Sorry this is a bit late, Mixcloud seemingly deleted the original upload that I made last week. I also just noticed that I missed MS172 – which is all ready to go but will have to wait until next year as I have a Xmas mix for next week.

I’m not sure why this is called a ‘Tour Mix’, it’s not a live set for sure but I could have conceivably made it on the laptop on tour – maybe I was out with DK promoting our ’Now, Listen Again’ mix CD, I’d have to check dates. Anyway – Zero db tackle Sun Ra for the opening and I think this only came out on their own Reconstruction compilation of remixes rather than on any official Sun Ra release. John Cale then trades places with James Murphy for his LCD Soundsystem cover, which sounds a bit strained and painful in hindsight now. Next up is the first of three Mr76ix tracks from his 3 (Minority of 1) album on Skam with a magnificent tempo switch down into Def Tex’s ‘Bomber’ – what a bassline! Def Tex were great, always inventive hip hop and this was from their second album on Son Records.

Battles seemed to explode out of nowhere but they’d already made three singles before signing to the label and ‘Race:In’ came from their debut LP, Mirrored. Kidkanevil’s ‘5th Gear’ features Latyrx’s Lateef The Truthspeaker in a horny flute ode to getting down to it with a subtlety rarely present in rap. But here’s another with Pharaoh Monch expertly remixed by Optima Espacio into some sort of slow build electro gospel banger. There’s a guitar solo over a breakdown FFS! Keeping on the love-tip; an overlooked DJ Shadow B side from his Outsider album era sees him mining a psych funk angle on ‘Love, Love’. This was only on the CD single and later download of the ‘This Time’ single, no idea why it didn’t make the album and the non-LP cuts and remixes were frequently better than some of the material on that record IMO.

Oh Pepe Deluxe, how I loved (and still do love) their Spare Time Machine album, two tracks here sum it up – tightly constructed, immaculately produced sunshine psychedelia. They really string out the intro to ‘Apple Thief’ but when it kicks in it’s well worth the wait. ‘Go For Blue’ also inspired a colour-based mix of songs shortly after this including ‘Purple Rain’, ‘Mellow Yellow’ and ‘Mr Blue Sky’ but that’s already on the web. I’m wondering where I heard Candie Payne’s track from as I don’t remember buying it, maybe a promo or a compilation – whatever, she’s got that 60s doom pop sound nailed. Mr76ix sounds like he’s been listening to the last track on Selected Ambient Works II and put some rave beats to it and Battles are back again with the epic ‘Atlas’ – remember that great video of them in the mirrored box? Mr76ix plays out over the breakdown of this with a beautiful beat-less piece called ‘Romanticism’ before we’re back into that drawn out guitar trade off that builds into the final section.

Track list:
Sun Ra – Satellites Are Spinning (Zero db remix)
LCD Soundsystem – All My Friends (John Cale version)
Mr76ix – H.A.A.R.P.
Def Tex – Bomber
Battles – Race:In
Kidkanevil – 5th Gear feat. Lateef The Truthspeaker
Pharoah Monch – Body Baby (Optimo Espacio mix)
DJ Shadow – Love, Love
Pepe Deluxe – Apple Thief
Pepe Deluxe – Go For Blue
Candie Payne – I Wish I Could Have Loved You More
Mr76ix – Spirit of Man
Battles – Atlas
Mr76ix – Romanticism