Time Mixmania

Another Mixmania has come around and this time the theme is...time. The theme didn't just figure into my mix, but my life as well.

I've been putting in a good amount of hours at work lately and as a result, I've been too tired to do some of the things I should be doing like my music reviews and, well, my Mixmania mix. Although I had ideas of the songs I wanted to use for a while, the mix itself was sort of thrown together. Unlike the Mystery Mixmania where I meticulously narrowed down a bunch of songs into my 2-disc mix, I kind of struggled to find enough songs to make my single-disc Time Mixmania mix.

I followed the Time theme loosely. I decided to pick songs that had time-related words in their titles. That's it. As you'll see, certain types of titles ended up getting grouped together but I didn't realize I was doing that until I had almost finished figuring out the order of the songs.

Oh, and I like the way this mix plays. It just has this somewhat off-kilter feel to it.

Anyway, here's the songlist with my comments as usual:

1. Yoko Kanno - “24hours OPEN” from Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (Edited): Okay, let me explain why the word “edited” appears next to this song. One of the first songs I thought about using for this mix was this one. I thought it would be a good opening track. Of course, I thought about this before the Virginia Tech shootings happened.

What does that event have to do with me using this song? Well, the song is pretty much three minutes of a Muzak-esque theme playing while you occasionally hear gunshots and people screaming. This song is the music that is playing during the opening of the Cowboy Bebop movie where Spike goes into a convenience store and gets some bad guys who are trying to rob it. So, yes, much shooting does go on in the scene.

Even though I wanted to use this song, it just seemed in poor taste to put a song like this on the mix. Plus, there is no telling how my match would react to hearing the song. So, I just took the very first part of the song (before the gunshots start) and looped it a few times. After all, I just really wanted the Muzak-esque theme. For those of you who might be interested in hearing the whole song, I've uploaded it here.

I guess I did the right thing...well, apart from just scrapping the song entirely.

2. Missy Elliott - “Partytime”: “Tonight it's party time / It's party time tonight” Doesn't get much simpler than that.

3. J. Dilla - “Time: The Donut Of The Heart”: This is one of the best tracks off the classic Donuts and since it has “time” in the title, it's on here.

4. ? - “Peanut Butter Jelly Time”: Although a lot of people know this song from Family Guy, I first heard it in the flash movie that Family Guy was making fun of. That silly movie of a banana jamming to this song cracked me up when I first saw it. I almost put the hilarious (and even more ignorant) “Peanut Butter Jelly Time II” on this mix instead. If you've never heard it, it has someone responding to the calls of “Where he at?” with “I don' know!” and ends with an explosion. No, really it does.

5. Chambers Brothers - “Time”: The very first song I thought of when I read of this Mixmania. I'll be surprised if I don't see it on another mix.

6. Coldplay - “Clocks”: For many people, this is Coldplay's only good song.

7. Thom Yorke - “The Clock”: I almost didn't put this on here because I've used it before on a Mixmania mix. Another song, “Zero Hour” from Trigun, wasn't used because I just used it in the last Mixmania.

8. Timbaland & Magoo - “Clock Strikes”: You should be starting to see how the titles are grouped together. It was pretty unintentional. I put this song here because it starts right up and it worked well with the way “The Clock” just ends. I like this version, the original, better than the remix that samples the Knight Rider theme.

9. OutKast - “Chronomentrophobia”: “The fear of clocks / The fear of time.”

10. Yoko Kanno - “7minutes” from Cowboy Bebop: The Movie: Here's a Cowboy Bebop movie song I didn't have to edit. It would've been perfect for my last Mixmania mix because it's instrumental. Also, I find it funny that this song is called “7minutes” and it's almost that long, clocking in at just 12 seconds shy of the mark.

11. Bjork - “5 Years”: I've been getting into Bjork again in preparation for the release of her new album. When I was trying to find songs to use, I came across this one from Homogenic. That's why it's here.

12. Coldplay - “Daylight”: Again, I needed songs and when I decided to use “Clocks,” I remembered that I liked this song from the same album too and it fit the theme as well.

13. Air - “Another Day”: This song got on here at the very last minute. I went through my CD's looking for songs to use and only skimmed over the album that has this song. When I wanted to put another song that featured “day” in the title, I suddenly remembered this song.

14. The Chemical Brothers - “Asleep From Day”: It's kind of wrong how I can somehow find a Chemical Brothers song to fit every Mixmania theme.

15. A Tribe Called Quest - “Midnight”: I needed a song with “night” in the title and I came across this one. I also liked the way it started.

16. Justin Timberlake - “Until The End Of Time”: This is another song I thought about early on, as my closer. I also must note that my dad loves this song. He loves to sing the “Ohh...” part whenever he hears it, much to the chagrin of me and my sister.

That's it for my Time Mixmania mix. I also sent my match a Bonus Mix with absolutely no theme. I'll post that songlist next.

Edit: Fixed the numbering.

Mystery Mixmania: The Songs (Part 2)

Okay, had enough of a breath yet? Here's the songs of disc two.

Disc Two: The Rest

1. The Go! Team - “Panther Dash”: Remember how I said...oh, I won't get into that again. This song was the first song on The Go! Team's album. That's all that needs to be said.

2. Yashushi Ishii - “The World's Last Sagacious Period” from Hellsing: How funny is it that I decide to put a song that begins an album (this time Hellsing OST 2: Ruins) after a song that begins an album and also begins this mix?

3. Boards Of Canada - “Chromakey Dreamcoat”: I really like this song. I was going to use “Dayvan Cowboy” but ended up using this one because I am a little sick of “Dayvan Cowboy” at the moment.

4. Ichiko Hashimoto - “Winning Sound Of Her” from RahXephon: (See song number 7 on Disc One: The Best)

5. Nobuo Uematsu - “Silence Before The Storm” from Final Fantasy X: I have always liked this mellow little piece from that game. One of my fond memories of college is seeing my roommate and my friends play (and beat) FFX.

6. Unkle - “Garage Piano”: Once you get to this song, you start to realize that I'm becoming lenient in my “no vocals” rule. It's still a cool song.

7. Kid Koala - “Fender Bender”: Again, leniency. The song begins with someone talking!

8. Yoko Kanno - “Spotter” from Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex: One of my favorite instrumentals from GITS:SAC. I like the way it builds.

9. J. Dilla - “E=MC2 (Instrumental)”: Whether it's the instrumental version or the original with rapper Common, this is a song that deserves to be bumped loudly through high-bass speakers. I love this beat.

10. Röyksopp - “Tristesse Globale”: Imagine if the beginning of “Triumphant” never built up. This is the result, a quiet, relaxing song.

11. Danny Elfman - “Main Titles/End Titles” from Beetlejuice: I don't think people realize how good Elfman's score to Beetlejuice was. Beetlejuice is one of my favorite movies (I watch it almost every time it comes on) and I love the unusual score.

12. Squarepusher - “I Wish You Could Talk”: See, this was really meant for the big show (disc one) but I couldn't fit it. This was one of the songs I realized I left off that I just “had” to have on a disc.

13. Tsuneo Imahori - “Zero Hour” from Trigun: I just like something about this odd song. Maybe it's the way that it progresses.

14. Yashushi Ishii - “Survival On The Street Of Insincerity” from Hellsing: I've used this song before and it's here again. This is my favorite song from Hellsing. The bass gets me every time.

15. The Pillows - “Sad Sad Kiddie (Off Vocal)” from FLCL: Another FLCL track. The songs they used in FLCL were good.

16. Yoko Kanno - “Charm” from Escaflowne TV: I like the creepy mood of this song from the backwards vocals to the instruments used.

17. Dr. Dre - “Xxplosive (Instrumental)”: Okay everybody! Let's all sing Erykah Badu's “Bag Lady” as this beat plays. On the count of three...

18. Bernard Herrmann - “Twisted Nerve”: Can't you just see Daryl Hannah's character walking down the aisle in that nurse outfit from Kill Bill Volume 1 when you listen to this? Or do you remember the movie this really came from?

19. The Go! Team - “Junior Kickstart”: Note: There is a really cool video for this song that you should be able to find on YouTube. It features a live-action version of Ms. Pac-Man running around Manhattan.

20. Fatboy Slim - “Song For Chesh”: Everyone says that this is just a song made out of Fatboy Slim leftovers. That may be true but sometimes leftovers taste pretty damn good.

21. Yoko Kanno - “Cubic” from Escaflowne TV: Let me take this opportunity to say that you should look for the Escaflowne TV series if you get a chance. It not only has some great music, it's a pretty good show that melds action and romance quite well. Oh, and please watch it before you embark on the movie version. The movie's quite different.

22. J. Dilla - “Gobstopper”: Here's the one instrumental from Donuts with no voices to be found.

23. The Chemical Brothers - “Surrender”: This mix ends not with a song that ends an album but with a favorite I've used before.

Okay, that's it. 47 songs and 47 commentaries later, my songlist is done for my Mystery Mixmania mix. Check out my Mog for a complete, condensed songlist and the chance to actually hear a track or two from my mix.

Thanks to Jim for once again organizing a great Mixmania!

Mystery Mixmania: The Songs (Part 1)

A few days ago, I announced that the theme to my Mystery Mixmania mix was Instrumentals. Now it's time to reveal the songs I used on my 2-disc mix.

I didn't intend to make another 2-disc mix this time around. I was really, really happy with the initial mix I made (disc 1) but I couldn't fit some of the songs I really wanted to use. I took the songs I wanted to use but couldn't and combined them with some of the rest of the 80+ possible songs for this mix. Because of the way the discs came about, I named them “The Best” (for the first mix I made and really liked) and “The Rest” (for the mix that came about rather randomly).

Disc One: The Best

1. Röyksopp - “Triumphant”: I like starting off mixes with songs that feel like they should be at the beginning. This song made sense since it is actually the first song on Röyksopp's album The Understanding. I also like the way it starts off kind of soft and gains more and more steam as it goes.

