Jesse Somfay – Hexahedral

5 mixes, over 10 hours in total, a who’s who and what’s what of downtempo, shoegaze and electronica. Compiled by Jesse Somfay, the Canadian’s production qualities alone are enough to go nuts about. Somfay’s releases on Traum, have helped set the label apart from any other like minded German output. That then, makes these mixes a must for anyone who’s up for coma induced listening. I am just wondering if these are good enough to rival DJ Todos Kilchurn Sessions…

“This is not intended to sound mixed in any way as it is not a DJ mix. It is merely a selection of music strung together, so the focus is purely on the music itself and not the technicalities of mixing”.

Jesse Somfay – Hexahedral

Hexahedral Part One
1. Clouddead – The Teen Keen Skip
2. Sole and the Skyrider Band – The Shipwreckers
3. Burial – Archangel
4. Boards Of Canada – Dawn Chorus
5. Aphex Twin – IZ-US
6. Clark – Hot May Slides
7. Radiohead – Idioteque
8. Jel – All Around
9. Air – Run
10. Radiohead – Like Spinning Plates
11. Black Moth Super Rainbow + The Octopus Project – Copying Soup Onto Sexy Birdy
12. Caustic Window – AFX 114
13. Die Fantastischen Vier – Krieger (Aphex Twin Baldhu Mix)
14. Flying Lotus – GNG BNG
15. Clark – Matthew Unburdened
16. Battles – Leyendecker
17. Black Moth Super Rainbow + The Octopus Project – Tony Face
18. Aphex Twin – Alberto Balsalm
19. Boards Of Canada – Amo Bishop Roden
20. Squarepusher – Iambic 9 Poetry
21. Alias & Tarsier – Plane That Draws A White Line
22. Jel – Nice Last
23. Boards Of Canada – Gyroscope
24. Black Moth Super Rainbow – Algae
25. Boards Of Canada – Untitled
26. Global Goon – Glory B
27. Bloc Party – Where Is Home? (Burial Remix)
28. Portishead – Wandering Star
29. Flying Lotus – Auntie’s Lock / Infinitum (feat. Laura Darlington)
30. Broadcast – Corporeal
31. Black Moth Super Rainbow – Zodiac Girls
32. The Tuss – GX1 Solo
33. Yo La Tengo – Nuclear War (Version 1)
34. Why? – Gnashville

Hexahedral Part Two
1. CocoRosie – Rainbowarriors
2. Sol Seppy – Slo Fuzz
3. The Postal Service – Brand New Colony
4. The Knife – Only For You
5. The Postal Service – Such Great Heights
6. Gemma Hayes – At Constant Speed
7. The Cinematic Orchestra – To Build A Home
8. Bon Iver – Lump Sum
9. Fink – Blueberry Pancakes
10. Alaska in Winter – Close Your Eyes – We Are Blind
11. Beirut – Scenic World
12. Ai Phoenix – The Party’s Over
13. Lisa Germano – Reptile
14. Ai Phoenix – Revolutionfriend
15. Blonde Redhead – Dr. Strangeluv
16. Gemma Hayes – Out Of Our Hands
17. Lisa Germano – A Beautiful Schizophrenic
18. Nico – Chelsea Girls
19. Lisa Germano – Geek The Girl
20. Blonde Redhead – Falling Man
21. The Postal Service – Suddenly Everything Has Changed (The Flaming Lips Cover)
22. Death Cab For Cutie – A Lack Of Color
23. Nico – The Fairest Of The Seasons
24. KaitO – Shelflife
25. The Manhattan Love Suicides – Things You’ve Never Done
26. My Bloody Valentine – Drive It All Over Me
27. Eric’s Trip – Happens All The Time
28. Henry’s Dress – Definitely Nothing
29. Eric’s Trip – You’re Always Right
30. Shocking Pinks – Blonde Haired Girl
31. Eric’s Trip – Mirror
32. Helium – Pat’s Trick
33. The Kills – At The Back Of The Shell
34. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Pin
35. Henry’s Dress – Sunshine Proves All Wrongness
36. The Ramones – Listen To My Heart
37. Eric’s Trip – Open Your Heart
38. The Silversun Pickups – Well Thought Out Twinkles
39. Placebo – You Don’t Care About Us
40. Eric’s Trip – My Room
41. Sun Dial – Open Your Eyes
42. Pavement – The Hexx
43. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Maps

