53 is special to me. This particular mix represents a certain attention to getting back in a regular swing of music curation. This little music space used to be a precious baby. Yes, times were different. The music blogosphere played an important part in creating buzz. Spotify didn’t exist. I spent hours at night here writing into the void and making mixes. The mixes have been a constant–but some years, I barely made one or two.

I’d like to express here, in this space, that I’ve continued to listen, go to gigs, and generally obsess over tunes. I just haven’t always expressed it here. 53 is an homage to something that’s always existed and hopefully represents a rebirth, of sorts. As the Dirty Projectors track on the mix proclaims, “she’s a break-thru.”

So, she’s a break-thru. This 53. It features a lot of tracks I’ve been listening to on rotation–and like I’ve been doing of late, a mix of new, new, and older, old. Everything from Porches and Jelani Aryeh to The English Beat and LCD Soundsystem. There is Girl in Red, Rostam, and Fannypack–which always reminds me of Jess George and our college radio gig Hot Garbage on WTBU, where we liked to play Fannypack tracks like “Camel toe” in the graveyard slot. Tracks like that are dusty, vintage relics now. We were, So Stylistic.

Rigamarole, of course, includes that the podcast is available for streaming and download at mixcloud. And read all about, or wander through past episodes, over here.

Enjoy this. It’s the summer jams.

TRACKLIST:

JELANI ARYEH – FROM THESE HEIGHTS  0:00

PORCHES – OKAY  3:19

GIRL IN RED – SEROTONIN  5:18

ROSTAM – FROM THE BACK OF A CAB  8:16

MADI DIAZ – NERVOUS  10:49

DIRTY PROJECTORS – BREAK-THRU 13:29

FANNYPACK – SEVEN ONE EIGHT  17:15

GEORGIA AND DAVID JACKSON – GET ME HIGHER  20:29

CHVRCHES – LEAVE A TRACE  23:02

CAROLINE POLACHEK – BUNNY IS A RIDER  26:45

FRANCOIS & THE ATLAS MOUNTAIN – COUCOU (YELLE REWORK)  29:52

WET LEG – CHAISE LONGUE  32:30

LCD SOUNDSYSTEM – DAFT PUNK IS PLAYING AT MY HOUSE  35:43

THE AVALANCHES feat. KURT VILE – GOLDEN SKY  40:56

KALI – I JUST WANNA  45:21

ROSTAM – NEXT THING  49:10

ZELLA DAY – DANCE FOR LOVE  53:33

LIFE IN SWEATPANTS – GOOD 2 YOURSELF  57:47

CALVIN HARRIS feat. TORO Y MOI + MIGOS – SLIDE  1:01:20

THE GO! TEAM – COOKIE SCENE  1:04:51

THE ENGLISH BEAT – WHINE AND GRINE / STAND DOWN MARGARET 1:07:30

DESMOND DEKKER – 007 (SHANTY TOWN)  1:11:04

CLAIRO – JOANIE  1:13:33

FRUIT BATS – THE BALCONY  1:14:45