Dane D. Lion's Music Den ##############

A.i.R.: Cy’s First Mix

(Editor’s Note: Below is Cy’s story of his first mix for the Den.  Click the link under the first photo to download the collection.  Tomorrow, I will post a summary/transcript of an interview with the artisan about this mix and mixes, in general.  On Friday, I will post a “listener diary” of this mix, in which I provide commentary - some of the sharp, analytical variety, and some of the purely whimsical.  Enjoy, and please leave comments, questions, etc. for Cy and me if you have anything to share!)

Endless Weekend
A mixtape for Kate & Andrew from Cyrus.

 (download)
 
I want to share the story of a mixtape. The mixtape in question is the curatorial fruit of my experience attending and DJ’ing the wedding of my friends Kate and Andrew in August 2011. Endless Weekend. Required mixtape element #1 — Every mixtape has a name, an identity separate from its creator and its recipient. 

The weekend began with great anticipation as I traveled from Seattle to the wedding location in the Northwoods lake region of Wisconsin. After an overnight flight and long morning car ride, my body and mind were in a hazy state of excitement for impending fun in a faraway place. A quick drop of the luggage at the lodge, a shower, and then straight out to join the bride, the groom, and their guests to kick off the festivities at a lumberjack exhibition. The weather was perfect. The log-rolling was a treat, but joining the wedding group was the real thrill. Kate is the most positive and genuinely inclusive person I know, and Andrew gives her a run for her money with his relaxed demeanor and subtle wit. What a perfect pair to be entering the ranks of the married. Required mixtape element #2 — Every mixtape has an audience, a justification for its existence.

That evening I got to know the family and friends closest to Kate and Andrew. We explained who we were to one another. We talked about the bride and groom, about the beautiful setting, and about our shared interests. We bonded as we ventured out to the bars and met the locals. We were on vacation. We were there to celebrate and to live freely. At the rehearsal the next day, I observed a nonchalance with which Kate and Andrew conducted themselves in their preparations to be married. It was infectious. And on the wedding day, their unique relationship, love, and commitment were commemorated with well-deserved pomp and circumstance. Lakeside dinner and toasts, then laughter and dancing under the clear summer night sky. I felt part of something special. Required mixtape element #3 — Every mixtape has a relational context, a setting in which a specific sonic language develops.

The experience brought me deep joy. It reaffirmed my love for weddings. It reminded me of the pride and honor I held for my own wife and marriage. My overwhelming feelings compelled me to express to Kate and Andrew how their wedding and their relationship had affected me with such positivity. Required mixtape element #4 — Every mixtape has something to say; it communicates; it shares.

I began piecing together Endless Weekend on the flight back to Seattle. In the weeks that followed I spent my morning bus rides to work editing and sequencing the track list, nurturing that joy inside me until I heard it in the music. I committed the mix to CD-R. I stitched the sleeve out of the scraps from the cut-offs that I had worn at the wedding weekend. I wrote the track list. I wrote a note to Kate and Andrew. I sat with it. I was pleased. I sent it away. Required mixtape element #5 — Every mixtape is an artifact, a physical object that is more than the sum of its songs.

Endless Weekend - Tracklist:

1. “You’re Our Two” - Deerhoof
2. “Weekend” - Smith Westerns
3. “New Kind of Neighborhood” - Jonathan Richman
4. “Don’t Doubt Yourself, Babe” - The Byrds
5. “Baby, I’m in the Mood for You” - Odetta
6. “I Need to Be by Your Side” - The Millennium
7. “Hey Lover” - Blake Mills
8. “This is Where I Belong ” - The Kinks
9. “The Diary of Horace Wimp” - Electric Light Orchestra
10. “Marry Me” - Sparks
11. “I’ll Come Running” - Brian Eno
12. “Dreams Come True Girl” - Cass McCombs
13. “Swinging Party” - Kindness
14. “Coming Up” - Paul McCartney
15. “Eleven” - Thao & Mirah (ft. tUnE-YarDs)
16. “Maniac” - John Maus
17. “Pigeon” - Tennis
18. “Sea Bed Meditation” - Jürgen Müller
19. “Sunday Morning” - Margo Guryan
20. “This Will Be Our Year” - The Zombies
21. “Love Can Tame the Wild” - The Monks
22. “Move On” - David Bowie
23. “Goodbye Girls” - Broadcast
24. “Endless Endless” - Kraftwerk

1. danedlion posted this