Hexahedral Part Three
1. Boris – となりのサターン
2. Kinski – Rhode Island Freakout
3. Dead Meadow – Dusty Nothing
4. Sun Dial – Acid Test
5. Can – Vitamin C
6. Portishead – Half Day Closing
7. Eric’s Trip – Secret For Julie
8. Shocking Pinks – Strip Mall Blue
9. Portishead – Small
10. The Beatles – Tomorrow Never Knows
11. My Bloody Valentine – Come In Alone
12. Spaceman 3 – Mary Anne
13. Sciflyer – Girl
14. Motorcycle Ride – Union City Blue
15. My Bloody Valentine – Off Your Face
16. Stereolab – John Cage Bubblegum
17. Neu! – After Eight
18. Stereolab – Revox
19. The Black Angels – You In Color
20. Stereolab – The Seeming And The Meaning
21. Six By Seven – Untitled
22. La Dusseldorf – Rheinita
23. Neu! – Cassetto
24. Suicide – Cheree
25. Gravenhurst – Velvet Cell
26. The Silversun Pickups – Lazy Eye
27. Black Moth Super Rainbow – Caterpillar House
28. Animal Collective – Fireworks
29. The Silversun Pickups – Little Lover’s So Polite
30. Low – Murderer
31. Why? – Light Leaves
32. The Velvet Underground & Nico – All Tomorrows Parties
33. My Bloody Valentine – Honey Power
34. Deuter – La Ilaha Il Allah

Hexahedral Part Four
1. Aphex Twin – Rhubarb
2. Bibio – Bewly In Red
3. Boards Of Canada – A Moment Of Clarity
4. Clark – Herzog
5. Radiohead – Up On The Ladder
6. Blonde Redhead – Sings Along The Path (Maps Remix)
7. M83 – Sitting
8. The Radio Dept. – Ewan
9. Skywave – I Believe
10. Astrobrite – Orange Creamsickle
11. Brasilia – Hindsight
12. Asobi Seksu – New Years
13. Amusement Parks On Fire – Motown Ritual
14. Electro Group – Glistened
15. Pia Fraus – 400 & 57
16. Study Of The Lifeless – Promised Land
17. Brasilia – Sublimation
18. Chessie – The Century
19. Cruyff In The Bedroom – Sad Paradise
20. Henry’s Dress – Stumble (Demo)
21. Boris – Farewell
22. Electro Group – Killer Bees
23. Brasilia – Prized Fighter
24. STAR – Pure Gold Reason
25. The Ecstacy Of Saint Theresa – Honeyrain
26. Astrobrite – Swooner
27. My Bloody Valentine – Loomer
28. Joy Zipper – Baby You Should Know
29. Fleeting Joys – The Good Kind Of Tomorrow
30. Astrobrite – Lemondrop
31. Pia Fraus – Chromatic Nights
32. The Charlottes – Liar
33. Chapterhouse – Breather
34. Blind Mr. Jones – Disneyworld
35. The Raveonettes – Hallucinations

Hexahedral Part Five
1. Swirlies – Tall Ships
2. Slowdive – Machine Gun
3. Asobi Seksu – Walk On The Moon
4. The Walkmen – The North Pole
5. Rollerskate Skinny – Speed To My Side
6. Gravenhurst – Farewell, Farewell
7. Slowdive – Jazz Odeon
8. Astrobrite – Boy
9. Cocteau Twins – In Our Angelhood
10. Joy Zipper – VSX
11. Death Cab For Cutie – Passenger Seat
12. Radiohead – How I Made My Millions
13. Lisa Germano – Cry Wolf
14. Astrobrite – More
15. Pyramids – The Echo Of Something Lovely (Lovesliescrushing Remix)
16. Lovesliescrushing – Darkglassdolleyes
17. Astrobrite – Amorotic Zoom
18. Lovesliescrushing – Auvn
19. Burial – Endorphin
20. Helios – Vargtimme
21. Vir – Dapur
22. Astrobrite – Girl
23. Boards Of Canada – Olson
24. Sigur Ros – Untitled
25. Bjork – All Is Full Of Love
26. Lovesliescrushing – Ilgesn
27. Burial – Forgive
28. Your Favorite Horse – Tuning Up On Cloud Nine
29. Astrobrite – Dragonfly Pinky Fuzz
30. Lovesliescrushing – Suischre
31. Astrobrite – Cherryflavor Burst
32. Autechre – Vletrmx 21
33. Squarepusher – Tommib
34. Boards Of Canada – Saw Drones
35. Low – Kind Of Girl
36. Boards Of Canada – Constants Are Changing
37. Slowdive – Here She Comes
38. Vincent Oliver – Outro
39. Aphex Twin – Lichen
40. Boards Of Canada – Corsair
41. Bibio – Black Country Blues
42. Boards Of Canada – Tears From The Compound Eye
43. Squarepusher – Tommib Help Buss
44. Boards Of Canada – Over The Horizon Radar

