Thursday, December 31, 2009

2009


given the amount of time i've spent travelling this year, this picture i took on one of my many flights felt appropriate for my final post for 2009. for me, this year has been incredibly intense. it feels like i have had about 2-3 years worth of experiences within the last 12 months. i am just starting to recover from much of it and beginning to process a lot of what has happened. intense is definitely the right word to describe 2009. there have been some amazing highs and these have been matched by some equally strong low points. for someone who always tries to be in control, it has been very difficult trying to deal with constantly feeling like i was not in control, as was the case for much of 2009. exhausted, beaten (but not totally broken) and chastened, i have made it through the year in one piece (just), and now very much looking forward to 2010.

throughout all the highs, lows, and instability, one constant throughout 2009 has been mnml ssgs and the network of friends and contributors around it. both pete and myself are very proud of how the blog has developed and 2009 has been a great year for us. the amount of readers we are getting is now almost double this time last year, and we are getting hits from about 100 different countries. this all gives us confidence in what we are doing. i know sometimes we do stuff that doesn't quite work or pisses people off, but we will keep experimenting and trying different things. even if the execution isn't always there, our hearts are in the right place. and we are proud of the fact that there is no advertising on this site. in a world where capitalism dominates, it is nice to have some spaces like this where it is not about money. and for people who have wondered, this is why we've never had a proper podcast for our mixes. we dont make any money out of the blog to pay for the kind of bandwith we'd need. but that's fine. i know it might not be as convenient, but it means you need to consciously choose to download the mix, which we hope increases the chances of it actually being listened to. so big ups to fairtilizer, who have been very supportive in hosting all our mixes.

so as the year comes to an end, thanks to everyone who has contributed to mnml ssgs in 2009. whether through their productions, mixes, writing, emails, comments, or just taking the time to have a read - your contribution has been greatly appreciated. in particular, i'd like to thank all the artists who have done mixes for us in 2009. we are very proud of the mix series and deeply appreciate that each contributor has really signed up to what we are trying to do. on a personal note, many of the people who i've met through mnml ssgs i have forged strong friendships with, and i'd like to thank them for their support during a very challenging year. in particular, i want to express my deep and heartfelt appreciation to a couple of people very close to me that have been a constant source of guidance and help during the most difficult year of my life: ben, dave, pete and yuri.

thanks to everyone for all your support. mnml ssgs will continue stronger in 2010 - we've got some absolute killers lined up to finish the mix series, pete is preparing what looks to be a really interesting series of pieces reflecting on 2009, and we've got some other collaborations and ideas on the boil. plenty to look forward to. thanks again and mnml ssgs wishes you all the best for 2010. lets make it a good one!

21 comments:

  1. Likewise, a big thank you to everyone at MNML SSGS. I hope the project continues to grow in the new year, and wish everyone involved the best of luck in 2010!

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  2. thanks chris , happy new year to you and all the crew :) once again thanks for bringing me these podcasts, introducing me to new artists and helping me think of new ideas, have even a better year !

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  3. big thanks to you too, ssgs. see you next year.

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  4. Thank you for introducing me to lots of exceptional new music. Look forward to 2010. Happy new year!

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  5. ey, you know your picture also stands for the time that I (and most probably many others) spent flying around in the mind with all your music and the discussions. your website is a haven of safe choice, every mix very much considered, carefully chosen. thanks for that. when i think of 2009, i see this heavy inbalance: tiny 2 on the left, huge 9 on the right. good luck for 2010, a very much balanced year, just by looking at the numbers i can tell.

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  6. @ devid.fdm: i like your thinking. lets hope 2010 has more balance. thanks to you all!

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  7. Mnml ssgs has been a constant source of delight to me this year, and has marked a rediscovery of the type of music I'd given up all hope of ever hearing again. Smart, sexy, deep and funky electronic music will be the soundtrack of choice as I raise a glass to 2009.

    It's been a fucking weird year for all sorts of reasons - personal and not so personal. But I know that the music and more importantly the attitude of this blog is a positive high I hope to build on next year.

    Many thanks to the inspirational coterie of like-minded artists, contributors and fellow ssgsers who have made this blog what it is. Have a good one lad and lasses.

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  8. i personally had a great year. only 1 deep low, but all the rest were great highs. every ssg mix stands for a certain time / moment in 2009, thank you for that !
    see you again in 2010 !

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  9. 2009 was, in a nutshell, a challenging year for me. At times frustrating, at times exhilirating. The one constant, the bastion that either made a day better, or just kept me balanced, was the ssgs.

    Be it an informative, thought-provoking post, or the scads of *amazing* mixes provided, ssgs kept my feet firmly on the ground, while allowing my mind to expand.