2. Edgar Winter Group - “Frankenstein”: This is a classic rock instrumental and once I settled on the theme, I felt that this song had to be on there.

3. Yoko Kanno - “The Real Man” from Cowboy Bebop: For this mix, I wanted to be kind of broad in scope so out of all the great instrumental stuff to use from Cowboy Bebop, I decided to use this. It's a really unusual song from the intense strings to the fast pace and distorted vocals. I don't think I've ever heard another song quite like it.

4. J. Dilla - “Love Jones”: A J. Dilla song was going to be a must on this mix. However, since I wanted as little vocals as possible, there was a lot of stuff I couldn't use (this is also why faves of mine such as DJ Shadow and RJD2 didn't make the cut either). However, this wonderful short instrumental from The Shining fit the bill perfectly.

5. Ian O'Brien - “Midday Sun”: I sometimes find out about artists in roundabout ways. When I first listened to the Cowboy Bebop remix album Music For Freelance, I really liked the remix of the song “Piano Black.” That remix was done by Ian O'Brien and as a result, I looked for some of his stuff. That's how I came across this song. Funny, huh?

6. Percy Faith & His Orchestra - “Theme From A Summer Place” (composed by Max Steiner): Is there anyone who hasn't heard this light, fluffy piece of music? Over time it has become the epitome of upbeat cheesiness and for some reason, I really like it. Maybe I like it because it was used in a funny scene in Con Air, who knows?

7. Ichiko Hashimoto - “Bad News” from RahXephon: This has appeared on a Mixmania mix before and here it is again. I just really like this damn song.

8. The Pillows - “Last Dinosaur (Off Vocal)” from FLCL: FLCL created a whole new fanbase for Japanese punk group The Pillows. The use of their music in FLCL (all of which had been released long before the series was released) was excellent and I certainly enjoyed what I heard. You FLCL fans will recognize this as the next episode preview music.

9. Raymond Scott - “Powerhouse”: Anyone who has watched a few Looney Tunes has heard Raymond Scott's music. Carl Stalling used quite a lot of it in many Looney Tunes including this song. The more I listen to Scott's music, the more I appreciate it.

10. Madvillain - “Sickfit”: What made me want to use this song? Hearing it as my friend's ringtone. Mind you, I already liked Madvillain and was really intrigued when I first heard “ALL CAPS” and “Accordion.” But still, it seemed like a good fit.

11. Mouse On Mars - “Pinwheel Herman”: I've used Mouse On Mars songs before on my Mixmania mixes and I tried to use one that I hadn't used before on this mix.

12. Tomoyasu Hotei - “Battle Without Honor Or Humanity” from Kill Bill Volume 1: Don't you wanna kick some ass as soon as you hear this? I wonder what else this composer has done.

13. Khachaturian - “Sabre Dance”: This is one of those classical songs that we've all heard before but knew what the hell it actually was. I picked this classical piece over such equally well known pieces such as Beethoven's “5th Symphony, 1st Movement” and Rossini's “William Tell Overture (Conclusion).”

14. Radiohead - “Meeting In The Aisle”: I really, really wish I owned the EP that this song came from. I saw it in a store once, didn't buy it, and couldn't find it again.

15. Dr. Dre - “The Next Episode (Instrumental)”: Dr. Dre's 2001 (or Chronic 2001) is the only album I own in two different versions. I own not only the original version but also the Instrumentals Only version as well.

16. Yoko Kanno - “Shadow Of Doubt” from Escaflowne TV: I love this song. It's easily my favorite song from the Escaflowne TV series. One thing to note, though: I really don't know if Kanno composed this or if her husband, Hajime Mizoguchi, did. Mizoguchi is a composer in his own right and a cellist. I think he probably played on this song but, again, I don't know if he did.

17. “Day At The Academy” from Enchanted Arms: I used this song on the previous Mixmania mix but I felt it fit here too (perhaps better). Question: Anyone know who actually composed the music for the game Enchanted Arms?

18. Tsuneo Imahori - “H.T.” from Trigun: Easily one of my favorite rock instrumentals ever. It's one of the few instrumental openings to an anime series, even though I guess you could say that the lead guitar is really the “vocal.”

19. Al Hirt - “Green Hornet”: What a cool piece of horn work. It's easy to see why Quentin Tarantino put it in Kill Bill Volume 1.

20. Rob Dougan - “Furious Angels (Instrumental)” from The Matrix Reloaded: When I first heard this song in The Matrix Reloaded, it didn't occur to me that it was actually someone's song. I thought it was part of the score. I don't know if that means I should compliment The Wachowski Brothers for making a fight scene fit perfectly to a song or Rob Dougan for making a song that works so well for a fight scene.

21. The Chemical Brothers - “Otter Rock”: I never realized just how many Chemical Brothers songs have some type of vocals in them. I liked this song and it didn't have any vocals so it worked.

22. Yoko Kanno - “Piano Black” from Cowboy Bebop: Okay, so I had to use a more “conventional” song from Cowboy Bebop too. This is one of my absolute favorites.

23. Danny Elfman - “Dead Presidents Theme” from Dead Presidents: There is more to Danny Elfman than his work with Tim Burton. A lot of people tend to just overlook his non-Tim Burton scores. I really like this theme and I think it's a bit of a hidden gem.

24. The Go! Team - “Everybody's A V.I.P. To Someone”: Remember above when I said I like to begin mixes with songs that sound like they should be at the beginning? The same is true of the end. And like the song at the beginning, this is actually the last track on The Go! Team's album Thunder! Lightning! Strike!

This post ended up being a little longer than I expected, so let's take a little breather. Part two will feature the songs of Disc Two (The Rest).

The Mystery Mixmania Theme

It's time for Part I of the big reveal...the theme to my Mystery Mixmania mix.

I thought about my theme for a little while. I bandied about quite a few ideas. The best idea I didn't use was a disc of stuff I found funny. Now, that would've been a great mix.

Okay, so what theme did I use then? The answer is...Instrumentals. That's the theme of both discs.

I really wanted to have a mix that had no vocals whatsoever. Of course, I found that it's a little harder to do than you'd think (damn the people that use subtle choral vocals and unintelligible vocal samples to augment the instruments). So, I didn't succeed in making the discs entirely vocal-free but there are no main vocals (or background vocals) to be found.

In hindsight, I wonder if I should have narrowed the focus a bit. I could've done a disc of soundtrack instrumentals, a disc of anime instrumentals, a disc of hip-hop instrumentals, or even a disc of Yoko Kanno instrumentals (I did once send out a three-disc YK mix). But when I think about it, I love the variety of instrumental music that is out there so I just made the mixes nice and broad.

So there you have it. Now go to my Mog right now and look for my post on the songs I didn't use for this mix.

Mystery Mixmania: It's All Up To You

I've been a part of Mixmania since its inception and participated in making mixes based on some cool themes (New Year's Eve, Holidays, Driving, Summer). However, the creator of Mixmania, Jim over at Patriside, has pulled a real doozy out of his hat this time around...

You get to pick the theme.

That's right, you don't have to fit your mix to a predetermined theme. You can make a mix with any damn theme you want. If you like to make mix CDs, then there is no excuse not to do it. I've started thinking about my theme and I'm leaning toward a couple of possibilities.

You have until February 14 to sign up. Check it out!

New Year's Mixmania

It's Mixmania time again and this time around, the theme was a New Year's Eve mix. I decided to make a double disc mix that would not only serve as something fun to end 2006 with, but also be a recap of some of my favorite songs of 2006.

Disc "E": This disc was called "E" because a good amount of the music was electronic.

1. Hot Chip - “Careful”: This song starts out quiet and unassuming then becomes crazy and upbeat. It was the perfect beginning to Hot Chip's sophomore album The Warning and I thought it would be a good thing to start this disc.

2. The Chemical Brothers feat. Bernard Sumner - “Out Of Control”: I've always loved this song and it just seemed like a good, fast song to put on here.

3. Justin Timberlake feat. Timbaland - “Sexy Back”: This track pulled a very nice crossover move to urban radio despite the fact that it's really an electronic pop song. Although I'll be glad when people stop saying they "brought sexy back," I really enjoy this song.

4. The Go! Team - “Huddle Formation”: This group is the epitome of upbeat, happy music. I decided to use this song in part because it's been used in a lot of commercials lately.

5. Clipse feat. Slim Thug - “Wamp Wamp (What It Do) (Pistol Pete Remix)”: This remix is the complete opposite of the original in sound and I think it kicks ass. Hear this remix at Pistol Pete's Myspace.

6. Basement Jaxx - “Take Me Back To Your House”: Country and house music...together? My word!

7. Yoko Kanno feat. Ilaria Graziano - “From The Roof Top ~ Somewhere In The Silence (Sniper's Theme)” from Ghost In The Shell Solid State Society: Yoko Kanno fans were eagerly awaiting the release of this song (usually called just "Sniper") after hearing it in GITS:SAC 2nd Gig. When I heard it for the first time, I thought their anticipation was justified. The intro portion manages to help and hurt the song at the same time. I tried removing the intro for this mix, but the song without the intro didn't sound right. Weird.

8. Mouse On Mars - “I Go Ego Why Go We Go”: Upon listening to Varcharz, the new album from Mouse On Mars, this song stuck out immediately. What an electronic groove.

9. Tigarah - “Girl Fight”: Take MIA, make her Japanese and add a little bit of semi-crunk flavor, and I guess you get Tigarah.

10. Hot Chip - “Over And Over”: Another Hot Chip song with this one being the one you probably have had a chance to hear somewhere. I was very close to putting a mashup version of this song featuring Pitbull's lyrics from "Shake" on here but decided against it.

