The Mix:
When I decided I wanted to make a mix after two years, this was the mix I had in mind. It is summer time and I wanted to make a mix that reflected my feelings about the summer. I want this mix to be the one that you can throw in the CD player (or play on your iPod) at a pool party or down at the shore. Wherever summer fun is being had, I want this mix to be played.
Before I had a name for the mix, I just called it “Fast Mix,” because I wanted all the songs to be upbeat and fun. I hope that I achieved this goal. The name evolved from the art.
Art:
I wanted the artwork for the mix to reflect the atmosphere of the beach. I envisioned a big wave crashing over the sand. I wanted the wave to be drawn in the vein of Japanese artist Hokusai’s “The Great Wave Off Kanagawa.” I showed my sister, Racheli, the painting and told her to make her own rendition of the classic piece. She actually created the artwork on the beach in Florida while visiting our aunt and uncle. The sand on the artwork is sand from the beach, as are the shells. I wanted the airplane and beach ball added in for fun; that was just how I saw it in my mind.
Songs:
This mix went through many revisions to get to the point where it is now.
I knew that I needed a good hook song to start the mix off. Once I heard “Tell ‘EM” by Sleigh Bells, I knew that I had to look no further! The high-energy dosage in the song is enough to get anyone hooked! “Oh Mein Me” and “Free Energy” are two more songs that are so high energy, you will need to get up and move!
I should note that throughout the mix, I used ocean wave sound clips between some songs – going along with the beach theme. Oh, and the sound clip about the Jack Whale is from a favorite film of mine, Wes Anderson’s The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. I think the clip is hilarious.
One last minute change I made was changing the Surfer Blood song. It used to be a song called “Swim.” I changed it to “Take it Easy” because of a conversation I had just had with my uncle, Mennu. He was on his way to his shore house and mentioned that he liked to always give off the vibe of being relaxed and easygoing. I always liked “Take it Easy,” so I decided I would use the song over “Swim” to show my respect to this great philosophy on life.
One of the hardest decisions to make was choosing a song from LCD Soundsystems’s new album This is Happening. If you want an exceptionally amazing album, buy this! Choosing just one song was a very hard task. I originally used “I Can Change,” but after my trip to Dallas to visit my friend Taelor, I changed it to “Pow Pow.” Listen to the lyrics. The song really resonated with me after my much needed vacation. Even the opening verses, “From this position/I will relax/From this position/I can see the whole place.” This is how I felt on my trip to Dallas, at the end of my summer break.
A word on not-so-new songs: Some of the songs on the mix are from 2009 (or even 2008). Sue me! I like them and thought they fit. Examples are “California English” and “Rome.”
“Sushi” is a song that I recommend you all watch the music video for. A friend of mine at NYU-Tisch made it. It is a mosaic video, but the mosaic is not made from images- it is made from hundreds of thousands of YouTube videos! Phenomenal!
A note on other outstanding bands featured on the mix: The New Pornographers and Broken Social Scene’s new albums (both released earlier this summer). Broken Bells – if you do not have their album, get it now! It took over my life for about 3 months!
The last song I added to the mix is “Summertime” by Sex Bob-omb. Sex Bob-omb is the fictional band from the film Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. The song was composed and written by Beck. See the movie. Get the soundtrack!
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