To here knows when

oystered 06: As far as the eye can see (apr ’06)

Side 1
1. antiguo automata mexicano first imago (background records 050/background records)
2. lars wickinger blutrausch (blutrausch/traum)
3. ricardo villalobos suesse cheques (salvador/frisbee)
4. matt john fokuss (joker family park two/perlon)
Side 2
1. onur ozer gizeh (twilight/vakant)
2. galoppierende zuversicht klumpknolle (chnobli/bruchstuecke)
3. process tendency to synchronize (elektronische musik interkontinental 5/traum)
4. minilogue the girl from botany bay (the girl from botany bay/wir)
Side 3
1. helios halving the compass (eingya/type)
2. klimek verlust (white, no trails) der motorik (music to fall asleep/kompakt)
3. d.p. in blue (krakau/echocord)
4. gultskra artikler otpusk navsegda (remixed by svarte greiner) (pofigistka/lampse audiovisual)
Side 4
1. growing blue angels (color wheel/troubleman unlimited)
2. astral social club 5.2 (#5/astral social club)
Side 5
1. phill niblock alto tune (touch three/touch)
Side 6
1. loscil chinook (plume/kranky)
2. uusitalo tulenkantaja (tulenkantaja vol.1/huume)
3. terrence dixon detroit city lights (background records 050/background records)
4. dB low moon (background records 050/background records)
5. nathan fake numb chance (elektronische musik interkontinental 5/traum)

Monster mix for the month of April, 2006. I remember, at the time, just buying tons of stuff at this point. Neptune was about to close, and other than a bittersweet feeling, at the worst, tons of great music was still coming into the store. And advance promotional copies of things were helping keep me sated as well. At this point, we had moved off of Main Street, and on to 4th Street. Our first year on 4th Street, 2004, was, surprisingly our best. But then, as 2005 dragged on, we really started to notice a big drop in sales. Especially electronic vinyl sales, which, at the time, was our “bread and butter.” 2005 was a(nother) big year for iPods, and all of the sudden, lots of previously only vinyl tracks were being tracked down digitally. Perhaps free, I don’t know, I still don’t know that world too well (this damn dinosaur of a laptop won’t allow me even if I wanted to). At any extent, tracks were cheaper to come by, and with the Michigan economy never recovering from we-all-know-what, people had less disposable income. Perhaps it was a situation further compounded by the last generation of kids knowing how to or wanting to step foot in a physical record store to discover new music. Which reminds me, the first ever Record Store Day is Saturday, April 19th, and no, it’s not another Hallmark Holiday. It is, however, something devised by the ailing music industry, for the benefit of indie record shops (the way I see it) and I would urge anybody that could, to try to find some extra time that day to frequent a local record shop and spend a few bucks. It may seem futile, I know (believe me, I know), but some cool indie labels are going to be offering some exclusive music to record stores participating in and acknowledging the day. Google Record Store Day and I’m sure you can find out if a store near you will have any exclusive 7” vinyl to collect, or goodie bags for your appreciation.

Anyway, this mix is designed as a double-disc or triple LP if you will. Think The Clash’s Sandinista!. Lots of microhouse, good for a long run. Really, every track’s a killer. Vinyl only cuts abound on this one: Lars Wickinger, Matt John, Onur Ozer, Galoppierende Zuversicht, Minilogue (epic!), D.P. (that’s Deadbeat + Pole, check!) and Uusitalo. The non-microhouse cuts include Helios’ lush, dreamy atmospherics, Klimek’s stuttering guitar and piano reminding me of Harold Budd’s collaboration with Cocteau Twins on The Moon and The Melodies and Russian artist Gultskra Artikler’s dark ambient track sounding like it came straight from 4AD’s Lonely Is An Eyesore. One of my favorite new bands in recent years, Growing, offer a horizontal LSD ride, while Neil Campbell’s (he of Vibracathedral Orchestra) Astral Social Club track is a rare CD-R cut, more than likely way out of print, combining shimmering, melancholic drones not too unlike Wolfgang Voigt’s Gas project. Dig. Phill Niblock is known for is long dronework, and yes, that’s what we have here, but I like to thinkof “Alto Tune” as a slightly more academic take on Spacemen 3’s “Dreamweapon” morphing into “Ecstacy Symphony” – absolutely perfect for the real late (or early) hours. “Side 6” has its own vibe too – more melodic, and back to the beat. Locsil’s “Chinook” is one of the best cuts here and Terrence Dixon’s “Detroit City Lights” reminds me of To Rococo Rot. The surprise here, near the end, comes from one of my favorites, Polish artist dB, and please comment back if you can spot the sample. Anybody that kept an interest in British pop throughout the ‘90s should be able to figure it out fairly easily. It comes from one of the best bands from the era, and one of their best records as well. Whew, okay then, until next time, which is hopefully not too far from now.

Again, this format would not even be possible without the help of a few very gracious individuals. You know who you are, and always: thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!