Thursday, May 15, 2008

Internationally Known: Mel-1 and PK The Mixtape Maniacs

Mel-1 and PK. The Mixtape Maniacs:

Who we?

We're both are O.G. New Yorkers (Him-harlem world, Her-Shaolin)
We both possess MA's from overpriced private universities.
We both know what goes down in la banlieue.
We both are the oldest of four children.
We know all about the CRS and the Guardia Civil.


CIRCA '97

It's pretty apparent that Mel-1 and myself live parallel lives. When we found out that we had both delivered very important mix tapes to people within one month of each other, we were like "Oh, word?" So in celebration of our efforts, we've decided to dissect and discuss each other's mixes in a joint blog entry.

-PK, May 15, 2008


CIRCA '07 - TEN YEARS STRONG


Read Colonel K Speaks for Pat's thoughts on Melissa's Mix.

PAT K BRINGS THE RUCKUS:

Name of mix: SSS
Author: The Man, The Myth, The Legend... Colonel K.
Nature of origin: Friendly request
Length: 1hour, 6 minutes
Most difficult challenge during compilation: It was rough having to cut "Machine Gun" by Portishead at the very last second because it didn't "fit." Also, it was pretty hard finding moody songs to use as transitions between the more upbeat material as well as trying to lace the tracks with secret messages without being crass or obvious.

Two Favorite Tracks:
"Camino del sol" by Antena
"Sketch for Summer" by The Durutti Column

The Goods:
*Bang Blur
*Camino Del Sol Antena
*Climbing Up The Walls (Zero 7 Remix from Com Lag EP) Radiohead
*Moody ESG
*Loaded (Album Version) Primal Scream
*Poppies In The Field The Teardrop Explodes
*Sketch for Summer The Durutti Column
*Hot as Sun/Glasses/Suicide Paul McCartney
*Crucifix Heaven (vinyl ONLY) Felt
*Killing Moon (Echo and the Bunnymen Cover) Nouvelle Vague
*Ando Meio Desligado Os Mutantes
*Prairie Rose Roxy Music
*Nothing Can Stop Us Saint Etienne
*The Bomb- The Bucketheads
*Fisherman (Album version) The Congos
*We Are All Bourgeois Now McCarthy

La Histoire:

Everyone remembers how they met their best friend. Pat and I go way back - I think it started by discovering our mutual love for skateboarding and music (namely Eric Koston and Minor Threat) back in ’97 when rap was still good and Coney Island High was still around. As we are both music elitists to a certain extent (being a handful of students who actually knew who the fuck Fugazi were IS empowering), I can say that Pat has always had remarkable taste in music. Not only in the sense that he knows good from bad, but also because Pat makes music himself and understands it on an entirely different wavelength than the typical music fan. Pat’s knowledge of the Beatles and Radiohead recording sessions could put John Peel to shame thus when I received the track listing for his latest mix, I couldn’t NOT love it. Pat’s taste and intentions ring through on each track.

This is the quintessential spring time mix. It makes me wish I were in a park somewhere in Europe with some portable speakers, a couple of 40s (though in Europe the preferred term is liters) and an accomplice. Tulieres or Montjuic would serve well. SSS covers much musical territory. If you know Pat, you know he is a huge fan of Tony Wilson’s brainchild, Factory Records, and has included on this mix The Durutti Column and other similarly sounding bands like Primal Scream and Felt that have the ticking metronome of a punk song but maintain their airy eloquence with experimental instrumentation. Pat doesn’t just remain in UK land, oh no, he expands outside of post -punk by taking a trip to Brazil by throwing in some tropicalia and a little funk in the mix. South Bronx’s finest, ESG, graces the mix with “Moody,” a groovy song with a sweet hook and ill bass line that clearly draws its influence from the hip hop and disco dancing phenomena that were sweeping New York City at the time (yep, viva the early ‘80s, only for the music). The Os Mutantes track is obligatory and acidic, whilst The Bomb is one of those dancey house-influenced throwbacks that makes you wish the Dee-Lite and Kenny Dope days weren’t a distant memory. You have the cool-out stretch with The Congos, because a little reggae never hurt nobody. Overall, the mix empowers the listener with that “spring is here, bitches!” sentiment. It bangs out with moody tracks all the way through. Upbeat and appropriately mellow at times, the mix is reminiscent of that which is the essence of spring.

P.S. We really need to move to Europe ASAP.

3 comments:

Whaddup Ma said...

This is so, so, so good.

K said...

Your mix is the jawn.

We made it!!!

Anonymous said...

Well done! Of course, the Col. killed it!