11. The Chemical Brothers - “Loops Of Fury”: I bet people go nuts when they hear this song in a club.

12. Various - “Day At The Academy” from the XBOX 360 game Enchanted Arms: This song begins the "cool down" portion of this disc. One of my favorites "finds" of 2006, you can find a link to download this track in a Sterfish Shares post.

13. Boards Of Canada - “Skyliner”: The cool down continues with a really cool BOC track.

14. Basement Jaxx - “Lights Go Down”: Something about this song seems like it should be the last song played at a club.

15. Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians - “Auld Lang Syne”: A "bonus" track of sorts, this is the song we all try to sing when we ring in the new year. This instrumental version is laidback and a nice disc capper.

Disc "H": This disc was called "H" because it's mostly hip-hop.

1. The Roots feat. Dice Raw of Nouveau Riche and Malik B. - “Here I Come”: Loved this song the moment I heard it.

2. T.I. - “I'm Talkin' To You”: This is a blistering attack of a song from the beat to T.I.'s (or should I say Tip's) aggressive flow.

3. Gnarls Barkley - “Smiley Faces”: This song is my favorite track from St. Elsewhere and it proves that there is more to that album than the track you couldn't avoid in 2006.

4. J. Dilla - “Workinonit”: J. Dilla's instrumental album Donuts, from which this track came, is my favorite album of 2006. I'll go more into detail in my best albums of 2006 post and my overdue review of the album, but let me say that there is no album from 2006 that I have listened to more times than that one.

5. Lupe Fiasco - “I Gotcha”: This song took a little bit to grow on me since The Neptunes beat is one of their most complex, but now I really like it.

6. Gwen Stefani - “Now That You Got It”: I just randomly found this song on a blog I frequent and I like it a little more than current single "Wind It Up." I predict that Swizz Beatz, the producer of this song, will have a big 2007.

7. OutKast feat. Scar and Sleepy Brown - “Morris Brown”: My favorite track from OutKast's Idlewild and pretty much one of the only ones upbeat enough for this mix.

8. Ludacris - “Girls Gone Wild”: This Neptunes production is 10 times better than "Money Maker." I also love Luda's flow on this one.

9. Justin Timberlake - “Summer Love”: Gotta love the simplicity. Good beat, simple lyrics, and good singing. Oh, and a good beat.

10. Beyonce - “Green Light”: There is only one reason why I put this song on this mix: the horn breakdown.

11. J. Dilla - “Lightworks”: One of the best tracks off Donuts, this song is really something special.

12. T.I. - “Stand Up Guy”: Too bad this song wasn't released as a single. It's a really good club song.

13. Gnarls Barkley - “Crazy”: The song you couldn't avoid in 2006 I mentioned above. Not that I'm mad that you couldn't avoid it.

14. Clipse feat. Slim Thug - “Wamp Wamp (What It Do)”: Listening to the original after hearing the Pistol Pete Remix on the "E" disc really makes you appreciate how different these two versions are.

15. DJ Shadow feat. Q-Tip and Lateef The Truth Speaker - “Enuff”: One of the only good songs off The Outsider.

16. Raconteurs vs. Nelly Furtado - “Steady As She Goes/Promiscuous (A-Trak Remix)”: I enjoyed this mashup remix a lot during 2006, although in hindsight, it probably fit better on the "E" disc.

17. Lupe Fiasco feat. Jill Scott - “Daydreamin'”: Ah, the cool down portion all contained in one song. I really like this song and I wish it had gotten nominated for a Best Rap/Sung Collaboration Grammy.

Side Note: I really, really wish I had put Christina Aguilera's "Ain't No Other Man" on one of these discs.

Well, that sums up my discs. Thanks to Jim for another great Mixmania!

9/11 Mixmania

I'll never forget the night before September 11, 2001. I probably went to bed at around 1 or 2 in the morning. As I went to sleep, the last thing I thought about was the anime DVD I thought I was going to get in the mail the next day. I was looking forward to getting it and watching it the next day. That thought has stuck in my mind five years later because it just seemed so damn frivolous compared to what ended up happening the next day. I guess when a life-changing event like the September 11th terrorist attacks happens, everything before it just seems a little less important.

This mix was by far the most difficult one I've done of all the Mixmanias I've participated in. It was a combination of procrastination and a lack of inspiration. I thought of a couple of songs immediately, but for the longest time, I drew a blank on what other songs I wanted to include. In the end, I settled upon 11 songs. This mix is the shortest one I've done for Mixmania. Usually, I'm not happy with a mix if it's not at least an hour long. This mix is less than an hour long. In fact, it's less than 50 minutes long. In the end, this mix is a little unusual for me but September 11th was not the usual either.

Before I start naming the songs and talking about how they relate to how I spent September 11, 2001, let me give you a little more background. Even though I was enrolled at Northwestern at the time, I was at home because NU's new school year hadn't started yet. NU has a quarter system in which the year starts in mid-September and ends in June. With my grandmother's birthday being the day before 9/11, my mom had stayed overnight at my grandmother's house. My uncle and cousin had come into town a few days earlier to celebrate my grandmother's birthday and they were staying over at her house.

Now, my mix:

1. Fatboy Slim-“Star 69” (Sterfish WTF Mix): If there is one thing I will never forget about September 11, 2001 is the way I found out about the attacks. With my sister gone to school and my mom staying over at my grandmother's house (with my aunt taking her to work), the only people in the house were me and my dad. My dad was working nights at the time (and still does at the moment), so he had come home early that morning and gone to sleep. Meanwhile, since I had stayed up late the night before, I too was asleep.

At about 10-something in the morning, my dad came by my room and woke me up. He had just gotten up himself as he didn't even have his glasses on. The look on his face kind of betrayed that something big had happened. He told me to turn on the TV. I asked him why. He told me to turn on the TV again and said “I've never seen anything like this in my entire life.” I turned on the TV in my room. I had left it on FOX the night before. The very first thing I saw was the ruins of the World Trade Center. I sat in my room in silence. My dad sat on my bed and also looked at the TV in silence with me. We watched the coverage for at least 5-10 minutes without saying a word. I remember flipping through the various channels and seeing the same thing. Even non-news channels had stuff on. It was surreal. It was scary. And although I never said it out loud, I wondered “What The Fuck?”

The majority of Fatboy Slim's song “Star 69” consists of artist Roland Clark saying “What The Fuck?” For this mix, I just cut this song down to the final minute or so.

2. The Go! Team - “Air Raid Gtr”: In the moments after I found out about the terrorist attacks, I became worried thinking about what they meant. Would this mean another World War? Would this mean there would be a draft? Those thoughts scared the hell out of me since the only war I had lived through until that point was the first Gulf War.

The Go! Team is a happy, upbeat kind of group, but I picked this song because it consists of guitars played to sound like an air raid siren.

3. Thom Yorke - “The Clock”: With the worries about the implications of war also came worries that these attacks were only the beginning. For a while that day, I did wonder if another terrible thing was going to happen that day. In some respects it felt like time was running out on our country and this song, with the lyric “Time is running out/For us” seemed like a good choice for this mix.

4. DJ Shadow - “Blood On The Motorway”: Death certainly invaded my thinking as I thought about all the people whose lives were lost on that day. Even though I'm not sure if this song really reflects something I thought about on September 11th, it was one of the first songs I considered for this mix. It's one of DJ Shadow's great epic songs (right behind the “What Does Your Soul Look Like?” songs) and it's all about death. This song came out in 2002, so I have to wonder if September 11th was on DJ Shadow's mind when he put this line into the song: “You have not betrayed your ideals/Your ideals betrayed you.”

5. Pharrell - “Our Father”: I know I prayed on September 11th. I prayed that everyone in my family was safe. I prayed for the families of those who died. I picked this song because Pharrell is simply thanking God for everything he has. I don't think you can get much simpler (and truer) than a line like “Thank you for my mother/Thank you for my father.”

6. Terence Blanchard - “Opening Titles” from 25th Hour Original Score: I know I had a song about death on this mix, but I felt that I needed something that would be dedicated to the victims of 9/11. This piece is from the opening of the Spike Lee film 25th Hour, a film that ended up being one of the first films to show a post-9/11 New York City. The images that accompany the music are those of the temporary memorial of lights that was at Ground Zero.

7. The Notorious B.I.G. - “Somebody Gotta Die”: Let's be real. On September 11th, most of America wanted the sons of bitches who did it dead. Not tried in a courtroom, not “brought to justice” or anything like that. We wanted the people who organized such a heinous act dead, plain and simple. As Biggie says on this song: “Somebody's gotta die/If I go, you gotta go.” Now, why the hell isn't Osama bin Laden dead yet?

8. Gang Starr - “Moment Of Truth”: September 11th kind of made us as a country stop a bit. The U.S. is widely regarded as the world's last superpower and yet it took only a few people to take down the World Trade Center and attack the Pentagon. That is one unsettling thought.

I picked this song because it's all about facing the moment of truth that all of us face. It's incredibly unfortunate that our country's moment of truth about our safety resulted in the loss of so many lives.

9. Common - “Love Is...”: It's corny to say that all we need is love, but really we do need it. For a brief time after September 11th, many things that separated us seemed petty. We really felt like one for a little while. Now, of course, we're bitterly divided again. I want to scream whenever I hear the terms red state and blue state. Why can't we love our fellow man?

10. Sean Paul - “Never Gonna Be The Same”: After an event like the September 11th attacks, one thing was very clear...we would never again be the same country we were on September 10, 2001. We all feel the effects of the events of September 11th even today. I remember one time where my dad and I took my uncle to the airport in the times before September 11th. We were able to go into the airport and go all the way to the terminal before saying goodbye to him. The last time I went to take him to the airport after a family visit, we just had to drop him off and say goodbye. I will never be able to go into an airport again unless I'm catching a flight or working there. That's just one way that things have changed.

