OK, I'm not much on coming up with elaborate tales for my mixes. I hope most of you understand that usually a mix starts out with a song you know you want in it, and it goes from there. In this case, my original song isn't even in the playlist anymore, but that's the way this shit works. So, keeping the theme in mind, please accept my humble attempt at trying to describe what I came up with. There is an art to composing any mix, but art is in the eye of the beholder.
PS -- I slaved away over this mix for many a nights. I got tons of feedback, none of which i listened to, and eventually *settled* for this. Most of that agony was dealing with the time restraints, which I'm sure I'm not the only one to fret over. But regardless, now that it's done, I do want feedback, but only the good kind. If you think it sucks, well screw you, but if you liked it please stroke my ego. And of course, anything you liked, please just tell me and I will be more than happy to illegally supply you with more mp3s. Happy listening!
The Playlist:
1. Primus - Over The Electric Grapevine
2. White Zombie - Ratfinks Suicide Tanks and Cannibal Girls
3. Daft Punk - Da Funk
4. Amon Tobin - Rhino Jockey
5. Fluke - Atom Bomb
6. Amon Tobin - Verbal featuring MC Decimal R
7. Beastie Boys - Sabrosa
8. Gorillaz - Tomorrow Comes Today
9. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Pretty Little Ditty
10. Massive Attack - Black Milk
11. The Mermen - Burn
The Explanation:
So I have the 4:00am - 5:00am time slot for a Friday night. Now, at that time on a Friday, you should be high. I can't think outside the box on this matter... on a Friday night I would be high. If you're not, your loss. I specifically asked for this time because of the magic of 4:20. During the mix you should hit it a few minutes into Rhino Jockey. The point of the mix was to give you a quality hour of stoner listening, which indeed it does. Though because of time constrictions, I was unable to end a song precisely at 4:20am. So instead what you have is a certain kind of vibe throughout the playlist which encompasses the spirit of packin a nice bowl of kb. Initially it should keep you alive and kickin, which is why we start with the Primus....
Usually I tend to think that the first song on a mix is something everyone should recognize, something to immediately get you interested. And though you SHOULD all have heard Tales From The Punchbowl, I will acknowledge that some probably won't. Oh fuckin well, this a fuckin catchy tune. Possibly my favorite Primus track ever. Go check out the lyrics, too. It's about a bunch of kids on a roadtrip. How e2 is that! The initial guitar gets you wound up, it's a fuckin journey you're about to go on...
Time to kick it up a notch, White Zombie for the record, Rob Zombie to be more precise. Word up to local Massachusetts boy! This song is actually from the Beavis and Butthead Do America Soundtrack, during the part when they trip out in the desert. And though we may not quite be on a psychedelic journey, the song rules regardless. The intro is a great segue from the Primus and then kabaam the guitar kicks in. IT'S ALIVE. WHO WILL STOP ME.
That's a pretty rockin tune, but it also has a very nice funky beat to it, which brings us to the Daft Punk. After Zombie you can't just needlessly go into more rockin. We rocked, it's done. It's time to funk. No lyrics here to speak of, this music is for gettin shit done. In your case, you have a bowl to pack. Your head should be nodding, your foot tappin, your fingers packin. The bass in this track is seriously bad ass. THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP. Yeeeah...
And now, the fuckin bad ass that you are, your bowl should be packed, a check on the clock reveals you have t minus three minutes and fourteen seconds til liftoff. Are you ready to get it on? Amon Tobin. The boy is a fucking genius, he started remixing jazz, and he has become a solid little DJ. This track from Supermodified is definitely one of his best. One thing you must do is drive with this song. Also, it's time to turn the volume up right fuckin now. But seriously, listening to this, you should feel like a bas ass. Crack your knuckles...
After Rhino Jockey, it's key to continue on keeping you in that mindset of I AM A BADASS. To do it, we have Fluke. I don't know shit about them, I probably should, I do know that this track rules. I heard it initially on The Saint Soundtrack, but I know that has made it into a few compilations for driving related video games. And yeah yeah, I'm getting off track... this is not a driving mix, but it sure as hell can be! You need to stay awake right now. You should be high, and this should compliment that high with a decent track to keep you going.
And now, time to get a bit freaky. I toyed with putting some serious techno here, proj has me hooked on this track from an older mix of his, Semblance Factor, "Sem Fac Duo" but it would be overkill here. I also had to control my urge to put some KMFDM here, but it just wasn't workin. The worst thing you can do in a mix is have someone skip a track. So instead, we return to my hero Tobin. Verbal takes MC Decimal R's lyrics and jacks the tempo way up, producing this electronic resemblance to words which ends up coming out like something you wish you could fuckin sing, damnit! Tough shit, just listen. It's addictive.
The transition track. It's so hard to take a mix from one level to another, but the Beastie Boys know how to do it. The end of Verbal unfortunately is part of the intro to the next track on Out From Out Where. If I were more talented... no, scratch that... more determined, I would have added a couple seconds to make the jump from one track to the next a bit more smooth. But if you'll notice I was a slacker extraordinaire about getting this put together, so fuck it, we'll just deal. So yeah, Beastie Boys, bringing it down a level, still keeping that essential funky vibe going though. It mellows your head a bit. You remember you're high, ahhhhhhhhh. Nice ain't it?
So what next. The Gorillaz, something I would have not found without Kara. So thanks to her you get Tomorrow Comes Today. It's one of those songs I keep wanting to listen to, and that makes it good. Again it's got the nice funk, great bass, and crazy enough... what sounds like a fuckin harmonica. Hell, it works, and I dig it. Since it's just one of those random songs I like, I don't have much more to say about it... sorry.
And now, the only technical detail here that you must know about... god help you, I hope either before or after hearing this track, you have read this disclaimer. When you hear it, you're going to say, HOLY SHIT WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH CARLA. Is that Crazytown I hear? NO FUCK YOU IT'S NOT. This is the section where we all learn a little something. Butterfly samples this Red Hot Chili Peppers' track entitled "Pretty Little Ditty" and that's exactly what is is. A very pretty little ditty. Again it has the bit of funk I'm trying to keep going, but it takes you down one more level. And it's necessary for how I intended to end the mix. More on that in a sec. PS -- more props to the Chili Peppers, they rule, they always have ruled, they always will rule. Listen to By The Way. It's quality.
But for now, moving on. Massive Attack. Who doesn't love them. I really really wanted to include something from 100th Window on this mix, but all I kept thinking was SHIT I just can't put something on a mix that has only be released for a few weeks. It's just tacky! So instead, another quality track from them. Rad bass again, with Liz Fraser's ethereal voice. It's literally beautiful, and it's all for preempting the next track...
Now, since I know, or hope, that people will listen to this, I knew I had to include a track from The Mermen. If I had to choose one thing to recommend to anyone anywhere it would be California Health and Happiness Show. It's surf music. It's fun, it's fabulous to drive to, smoke to, listen to, you name it, it's good. And chances are you haven't heard it, if you have you rule! The is no describing this track. It's thirteen minutes and forty-three seconds long. I had to sacrifice two awesome Blackalicious tracks on my mix just to make this all work. So please, realize this was necessary. This is what I want to teach you about. The Mermen. They rule. My mix could have simply been this album and I would have been happy.
So, with that, go forth and listen.