Mixtape #166


A prodigious young talent and one of the stalwarts of the Belgian jazz scene, Vitja Pauwels is one of the most distinctive, versatile and daring guitar players of his generation. Besides his membership and collaborations with the likes Naïma Joris, Bombataz, Warm Bad and Lara Rosseel, Pauwels’ remarkable body of work also includes two acclaimed solo records. Sprouted from a festival invitation, Pauwels put together his “dream” band under the name Early Life Forms, comprising Frederic Leroux, Casper Van De Velde and Laurens Dierickx, and also his hero Marc Ribot. Their one-off performance was recorded and released as a self-titled record last January, daringly walking a wire between jazz, latin, cuban, rock and improv with a touch of exoticism and cinematic explorations. Needless to say we're ecstatic to kick off the month with a rad mixtape put together by Pauwels. Press play already!

  1. Pascal Comelade – To The Last Imaginary Solutions [Because Music]
  2. Zanmari Baré – Mary Salangann [Cobalt]
  3. Latin Playboys – Ten Believers [Slash / Warner Bros. Records]
  4. PJ Harvey – On Battleship Hill [Island Records]
  5. Espen Reinertsen – Bjørnens Sang [SusannaSonata]
  6. Gustaf Ljunggren, Skúli Sverrisson – Vestegnsromantik [April Records]
  7. Morphine – Claire [Accurate Distortion]
  8. Lhasa De Sela – De Cara a la Pared [Tôt Ou Tard / Audiogram]
  9. Tom Waits – All Stripped Down [Island Records]
  10. Ali Farka Touré with Ry Cooder – Lasidan [Hannibal Records / World Circuit]
  11. Marvin Pontiac – Bring Me Rocks [Strange & Beautiful Music]
  12. Arto Lindsay – Complicity [For Life Records / Güt]
  13. Daniel Lanois – Iceland [Anti-]
  14. Alabaster Deplume – Visit Croatia [International Anthem / Total Refreshment Centre / Lost Map]
  15. Moondog – Bird’s Lament [Columbia Masterworks / CBS]
  16. Talk Talk – Myrrhman [Polydor / Verve]

Mixtape #129


Ghent trio Steiger took us by storm with their exhilarating music, both composed and improvised, amalgamating various genres and influences. A mainstay in the Belgian jazz scene with an adventurous inclination, the outfit of Gilles Vandecaveye, Kobe Boon and Simon Raman sit at the intersections of jazz, rock, pop, classical and electronic music. They are constantly in search of exciting new sounds, and their recent album, The New Lady Llama, is clear proof of that. So we’re ecstatic to start August with the superb mixtape they put together for us, offering a glimpse of their wide range of influences. Dive in below!

  1. Múm – The Ballad Of The Broken Birdie Records [TMT Entertainment / Tugboat Records]
  2. Ryuichi Sakamoto – Solari [Commmons]
  3. Tapes Cuts Tapes – Petrol Blue [Heavenhotel]
  4. Espen Reinertsen – Tvilepause [SusannaSonata]
  5. Andrey Petrov – Office Romance Soundtrack
  6. Philip Glass – Koyaanisqatsi [Island Records]
  7. Deerhoof – Criminals of the Dream [Polyvinyl / Upset! The Rhythm]
  8. The Space Lady – Humdinger [Night School]
  9. Tim Hecker – That World [Kranky]
  10. Sea Urchin – Mish Hata’ref tesHa [Bokeh Versions]
  11. Coma World – No Focus [Byrd Out]
  12. Oneohtrix Point Never feat. Iggy Pop – The Pure and the Damned [Warp]