify,et al), and then almost a jazz fusion journey (go check out Kazumi Watanabe and Ryo Kawasaki on YouTube). Instead I went with a mix I have been sitting on for a bit. Instead of calling it a “Poorman’s Concert” when I feature a single artist, I will now call these “The Setlist Series” because I don’t need to gender things.
Something smells awful in the fridge. That problem is pushing just about everything else out of my brain, so I’m going to go deal with that.
NOTE: New “The Funkomaticjamatron Presents…” podcasts are generally posted on Fridays. The show archives are around ten shows deep. Beyond that, if the link isn’t active, the mix has been deleted to make way for new material.
Song – Artist - Album
Stoney Street - Amon Tobin – Bricolage.
Break Charmer – Cujo - Adventures In Foam.
Saboteur - Amon Tobin – Supermodified.
El Cargo - Amon Tobin - Splinter Cell Chaos Theory.
Breaking Protocol - Amon Tobin - Chaos Theory Remixed.
Clear Skys - Amon Tobin – SSX.
Surge (16Bit Remix) - Amon Tobin - Surge EP.
Taxidermia (Magpie Mix) – Zen Box Set.
Get Your Snack On - Amon Tobin – Supermodified.
Esther's - Amon Tobin - Foley Room.
Rock Scissors (Bonus Track) - Two Fingers - Stunt Rhythms (Bonus Disc).
The Courier - Amon Tobin – inFAMOUS.
Chocolate Lovely - Amon Tobin – Supermodified.
“Everything in the house that is me is connected” is a thing I said today.
Took a day off this last week. Spent it reorganizing the shed out back. Was that the most productive thing I could have done given the state of the house? No. Is it a worthwhile mechanism to even create an internal list of how worthwhile any project is? I don’t know but when I see that in print I think maybe not.
Internal rules are ‘interesting’* to me. I will often start a creative project with a set of rules in my head. Sometimes those rules work and the project is a success#, sometimes they don’t and the project is a failure^. I am coming to believe more and more that a lot of the internal rules we, collectively, have written for ourselves and our interactions with those we care about need to be examined and revised, if not scrapped altogether. I think we should normalize saying things like “Yes, I want to get together and enjoy your company, but am feeling overwhelmed right now. How about (later date)?”. Related: Think about how you might get in your own way. Often those that care about you point out the pitfalls. If a couple people point to the same hole, you should actively consider why you want to step in it so bad.
*Interesting in the Minnesota usage sense. #What the hell do I mean by success? That an attempt to create got one shot and HAD TO conform to some arbitrary rules? I don’t really know that this is a good definition of success. It certainly is not honoring the scientific method. ^ Same re: failure.
NOTE: New “The Funkomaticjamatron Presents…” podcasts are generally posted on Fridays. The show archives are around ten shows deep. Beyond that, if the link isn’t active, the mix has been deleted to make way for new material.
Song – Artist - Album
Dream (Subdued Mix) - Evolve Now - Chill Out! The Techno Evolution Continues [Disc 1].
Scorpio Rising – Thunderball - Scorpio Rising.
Starbursts Over Orion – Modaji - Late Night Beats: The Post Club Sound Of Britain.
Blue Sunlight Under the Docks – Disparition - Satellite State.
Lovers Of Light - Afro Celt Sound System - Volume 2: Release.
Take Me Into Your Skin – Trentemøller - The Last Resort.
Geeza - Pig & Dan & Underworld - Then & Now.
Lush 3.1 – Orbital - Logic Trance 2 [Disc 1].
Gliding On Duo-Tone Curves (Cascade Mix) - System 7 - System 7.3: Fire + Water (Water).
You know what? I don’t have much to say this week. Yes, I could ramble on about something. I have that ‘gift of gab’, but meh. I’d just be talking about the color of onions on my belt and taking the ferry to Morganville.
I cleared 250 posts a couple weeks ago. This little internet cul-du-sac has been going on far too long, but I don’t know how to stop. Since the hosting is free, I started retiring old posts to clear up some room. I doubt anyone will miss them (no fav/no comments went first). Does this matter to you? Nope. Just more meta-commentary. Anyway, on with the show.
NOTE: New “The Funkomaticjamatron Presents…” podcasts are generally posted on Fridays. The show archives are around ten shows deep. Beyond that, if the link isn’t active, the mix has been deleted to make way for new material.
Song – Artist - Album
My Love (Glass Mix) – Kellee - My Love 12" singe.
All I Want (Is The Bass) - Freke Sisters - Hot And Tasty Beats.
On Broadway (Club Mix) - White Rabbit - Deep House U.K. Vol. 2.
Iceman - Ben Neill – Automotive.
Camping in Kashmir (Simos Tagias Remix) – GuyRo - Camping in Kashmir single.
Pavement Cracks (Goldtrix Club Edit) - Annie Lennox - Pavement Cracks single.
Floating Time - Agents Of Time - Forest of Lies EP.
Age of Loneliness (Enigmatic Club Mix) – Enigma – Age of Loneliness single.
A Million Ways Dirty Vegas – One.
Hello again you fabulous avatars, bots, pixels, and abstractions! Yes, it’s been a few weeks where Friday posts haven’t been tenable. Such are the vagaries of free content.
The good: I’ve had my second vaccine dose and am two weeks out so I’m Fully Vaccinated. I’m extremely happy to say many in my life are also coming up on their fully vaxxed status too.
It’s odd processing how time works at the tail end of the pandemic. While it is ending for the US, it isn’t over and I’m not sure what measure to use as to when one can say it is over. The current situation is a different type of limbo. Can tell you that I’m sick of being in the house, am sick of the small routines that are now a year old, and yet am still uncomfortable being around others in public.
The bad: Last weekend I was helping clear out my Aunt Elaine’s place in Iowa. She passed a few months ago and this was the last big push to have the house ready to be sold. It was complicated and exhausting on all levels. There is something terrible about having to do physical heavy lifting when each item also carries the emotional weight of grief as well.
Not sure that I have fully developed thoughts about the mementos one collects from the effects of those who have passed, but many small, quirky things can become talismans that conjure that person to mind and I’m not sure sure one has much control over what those touchstones are. I certainly don’t. There are probably specific items, let’s say souvenirs from trips you took together, that are obvious candidates, but those aren’t the ones that catch me. When I think about the items I have squirreled away from other times I’ve gone through this process the artifacts are usually quotidian. It’s a little “Our Town” that way I guess. Or items that show an aspect of the person that maybe wasn’t often on display when you knew them. It’s jarring to me how often that I learn a lot about someone after they have died. The stories, remembrances usually mundane but that add depth and shadow, come out when people are gathered and trying to parse long forgotten papers or figure out who exactly is in a picture.
What is sticking with me, like the shard of a dream you both can’t quire recall and can’t shake, is how much louder I can hear the clock ticking now. I think you never really end grieving. You get used to the noise of it, which does fade, but its part of your permanent soundtrack. I don’t know.
Since this space is usually about music, I wanted to highlight something of Elaine’s that came home with me.
NOTE: New “The Funkomaticjamatron Presents…” podcasts are generally posted on Fridays. The show archives are around ten shows deep. Beyond that, if the link isn’t active, the mix has been deleted to make way for new material.
Song – Artist - Album
Burning Bridges - Pink Floyd - Obscured By Clouds.
Letting You Go - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Hard Promises.
I've Been Working - Van Morrison - His Band And The Street Choir.
The Tracks Of My Tears - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - The Big Chill (Soundtrack).
Never Going Back Again - Fleetwood Mac – Rumours.
Here Comes The Rain Again – Eurythmics - Greatest Hits.
Demolition Man - Grace Jones - Private Life.
Nothing - Depeche Mode - Music For The Masses.
Let Me In - Laura Branigan - Laura Branigan.
Pink Cashmere – Prince - The Hits/The B-Sides [Disc 1].
