Tabula Rasa, or This Is Not A Podcast (It's A Body Journey*)

New mix from me (the podcast might have ended but I reserve the right to do the odd mix - or not). This is very much what the podcast wasn't - I hate the words ‘downtempo’ or ‘chilled’ *shudder* but at some point I stripped all the uptempo tunes out of this mix, I wanted something deeper, something heavier, something that says ‘blank slate’ and new start – hence the name and the image. Something arising like a phoenix from the ruins of the Radio Clash podcast, and something I’d never do before – a mix on the nature of existence, mortality, alienation – the naked state of the world in 2015 without the shiny disco lights obscuring the truth.

That's the blurb and there's a bigger rant about audience vs art on the blog - the short version is one of the reasons I fell out of love with the podcast was feeling like I had to play certain tunes, keep my 'chin' up, play uptempo stuff, play mashups, please Schrödinger's crowd a little, or face question, pushback, ignorance etc. Now that's gone I can just do what I damn please, and that was the idea.

It's a good point though - may seem churlish (to them) but the audience isn't a passive thing, it affects the artist by just being there...the audience usually thinks it doesn't, but this is why I battled early on with Radio Clash with requests, critique, comments. My response was always 'do your own podcast!' rather than try and change mine into what YOU think it should be. DIY, punk ethos, start your own. Interesting how people get so angry when you refuse to do their work for them...or project that I'm being bitchy or a twat when I do. I suspect this is what a lot of divas get, that whole projected as bitch thing, because they have an idea of what they are doing, and don't want to change. Challenging that is hard, and eventually I got tired of this mindset, as much as in my head as anywhere but no less real. So I stopped the podcast before it became work - because working to other people's perceptions, expectations and framework IS indeed work.

Have to shout out to Soundhog and greatbearmd for inspiring this mix - I wouldn't know about Mel Croucher or Troyka otherwise.

Download (125Mb, 1:37)

• Arvo Pärt – Tabula rasa: II. Silentium. Senza moto


• Mel Croucher – I Am Machine (feat. Jon Pertwee, Donna Bailey & Ian Dury)


• Nona Hendryx – Design For Living


• A Guy Called Gerald – Emotions electric


• Gary Le Strange – All I Ever Do (Is Sit in My Room)


• Labelle – Are You Lonely?


• DJ Rozroz – la ritournelle de Marvin


• Mort Garson – Prologue


• bittersoundfoundation – second sight


• Mort Garson – I’ve Been Over The Rainbow


• Broadcast – You Can Fall


• Dionne Warwick – You’re Gonna Need Me


• Stereolab – You Used to Call Me Sadness


• AFx – 15 sekonda


• Troyka – Early Morning


• Boards of Canada – Reach For The Dead


• Low – Just Make It Stop


• Mel Croucher – Old Age (feat. Jon Pertwee)


• Super Furry Animals – Download


• Arvo Pärt – Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten


• Material featuring Whitney Houston – Memories


• Arvo Pärt – My heart’s in the highlands


• Mogwai – Helicon 1


• Mel Croucher – Replay (feat. Ian Dury & Jon Pertwee)


• Motherlode – When I Die


• Labelle – I Believe That I’ve Finally Made It Home

* No prizes if you can tell me where that quote is from ;-)