A treatise on the the mixtape

Is mix tape one word or two? Mixtape. Mix tape. Mix-tape.

I'm going to go with two words.

So I have created 2 x mix tapes in preparation for my 2 x month odyssey from Barcelona to London via Scandinavia and some Balkan states. It is a great frustration that I cannot seem to get an embedded player going and have them playing as you read this.

Instead I write out their contents, and if you email me and ask me to, I can email you these mix tapes. My clever friend Jamie who is well into music and technomological things assures me you can do this on the interweb.

The mix tape is a dying, but divine, art. It is not quite being a DJ, and not merely because there's no vinyl (or as kids like to call it these days, those big black CDs), yet it involves somewhat more skill than pressing shuffle 'on'. It is lovely to have one made especially for you. ALL memorable holidays/events mandate a soundtrack of their own. If you have never been given one before, then that is a tragedy, and one about to be remedied.

Two trends you will observe on both these mixtapes are:

1. Electrosynth pop is alive and well, cheesy as hell, but can you stop yourself from smiling? Do your feet take a life of their own on, tap away and make you look like an idiot on the bus? Isn't that what every summer holiday soundtrack should be about? To those who would disagree, bring on the debate.
2. Falsetto rock is the way of the future. I have no real evidence to support this claim because it is very difficult to make predictions, especially about the future. But I think bands like Wild Beasts, Dirty Projectors and Oh No Ono are doing really interesting and original stuff and deserve to be around in the future. ps Niels Bohr said that thing about predicting the future. He was quite clever.

So, if you want these mixtapes - send me a line at mydiarama@gmail.com.

Scandomix 2010 - new (or newish) musical releases/discoveries in Scandinavia.

1. Island, The Whitest Boy Alive
2. It Don't Move Me, Peter Bjørn and John
3. Freddie and the Trojan Horse, The Radio Dept.
4. The Shock of the Real, Oh No Ono
5. Anthonio, Annie
6. Lovesick, Lindstrøm & Christabelle
7. Change of Heart, El Perro del Mar
8. Bridges, Fallulah
9. Beach, Mew
10. Boat Behind, Kings of Convenience
11. Heavenly Arms, El Perro del Mar
12. Innan Du Gar, Theresa Andersson
13. Love is All, The Tallest Man on Earth
14. The Path, Jenny Wilson
15. Enemy Within, Frida Hyvönen
16. Danger Bear, Kashmir
17. ...Even Though You're With Another Girl, Trentemøller
18. Talking Lynndie England, Oh No Ono

Eurotrip 2010

1. Intro, The XX
2. Barcelona, Guilia Y Los Tellarini
3. Dog Days Are Over, Florence and the Machine
4. Momma's Place, Roisin Murphy
5. We Have Love, Hot Chip
6. Rocket (Grum Radio Edit Remix), Goldfrapp
7. Stylo, Gorillaz
8. I'm In Love With A German Film Star, Sam Taylor-Wood and The Pet Shop Boys
9. Orally Fixated, Roisin Murphy
10. IRM, Charlotte Gainsbourg
11. We Still Got The Taste Dancin' On Our Tongues, Wild Beasts
12. Useful Chamber, Dirty Projectors
13. You've Got the Love (The XX Remix), Florence and the Machine
14. England, The National
15. Islands, The XX
16. Feel It All Around, Washed Out
17. Hand Me Down Your Love, Hot Chip
18. Beast of Love, Cloud Control
19. Big Brother, The Stephane Wrembel Trio