Mixtape #170

Belgium-born, Berlin-based composer, singer-songwriter, and producer Manu Louis is a multifaceted musician, with a unique ability to mix diverse musical elements and genres, from jazz, art pop and electronic music to punk and chanson française. Louis is as comfortable performing everything from completely acoustic solo shows to large-scale performances, often incorporating video projections and even dancing. With several albums and singles under his name, and more than 500 live performances across Europe and Asia, he has built a reputation for his energetic and unpredictable shows. We’re excited to have Louis curate this month’s mixtape, and here’s a few words from him about it:

“In 2008, after the subprime crisis, when Germany asked Greece to pay its debts and refused to help, Jean-Luc Godard said that the cultural debt we owe to Greece is incalculable. If you consider the value of life outside the market, it is hard to disagree with Godard, and the German claim should logically have failed.

When I was asked to make a mix based on the music that influenced me, I turned the question directly to myself: what music should I save more than any other? In Godard's terms, to whom do I owe the greatest musical debt?

The cultural debt we owe to Black music is incalculable. Where would music be today without hip-hop, blues, Detroit techno, Chicago house, funk, soul, jazz, dub, reggae, to name but a few? To me, no music of the 20th century ran deeper than jazz. As much as I admire certain 20th-century European composers, songwriters, or eclectic outsiders, nothing comes close.
There are several reasons for this. One that has always fascinated me is how, unlike the avant-garde in classical music, the avant-garde in jazz evolved with the community and not only with decisions made by an individual genius in his room. This is exactly where, to me, classical music lost track, and jazz or many different Black music genres have been constantly rebirthing.

So this mix will be about jazz. The adventurous and the historical (mostly from bebop to free). But it's not a compilation of my top 12 favorite tracks. I’ve chosen 100 tracks and crafted this mix live, in the moment, as a performance. If I create another mix tomorrow, it will be completely different. So, there’s no Coltrane, no Monk, no Duke—not because they aren’t central but simply because they didn’t emerge during this particular moment.”

  1. Ornette Coleman – Unknown Artist [Portrait]
  2. Dizzy Gillespie – Bebop [Telarc]
  3. Eric Dolphy – Hat and Beard [Blue Note]
  4. Charlie Christian with Benny Goodman – Till Tom Special [Universe]
  5. Charles Mingus – Music for “Todo Modo” [Rhino Atlantic]
  6. Cannonball Adderley – Autumn Leaves [Universe]
  7. Charlie Parker – Kim [BDMUSIC]
  8. Sun Ra – Saturn [Strut]
  9. Robert Wyatt – Strange Fruit [Domino Records]
  10. Miles Davis – Concierto de Aranjuez [Columbia / Legacy]
  11. Nala Sinephro – Continuum 6 [Warp]
  12. Archie Shepp – Blasé [Charly Records]
  13. Cecil Taylor – Abyss [Black Sun Music]
  14. Steve Lacy – Troubles [Black Saint]
  15. Anthony Braxton Creative Orchestra – 22-M (Opus 58) [Arista / Legacy]
  16. Ornette Coleman – Happy Hour [Legacy]
  17. Eric Dolphy – Better Git Hit In Your Soul // On Green Dolphin Street [Not Now Music]

Mixtape #111

With immense technical ability and creativity, Alexander Noice is one of the most interesting contemporary musicians out there. Over the last decade, Noice has played a vital role in the LA music scene and abroad, performing, recording and collaborating with a slew of artists and projects, including his own ensembles Falsetto Teeth and NOICE. A phenomenal composer, guitarist, producer and bandleader drawing from an amalgam of genres, from art-rock and jazz to minimalism, opera and electronic music, Noice released an exhilarating and inventive self-titled album last year, which made it to our Album Picks of 2019. So we’re ecstatic to catch a glimpse of his wide range of influences in this month's mixtape!

  1. The Zombies – This Will Be Our Year [Epic]
  2. Thelonius Monk – Brilliant Corners [Riverside]
  3. Deerhoof – Milking [Free Porcupine Society / ATP Recordings]
  4. Minutemen – Viet Nam [SST Records]
  5. Ornette Colenman – Folk Tale [XL Recordings / Interscope Records
  6. Charlie Parker – Kim [Clef Records]
  7. Talking Heads – Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On) [Sire]
  8. Nino Rota – O Venezia, Venaga, Venusia [Cam]
  9. Stuttgart Vocal Ensemble & Rupert Huber – Christian Wolff In Cambridge [Hänssler Classic]
  10. Charles Mingus – Solo Dancer [Impulse!]
  11. M.I.A. – Steppin Up [XL Recordings / Interscope Records]
  12. Michael Nyman Band and Orchestra – The Draughtsman’s Contract [Venture]
  13. Broadcast – America’s Boy [Warp]
  14. Cornelius – New Music Machine [Matador]
  15. Dirty Projectors – Not Having Found [Western Vinyl]
  16. Philip Glass – River Run [Virgin]
  17. Fugazi – Turnover [Dischord]
  18. Iggy Pop – Funtime [RCA]
  19. John Coltrane – Configuration [Impulse!]
  20. David Bowie – What In The World [RCA]
  21. Arthur Russell – Being It [Upside Records / Rough Trade]
  22. Leadbelly – Green Corn [Folkways Records]

Mixtape #103

Born in the heart of the Basque Country, Elena Sétien's music has led her to London and Copenhagen for the last two decades. Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist with an independent spirit, Elena's melodies are immediately captivating. Her songs shimmer with simplicity and beauty, enhanced by her rich and deep voice telling stories of everyday life and nature. Now back in her native San Sebastian, she released last month her gorgeous new album Another Kind Of Revolution. For this month's mixtape, Elena takes us wandering through an array of wonderful and enveloping songs. Enjoy!

  1. Charles MIngus – Goodbye Pork Pie Hat [Coronet / Colombia]
  2. Søren Kjærgaard – Mr. Tutu´s Dance Cycle [ILK]
  3. Colleen – Another World [Thrill Jockey]
  4. Nico Muhly – Mother tongue Pt. 3: Hress [Brassland ‎/ Bedroom Community]
  5. Tom Waits – Jesus Gonna Be Here [Island Records]
  6. Schneeweiss Und Rosenrot – Coast Starlight Express [Yellowbird Records]
  7. Teitur – Tokspor [Playground Music Scandinavia / Tutl]
  8. Søren Kjærgaard – Kubrick [ILK]
  9. Nico Muhly – Mothertongue Pt. 2: Shower [Brassland ‎/ Bedroom Community]
  10. Joni Mitchell – Electricity [Asylum Records]
  11. Karen Dalton – Right, Wrong or Ready [Capitol Records]
  12. Bob Dylan – Shooting Star [Columbia / CBC]