Well hello there Epic Mixers (and mixfans!) – Andrew Beeken here, proving (in a meta way, when you see the playlist) that I’m still alive!

Wanting to get back into the mixing game (cos I loves it, like) I’ve thrown together this list of some of my favourite tracks that have appeared in video games. Some of the songs are fairly obscure, being instrumentals or songs from the game, so I’ve popped this up as a YouTube playlist to make sure you can listen to them all. I’m sure there’s some you know on there, but I’m hoping there’s going to be some new material for people! Oh, I’ve also done some artwork which you can find up above – enjoy!

EV201: For the love of the game

Watch on YouTube

1. Still Alive by Jonathan Coulton from Portal

This catchy little tune played over the end credits to the indie breakout, Portal, a first person puzzle game. The game is a great example of how a simple mechanic can be highly entertaining; it’s also VERY funny.

2. You’re Not Here by Akira Yamaoka from Silent Hill 3

Excellent, dark little tune which captures the oppressive mood of the games; this also played at the end of the seriously underrated Silent Hill movie.

3. Open Your Heart by Crush 40 from Sonic Adventure

Superbly cheesy hair like rock from SEGA’s flawed Dreamcast classic. The lyrics are atrocious but it’s huge fun!

4. Mute City from Super Smash Bros. Brawl

This version of one of the most iconic pieces of music from Nintendo’s futuristic racer, F-Zero, appeared on the Mute City stage of Super Smash Bros. Brawl for Wii. Another catchy tune with crunchy guitars and a bit of synth.

5. Just A Day by Feeder from Gran Turismo 3

Originally a B-Side, this excellent tune from the welsh rockers shot to fame when it was featured on the PS2 game Gran Turismo 3, prompting a re-recorded version to be released on single.

6. Rock Star Land by Yellowcard from Amped

This is here because I love this song and hearing it on Amped introduced me to Yellowcard. You should check out some of their other material if you like alternative power pop with a bit of violin thrown in.

7. Metal Gear Theme by Harry Gregson Williams from Metal Gear Solid 2

The soundtrack to MGS 2 was written by Hollywood composer Harry Gregson Williams and it shows – this corking rendition of the iconic Metal Gear Theme wouldn’t be out of place in a Michael Bay flick.

8. The Farthest Land by Koh Otani from Shadow of the Colossus

A bit more relaxing, this folk/japanese infused piece twangs a soothing  acoustic rhythm.

9. You Were There by Michiru Oshima from ICO

A chilling ballad from the prequel to Shadow of the Colossus. PS3 owners should check out both of these games in the recently released HD pack.

10. Beyond the Sea by Moby & Oscar the Punk from Bioshock

Not strictly from the game, this track featured on a pack in EP with the limited edition. It’s a great tune, and fuses modern beats with the 1950′s feel of the game.

11. Legendary Theme by Coil from Gitaroo Man

A lighter, acoustic tune from a reasonably obscure PS2 rhythm game. The game is very Japanese and very excellent.

12. Paradise City by Guns N Roses from Burnout: Paradise

The game was, ultimately, fairly mediocre but hearing Slash’s jangly guitar riff blaring out when it started up was always a pleasure.

13. Run to the Hills by Iron Maiden from SSX On Tour

In no way the best of the SSX games, this gets a mention as it set this awesome metal tune to a ludicrous animated intro featuring a unicorn playing a double necked guitar. Now that’s rock.

14. Soft Machine by Coil from Gitaroo Man

A second showing from this game, but I couldn’t decide between these two songs! This is some awesome guitar driven J-Pop.

15. Less Talk More Rokk by Freezepop from Guitar Hero 2

Tough as hell to play in the game, this synth based tune will stick in your head.

16. Want You Gone by Jonathan Coulton from Portal 2

Coming full circle with another catchy tune, this is from the awesome sequel to the first game on this list. Deeper, funnier and my personal game of the year, you should go pick up Portal 2 now.

Another new mixer bringing your aural delights as Kev Frost presents Holiday in Space – a tribute to the ’60s vision of extraterrestrial day trips being for the everyman come the then-future-distant 1990s.

