good mixes on youtube

techno raj wrote:

chrondog wrote:Not gonna find any argument from me there. The global reality we're living in means that quality of life is going to decrease for most Americans for generations.

Hah, I had the 180 degree opposite thought. The world has improved so much -- and I mean worldwide, not just America -- that longing for a utopia is less compelling (in the same way that religions that promise salvation in the afterlife have fewer adherents as real life becomes less and less bad). With my arm smarting from my first shot (way sooner than I would have expected, a year ago, to be getting it) I am a technology/future optimist right now. The future just keeps developing in very different ways than what past futurists expected.

Pretty wild take imo that the vaccine gives you techno optimism when the virus just killed 3 million people. But if your point of comparison is the 1918 flu you could make the argument that public health has improved from then. It's all relative.

I was also comparing the highs of middle class American wealth in the mid 20th century to now. Certainly there's going to be a lot better outcomes and more wealth for regular people as we continue to bring global citizens out of poverty, but for Americans who are used to doing very well things will not improve. I will have less opportunity/purchasing power than my parents, and my children will have even less than I do. That is the right way to be since this kind of Western living is ecologically unsustainable, but it doesn't mean it isn't a huge shock to lots of privileged Americans.

Wealth inequality and global capitalism is also diluting the benefits of these advances to working people. While we can certainly say that the latest vaccine development is a technological marvel, the profit-driven system of distributing it is literally letting a ton of people die to make sure it's economically viable. We can give credit to technology while realizing that is it not at all optimally distributed for public good. We could be doing even better.

In mix news, I found this CD:



It was in the jungle/DnB compilations section at Amoeba Records in the Haight, SF and it was priced at $14.99!!

Here's the actual cover/description on Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/Inner-Vation-Movements/release/556826

1. Reading this thread after listening to Deltron 3030 in its entirety for the first time was fun.

2. I've always admired Raj's optimism about the progress of the human condition and glad to see it's endured through the pandemic.

chrondog wrote:Pretty wild take imo that the vaccine gives you techno optimism when the virus just killed 3 million people.

That's a political/regulatory failure. The science worked about as fast as we could have hoped, but the policies meant a lot more people died than was necessary. I wouldn't object to being called a techno optimist, policy pessimist. You get New Zealand/Taiwan/etc. policies + US/UK/etc. pharma = then you're talking the best of both worlds for fighting a pandemic. Maybe some day...

I could go on about the other stuff but I'd be hijacking this thread (even more than I already have) so I should instead say I also listened to that Peshay studio set today. Also love YouTube for videogame music mixes and dungeonsynth mixes, both great music for working or getting things done.

Fair nuff! I think our political/regulatory system is the context for which technology operates, which makes them mutually doomed. So I'd say we're more or less on the same page. Though I probably assign a higher probability to a future where AI-controlled autonomous drones are trying to cull us, I, Robot style.

I'm listening to Total Science Volume 1 again, which is just stunning.

Chrono have you heard this one yet



it's basically D'n'B: The Greatest Hits of the Very Early Years. it's also one of the best mixes I've ever listened to

I recognize that first track and the image, so I think I've listened to this one.

Other can't-miss mixes:

I know I've heard that last one ("Bailey"), it's good.

The Bailey one is super good! One of the best on YouTube.

This morning's mix:


I typically like jungle/atmospheric DnB more than the "metalheadz" stuff, but I enjoy that as well. As long as the frenetic rhythms are there, I'm game. Kemistry seems like one of the best in terms of the hard shit. This mix is a nice blend of hard and soulful. I dig it.

One of the best DnB albums from the master. Not a mix

pozzing this man for knowing what's up

The A Guy Called Gerald album was very cool and different. Less frenetic and anxious, it was more a meditation. Lots of great tracks on there.

Here's another great mix I was listening to a few days ago:



It's from 1998, so a bit more on the downtempo/earthy side of DnB like the K&D stuff. Very strong.

