Thursday, April 17, 2008

mnml ssgs mix01: bvdub

mnml ssgs are very happy to announce the start of our ssg mix series, which will soon be a ssgcast (as soon as i find the time to figure out how exactly podcasts work). before introducing the first mix, i just want to explain a bit about the concept behind this series.

what we are trying to do is to showcase artists that are really exciting and interesting us. the point is not just to slap a mix up, but for this series (like the blog as a whole) to be a medium for promoting djs and producers that we feel people should be listening to. the mandate we've given to those that have agreed to do mix is simply to express themselves and their music: to use the mix to tell us who they are and what they are about.

in many ways, the template for this has been the wonderful betalounge. there are two dimensions that really separate many of the mixes there from all the disposable mixes and podcasts floating about. first, along with plenty of recognised names, the betalounge does a tremendous job of introducing us to new sounds (to take one example, go back through their archives and check how long they've been championing efdemin for). second, many of the betalounge mixes have a real timeless quality to them. even after hundreds of listens, the old michael mayer betalounge set (from 2002?) sounds as fresh as ever.

anyway, that is basically what we are trying to do with the mixes. this is something the ssgs are very enthusiastic about, and we are hoping the series will continue on an irregular basis. in the coming weeks, we should have mixes from ana (harry klein) and pawel (orphanear/dial),
and a few other people we really like have also agreed to contribute. unfortunately, we dont have our own server (yet), but we've given quite a few different download options, including a streaming version. as i said, we'll try and get the podcast up and running in the next week. this should give everyone a good enough option to get the mixes.

enough talking, onto the first installment. since cam posted about bvdub's lovely sounds, we've been in touch with him and the result is this one hour slice of beauty. bvdub's dedication to his craft, his sincerity and good will have really been a great source of inspiration for us ssgs. as well as our love for his music, over the last couple of months we've developed a real respect for brock (bvdub) the individual. this artist and the mix he has made represents exactly what we are hoping this series will be about. respect.



Tell us about the mix: what was the intent/purpose behind it?

Bvdub: First of all, I just want to say thanks for the opportunity to do the mix in the first place. If you wouldn't have asked, it surely never would have happened. It is one I've wished I could have seen materialize for quite some time… and now that it has, I'm not sure it will ever happen again. So I'm grateful for the motivation to see it happen for what will likely be the last time.

"Waiting For The World To Go By" will hopefully paint the picture in my head that I had while making it… I have always had this obsession with music that exemplifies sitting at the window, staring off into an overcast, rainy day, when the world seems to exist on a totally separate plane, far away… and when your life almost seems to be on hold, but in a good, peaceful way, even though it's tinged with a sort of beautiful sadness. I don't know if that makes any sense. The mix is basically a soundtrack to that moment.

Times such as that are always the times of deepest reflection for me, about what has been, what should have been, and what I wish would be, but which I know deep down will never happen. To me, that's the pinnacle of what music is to me, and, quite frankly what my life is about.

These are all tracks that have long held this meaning for me, and have provided a loyal companion for me countless times on those reflective days, and those moments that sometimes I wished would never end. They are tracks I will never forget… and hopefully they will tell the story I can't put into words.

What projects are you working on at the moment?

Bvdub: I'm working on a ton of stuff… though much of it I couldn't really tell you what's going to happen with it in days to come, because I don't know yet. I am happy to announce that I will have upcoming vinyl releases this year on Styrax, Millions of Moments, and Pronounce, later this year will see the release of my first full-length ambient CD on Shoreless, and a special audio cassette / vinyl project will be out very soon on Southern Outpost, which I'm very excited about.

I also have some other special projects in the works, but for now, mum's the word… mostly because I don't even know if they are going to see the light of day, not because I'm trying to be obnoxiously mysterious.

Thanks again for the great opportunity to make the mix… thanks to the artists who made the beautiful music… and thanks to anyone who takes the time to listen. I hope the music contained within can mean as much to you as it has to me…

More info:
bvdub homepage
bvdub myspace
bvdub @ discogs

17 comments:

  1. And Bvdub hits it out of the park *again*. I took this mix for a walk through the rainy streets of Tokyo today, and it was the perfect companion. Highly recommended - this is beautiful, wistful, gentle, melodic stuff.

    (The last of those adjectives surprised me slightly - this mix is much more noticeably/immediately melodic than the "A Willing End" mix on Bvdub's website. This is not a criticism, though, just an observation.)