EV020: Holiday in Space

You can find the tracklist on Spotify.

Side A

1. Barry Gray – I wish I was a spaceman (Fireball XL5 theme)
2. 3 Colours Red – Nuclear holiday
3. Inspiral Carpets – Saturn 5
4. Goldfrapp – Rocket
5. Garbage – Push it
6. Spiritualized – Ladies and Gentlemen we are floating in space
7. Air – New star of the sky
8. Prodigy – Out of space
9. The All Seeing I (original not on Spotify) – First man in space
10. Lional Richie – Dancing on the ceiling

He says: “I was going through a phase of being really bored of the male-ness of rock music taking itself too seriously and so I thought I’d stick a playlist together of great female singers/bands.

“It also came out of reading Phonogram which features a clubnight with three rules, the first of which is No Guy Singers (the others are about dancing and magic and don’t really apply to my mixtape – it’s just a good comic. Go devour).

“I got thinking that if you ruled out playing music with blokes singing then you actually made for a pretty lean playlist of great pop music.

“Anyway, here it is, Sealed With A XX – like the chromosome.”

EV019: Sealed with a XX

Side one: on Spotify

1. Rilo Kiley – It’s a Hit
2. Blondie – Union City Blue
3. Sleater-Kinney – You’re No Rock N’ Roll Fun
4. Best Coast – Crazy For You
5. The Breeders – Cannonball
6. The Cardigans – Been it
7. PJ Harvey – This Is Love
8. Hello Saferide – Anna
9. CSS – Patins
10. Allo, Darlin’ – Kiss Your Lips
11. Standard Fare – Love Doesn’t Just Stop
12. Le Tigre – Hot Topic

Side two: on Spotify

1. Fight Like Apes – Something Global (album version)
2. Those Dancing Days – I’ll Be Yours
3. Metric – Help I’m Alive
4. School of Seven Bells – Windstorm
5. Ladytron – Seventeen
6. Paramore – Misery Business
7. Sky Larkin – Kaleide
8. Deerhoof – Milk Man
9. The Delgados – Accused of Stealing

What now?

Well, assuming you’re letting this goddess goodness into your ears right now (and if not, why not?) you can either send us your own epic mixtape on the theme of fabulous frontwomen.

Or send us a mixtape on a different theme. Up to you, honestly we’re not that fussy, we just love the mixes.

Image by pt via Flickr

*blows dust off blog, taps screen* Hello? Is this thing on? Oh, hello!

So, it’s been a while since I’ve blogged here. Or anywhere in fact as I’ve been up to my hips in dissertation writing since spring. Finally though it’s done and I’m making a triumphant return with EV018 – a half-arsed and very late entry to August’s Long Player mixtape swap-a-thon.

What’s Long Player? Well, it’s a rather marvellous monthly get together at Quad in Derby to listen to an album in full. August was Pet Sounds and the first time a mixtape swap on a given theme had been introduced to the event. Of course, the aforementioned dissertation of doom meant I didn’t attend but I didn’t see why that meant I shouldn’t (eventually) make a little submission!

Here it is then.

EV018: When Animals Attack. A mixtape on the theme of pets

First things first – this is not totally my own work but a rare collaboration with my husband (who exists predominantly offline). It veres from pure pop to metal to folk and back again. The songs weave into the theme through a variety of (sometimes tenuous) guises – band name, song name, lyric or album title.

I’ve added a playlist to Spotify.

1. Pet Shop Boys – Suburbia
2. Belle and Sebastian – Dog on Wheels
3. Mull Historical Society – Animal Cannabus
4. Dogs Die in Hot Cars – Godhopping
5. Ugly Kid Joe – Cat’s in the Cradle
6. Super Furry Animals – Golden Retriever
7. Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci – Poodle Rockin’
8. Juliette and the Licks – You’re Speaking My Language
9. Deftones – Around the Fur
10. Carcass – Pedigree Butchery
11. Primus – Tommy the Cat
12. Throwing Muses – Snakeface
13. Isobel Campbell – The Cat’s Pyjamas
14. The Cure – The Caterpillar
15. Cat Stevens – I love my dog
16. Kate Bush – Hounds of Love
17. Suede – Wild Ones (from the album Dog Man Star)
18. Cerys Matthews – White Horses

And yes, the title of this tape is a cheeky nod to gone but not forgotten Derby band Cable. They once did the music for a Sprite ad you know?

Next Long Player theme

The next Long Player will be at the Quad in Derby on Wednesday 21 September when they’ll be playing Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours in full. Go along and enjoy and by all means, whether you can make it or not, get your mix on – the theme for mixtapes is ‘Secrets, lies and mysteries’. Check out the Facebook event page for more info about both.

You can add your version of the pet theme in the comments below or on the Long Player Facebook page.

EV017 is from new mixer Luke Morton and was inspired by Twitter meme-du-jour #bestfrontmen.

This is a truely DIY effort in terms of making the mix an audible reality – the tracklisting is supplied below and you can make it up in your player of choice. I was going to pop it into Spotify for your listening pleasure but it turns out I’ve forgotten my password (I know, shambolic excuse).

Anyway, here is EV017: Best Frontmen

1. Queen – A Kind Of Magic
2. Led Zeppelin – Immigrant Song
3. Rolling Stones – Paint It Black
4. The Clash – Guns Of Brixton
5. Blur – Stereotypes
6. Jimi Hendrix – Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
7. Pearl Jam – Jeremy
8. Foo Fighters – Everlong
9. Nirvana – School
10. Guns ‘n’ Roses – My Michelle
11. AC/DC – Walk All Over You
12. Black Sabbath – War Pigs
13. Deftones – Hexagram
14. Slipknot – Eyeless

Got your own mix for Best Frontmen/women/person? Drop us a line and share that EpicMixtape.

The first EpicMixtape of 2011 is another retro nostalgia trip from me. This time I’ve pillaged my memory banks for the sounds of the early ’90s. Specifically the sounds that surrounded my early evenings for most of the early ’90s via Long Wave Radio Atlantic 252.

I think I was mainly listening to this station between 6 and 9pm most weekday evenings from 1992 to 1994. I was just getting into my teenage years and making excellent use of my right to be surly and anti-social in the family home.

Most evenings this meant writing fantastical stories on my Amiga 500 whistraining my ears to hear the music through the snap, crackle and pop of Atlantic252 (unless you are one of my parents reading this in which case I was absolutely not doing that, I was certainly doing my homework).

So here I present a compilation of songs which (in my memory at least) were played in short rotation. Indulge me.

EV252: Long Wave Radio Atlantic 252

1. Station idents from Atlantic 252
2. Tears for Fears – Sowing the Seeds
   The first song played on the station so really how else could this compilation?
3. Charles & Eddie – Would I lie to you?
   I’m not too proud to admit I’m not a massive fan of this song and I don’t know whether this duo had any other songs at all in their musical cannon.
4. Big Mountain – Baby I Love Your Way
   Hi Fidelity would ask “Is that Peter fucking Frampton?” and I’d have to say no, it’s Big Mountain covering Peter fucking Frampton in the reggae style popular in the early ’90s.
5. The Pretenders – I’ll Stand By You
   They had some great songs didn’t they, The Pretenders?
6. Dina Carroll – Only for Tonight
   I rather suspect that were Dina Carroll emerging now she’d be someone we’d see leaving X Factor after boot camp.
7. More jingles and idents
8. Eric Clapton – Tears from Heaven
   This song used to connect directly to my teenage girl hormones meaning I’d stop writing and have a little cry while it was on. Doesn’t happen now. Honest.
9. Richard Marx – Hazard
   Songs that tell a story, brilliant!
10. Jon Secada – Just Another Day
    Another long disappeared artist.
11. Ub40 – Kingston Town
    I have a real soft spot for Ub40, probably because my mum had some best of compilation she used to play in the car. A lot. (see also Queen and Bon Jovi).
12. PM Dawn – Set Adrift on Memory Bliss
    Probably from later period A252 as they started to play more than just American soft rock and moved toward being the home of all the chart hits. This is still a great song. Fact.
13. Bruce Springsteen – Streets of Philadelphia
    Not the best Bruce track but very definitely and indelibly linked to A252 in my musical brain.
14. Stiltskin – Inside
    Ahh, the day’s when being the song from a Levi’s ad could give you a chart topper.
15. Lisa Loeb – Stay (I Missed You)
    For a while I was under the impression this song actually related to something going on in my life. Of course I’m older and wiser now and absolutely don’t still believe that.
16. Madonna – Take A Bow
    One of those underrated / forgotten Madonna tracks.
17. TLC – Waterfalls
    While most of the tracks here can happily be consigned to the bargain bin of nostalgia I’d happily give this one a spin even now.
18. Lenny Kravitz – It Ain’t Over ’til It’s Over
    The song which made me decide to make this mixtape. As soon as the opening bars play I am flooded with memories of being in the ‘little sitting room’ at my parents house playing with the aerial on the portable radio while radio reception faded in and out as planes went over, the tv channel was changed in the other room, I moved etc etc etc. Long Wave radio, you can’t beat it, eh?