Just a mix someone made, no legendary bonafides here, but I like it a lot.

we all take chances sometimes and in my rush to post a meme related to a mix discussed in here I didn't stop to consider that it may or may not be offensive (I have no idea, is the suggestion that people who were raving in 1996 are now permanently damaged? maybe)

If I'm supposed to be offended by that, it's so impenetrable to me that I'm nowhere close to understanding why or how.

Can we talk about this kind of thing?

Spoiler:

I don't know how to start because I'd probably just make a ton of really broad statements that sound true but can't really be verified. I could ask questions, like "why do people make these mixes?" and maybe you would say something like "Well undo, rock music is dead and the optimism and platitudes it always espoused have been verified as complete illusions. Authenticity as a virtue has been dead for well over two decades, there is no critique of rock music left to make except to reclaim all music that is anti-rock at its core."

But of course, no person who enjoys this music has experienced a thought process that's literally like that at all.

I realize this is music for extremely online teens and I'm curious to understand what it is they're getting out of it, because I think that there's a "nostalgia" appeal here BUT at the same time they might not have grown up with this kind of sound anywhere in their life at all and aren't re-experiencing any of this outside of the context of Vaporwave mixes etc.

I'm at work now and struggling to articulate any further points so I'll just leave this.

why would you make fake mixes when the real thing is out there?

https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/kmart-internet-archive-mark-davis-kresge-cassette-tape/Content?oid=87861684

I spent a few hours yesterday rummaging through the electronic CD section of Amoeba and Rasputin Music in Berkeley. Amoeba in Berkeley didn't have much selection at all, SF was much better for electronic music, especially DnB. Rasputin was a little more kind. It had an absolute truckload of insane 90s/2000s "club mix/trance/chillout" mixes that seemed unofficial.

I was able to grab the K&D Sessions on CD for $2.99. I also found LTJ Bukem's Logical Progression. It's nice to have these DnB CDs for the car and to preserve the mixes for a future where YouTube starts taking these channels down.

Undo, I know it wasn’t the conversation starter you wanted but I’m curious, did you listened to any of the Kmart tapes?

One reason I dropped that link is because I think hearing a sample of the type of thing these mixes are trying to imitate gives some perspective. I only listened to half of the first one you posted but one thing I can say is I kinda feel like they lack the creativity of the Kmart tapes. There was a goofy ass MIDI cover of Yesterday on one of the tapes I checked out and that is what these vapor wave mixes miss, the 90s tech goofiness of MIDI. Whether the mixes are sincere or ironic, I don’t think they reach either. They are calming to a certain extent so maybe that’s what people get out of it.

I could say more but I’m also at work so I’ll have to leave it at that for now.

Sounds like madlib, dilla, or flying lotus/thundercat but more influenced by smooth jazz. This type of vaporwave seems more like what I expected out of the genre. Clearly indebted to older sounds but done with a modern touch.

BTW, I have no context for this shit, I read a wiki last night that said this genre has its roots in some Oneothrix Point Never project from almost 10 years ago... man, I’m out of touch.

Hey Chrono, if you happen to find, Photek - Modus Operandi, when you’re out on your next record store run, get it. I think you’ll like that one, it’s one of my personal faves. I listened to it again recently and it holds up. It’s pretty minimal but the lack of sound is what makes it cool. An empty space becomes a hook. I’ll stop there, don’t wanna over hype.

If I saw any Photek I would grab it. I rarely see the recognizable early DnB names out there, which is why I grabbed Logical Progression. Photek tracks are the standout on a lot of these mixes.

And the haircuts for men mix is awesome, I listened to it the other day. It has modern sensibilities with some DJ Shadow textures. It was really good.

https://ra.co/podcast/785
Not YouTube but this is a great mix and one of the most disorienting listens of my year so far.

Has anyone else listened to that Ripatti mix? I can’t stop thinking about it, might be the best thing I’ve heard this year so far. Fans of footwork or crazy electronic music would likely enjoy. The first time I listened to it about a week ago was while I was cutting my lawn and I stopped mid mow several times in astonishment. This thing stretches time in ways that I haven’t experienced in a while. 15 minutes into the mix I felt like I had been listening for at least 30-45 minutes. WHOOOOOOAAAAAAA!