11. Gorillaz - “Demon Days”: After such a terrible day, ultimately you realize that you're still alive, that time will still keep going, and that tomorrow is a new day. I'm not saying that you forget. I'm saying that you deal with things and move on. I did not spend the days after September 11th gloomy. I went right back to living my life. You can't dwell on things that have already happened. You just have to hope that you've learned from them and continue to live as best you can.

The message of this final song (which is also the final song on the album it came from) is the same as what I mentioned above. The choir in the song sings “It's a brand new day/So turn yourself/Turn yourself/Turn yourself around/To the sun.” That's what we all did in the days after September 11, 2001. We went back to work and school. September 11, 2001 joins moments like the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and JFK and the Challenger disaster as something that will forever stay in the minds of those who were alive to see it. Our country was able to recover from those moments and it will recover from September 11th and hopefully, it will come out all the better.

News

I'm happy to report that I got a promotion at my job. I'm now (finally) full-time after more than a year working there. This means an increase in my hourly wage, benefits that kick in after 60 days, and the ability to get holiday pay and accumulate vacation days. I will have more responsibilities than before, but I know the area I will be working in very well and I'm confident that I'll be able to do the job.

So, does that mean that I'll be blogging less? Nope. My hours won't really increase that much since I was already working near-full-time hours anyway. However, the increase in wage is a big plus for me and hopefully, I can start actually saving some money and paying more of my bills.

Speaking of that, I am now in the market for a new cell phone. My current phone is a pretty ancient Nokia that I've had for at least 4 or 5 years. When I first got that phone, I had AT&T Wireless if that's any indication of how long I've had it. I don't even really know where to begin in terms of what phone to get. I don't really want or need a cameraphone and I don't necessarily have to have the latest thing. I just want a cell phone that gets good reception and has maybe a bit more features than my current phone. Oh, and maybe it'd be nice to have a flip phone this time.

There's still time to join in on the next Mixmania. This time around, the theme is 9/11. This is a really difficult theme and not for everyone. I have to admit that I'm finding it challenging to think of songs that express the variety of emotions I felt on that day. You have until August 23rd to join if you're up to the challenge.

The finalists for the 2006 Black Weblog Awards have been announced and I'm not one of them. However, there are some great blogs that are among the finalists and I encourage you to go to the site and vote. I'd say that maybe I'll be a finalist next year but that would be as delusional as saying that I'll be a multimillionaire tomorrow.

Finally, I found an old notebook of mine the other day and it had a skit I completely forgot I wrote. The skit had Lil' Jon as a guest on the PBS talk show Charlie Rose. I'm pretty sure that it predates Dave Chappelle's famous Lil' Jon skits, but since it was handwritten in a notebook with no date on it, I can't be sure. I didn't finish the skit (and I even left a note to myself to figure out how to end it) but it certainly reminded me of my eternal quest to get back to fiction writing. Whenever I eventually restart my creative writing blog, I'll have to remember to put up that “lost” skit.

Edit: I'm now on that beta version of Blogger. You might see a couple of changes here and there to the look of this blog over the next few days as I adjust.

Mixmania Meets Random Digital Pic

Well, I received the CD from my match for Hot Mixmania today in the mail. Apart from the fact it was an international package, the person who did it took the time to decorate the case. I thought it was really cool, so I felt the need to share it with you all. Check it out:



That was the only picture I took of it that was in focus. I think the design was done with markers and it certainly stands out.

This isn't the first time I've received nicely designed Mixmania stuff. Jim always does some interesting stuff on his discs and the disc I received for the Holiday Mixmania came in a case with a handmade insert that looked like a kid's art project (in a good way). The pic I posted here on the blog is half-sized. Go to my Picasa Web Album for the full-sized pic.

Evil Mixmania

With the remake of The Omen opening today (for obvious reasons), it's fitting that the time has come to post the song list for my Evil Mix. Here are the creepy, chilling, and downright eeevil songs I put on my 2-disc mix (with comments as always):

Disc 1

1. “Murder Was The Case (Remix)” by Snoop Dogg (from the short film “Murder Was The Case”): The remix of this song is the perfect way to start the first evil mix. If you haven’t seen the Dr. Dre-directed short film of the same name, it has Snoop Dogg making a deal with the devil so that he can live again after being shot.

2. “The Horror” by RJD2: The coolest horror movie music to never play in a real horror movie.

3. “Karma Police” by Radiohead: The idea of a “karma police” is chilling.

4. “97’ Bonnie & Clyde” by Tori Amos: While Eminem’s original song is more shocking, this remake is downright creepy.

5. “From 666 To 777” by Yasushi Ishii (from the anime Hellsing): This song starts out so happy and just gets darker and darker...

6. “Millie Pulled A Pistol On Santa” by De La Soul: Millie has a damn good reason for pulling that pistol. There are few things more evil than a father who sexually abuses his daughter.

7. “The Devil Is In The Details” by Boards Of Canada: The more you listen to this song and figure out what’s going on, the creepier it gets.

8. “Perfect Night” by Tsuneo Imahori (from the anime Trigun): This is one dark piece of industrial techno. I wonder what Trent Reznor would think if he ever heard it.

9. “The Watcher (Instrumental)” by Dr. Dre: Without the lyrics, this song really sounds like it would be a perfect fit in a suspenseful film.

10. “Shadow Of Doubt” by Yoko Kanno (from the anime Escaflowne): Every single time they showed the villains in the anime series, this piece is played. As beautiful as it is, I can’t listen to it without thinking of someone sinister.

11. “Fire Coming Out Of The Monkey’s Head” by Gorillaz featuring Dennis Hopper: Those poor happy folk.

12. “Suicidal Thoughts” by The Notorious B.I.G.: This is easily one of the darkest and most haunting hip-hop songs I've ever heard.

13. “Dracula’s holy pupil and R & R” by Yasushi Ishii (from the anime Hellsing): Am I the only one who automatically thinks “old world evil” every time I hear a harpsichord?

14. “Chirimen Air” by Yoko Kanno (from the movie Ashura): I just think this song has a nice, dark mood to it.

15. “Devils Haircut” by Beck: I don't know what Beck's referring to when he says “devils haircut” but it must be bad if it makes him scream at the end of the song.

16. “Calmative” by Taku Iwasaki (from the anime Now And Then, Here And There): Those who listen to this song may think that it doesn’t sound inherently evil or creepy. However, it definitely belongs here. This song is pretty much the theme music for King Hamdo, the truly insane villain of the anime series Now And Then, Here And There. I’ve seen anime series that were more violent but few have had the dramatic impact that this show has. I’ll have to write a post about it one day because it’s something that is definitely worth watching.

17. “Suicide Underground” by Air (from the movie The Virgin Suicides): Disc 1 of this mix ends with one of the single creepiest songs I’ve ever heard. By lowering the pitch of Giovanni Ribisi’s voice, Air made his monologue have even more of an impact than it already does.

Disc 2

1. “Backstabbers” by The O’Jays: I hope there is a special section in hell for those people who gain your love and trust only to stomp on it and screw you over.

2. “Natural Born Killaz” by Dr. Dre and Ice Cube (from the short film “Murder Was The Case”): Dr. Dre and Ice Cube are serial killers on this song. How the hell did this song ever get released as a single?

3. “El Mañana” by Gorillaz: [Please skip the following comments if you have not yet seen the video for this song.] Noooooooodle! Nooooooo! Why did you have to die?!!

4. “Broken Homes” by Tricky featuring PJ Harvey: “Murder is media.” Isn't that a scary thought?

5. “Smile” by Yoko Kanno (from the anime Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex): For a song with this title, it sounds pretty dark.

6. “Dead Wrong” by The Notorious B.I.G. featuring Eminem: Biggie was very good at exploring the darker side of things.

7. “The World’s Last Sagacious Period” by Yasushi Ishii (from the anime Hellsing): Who says evil can't sound badass?

8. “The Watcher (Instrumental) (Sterfish Reverse Mix)” by Dr. Dre: There is something just so alien about a backwards song.

9. “Murder Was The Case” by Snoop Dogg (feat. Dat Nigga Daz): Here's the original version of Snoop's song, from his debut album Doggystyle.

10. “We Tigers (Sterfish Slow Mix)” by Animal Collective: This song is strange in its original version but slowed down (by 66% no less), it starts to sound like an eerie, tribal sacrifice or something like that.

11. “Lovely Night” by Ichiko Hashimoto (from the anime RahXephon): There's something about the strings on this song (especially at the beginning) that does NOT make me think of the word “lovely.”

12. “Hail Mary” by Makaveli (a.k.a. 2Pac): All I have to say is “Revenge is like the sweetest joy next to getting pussy.”

13. “Hardcore Obelisk” by Squarepusher: This sounds like it should be paired up with images of hell.

14. “Empty House” by Air (from the movie The Virgin Suicides): A ghostly sadness envelopes this track.

15. “Kim” by Eminem: For all the talk about how shocking and disturbing this song is (and that talk is justified), I think that it's easily one of Eminem's best songs. In a darkly comic way, Em really hits not only on the love/hate relationship men have with women, but the hypocrisy in the way men deal with women. There's more to this song than it seems.

Thanks to Jim at Patriside for organizing another great Mixmania. I received his mix this time around and it was thoroughly enjoyable. Others' songlists also seem to be pretty good. My match certainly had an interesting one. Keep an eye on Jim's blog for news of the next Mixmania.

Mixmania: Guilty Pleasure/Desert Island

It's Mixmania time again and this time, it was challenging for a couple of reasons. For one thing, there was the theme…or should I say themes? This time around, two discs were required as one was to be a disc of guilty pleasures and another one that you'd want to have on a desert island. Plus, I bought a new computer recently and I had to learn to use the new burning software that came with it. All told, it took me a while to finish these particular mixes. In fact, I ended up sending the discs to my match a few days late. Nonetheless, here are my song lists, with comments as always.

