Time Mixmania: Bonus Mix

Given that my Time Mixmania mix was only one disc, I wanted to include another disc of some kind. Plus, I wanted to make a completely unthemed mix, something I hadn't done for myself in a while. So, I did.

1. Shirley Bassey - “Where Do I Begin” (awayTEAM mix): This is from the Shirley Bassey remix album called Diamonds Are Forever.... When I was in college, there was an event for new students at the Student Center and many local businesses came and gave away stuff. The local record store was there and they had a big box of random CDs for people to take. I found the Shirley Bassey remix album in that box. Best deal ever.

2. Hooverphonic - “Battersea”: This is just a nice, epic pop song. I am firmly convinced that Yoko Kanno heard this song (or something like it) when she composed the song “Cyberbird” for Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex. They aren't exactly alike so Kanno didn't plagiarize or anything like that, but the sound is similar.

3. Cut Chemist - “Metrorail Thru Space”: I love the way this song goes from being purposely cheesy to being just damn good.

4. De La Soul - “Pease Porridge”: Here's a random pick. I really like the odd beat for this song with the way the horns just come and go combined with the percussion. The way De La raps on the song just seals the deal.

5. J. Dilla - “Nothing Like This”: I've sung this song's praises more than once, so I don't have to do it again. Needless to say, I really really like it.

6. RJD2 - “Since We Last Spoke”: Honestly, I don't know why I haven't used this song on a mix before. It's a really good song.

7. Hikaru Utada - “Passion” from Kingdom Hearts II: I don't know why, but her songs are just perfect for the opening movies of Kingdom Hearts games. I loved “Simple And Clean” from the original game, and I like this song too.

8. Yoko Kanno feat. Ilaria Graziano - “Replica” from GITS:SAC Solid State Society: One of my favorite songs from the Solid State Society OST. I like Ilaria Graziano's vocals here (and just in general, really).

9. Wu-Tang Clan - “For Heaven's Sake”: This remains one of my favorite songs from Wu-Tang Forever. I love the way that sped-up sample is combined with the gritty beat.

10. Cut Chemist - “The Garden”: Just like “Nothing Like This,” this is a song that I can't say enough good about. The berimbau, the drums, the vocals. Definitely my favorite song off Cut Chemist's album.

11. Deavid Soul - “House City Rockers”: When I reviewed their album, this was a real surprise. It's wild, frenetic fun.

12. RJD2 - “Exotic Talk”: I kind of forgot that I liked this song, so here it is.

13. Ghostface Killah feat. Raekwon & U-God - “Black Jesus”: The choir sample in the background is what gets me on this song.

14. Yoko Kanno - “Cyber Folk Music” from Aquarion: Keeping in the choir/chorus vocal theme comes this song.

That's the Bonus Mix I sent to my match along with the Time Mixmania mix. I need to make more mixes like this again.

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?

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.