Based in Brussels, the mysteriously masked quartet that is Why The Eye? craft themselves unconventional instruments out of apparently random objects, then use them to perform their music. And what music! A trance inducing combination of relentless polyrhythmic grooves, frenetic analogue glitches and distorted squeals, the band's eponymous first album which came out last year immediately turned us into avid fans. So in a bid to uncover what inspires this tribal and celebratory feel, we had Why The Eye? summon this month's mixtape and out of thin air, here it is!
The Residents – The moles are coming [Ralph Records]
Erika Sulzmann (1959) – Percussions and vocals from Maï Ndombe Lake (Congo)
Plasticman – Kriket [NovaMute]
Esplendor Geométrico – Es Inaudito [Linea Alternativa / Geometrik]
Francis Bebey – Di Saegi [Born Bad Records]
Aphex Twin – Fz Pseudotimestretch+e+3 [Warp]
Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention – Help i’m a Rock [Verve Records]
Badawi – Dance of the Centipedes [Reachout International Records]
Gede Manik – Bereta Yuda [Disjuncta]
Miles Davis – Rated-X [Columbia / CBS]
James Brown – Since You’ve Been Gone [Polydor]
T.K. Ramamoorthy – Rasikapriya [The Gramophone Company Of India Ltd. / EM Records]
This month's mixtape comes from the phenomenal Christina Vantzou. A visual artist as well as self-taught composer and orchestral arranger, her impressive body of work spans a wide spectrum of artistic expression. In her three widely acclaimed albums, the immersive and introspective Nº1, Nº2 and Nº3, Vantzou's painstakingly beautiful compositions incorporate a multitude of electronic elements and genres, from ambient and contemporary classical to modern chamber and drone music. So we're honoured to present this treat of a mixtape she put together for us.
Jessica Moss – Entire Populations, Pt. I excerpt[Constellation]
Miyami – Innocent excerpt
Tchaikovsky – 1812 Overture (Full with Cannons) excerpt
Frank Ocean U-N-I-T-Y [Def Jam Recordings]
Sibylle Baier – Remember The Day [Orange Twin / Isota Records]
Demen – Niorum [Kranky]
Pink Floyd – Timeexcerpt [Harvest Records]
Durutti Column – Smile In The Crowd [Factory]
Lieven Martens Moana – Music For A Clearing excerpt [EM Records]
Mark Renner – Jars of Clay [RVNG Intl.]
Klaus Wiese – Geisha excerpt[Edition Akasha]
Mark Pritchard – ?
Dariush Dolat-Shahi – Electronic Music, Tar and Sehtar excerpt [Folkways Records]
The year is off to a wonderful start with our first mixtape coming from Bosnian-born and Swiss-based musician and composer Mario Batkovic, a virtuoso and adventurous accordion player. Mario dazzled us with his recent eponymous album, a beguiling, powerful and emotional work that ended up being one of our album picks for 2017. So we're ecstatic to unveil his mixtape, mirroring his array of influences, from classical and jazz to Balkan and experimental music. Press play and enjoy.
Kaos – Plavo-sivo [Ne! Records]
Rom Schaerer Eberle – Après nous le déluge
Reverend Beat-Man – Don’t Stop To Dance [Voodoo Rhythm]
Beak – Wulfstan II [Invada]
Karlheinz Stockhausen – Studie II [Deutsche Grammophon]
Ligeti – Atmospheres [WERGO]
Ludwig Van Beethoven – Egmont Overture
Paul Barton: Domenico Scarlatti – Sonata in D minor
Bijelo Dugme – Lipe cvatu, Sve Je Isto K’o I Lani [Diskoton /Kamarad]
Last October guitarist and composer Samuel Hällkvist released Variety of Rhythm, a record that instantly got us under its spell. For the Copenhagen based Swedish musical wizard, the word prolific seems a bit of an understatement; Hällkvist has already contributed to more than 20 albums. With immense technical skills and an audacious and experimental approach to composition and improvisation, his work spans genres from jazz and country to metal and electronic. So we're ecstatic to have him at the helm of this month's mixtape, a collection of tracks filled with discoveries, surprises and beauty. We warmly recommend you jump aboard right away!
Lars Hollmer – Stråk [Krax]
Markus Reuter feat. Sonar & Tobias Reber – Condition I [Ronin Rhythm Records]
Steve Reich – Sextet: 3rd Movement [nonesuch]
Shitney – Magnetosphere Shower [ILK Music]
mu-neujohn – Dynamismo [Impulse]
György Ligeti – Musica Ricercata 7: Cantabile, Molto Legato [Verso]
Nick Bärtsch’s Mobile – Modul 29 [Tonus-Music-Records]
Ukandanz – Lantchi Biyé [Dur Et Doux / Bigoût Records]
Terry Riley & Nice Opera String Quartet – Derveshum Carnivalis [Sri Moonshine Music]
Art of Noise – The Army Now [Island Records / ZTT]
Jerusalem In My Heart have always dazzled us with their powerful and entrancing compositions, exploring and merging traditional Arabic music with electronic influences. Founded over a decade ago by prodigious and adventurous musician, composer and producer-in-demand Radwan Ghazi Moumneh, they are currently a performative audio-visual duo with Charles-André Coderre creating live projections on 16mm film. Ahead of the forthcoming 11th edition of Le Guess Who?, for which they are one of the guest co-curators, we are thrilled and honoured to unveil this special mixtape lovingly assembled by Radwan. Serving as a window into their extraordinary curation, it features music from each of the unique artists they have invited to perform. Now it's time to listen.
whytheeye.org