Guilty Pleasures: I've reviewed a variety of music on my blog and Blog Critics including hip-hop, rock, R & B, electronica, and even anime soundtracks. I have no qualms about reviewing such a wide variety of stuff…so what kind of songs would be guilty pleasures for me? Well, as you'll see, guilty pleasures for me are goofy, stupid, funny, and just plain strange.

1. "Steal My Sunshine" by Len: This is an example of the beat making me like a song. By all counts, this song is incredibly stupid. The singing isn't good and the lyrics are terrible. However, the sampled beat is very good. It's so good, that I enjoy listening to this song.

2. "Still Tippin' (Screwed & Chopped)" by Mike Jones feat. Slim Thug and Paul Wall: I'll never forget when I first saw the video for this song (it was the original version). I hated it. I sat there like "What the hell?" I watched as this song slowly became more and more popular. It went from Rap City to regular BET to MTV Jams and then, to MTV itself. I saw it every time I watched videos. Eventually, it kind of grew on me. However, it wasn't until I saw the Screwed & Chopped video on MTV Jams did I finally like the song. The version I put on my disc isn't the same one I saw in the video, but it's close enough.

3. "Schnitzelbank" from Animaniacs: I am a big fan of Animaniacs and this silly song was one of my favorites from the show. It's cute and incredibly silly as it gets crazier and crazier. The cartoon itself is a little funnier because you can see the man get angrier as the cartoon went on. However, this is still a lot of fun.

4. "I'm Lonely" by Screamin' Jay Hawkins: I first heard this song at the end of a B-movie with Rosie Perez. I liked "I Put A Spell On You" and this song hooked me. I love the beat to this song and it's easy to sing along with. This is really more of a guilty pleasure because I don't know anyone who isn't annoyed by Screamin' Jay Hawkins's screaming.

5. "Soramimi Keeki" by Oranges & Lemons from Azumanga Daioh: Azumanga Daioh is one of my all-time favorite anime series and the minute I heard this fluffy song open the show, I knew I liked it. I don't know Japanese but whenever I hear this song, I sing along. It's just so…damn…cute.

6. "Cha Cha Slide (Part 2)" by Casper: Okay, this isn't really a guilty pleasure per se. It's one of those songs that was really popular for a while but isn't anymore. In fact, I bet people would start doing the cha cha slide if this suddenly came on in a club…or maybe not.

7. "O Fortuna" by Carl Orff: There probably isn't a person who hasn't heard a portion of this somewhere. I enjoy this whole piece, not just the part everyone knows.

8. "All Your Base Are Belong To Us" by Laziest Men On Mars: Time to show my age (Internetwise, anyway). Remember, that brief time when this was all the rage? Remember the flash file with all the signs photoshopped to say that phrase? Do you remember that the whole thing was inspired by a horrible translation of dialogue from a Sega Genesis/Arcade game? Do you? Was I the only one who enjoyed the song for some reason? Am I the only one to admit that?

9. "Spam" from Monty Python's Flying Circus: I like Monty Python and this particular skit is just so damn funny in audio form. In fact, I heard this skit before I ever saw it.

10. "Forces" by Susumu Hirasawa from Berserk: Berserk is a very good anime, but the music felt like it was 10 years behind the times. While I could've easily put the Engrish-heavy opening and closing songs, I opted to put this song, which is really a guilty pleasure for me. It's the song that plays whenever the next episode preview was shown. Despite the fact that it sounds like something that should have been made in the mid 1980's, it's so good yet so bad at the same time.

11. "Laffy Taffy" by D4L: I think fans of real hip-hop tend to hate shallow songs like this out of principle. Nothing makes such a fan angrier than something like this becoming popular and taking away radio airtime from better artists. This is a song that annoyed the crap out of me when I first heard it. Now, it makes me laugh. I still think it's terrible but it's terrible in a fun way. I just turn off my brain (and it's critical center) and mindlessly attempt to do the dance.

12. "Hindi Sad Diamonds" from Moulin Rouge: I really enjoyed Moulin Rouge and this song was one of my favorites in the movie. The combination of Bollywood music and electronic rhythms sounded incredibly cool to me. I guess I consider this a guilty pleasure because Moulin Rouge is a movie that you either love or hate.

13. "Untitled" by Oval: Okay, this is a true guilty pleasure in that I'm almost ashamed to say that I like this. There was a point in college where I got into IDM or Intelligent Dance Music (The name is sort of an oxymoron because there is no way in hell anyone could dance to IDM). IDM sounds incredibly different from "normal" music. It's filled with odd sounds and doesn't conform to normal musical standards. This particular song by Oval basically sounds like a CD skipping and is filled with strange sounds. To most people, it's noise. To me, it sounds oddly enjoyable.

14. "Mambo No. 5" by Lou Bega: I bet this will be on a lot of peoples' lists. This is the ultimate guilty pleasure. No one will admit to liking this song but everyone knows it and may even listen to it every so often. Here's a funny fact…my aunt actually bought and enjoyed Lou Bega's album.

15. "Raspberry Heaven" by Oranges & Lemons from Azumanga Daioh: (See Song #5 above)

16. "Sippin' On Some Sizzurp" by Three 6 Mafia: Before they became Oscar winners, I actually liked some of Three 6 Mafia's songs. In fact, I like both of the songs that have been released from their current album. This was the first song of theirs that I remember enjoying.

17. "The Percolator" by Unknown (If you know, tell me!): This song takes me back. I'll never forget when this was popular. My cousin was the only one I knew who could do this dance. I don't really know why I put this song on this disc.

18. "Kentucky Fried Chicken Commercial Bloopers" by Colonel Sanders: I end this disc with a really hilarious guilty pleasure. I know that you're not supposed to laugh at old people acting old and senile but dammit, this thing cracks me up every single time I hear it. The part when he tries to say the words "Most folks" always has me in tears.

Desert Island: Picking the songs for this disc was hard. If I ever got stranded on a desert island, I would somehow find a way to have my CD books wash up on shore with me.

1. "Airbag" by Radiohead: Radiohead's OK Computer is one of my all-time favorite albums and frankly, changed the way I listened to music. I decided to pick the opening song of the album to remind me of its greatness. I pretty much have most of the album committed to memory anyway.

2. "Raspberry Beret" by Prince: I've always been a big fan of Prince and I definitely wanted one of his songs on my disc. I didn't have time to find a copy of "Purple Rain," the song I really wanted to use so instead, I used this readily available (and very good) song.

3. "Tank!" by Yoko Kanno from Cowboy Bebop: There is so much depth and variety in Yoko Kanno's work that narrowing it down to just one song is damn near impossible. However, I chose this song as a sentimental favorite. It was her work scoring Cowboy Bebop and Escaflowne that made me a fan in the first place.

4. "Gin And Juice" by Snoop Dogg: I guess this can best be described as the essential Snoop Dogg song. I know this song by heart and it's a song that I always listen to whenever I hear it. Unlike the equally classic "Nuthin' But A G Thang," I have never gotten tired of this song.

5. "The Next Movement" by The Roots: I wish I had a couple of CDs to do the whole Desert Island thing with. When deciding on a song by The Roots, I had to pick between four songs from Things Fall Apart (my favorite album of theirs). I settled on this one…somehow.

6. "Star Guitar" by The Chemical Brothers: Dig Your Own Hole was one of the first electronic music albums I ever bought. A song from that album might have been here if my copy wasn't broken. Here in its place is a song that is always a must listen whenever I hear it.

7. "ATLiens" by OutKast: Even though OutKast has released good album after good album, my favorite is still ATLiens. The title song is one of my favorites from the album.

8. "Building Steam With A Grain Of Salt" by DJ Shadow: I loved both of DJ Shadow's studio albums and this song was one of the first I heard from him. The infectious combination of powerful drums and a great piano riff make it just wonderful.

9. "Big Poppa" by The Notorious B.I.G.: I took a listen to Ready To Die recently and I had forgotten how many good songs were on that album. I could've picked any song on there (as well as 90% of the stuff on Life After Death) but in the end, I picked "Big Poppa" because more so than any other song, it's what I feel is synonymous with Biggie.

10. "Right Here, Right Now" by Fatboy Slim: Remember when I said that The Chemical Brothers' Dig Your Own Hole was one of the first electronic albums I had ever bought? Well, Fatboy Slim's You've Come A Long Way, Baby was one of the first as well (for the record, the very first one was Vegas by The Crystal Method). This song was probably my favorite song from that album to not get a video and it wasn't as played out as "The Rockefeller Skank" or "Praise You."

11. "Ice Cream" by Raekwon feat. Ghostface Killah, Method Man & Cappadonna: The Wu had to be represented on this disc, so I decided to put a song from Raekwon's classic solo debut Only Built 4 Cuban Linx and one that features another Wu member with great solo work, Ghostface Killah.

12. "Dawn Chorus" by Boards Of Canada: I have never been more impressed with a song than I am with this one. It is my single favorite Boards of Canada song.

13. "Electric Relaxation" by A Tribe Called Quest: Midnight Marauders, the third album by A Tribe Called Quest, was the one that made me a fan. Even though I recognize that Peoples' Instinctive Travels… and The Low End Theory are classics, Midnight Marauders remains my favorite ATCQ album. This song is one of my favorites from that album.

14. "You Know My Steez" by Gang Starr: Do you know how much I like this song? I once performed it for a grade in a class about performance of poetry. Let's recap this. Me. Rapping. In front a class that was majority white and had never heard of Gang Starr. Yes, I like this song.

15. "Get Ur Freak On" by Missy Elliott: Miss E…So Addictive is Missy's best album and this song was one of the best on that album.

16. "N.Y. State Of Mind" by Nas: Illmatic is a classic. I know it's said often, but it's the truth. I don't why I ended up picking this song to use, but it's a great song by a great artist.

17. "Dear Mama" by 2Pac: I decided to end this disc with a song by the late, great 2Pac. Instead of picking one of the numerous songs he made about thug life, I picked what is probably the best hip-hop tribute to a mother.