Aarnio – Goodnight Gracie Mix

Jakub Alexander from the ISO50 Blog (aka Tycho) has put together a deep melodic number of old and new, featuring biggies including Audion, M83, Cobblestone Jazz, and Slowdive. Download it here. Or stream the mix from the IS050 page, and take a look around whilst you’re there. The site looks great and features decent music, reviews and artwork (nice t-shirts!)

“This new mix called Goodnight Gracie is kind of an ode to a weekly I did for 3+ years with Matthew Dear, Ryan Elliott, and Scott Brandon at a lounge called Goodnight Gracie in Ann Arbor. Ryan Elliott and Matthew Dear now are big international DJ’s and Scott and I took the night over once they started touring. Ryan would let me open nearly every night and play ambient and deep melodic house before they went on so I could hear Broker/Dealer on decent speakers, I hope you can at least enjoy the end”.

Markus Guentner – Untitled 3 – In Moll – Kompakt (2001)
Audion – I Am The Car – Unreleased – Spectral Sound (2009)
UND – Ambivalente – Maxfield – Defrag Sound Processing (2005)
Pleite – Pleite – Pleite – Trapez (2003)
The Librarian – The Hornet’s Nest (Teef Antihisatmine rmx) – ModeTwo – Moodgadget (2009)
Sten – Way To The Stars – The Essence – Dial (2008)
Omar S. – Oasis #1 – Oasis EP – FXHE (2005)
Pepe Bradock – Deep Burnt – Burning – Kif Recordings (1999)
Cobblestone Jazz – 5th Element – 5th Element EP – Itiswhatitis Recordings (2002)
Daso & Pawas – Det (Schatrax Beats Plus rmx) – Det – Spectral Sound (2008)
Pigon – Promises – Promises – Dial (2007)
Lusine – Excess – Push EP – Ghostly International (2003)
Slowdive – Good Day Sunshine – Souvlaki – SBK (1994)
M83 – I Guess I’m Floating – Before The Dawn Heals Us – Gooom (2005)

Shoegazing 1985 – 2007 by Rob Da Bank

The Sunday Best head honcho is curating a special Soma release: Shoegazing – 1985 – 2007. After listening to Rob’s Sunday Best Podcasts and Blue Room Sessions, its no surprise he is a big admirer of the Shoegaze genre, evident within his spectrum of respected Shoegaze tracks. Ulrich, M83, Boards of Canada and Shoegaze pioneers, the Cocteau Twins all feature along with some lesser known artists.

Sci-Fi-Lo-Fi: Compiled By Rob Da Bank (Shoegazing 1985 – 2007).

1. Jesus & Mary Chain “Just Like Honey”
2. Ultra Vivid Scene “Mercy Seat”
3. Dinosaur Jr. “Freak Scene”
4. Pale Saints “Sight of You”
5. Ride “Nowhere”
6. Spiritualized “If I Were With Her Now”
7. Chapterhouse “Pearl”
8. Slowdive “When The Sun Hits (Album Version)”
9. Lush “Sweetness & Light”
10. Boards Of Canada “Zoetrope”
11. Ulrich Schnauss “On My Own”
12. M83 “Teen Angst”
13. Cocteau Twins “Cherry Coloured Funk (Seefeel Mix)”
14. Maps “You Don’t Know Her Name”
15. Dean & Britta “White Horses”

If you are not 100% familiar with the Shoegaze genre and need somewhere to start, then this could be the ideal CD. The mix is due to be released March 16th. See more at Exclaim.ca and the Soma Website.

Here’s a taster from M83: