Mixtape #184


A fearless and endlessly inventive artist, composer, performer, visual artist and self-described anti-disciplinary force, Dorian Wood has spent years creating daring and emotionally expansive work that resists categorisation while confronting systems of marginalisation. Moving fluidly across disciplines, the Los Angeles-born artist, with Costa Rican-Nicaraguan roots, has built a singular practice rooted in ancestry, collective memory and transformation, creating immersive works that blur the line between ritual, protest and celebration. Whether working through sprawling installations, chamber arrangements or incredibly affecting vocal performances, Wood’s music carries an emotional intensity that feels both raw and transformative. Her stunning latest album, Canto de Todes, distills a sprawling 12-hour installation into a powerful and emotionally rich listening experience, weaving together chamber classical, folk, torch song and experimental sounds around her commanding and multi-textured voice. So we’re beyond excited to have her behind this month’s mixtape, with a selection of sounds that reflect the richness and depth of her singular artistic world. Press play and enjoy.

  1. Violeta Parra – Maldigo del Alto Cielo [RCA Victor]
  2. Gavin Bryars – Titanic Hymn (Autumn) [Point Music]
  3. GES – Besuch aus der Unterwelt [Faitiche]
  4. Björk & Robert Wyatt – Submarine [Polydor]
  5. Scott Walker – Darkness [4AD]
  6. Charles Curtis – Éliane Radigue – Occam V (live) [Saltern]
  7. Dorian Wood – Wright [Antigen Records]
  8. Congregación – El Dulce Espiritu de la Soledad [Machitun / IRT]
  9. Mooey Moobau – Friends Who Are Fathers [Vosotros]
  10. Chavela Vargas – Gracias a la Vida [Rama Lama Music]
  11. Totó La Momposina – La Verdolaga [MTM]

Mixtape #152

Hailing from Baltimore, and with 3 of its 4 members now based in Berlin, Horse Lords are one of the most exciting bands out there. Formed in 2010, the quartet have a wildly imaginative approach to music, combining polyrhythmic grooves with their command of microtonality. Their music, entrancing, ecstatic and utterly fascinating, is both meticulously structured and vibrantly spontaneous. Last year's masterpiece Comradely Objects was one of our Album Picks of 2022 and we still can't put it down. Witnessing their galvanizing and irresistible live show is a whole encompassing experience we'll be lucky to repeat this week at Out.fest in Portugal. So we could not be more excited to share with you the superb mix they put together for us, opening a window into the disparate influences at play in their own sonic explorations.

  1. François Couperin – 214 VII. Suite in D Minor, No. 36, Allemande
  2. Terry Jennings – Song (1960) (performed by Charles Curtis) [Saltern]
  3. James Tenney – Koan [Hat Hut Records]
  4. Devo – Girl U Want [Warner Bros. Records / Virgin]
  5. Will Guthrie – Lit 1+2 [Black Truffle]
  6. Gianni Gebbia – Heifetz [Rastascan Records]
  7. 75 Dollar Bill Little Big Band – I’m Not Trying to Wake Up (Live at Tubby’s) [Grapefruit Records]
  8. Catherine Lamb – divisio spiralis IX (performed by JACK Quartet) [Kairos]