My Holiday Mixmania Song List

It's finally here! I can now tell the world the songs I used for my Holiday Mixmania disc! But before I do that, let me tell you how it came about.

It seems like each Mixmania has gotten more challenging for me and this one was no exception. It all started when I went through our family's stash of Christmas CDs and started ripping songs. Once I gathered the songs I liked off all the CDs I knew about at the time, I searched around for more songs. In some respects, I was kind of disappointed that I wasn't able to find some versions of the songs I love. We have a bunch of Christmas LPs (and even 45s) that I used to play every holiday season growing up. One of my favorite records was a compilation called Christmas Wishes that had wonderful versions of "Joy To The World," "Sleigh Ride," and "Happy Holidays." Since I have no way to transfer songs from LP to CD (and I could not find these versions anywhere), I could not put them onto my mix.

However, after a while, it seemed like my mix was set. I burned a beta version of it that had 22 tracks and was over 76 minutes long. I played the mix for my mom (and my sister over the phone) and they enjoyed it. With a few corrections, that mix was going to be the one I was going to send off. That all changed, though, when I found out my mom had Now That's What I Call Christmas (the original). I enjoyed quite a few of the songs on there and I decided to see if I could put some of them on my mix. After that, it was like I couldn't stop. After hearing some very cool Christmas music while at work, I decided to search for some of those songs. I kept looking and looking. It got to the point where I had to burn a bunch of my files to CD in order to have any room on my hard drive.

Once I was set on the songs I was going to use, I ran into trouble figuring out the song list. I was using Winamp to figure out my order and before I could save the playlist file, the program crashed. I couldn't remember the order of the songs, so I had to start from scratch. To top it off at that, I made a last-minute substitution when I decided that I didn't like one of the songs enough to use it. In the end, all the ripping, searching, and burning resulted in a mix that I'm proud of.

My Holiday Mixmania Mix is the first one to be more than one disc. This isn't the first time I've done a multiple disc mix (see Summer Mixmania Bonus and Driving Mixmania Surprise), but it's the first time that my "official" Mixmania mix has been two discs. So, I now present you with the song list for my two-disc, 40-song, 2-hour-plus Holiday Mixmania mix (with comments)...

Disc 1

1. "March" from Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker Suite performed by The Berlin Symphony Orchestra
I'm a big fan of traditional, orchestra-performed Christmas music and nothing says traditional (and orchestra) like anything from The Nutcracker Suite.

2. "Caroling, Caroling" by Nat King Cole
While nearly everyone likes Nat King Cole's version of a certain holiday song, it seems like the rest of his wonderful Christmas album gets put to the wayside. Nat's Christmas album is one of the Christmas LPs we own and his version of "Caroling, Caroling" is one always seems to stay with me during the holidays.

3. "White Christmas" by The Drifters
While I tried to avoid some of the Christmas songs that are played way too much (not "Jingle Bell Rock" again!), I can't deny this wonderful version of "White Christmas." Remember how the judges on American Idol would always say that a contestant "made a song their own?" Well, this is a case where a group really did it.

4. "Skating" from A Charlie Brown Christmas by The Vince Guaraldi Trio
The soundtrack to A Charlie Brown Christmas is, far and away, my favorite Christmas album of all-time. I normally am very reluctant to name my "all-time" favorite anything but this is the exception to the rule. The smooth jazz of this soundtrack is memorable and timeless. "Skating" is a wonderful little piece that is but one example of how great that album is.

5. "Jingle Bells (Robbie Hardkiss Remix)" by Duke Ellington
In looking for music to use on my mix, I realized that I didn't really like a whole lot of contemporary Christmas music. I really wanted to hear a fun, hip take on Christmas music as opposed to hearing another current artist potentially ruin great songs. When I found out about the Christmas Remixed albums (and others like them), I thought they were really interesting. Giving classic versions of Christmas songs a fresh twist seemed like a great idea. This remix of Duke Ellington's take on "Jingle Bells" may make you unsure if it's even a Christmas song or not.

6. "Wonderful Christmastime" by Paul McCartney
When I did the first (single disc) version of my mix, this song was the only one my family couldn't stand. Even though I'm not the biggest fan of Sir Paul, I kind of have a soft spot for this song. For one thing, De La Soul put it great use on their song "Simply Havin," which was my first exposure to this song. Then, after I heard the song in its entirety at work, I grew to enjoy it. I don't like Paul's vocals and the lyrics aren't that great, but I love the melody and the blissfully direct chorus: "Simply having a wonderful Christmas time."

7. "The Mistletoe Jam (Everybody Kiss Somebody)" by Luther Vandross
One of the great things about the late, great Luther Vandross was the way he made everything he sung sound 10 times better than it would've been if anyone else sang it. Something tells me that if anyone else sang this song, they would make it sound corny. However, Luther made it sound like holiday fun for the grown and sexy.

8. "Little Drummer Boy/Peace On Earth" by Bing Crosby and David Bowie
I remember seeing this clip on a holiday special and it amazed me in the same way it probably amazed audiences when it came on. Out of all the people to do a duet together...David Bowie and Bing Crosby? However, it worked very well and when I found out that we had a copy of this, I had to put it on my mix.

9. "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" by The Jackson 5
This is such a fun, giddy version of this song. The Jackson 5 sang it like children who couldn't wait for the big guy to show up.

10. "Happy Holiday" by Peggy Lee
I've always liked the song "Happy Holidays" and I really liked the version from that Christmas album I mentioned above. However, upon hearing this song, I have to admit that it's probably a lot better. It's smooth, easy-going, and far from cheesy.

11. "Sleigh Ride" by The Boston Pops Orchestra
This is one of my favorite Christmas songs. I always love hearing a good orchestra or band play this gem. This version is a little slower than the one from the record I enjoy, but it's still very good nonetheless.

12. "A Holly Jolly Christmas" by Burl Ives
I used to always enjoy watching Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer every year on TV and this song is probably one of the best from that special (not including the title song, of course).

13. "Christmas Time Is Here (instrumental)" from A Charlie Brown Christmas by The Vince Guaraldi Trio
Here's another track from my all-time favorite Christmas album. It's funny how my appreciation of the instrumental version of this song has grown over the years. Growing up, I rarely played it. However, after buying the CD version of the album a couple of years ago, I discovered how great this version is. The beginning of this song gives me chills (in a good way).

14. "Another Lonely Christmas" by Prince
Okay, I have to admit that I don't necessarily listen to this song at Christmas. However, for some strange reason, it's one of the first songs I wanted to put on my Holiday Mixmania mix. This song was a B-side to a single from Purple Rain and I own the 45 to prove it. It's always been one of my favorite Prince songs and I was tempted to put a six-minute-long version I found on this mix. I think the shorter version is a little bit better and that's what I included here.

15. "Joy To The World (Mocean Worker Remix)" by The Cathedral Brass
This is another Christmas remix. This one really turns the original song on its head and it's fun and upbeat.

16. "Let It Snow" by Dean Martin
Who hasn't heard this version of the classic song? I know I said that I wanted to avoid overplayed versions of Christmas songs, but this one is just nice to listen to.

17. "It Must Have Been Old Santa" by Harry Connick, Jr.
I'll be honest...I've seen more movies and TV shows with Harry Connick, Jr. in them than I have heard songs by him. But when I skimmed through that Now Christmas CD, this song stood out. I liked the beat and the old-school jazzy feel.

18. "Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy" from Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker Suite by The Berlin Symphony Orchestra
Hearing this song and thinking about the line from "'Twas The Night Before Christmas" make me want to try a sugar plum one day. I bet it's delicious.

19. "Someday At Christmas" by Stevie Wonder
Our family owns Stevie Wonder's Christmas album on record and it's one of my favorites. However, this song stands out as something that should become a holiday classic. The opening lyrics of the song shows just how timely it still is: "Someday at Christmas/Men won't be boys/Playing with bombs/Like kids play with toys."

20. "Mary Had A Baby" by Cheryl Porter
Cheryl Porter is a gospel/jazz singer from Chicago who is currently based in Italy. She is also a relative of mine. Despite the fact we're related, she has a wonderful voice and I decided to put two tracks from her album, A Cheryl Porter Christmas, onto my Holiday Mixmania mix. For more information about her and her music, please visit her website.

Disc 2

1. "March (Baz Kuts Breaks Mix)" from Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker Suite by The Berlin Symphony Orchestra
Disc two kicks off with the same song from disc one but done in a different way. This remix of the familiar holiday song makes it sound fresh and contemporary.

2. "Little Saint Nick" by The Beach Boys
I gained a newfound respect for The Beach Boys after I heard their classic album Pet Sounds. I can't say that I'm a fan of Brian Wilson, but I could definitely hear his genius in that album. That being said, I like this Christmas offering from the group...even if it is used in various Christmas commercials.

3. "Please Come Home For Christmas" by Charles Brown
I love the old-school, bluesy feel of this song. The holiday anthem for couples who are on the outs with each other.

4. "Every Year, Every Christmas" by Luther Vandross
While "The Mistletoe Jam" was upbeat and fun, this song is closer to the Luther that we will forever remember. Others would have made this song sound syrupy and sappy. Luther makes it sound sincere and smooth.

5. "Christmas Is Coming" from A Charlie Brown Christmas by The Vince Guaraldi Trio
How many times must I tell you that I love this album?

6. "Carol Of The Bells" (version from the movie Home Alone)
I honestly don't know what boys choir sang this version of the classic song. I want to say it's the world-famous Vienna Boys Choir (although I had a version of this song they recorded that I decided not to use), but I don't know if it's them. Regardless, it's very nice.

7. "Winter Wonderland" by Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett is so cool that he did an MTV Unplugged. This should tell you that his version of this song is going to be good.