For your listening and viewing pleasure you can find this tracklisting over on YouTube.

And to complete the story – I couldn’t get reception for Long Wave at all in my bedroom so when I went upstairs every night I switched to radio 1. And that’s where I found John Peel, Mark and Lard…but that’s another mixtape for another day.

Ethereal, shimmering guitar music played by (mostly) thin-as-rake lads with unfeasibly long fringes, it got its name from the habit of the scene’s guitarists to stare at their shoes (or effects pedals, to be more accurate).

Bands like My Bloody Valentine, Spacemen 3, Cocteau Twins and the Jesus and Mary Chain set the mould in the late 80s. Others like Chapterhouse, Ride and Slowdive picked up the baton.

Over the last few years, there has been a resurgence of interest in shoegazing. New bands, inspired by the scene, have sprung up all over the place. There are new shoegazing record labels and club nights like Sonic Cathedral and Club AC30. Some of the old legends have even unpacked their effects pedals and, minus those fringes now in the main, have been playing live again.

So EV013 is a look back to the pioneers (by myself) and a look sideways at the best of the current crop, by Paul Broom, making his Epic Mixtape debut!

Hope you enjoy!

Side A: Shoegaze classics (by jvictor7)

Side B: Nu-gazing futures (by fwump)

Not only that but if you’re of a certain age chances are you perfected the speed of your co-ordination and dexterity not on a Playstation or XBox but by pressing Play & Record on a cassette deck to tape the chart show off the radio.

So here is a mix with that memory at it’s core. A mix CD I received from my parents for my 21st birthday – the number one of each year of my life across a double CD. One of the most personal and thoughtful presents I have ever received (and I’ve received some great presents!)

Seeing as I turn 31 this year I thought I’d update it with CD3 – 2001-2010. So here you have it – 31 years of number one UK pop singles for 2 August.

CD1: 1979-1990

1. I don’t Like Mondays – Boomtown Rats (1979)
2. Use it up, Wear it out – Odyssey (1980)
3. Green Door – Shakin’ Stevens (1981)
4. Fame – Irene Cara (1982)
5. Wherever I Lay My Hat – Paul Young (1983)
6. Two Tribes – Frankie Goes to Hollywood (1984)
7. There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart) – The Eurythmics (1985)
8. The Lady in Red – Chris De Burgh (1986)
9. La Bamba – Los Lobos (1987)
10. Nothings Gonna Change My Love For You – Glen Madiros (1988)
11. You’ll Never Stop Me From Lovin’ You – Sonia (1989)
12. Turtle Power – Partner’s in Kryme (1990)

CD2: 1991-2000

1. Everything I Do, I Do It For You – Bryan Adams (1991)
2. Ain’t No Doubt – Jimmy Nail (1992)
3. Pray – Take That (1993)
4. Love is All Around – Wet Wet Wet (1994)
5. Boom Boom Boom – Outhere Brothers (1995)
6. Wannabe – The Spice Girls (1996)
7. I’ll Be Missing You – Puff Daddy (1997)
8. Viva Forever – The Spice Girls (1998)
9. Livin’ La Vida Loca – Ricky Martin (1999)
10. 7 Days – Craig David (2000)