    TBH, this is just about the *only* place where I get me music from, and that is a testament to the level of quality and consciousness that goes into each and every mix.

    I can't imagine my life in 2009 w/o ssgs, and I eagerly look forward to what 2010 has to offer. I humbly and respectfully thank *everyone* involved with this site. You make life better. Period.

    Now comes the looooong four-month wait until the next ssgmix... :)

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  10. Big thanks to everyone involved with Ssgs. Especially for me living in an area where there is basically no scene for the music discussed on here, I was able to find so much new great music/artists that I never would have heard otherwise! Keep up the awesome work in 2010 and Happy New Year to everyone!

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  11. As someone who discovered mnml ssgs in the last three or four months I want to say - thank you for joining the dots.... - I have learnt much, some of the mixes have become dear friends to me, and it is with true relish that I gorge upon the contents of your effervescent minds. Thank you immensely - and happy 2010.

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  12. Hey all, personally, 2009 was one of the most difficult years of my life, there were a lot of obstacles but I managed and I'm still managing.

    Musically though, I've never felt as excited about techno and deep house in all the time I've been listening to it!! The music I've heard here, on your mixes, and on comments from others, have blown me away time and time again. Kassem Mosse, Levon Vincent, John Roberts, Donato Dozzy, Shed, Marcel Dettmann, Peter Van Hoesen, Scuba, Sandwell District and all those mysterious hand stamped wonders all deserve a mention (and I know I'm leaving loads out!).

    So thanks to everyone involved, both the ssgs and to anyone who posted a comment in the last year, and of course to the DJ's who mix all the great stuff together. I hope you all have a great new year and here's to 2010!

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  13. To all at Mnml ssgs... and to Chris especially who I think I can say has become a friend since we first met at Labyrinth 2008... THANK YOU!! from the bottom of my heart... I really do not know what we would do without you. especially out in japan where it is so difficult to find good mixes from the artists I love and who quite frankly are helping shaping my future life in front of me. without the inspiration & support of these artists in the SSG family, Peter especially of course (and yes I do think his Labyrnth liveset was the best set I heard in 2009 without a shadow of doubt!!)... making music would be an uphill battle!

    Cio recently described the fashion-friendly mainstream genre I (we!?) have found so difficult to put up with last year as ''minimal tech with electro vocals'' ... funny as hell if you ask me and as a genre to HELL with it too!!!!

    With a quote from DJ Q `We Are One' ... to all the producers we love so much a toast...

    (quote) From the days when house was built we will be here
    From the frontiers of music we will maintain
    Pushing back the boundaries we have sought to make you dance, we are your servants which we ever will remain

    We are the soldiers of the underground, protectors of the faith
    That's why it can never be tamed

    We do not seek your adoration, your respect is all we seek
    From that respect will have a movement to sustain

    And though our names and faces change in time, our music will endure
    And a simple task shall always be the same
    That until the world has ended, and the walls come crashing down
    The underground relation we will maintain (end quote)

    to 2010!!!!!!

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  14. duh... mistake... it's ''The underground RELIGION we will maintain''. sorry... not easy to transcribe DJ Q!!!

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  15. @ dave: wow. that quote is a blast from the past. i used to love that album.

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  16. a huge thank you to mnml ssgs for contributing to a 2009 to remember. a blog made out of pure passion for the music, and one which connects with me on a different level to the rest. onwards and upwards guys. all the best for 2010.

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  17. I've been listening to this recently and i love that text so much i had to re-write it, it's been bugging me that much! I read the version posted and it was close but didn't seem quite right...so this is what i think it is:

    From the days when house was built we have been here
    To the frontiers of the music world we came
    Pushing back the boundaries we have sought to make you dance, we are your servants which we ever will remain

    We are the soldiers of the underground, protectors of the faith
    That's why it is one that never can be tamed

    We do not seek your adoration, your respect is all we seek
    For that respect will help the movement to sustain

    And though our names and faces change in time, our music will endure
    And a simple task shall always be the same
    That until the world has ended, 'til the walls come crashing down
    The underground religion we will maintain.
    (thanks dave!)

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  18. citrus: i wasnt far off!!!! he he

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  19. :)

    Apparently the text is by a poet from Glasgow called William Hall but i can't find anything else about him online....

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  20. Hi,

    Sorry if this is being a bit up myself, but I wrote these words and its all correct except one line

    "Our fire is one that never can be tamed."

    Glad some folks like that tune though.

    Have a good one

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  21. Wully: drop me a line?? maustokyo@gmail.com
    cheers
    d

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