8. "Christmas In Hollis" by Run DMC
When it comes to Christmas hip-hop, there doesn't seem to be much out there. I can only think of three songs off the top of my head: the Santa rap from the movie Beat Street, "Santa Claus Goes Straight To The Ghetto" by Snoop Dogg, and this song. I think this one is the best out of the three.

9. "Jingle Bells" by Diana Krall
Another Now Christmas discovery. I knew who Diana Krall was before I heard this version of the song, but I had never heard anything she did before. I like her nice, piano-driven take on this classic.

10. "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear" by The Ray Conniff Singers
So light...so fluffy...so cheesy. That Christmas Wishes record I love had a great version of this song by Percy Faith's orchestra and I really wanted to use that one. However, the glee club wonderment of the Ray Conniff Singers is a fun substitute.

11. "Russian Dance" from Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker Suite by The Berlin Symphony Orchestra
This is that one part from The Nutcracker Suite that's used in every commercial for a wacky Christmas comedy (Christmas With The Kranks, Jingle All The Way). Despite that dubious achievement, this song is great.

12. "The Santa Claus Man" by Cheryl Porter
This is the other song I put from my relative. It's a quick, smooth glimpse of her talent.

13. "Happy Holidays (Beef Wellington Remix)" by Bing Crosby
Quite simply, this is the best Christmas remix I've ever heard. It doesn't really change much of the song. Instead, it enhances it and makes it bold, catchy, and immensely fun. The minute I heard it, I loved it. This is a new holiday classic for me.

14. "This Christmas" by Donny Hathaway
There are a select few songs that no one should ever remake. This is one of them. There was no way that this mix was not going to include this song.

15. Blue Christmas by Elvis Presley
This is a relatively new discovery for me. I like some of Elvis's songs and after hearing this one on the Now Christmas set, it grew on me. I don't know if it's Elvis's unique voice or the wonderful background vocals that make this song sound so good.

16. "Silent Night" by The Temptations
The Temptations were to "Silent Night" what Marvin Gaye was to "The Star Spangled Banner." There is no version of "Silent Night" quite like this.

17. "The Christmas Song" by Nat King Cole
While some songs shouldn't be remade, I'm glad that Nat King Cole decided to do his own version of Mel Torme's song. This is, hands down, the definitive version of this song. Even Torme himself thought so. There's no greater compliment than the original artist saying that your version is better than his own.

18. "Run Rudolph Run" by Chuck Berry
This was a last-minute addition to the mix. I originally put a remix of "Let It Snow" by Lena Horne here, but I felt that the remix didn't do justice to the original and I put this fun, often heard song in its place.

19. "Christmas Time Is Here (Markus Enoshson Remix)" from A Charlie Brown Christmas by The Vince Guaraldi Trio
A good remix often makes you hear a song in a different way. This remix of the vocal version of "Christmas Time Is Here" makes the children's vocals sound haunting and ethereal. It's a great (and fascinating) listen.

20. "Happy Christmas (War Is Over)" by John Lennon & Yoko Ono and The Plastic Ono Band with The Harlem Community Choir
So, the mix ends with this wonderful song from John Lennon. I put this on my mix without even realizing that this year was the 25th anniversary of his death. What's even more interesting is that I was born in the year he died.

That's my massive Holiday Mixmania mix. I hope that my match enjoys it and I can't wait to enjoy it for years to come.

Thanks to Jim for organizing another Mixmania (and keeping my mixing skills fresh). Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!

The Driving Mixmania Surprise

After sending bonus discs to my Summer Mixmania match as my way of making up for the discs not getting there on time, I decided that I would send a bonus of some kind to my match for this Mixmania. I got a lot of different ideas (I won't reveal them because I could use them in the future) but ultimately I settled on something.

The bonus I sent for my Mixmania match was a three-volume set of mixes. The mixes featured a grand total of 52 songs and over 3 ½ hours of music. I did not send song lists to go with these mixes, so there was a bit of mystery about what was on each mix, like the Mixmania. In addition, all three mixes have something in common.

Now, the link between the mixes is...














(SPOILER SPACE for Jim)

















Yoko Kanno!

Okay, I guess I'll explain. Every song on those mixes was composed and/or produced by Yoko Kanno. Yoko Kanno is one of the biggest (if not the biggest) composers working in anime and she is also one of my favorite artists. Most recently, it was announced that she will be composing music for the online RPG Ragnarok Online 2. I've given her praise quite a few times on this blog (I recently re-reviewed the second GITS:SAC OST by her) and given that she has produced a ton of music, it seemed like a good idea to send compilations of her work to my match and maybe (just maybe) turn someone else into a fan. In making the mixes, I tried to put a variety of songs. I have a lot of her work but I'm still lacking in some areas (I don't have a lot of her non-anime work). Nonetheless, I think this is a very good mix of music that will give an idea of the versatility this woman has.

Now, I present you with the song lists from each of the mixes. I won't go into detail about these songs because if I did, this post would be 20 pages long. There are 52 songs across these mixes, you know. I will list the order of the songs and where each song came from. If an asterisk appears next to the anime (or album) where the song came from, it means that the particular disc (as in album) it came from is available domestically. Otherwise, you will have to turn to the Internet for downloads or various sites like CD Japan for import copies.

Volume 1

1. "Inner Universe"-Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex* (will be referred to in the future as GITS:SAC)
2. "Idol Talk"-Macross Plus*
3. "Tank!"-Cowboy Bebop TV
4. "Strangers"-Wolf's Rain*
5. "Shadow Of Doubt"-Escaflowne TV
6. "Saigo no Mameshiba"-Arjuna
7. "Christmas In The Silent Forest"-GITS:SAC
8. "Fantasie Sign"-Cowboy Bebop TV
9. "Shiro, Long Tail's"-Wolf's Rain
10. "2nd Life"-Arjuna*
11. "Dance Of Curse"-Escaflowne TV
12. "What Planet Is This (Long Version)"-Cowboy Bebop Movie
13. "Torukia"-GITS:SAC
14. "The Man In The Desert"-Song To Fly
15. "Wanna Be An Angel"-Macross Plus
16. "Time To Know~Be Waltz"-Cowboy Bebop Movie
17. "Blue"-Cowboy Bebop TV

Volume 2

1. "Cyberbird"-GITS:SAC*
2. "Valse de la lune"-Wolf's Rain*
3. "Ask DNA"-Cowboy Bebop Movie
4. "Blaze"-Escaflowne TV
5. "Nowhere & Everywhere"-Song To Fly
6. "Mameshiba"-Arjuna*
7. "Bad Dog No Biscuits"-Cowboy Bebop TV
8. "Angel"-Escaflowne TV
9. "I Can't Be Cool"-GITS:SAC*
10. "The Real Folk Blues (alternate)"-Cowboy Bebop TV
11. "Light Of Love"-Brain Powerd
12. "Medicine Eater"-Escaflowne TV
13. "Monochrome"-GITS:SAC*
14. "Atomic Bird"-Song To Fly
15. "Sora"-Escaflowne Movie*
16. "Surf"-GITS:SAC*
17. "Gotta Knock A Little Harder"-Cowboy Bebop Movie

Volume 3

1. "Hemisphere"-RahXephon*
2. "Piano Black"-Cowboy Bebop TV
3. "Bike"-Arjuna*
4. "Where Does The Ocean Go?"-GITS:SAC*
5. "Cubic"-Escaflowne TV
6. "Powder"-Cowboy Bebop Movie
7. "Omega Blue"-Arjuna*
8. "Dear John"-GITS:SAC
9. "Yo Pumpkin Head"-Cowboy Bebop Movie
10. "Horse Ride"-Escaflowne Movie*
11. "The Garden Of Everything"-Rahxephon (sort of)
12. "The Ship"-Song To Fly
13. "Spotter"-GITS:SAC*
14. "Sanctuary"-Arjuna
15. "Space Lion"-Cowboy Bebop TV
16. "Gravity"-Wolf's Rain*
17. "Living Inside The Shell"-GITS:SAC*
18. "Dew"-GITS:SAC

P.S. Sorry about putting this out "technically" on the 16th. However, cut me some slack...you see how long this post is?

My Driving Mixmania Song List

For the third time, I have participated in Mixmania. This time, the mix has a driving theme. For my mix, I decided to do something sort of interesting. I mixed songs that had something to do with cars or driving (even vaguely) with songs that just sounded like they would sound good while driving. It's weird...the one time that I actually burn my mix on time, there is a delay in getting it sent out because of the surprise I sent along with it. And now, the song list...

1. "Daytona 500" by Ghostface Killah featuring Raekwon & Cappadonna: When I found out that this Mixmania would have a driving theme, this is one of the first songs I thought about using. Whether it's the song's wonderful beat, the racing reference in the title, or the music video (which was made up entirely of clips from the classic anime Speed Racer), there was no question that this would be on the mix.

2. "Presidente" by Kinky: Kinky is a very cool group out of Mexico. I decided to buy their first album on a whim after seeing a story about them on a Latino entertainment show on a very late Saturday night. I've been a fan since. I was torn about which song of theirs to use but I decided to use this song, the first single from their second album Atlas. Even if you don't know any Spanish (my knowledge has lessened a lot since I was in college), you can definitely enjoy the wonderful music.

3. "Two Dope Boyz In A Cadillac" by OutKast: I became a fan of OutKast when I was in high school and their album ATLiens was released. ATLiens remains my favorite OutKast album to this day. This song has a smooth beat to it...perfect for a slow ride in your Cadillac.

4. "Broken Dreams" by Basement Jaxx: Basement Jaxx makes another appearance on a Mixmania disc (I put a song from them on the first one). I like this song because the beat is pretty straightforward and it sounds perfect for driving.

5. "Mashin' On The Motorway" by DJ Shadow: DJ Shadow's back with a very funny, very driving-related song. Featuring Lateef The Truth Speaker on vocals, this song is hilarious as he raps and navigates the motorway with people cursing him out as he goes. I thought about putting the song that follows this song on DJ Shadow's album The Private Press called "Blood On The Motorway" on this disc, but I decided against it.

