Mixtape #114

Exhibiting a fluid mastery of the dhol, talented and acclaimed Indian-American composer and drummer Sunny Jain is involved in a range of diverse musical projects that dip into the soundtracks of Bollywood classics and spaghetti westerns, jazz, Indian folk, hip-hop, surf rock and many other genres. Brought up in New York as the child of Punjabi immigrants, his music is rooted in Indian traditions and culture. A renowned and unique performer, with numerous accolades under his belt, Jain is best known as the founder and bandleader of 8-piece Bhangra party band Red Baraat. He released his phenomenal album Wild Wild East last February, a personal record that brings to the table his skills and unique palette of influences and identities, celebrating immigrant and diaspora experiences. We’re ecstatic that he put together this amazing genre-spanning mix for us.

“Here’s a short mix of songs that I’ve grown up, have influenced me and that I still love to this day. Coltrane to Squarepusher, Zakir Hussain to Rush and a Bollywood classic from 1951, plus more.”

  1. Zakir Hussain – Making Music [ECM Records]
  2. Rush – Losing It [Mercury]
  3. Fishbone – Freddie’s Dead [Columbia]
  4. Miles Davis – Ah-Leu-Cha [Columbia]
  5. John McLaughlin – Mother Tongues [JMT Productions]
  6. Primus – Tommy the Cat [Interscope]
  7. Talvin Singh – Butterfly [Island Records]
  8. Mukesh – Awaara Hoon [Odeon]
  9. Radiohead – Knives Out [Parlophone / Capitol Records]
  10. Squarepusher – Beep Street [Warp]
  11. Nitin Sawhney – River Pulse (Rain Mix) [Outcaste Records / PIAS]
  12. Genesis – The Lady Lies [Charisma / Atlantic]
  13. John Coltrane – Resolution [Impulse!]

Mixtape #107

London based German-Turkish composer and producer Alev Lenz got our full attention with her third album, 3, released last month. Incredibly creative, Alev regularly lends her talent to other projects, having composed for TV and film, and collaborated with many renowned artists, including Anoushka Shankar, Manu Delago, Roomful of Teeth and many more. This month we asked her to create a selection of her musical influences in the form of a playlist and we're pleased she obliged. Press play!

  1. Tori Amos – Siren [EastWest / Atlantic]
  2. Buffy Sainte-Marie – Little Wheel Spin and Spin [Vanguard]
  3. Manic Street Preachers – If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next [Epic]
  4. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Into My Arms [Mute]
  5. Shakespear’s Sister – Stay [London Records]
  6. Radiohead – Exit Music (For a Film) [Parlophone]
  7. Nina Harries – Icarus
  8. Björk – Army of Me [One Little Indian]
  9. Sezen Aksu – Şinanay [Fono Müzik]
  10. Genesis – Jesus He Knows Me [Virgin]
  11. Lhasa de Sela – Con Toda Palabra [Tôt Ou Tard / Audiogram]
  12. Soundgarden – Black Hole Sun [A&M Records]
  13. Alanis Morrisette ‎– Uninvited  [Warner Sunset Records / Reprise Records]
  14. Beyoncé – Freedom (Feat. Kendrick Lamar) [Columbia / Sony Music]

Mixtape #48

This month's hand made mixtape comes from Dosh, the incredibly talented multi-instrumentalist from Minneapolis, US. His latest album, Milk Money, was one of CTD's 2013 Album Picks and remains a favourite of ours. Dosh's mind-bending compositions, made up of keys, samples and drums, magically come alive on stage through loop station wizardry. The electronic and hip hop influences that colour his recordings were also guiding his hand when he put his mix together. Enjoy this all vinyl groovy selection.

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