CD3: 2001-2010

1. Eternity / Road to Mandalay – Robbie Williams (2001)
2. Anyone of Us (Stupid Mistake) – Gareth Gates (2002)
3. Never Gonna Leave Your Side – Daniel Bedingfield (2003)
4. Dry Your Eyes – The Streets (2004)
5. You’re Beautiful – James Blunt (2005)
6. Don’t Stop Me Now / Please Please – McFly (2006)
7. Umbrella – Rhianna feat. Jay-Z (2007)
8. Dance Wiv Me – Dizzee Rascal / Calvin Harris / Chrome (2008)
9. I Gotta Feeling – Black Eyed Peas (2009)
10. The Wanted – All Time Low (2010)

In the last week or so The Boy (my son, 3.5 years) has become somewhat obsessed with Time Bandits and it was the theme tune from this film which inspired me to put this mix together.

This mix is songs from films that I enjoyed as a child, many from the late ’70s and throughout the ’80s. I’m currently getting re-acquainted with lots of them as The Boy watches them for the first time.

I’ve put the playlist together on YouTube where in many cases you can also enjoy a clip from the film, or sometimes an official music video!

EV012: Retrovision (on YouTube)

1. Flash Gordon by Queen from the film Flash Gordon
   My favourite memory of this film is from the first weekend away I ever took with my now husband. We drove to Portmerion, got sunstroke & ended up in a B&B in Betws-y-Coed watching this.
2. The Power of Love by Huey Lewis and the News from the film Back to the Future
3. Walk of Life by Dire Straits from the film Space Camp
4. Come and Follow Me by Max Carl and Marcella Detroit from the film Short Circuit
5. Day-O by Harry Belafonte from the film Beetle Juice
6. The Goonies R Good Enough by Cyndi Lauper from the film The Goonies
7. Cantina Band performed by Ash from the film Star Wars: A New Hope
   What is the real name of the Cantina band? The Modal Nodes (I believe). Just some of the useless trivia I carry in my head.
8. Get Around by the Beach Boys from the film Flight of the Navigator
9. Bare Necessities by original cast from The Jungle Book
   Although the film is from 1967 I went to see a re-release when I was about 5. I also had the soundtrack on LP and loved listening to it. Probably the first record I ever really loved.
10. Anything Goes by Cole Porter from the film Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
    Still one of the best opening sequences to a film. Ever.
11. Underground by David Bowie from the film Labyrinth
    I saw Labyrinth when I was 7 and became obsessed with it, especially as the main character was called Sarah (although that was pretty much the only correlation between us). I memorised the entire script.
12. Dream Away by George Harrison from the film Time Bandits
13. The Neverending Story by Limahl from the film Neverending Story
14. Cupid by Sam Cooke from the film Inner Space
15. Stand By Me by Ben E King from the film Stand By Me
    I seem to have been being stalked by this song recently. Enough to make me dig out the film.
16. Give A Little Love by original cast from the film Bugsy Malone
    I was obsessed with this film too. I taped the songs onto cassette and used to make up little performances (I was an only child in a remote village ok?). We had this as the last dance at our wedding – it was perfect!

In the form of a C90 Dextermixwith and JVictor7 have taken a side (and a city) each to produce the Yorkshire soundclash.

Visit Dextermixwith’s blog for more about the tape and links to listen on Soundcloud.

Tracklisting:

Side A: Leeds by Dextermixwith

Side B: Sheffield by JVictor7

1. “Sheffield Sex City” – Pulp
2. “I bet you look good on the dancefloor” – Arctic Monkeys
3. “Love Action (I believe in love)” – Human League
4. “The Time is Now” – Moloko
5. “Beat Goes On” – All Seeing Eye
6. “James Brown” – Caberet Voltaire
7. “Hold me now” – Thompson Twins
8. “Temptation” – Heaven 17
9. “Coles Corner” – Richard Hawley