6. "Sunday After You" by Kenna: It's a shame that more people didn't catch on to Kenna's wonderful debut album New Sacred Cow. Then again, this is an artist that defied categories left and right. First off, he's black and the music he makes is best described as "electro pop." Then, his album is produced by Chad Hugo of The Neptunes (aka the one that you don't see as often). He was on Fred Durst's record label for a while before moving to Sony and the first time a lot of people heard of him was in a video that appeared on a Toonami special. Despite that, this is a great song and the beat will hook you.

7. "Let Me Ride" by Dr. Dre: Another driving-related song. I don't think I need to explain this classic from Dr. Dre's album The Chronic.

8. "Follow My Ruin" by Röyksopp: I love Röyksopp's current album The Understanding and there are quite a few songs on it that would sound good in a car on a trip. I had to narrow it down, though, and I decided on this song. You will just feel good listening to this song.

9. "Fender Bender" by Kid Koala: Here's a fun little driving-related song. Kid Koala is one of the fastest scratchers I've ever heard and it shows in the second half of this song. The entire "conversation" between the people involved in the fender bender of the title is scratched by him. Also, check out the weird animated music video if you get a chance.

10. "On & On" by Missy Elliott: This song is one of those songs that's only a good driving song because you want to turn it up and blast it while riding in your car. Missy dons an old-school rapping style over what is by far one of the most creative beats from The Neptunes I've heard in a while. It's off-kilter, spacey, bubbly, and funky.

11. "Survival on the street of insincerity" by Yasushi Ishii (from Hellsing OST 1: RAID): Here's the lone anime song on this mix. The only thing driving-related in this song is the word "street" in the title. However, it's a great piece of funky rock. Even though this song comes from the first soundtrack, the second soundtrack called RUINS is actually the better one. Both soundtracks are available domestically from Geneon Anime Music.

12. "Midday Sun" by Ian O'Brien: Nice...smooth...relaxing...this song is perfect for a leisurely drive.

13. "Running Down A Dream" by Tom Petty: Like "Daytona 500," this is one of the songs that immediately came to mind when I heard about the driving theme. I always remember that black-and-white animated video for this song.

14. "Ghostwriter" by RJD2: Three for three, ladies and gentlemen. RJD2 has appeared on all three Mixmania discs I've done. In all honesty, this song should have been on the Summer Mixmania disc. Regardless, it's also a great driving song. When I first heard it, I could've sworn I had heard it in a movie, TV show, or commercial before. I can't put my finger on which one, though.

15. "Boomin' System" by LL Cool J: Here's a last-minute addition. Even though it's perfect for this mix with its refrain of "Cars ride by with the boomin' system," I did not even think about it until I heard it on the radio a couple of nights before I was going to burn the mix. This is also one of my dad's favorite songs. Now that I have it, it's only a matter of time before I have to burn it to disc for him.

16. "Play Dead" by Bjork: Bjork? On a driving mix? Yep. You may think it's weird now, but wait until you hear the beat. It's simple, bass heavy, and yet still Bjork.

That concludes my Driving Mixmania mix. However, I'll clue you in on a little secret. There was one more song I wanted to put on here but I couldn't because my burner didn't want to copy it. That song is Radiohead's "The Tourist" from OK Computer. I wanted to end this mix with a driving-related song, but it didn't work out. Yet, maybe this mix is better without that song. Who knows...

Thanks to Jim for organizing this once again. It's fun to put my mixmaking skills to the test. (P. S. Thanks for sending me your mix, Jim!)

As for the surprise...well, you'll have to wait a little longer before I reveal that. However, I promise that I'll reveal it in full before September 16th.

Summer Mixmania! Bonus

On Friday, I resent my Mixmania mix to my match. Not only did I send this one via Priority Mail but I also got delivery confirmation with a tracking number. According to the person at the post office, it should get to the recipient by Monday. Now, about that bonus...

I decided to send, as compensation for the disc arriving late, two complementary personal mix CDs. I originally made these mix CDs only a week or two before I found out about the first Mixmania. In fact, some of the songs on these mixes appeared on my first Mixmania disc. I called the mixes complimentary because each mix contains a lot of the same artists and sometimes the same song in different versions. As an added bonus for my match, each mix has one additional song that isn't on my personal mixes.

Well, here are the song lists for these mixes, simply called Just A Mix 1 and Just A Mix 2.

Just A Mix 1

1. The Verve-"Bittersweet Symphony": Who doesn't know this song? It's definitely one of my favorites.

2. Unkle-"Garage Piano": This song is upbeat and a little gritty. The piano on this song (if that is piano) does sound like it sat in a garage for a loong time.

3. Akasha-"Interzone (Ian O'Brien Remix)": I've never heard of Akasha and this is the only song I have from him/her/them. The only reason I have it is because it's a remix by Ian O'Brien, an Acid Jazz artist. I first heard of him when he did a wonderful remix of a song from Cowboy Bebop. I have a few of his songs and remixes and I like this one.

4. (Artist Unknown)-"That's Enough" (from Jet Set Radio): The original Jet Set Radio (renamed Jet Grind Radio when it came to the U.S.) for Sega Dreamcast had, by far, the best video game soundtrack I've ever heard. It's full of hip-hop influenced poppy dance tracks and this one is one of my favorites.

5. Pitchshifter-"Genius (Luke Vibert Remix)": The same deal with Akasha is true of Pitchshifter. This is the only song I have by them and I only got it because an artist I like, Luke Vibert, remixed it. Vibert turned this song into a quirky combination of rock and dance.

6. J Ralph-"One Million Miles Away": Remember that Volkswagon commercial from a few years ago when a guy has to drive his Volkswagon in order to get to his wedding on time? Well, this is the music from that commercial.

7. Lamb-"Cotton Wool (Fila Brazilia Remix)": Lamb is a group that kind of reminds me of Portishead with the nice beats and ethereal vocals. This is a remix of one of their songs. I have a good amount of songs by Fila Brazilia and I especially enjoy their remixes.

8. Mirwais-"Definitive Beat": The title of this song says it all. It's a pulsing beat and that's about it. It's a good beat, though.

9. Nine Inch Nails-"The Perfect Drug (Jonah Sharp Remix)": This is a remix (or recreation as it's credited in my MP3) of one of my favorite Nine Inch Nails songs.

10. Radiohead-"Climbing Up The Walls (Fila Brazilia Remix)": There's Fila Brazilia, remixing again. This remix takes the dark and sort of depressing song and seriously smoothes it out.

11. Boa-"Duvet" (from Serial Experiments Lain): This is one of the bonus songs. This is the full-length version of the song that opened the exceedingly weird anime Serial Experiments Lain. However, don't think that this song is weird. On the contrary, it's a nice, soft adult-contemporary-esque song.

12. Luke Vibert-"I Hear The Drummer": A veteran of my first Mixmania disc, this is one of my favorite songs. It sounds like it should've come from a modern remake of a 1950s monster movie.

13. Unkle-"Twin Tower": Here's another Unkle song. This one is kind of long but the beat changes a few times. I love the last beat change towards the end.

14. Wagon Christ-"Musipal": Despite the name, this is Luke Vibert again. More quirky, fun dance.

15. Unkle featuring Ian Brown-"Be There": Sometimes, a song gets better when vocals are added. This is the case with this song. You see, the American version of Unkle's album Psyence Fiction has only the instrumental version of this song called "Unreal." The vocal version is actually better and has a creepy video to go along with it.


Just A Mix 2

1. Nine Inch Nails-"The Perfect Drug": One of my favorite Nine Inch Nails songs.

2. Radiohead-"Meeting In The Aisle": This is one of my all-time favorite Radiohead songs. I love this instrumental and I really really wish I bought the EP that this came from when it was still in print.

3. Lamb-"Five": This instrumental song has a wonderful beat that makes me wonder if it has ever appeared in commercials, movies, or TV.

4. Luke Vibert-Shimmering Haze: Another Vibert song. Not only that, but this song, is like a complement to "I Hear The Drummer" from the previous disc.

5. N.E.R.D.-"She Wants To Move (Basement Jaxx Remix)": Here's that other bonus song. This is Basement Jaxx's Grammy-nominated remix of one of my favorite N.E.R.D. songs from their album Fly Or Die.

6. Unkle featuring Thom Yorke-"Rabbit In Your Headlights (Underdog Remix)": This remix of one of my favorite Unkle songs speeds it up and adds a pounding drum beat.

7. Radiohead-"Climbing Up The Walls (Zero.7.Mix)": Same song, different remix, same result. This remix also smoothes out this originally creepy song.

8. Wagon Christ-"Receiver": More of ol' Luke. This song is just fun and upbeat.

9. (Artist Unkown)-"Futurama Theme (Remix)": I don't know who did this, but boy am I thankful they did. This is an extended version of the Futurama theme song.

10. The Verve-"Bittersweet Symphony (Unkle Remix)": This remix takes this song and adds a nice beat behind it. However, even Unkle couldn't deny the original by the time they got towards the end.

11. Wagon Christ-"Tallyho": You know what? I was just feeling Luke Vibert when I did this mix, okay? More fun stuff.

12. RJD2-"Smoke And Mirrors": Great song from RJD2's debut Deadringer. It's a bluesy, upbeat record that sounds sort of DJ Shadow-esque.

13. The Chemical Brothers featuring The Magic Numbers-"Close Your Eyes": Another veteran of my first Mixmania disc, this song grew to be my favorite from Push The Button, The Chemical Brothers' most recent album.

14. Daft Punk-"Human After All": What do you know? Another first Mixmania veteran! Upbeat retro-sounding techno!

15. Luke Vibert-"Slipped Disc": The last Luke Vibert song. It really is, I swear.

Well, I hope my match enjoys the additional 30 songs. They certainly provide a contrast to my actual Summer Mixmania! disc.