Colorado is burning right now. It is Hell in this state. I know it’s bad in a lot of places right now, but I can only sit where I’m sitting, see what I’m seeing and feel what I’m feeling—and in Denver, it’s this fucking heat. It’s sitting on me right now as I type on my couch. The fan is whirring behind my head and making a horrible racket, actually getting in the way of me fully enjoying my chosen method of relief: this musical mix I made for Foxy Digitalis. Of course this didn’t start out as something meant to be a soothe per say. I’d been asked to make a couple of mixes in the past few weeks (something that hasn’t happened in a long time), and I just wanted to give the kids something to skateboard to. But it’s proving to cool me down at least a little here anyway, a cold ice cube on the middle of my chest, a swift breeze with some moderately-temparatured sunshine. It’s even snuggling in under my elides to give my reddened, smoke-agitated pupils a much-needed massage. I made it to make me smell green, even when there wasn’t any around. Feel a blow-drier-breeze chill out, maybe even start to spray mists in my face instead of just hot air. I wanted the music to run through my hair and and fill my lungs. And I wanted it to be a good time. To make the outdoors inviting, and the indoors comfortable. My bed softer. The air cooler. Did it work? I’m still really hot. But I am enjoying the music. The mix turned out a bit more nostalgic than I’d anticipated, not too many recent tracks, even one from the now-defunct cult Denver psychsters Fissure Mystic. It glides along, taps its toes for a few in the middle there (I like a great, midday upbeat pop tune so I threw that Mozart’s Sister track down there), drifts down and simmers deep at the end. These are sounds that carried me through many a summer day, and here they all are again in one place (and some new ones too) to keep me company for 104 degree spells to come. Hope they make it to your headphones for some of those days as well. I feel like I should dedicate this to Colorado and all our brothers and sisters out there in this truly trying time.
- Jim O’Rourke – Not Sport, Martial Art [0:00]
- Chris Weisman – Transparency [6:43]
- Euphone – Apostolic [8:13]
- Tortoise – Gooseneck [10:46]
- Motzart’s Sister - Don’t Leave it to Me [16:18]
- Jon Shina - I Heard it through the Swedish Grapevine [18:56]
- Helado Negro - Con Mi Suerte [21:21]
- Fissure Mystic – Biology [25:08]
- Nuojuva – Kaipaa (feat. Rachel Evans) [29:40]
- Arthur Russell - Soon to be Innocent Fun / Let’s See [35:35]
- Oliver Nelson – Stolen Moments [44:51]