    And another observation: Chris mentioned Brock's honesty and sincerity. Consider this: he carefully chose a name for the mix, went out and took a photo especially for it, and encoded it at 320kps. It's plain as day, but I'll say it anyway ... this is a guy who cares. He cares about the music, cares about the feelings it inspires, cares about the experience the listener has.

    Much respect and huge thanks to Brock for this. I hope you all enjoy this mix as much as I am.

    Cheers,
    Cam.

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  2. ...and it's going down a treat whilst looking out over London as the sun starts to go down on what might be the first day of spring at last... Not what I was expecting really but very very nice...

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  3. Cool ! I didn't know Brock was dj ! I will listen to this right now ! Really nice !

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  4. i'm going to refrain from listening to this until later on - still a sunny 4pm here in chicago.

    what i know of bvdub is limited to features, records, and a brief email exchange, but cam is right on - bvdub is as genuine as they come, and he does indeed truly care about this music - a good starting point, sure, but he's also a brilliant talent. if only we could get more support for he and others like him in the states.

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  5. THANK YOU SO MUCH MNML SSG. YOU GUYS ARE FANTASTIC!

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  6. Big thanks to the sausages for turning me on to Bvdub's DJing. Had a proper 'moment' last Saturday morning while listening to 'a willing end' at full blast after a long, long night. Looking forward to hearing this one.

    I meant to mention this on the thread for Cameron's ambient piece, but at our clubnight, it's the law that the first hour at least is non-dance music, and ideally beatless. It's a trick we learned from Studio 672 in Cologne, and it works a treat. We get a few complaints from meatheads now and again but fuck 'em.

    Anyway, thanks again.

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  7. I realize it's possibly going against the ethos of this series but is there any chance of a track-list for this one?

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  8. Didn't know what to expect when i started listening. I had expected something perhaps more dubby but this is really down my alley. I'd love a tracklist as well. Wouldn't be suprised to see some postrock bands appearing in there. Damn. Fine piece of a mix.

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  9. glad people are feeling this mix. as for a tracklisting, what bvdub originally said when he sent the mix was:

    'personally i'm not a big fan of tracklists (as you can probably see from my site). not because i don't want to give the artists the full recognition they deserve, but because i feel like people look at a tracklist, and make an immediate pre-conceived notion of what the mix will be about. i want people to discover it as it unfolds, and just listen to it with an open mind.'

    he said he wouldnt mind providing a tracklist after people have listened to it, so i might try getting one and posting it next week.

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  10. I think that's actually a cool idea that could be a sort of 'routine'. Either you use google statistics to check on when the downloading goes down substantially and then you post the tracklist or you do it after say two weeks.
    Just my 5cents though.

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  11. yeah, i like the idea of a delayed tracklist, but i dont want to impose any restrictions at all on the artist. some might like to have it upfront. so i think we might just procede on an episode by episode basis...

    will see if brock is keen on providing a tracklisting at some stage...

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  12. Hello,

    I also like the idea of a delayed tracklist ... I've often done exactly what Bvdub talked about (looking at a tracklisting and making my mind up about it before even listening to it).

    (Of course, if a DJ wants the tracklist to be front-and-center, that's cool too.)

    However, what we can do for now is play the time-honored internet game of "can anyone ID the track at 34:26?"

    I'll start!

    16:32- 30:02 Material taken from the Helios album "Eingya"
    30:02 - 36:15 Material taken from the Arve Henriksen album "Chiaroscuro"

    Okay, your turn!

    Cheers,
    Cam.

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  13. Nice mix Brock!

    Looking forward to the next one.

    P.

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  14. thanks so much brock and the ssgs team for this and also for the jackmate mix. really looking foward to listening to the rest. this is really just as inspiring as the betalounge site. coming from hamburg, it really affectetd me. keep on caring!

    henning

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  15. I listen to "waiting for the world to go by" very frequently, it is one of my favorite collections. I do long for the track list, though, so I can further explore the new music this mix has exposed me to.

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  16. I agree with Wes Plate.

    This is such a beautiful mix. I would really love to explore it's artists.

    Is there still a chance of a track list?

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  17. I know this mix was posted up here many many moons ago. But that just shows I guess how non disposable and timeless this mix series has become.

    I love this mix, it's truly moving and definitely paints the picture that Brock describes in the text. Most recently i've been loving his latest work 'The art of dying alone'. Amazing as ever.

    Peace to all

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