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Music Remixes

Little Dragon – Little Man (Tycho Remix)

This week has been a mixture of regret, shame, Oprah-style spiritual thoughts, and plans on making a change. I entered last week not feeling too great after a careless Friday night and spent last Saturday floating though an awaked sleep state. It was a wasted day; a type of day I strive to never have. I’m the type of person that thinks he’s wasted the day if he wakes up past 9:30 on the weekends. I enjoy the day; I enjoy mornings; I equally enjoy the evenings. After last Saturday I spent the better part of the week mulling over what happened, how and ultimately why? I took myself out of my body and imagined myself as Yukimi Nagano singing to the man in this classic Little Dragon track.

You grew high, taller than the middle class
Boy, cash running in your pockets
You skate high, gold on your finger tips
They try to make people nervous
Something missing in your smile
Something missing in your soul
Are you suffering the blues?
Tell me why, tell my when, tell me why…when…”

This track is a classing WTF-are-you-doing-wake-up? song. The lyrics abide by Little Dragon’s eloquent blend of jazz, blues, and pop; poetically calling out someone for carelessly losing themselves. It’s a track that could easily become an irrational outburst if the conversation were had in real life, but Little Dragon delivers it simply and accompanies the words with a production that serves as a quick hit to the back of the head – as if the music is saying, “You idiot.” Tycho hears this in the track and turns the message into something akin to a transmission from another planet. I’ve read that this was Tycho’s first ever remix; whether it is or not, it’s a track that keeps the integrity of both artists. Lush synths melt into reverberating chimes that work in concert with Yukimi’s milky vocals. The bit at 1:50 is a personal favorite. It brings the track down to earth for a cool 10 seconds before taking us back into the atmosphere.

Tycho’s take on this track is something to get lost inside. It had me floating between both introspective and extrospective states. At what point do you acknowledge that youth no longer means reckless consumption and wastefulness? What is youth after that? Picasso said that “youth has no age.” What then is youth? Perhaps it is realizing the absence of something Yukimi sings about in the track’s bridges, and rather than fill the void with careless outings and wasteful spending you make it a point to grow into space that’s missing. Maybe? I’m no Oprah or spiritual guru, but tracks like this make for reliable stand-ins.

I’m gonna keep explorin’.

Little Dragon – Little Man (Tycho Remix)

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Music

EMPT Presents – W I N T E R : a n t i – s u m m e r 2 a by Ryan Radler

Ethereal – extremely delicate and light in a way that seems too perfect for this world. Press play on Ryan Radlers latest mix tape and that’s exactly how the music will make you feel, immediately. The effect is no coincidence and if you’re hip to the anti-summer/anti-winter concepts then you know that’s what these tapes are all about…

At the end of the day I think the mixes are really about how to navigate each season. Personally, winter has been killing me and this mix is literally some catharsis to cope with the stuff that comes. Cold, depression, lethargic lack of motivation…

I love finding alternative perspective to seemingly crappy situations so Ryans and I see eye to eye on anti-lameness methods. Listening to this tape while reading that makes me think of all type of reality alteration; if you haven’t noticed by now I’m big into Steve Jobs and if you’ve read Walter Isaacson’s book you’ll know all about Steve’s reality distortion field. At it’s most fundamental level it was a complete neglect and disrespect for any know limits, boundaries and expectations. Dig a little deeper and it was Steves ultimate tool for creativity…

Reality is maleable, we should all know that but we don’t. There’s no such thing as the “real world,” the only thing that exists is what we decide to bring into fruition. That may seem far fetched but think about it, if you’re feeling down one day and you put on your favorite song to cheer you up and it works then you’re effectively changing your “reality.” That’s why the world, it’s art, it’s people, customs, morals and standard are constantly changing. The concept runs deep, I mean just think about the things you don’t do because of what you have come to accept as possible in your life.

In the case of a n t i – s u m m e r  2 a rebellion never sounded so good. Talk about reality distortion, this hazy dream of a mixtape make the world feel like heaven as it effortlessly jumps from genre to genre, decade to decade and known to unknown. There are mixtapes all over the place but you’d be hard pressed to find two as unique and inspiring as Steph’s and Ryans and I think I speak on behalf of the entire EMPT army when I say how thankful we are to have these great artist bless us with their selections. Alright, I have to go face this bitter sunshine filled LA winter, enjoy.

W I N T E R : a n t i – s u m m e r  2 a

1. Dissolving – BON ACCORD
2. Tropic Fruit – POLOGRAPHIA
3. People Can Do the Most Amazing Things – KISSES
4. Windows Of The World – PETER JOLLY
5. Roscoe – MIDLAKE (BEYOND THE WIZARDS SLEEVE REMIX)
6. Open Your Eyes – PARTY GIRL
7. Everybody – BENOIT & SERGIO
8. Charlotte Wants to Dream – BETAMAXX
9. Take me Home – POOLSIDE
10. Animal – MIIKE SNOW (FRED FALKE REMIX)
11. Psychic Chasms – NEON INDIAN (ANORAAK REMIX)
12. Little Man – LITTLE DRAGON REMIX (TYCHO REMIX)
13. Escape City Skyscrapers – MONO IN VCF


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Music

EMPT Presents – S U M M E R : a n t i – w i n t e r 1C by Ryan Radler

Alright it’s official, labor day has passed so it’s no longer cool for chicks to wear white and summer is fictionally over. You gotta love labor day, yet another completely random holiday with no real significance. I refuse to acknowledge this symbolic end of the season so until the sweaters and jackets are back in rotation it’s all s u m m e r: a n t i – w i n t e r over here baby.  Speaking of which, mixtape connoisseur Ryan Radler sent me his latest installment of the anti-winter series over the weekend and I’ve been keeping it all to myself. I’m like Gail Wynand with art, I get attached to it and I want to keep it all to myself except I have a EMPT and all I do is share music, oh the juxtapositions. This tape like all the others is skip free listening because the song selection from start to finish is fantastic. I mean Herb Albert in between Bath & Pandit, Space Age Bachelor Pad Music? Yes.

I have no medical or scientific findings to support this statement but I’m pretty sure that listening to Ryans tapes at least once a day may be a great way to lower cholesterol, relieve stress and regain youth. I mean try to listening to this with a frown, I don’t care what cosmically insignificant problems you’re dealing with at the moment, it’s impossible. I have to say, I’m a huge fan of all these tapes but on this Tuesday morning 1 C is spot on, enjoy.

S U M M E R : a n t i – w i n t e r 1 C

1. Zimbabwe – NEW NAVY
2. Please Stay – SUMMER HEART
3. Aminals – BATH
4. Music To Watch Girls Go By – HERB ALPERT
5. Kathryn, My Love – PANDIT
6. Hands In The Dark – CHROMATICS
7. The Gaudy Side of Town – GAYNGS
8. Diet Mtn Dew – LANA DEL REY (OXFORD REMIX / RAD EDIT)
9. More Than This – BRYAN FERRY& ROXY MUSIC
10. Psychic Chasms – NEON INDIAN (ANORAAK REMIX)
11. Pocket – SAM SPARRO (THE PRESETS RADIO MIX)
12. History – GROOVE ARMADA (FEAT. WILL YOUNG)
13. The Old House Is Gone – ST. LUCIA
14. Punching In A Dream – THE NAKED AND FAMOUS
15. Hours – TYCHO

EMPT Presents – S U M M E R : a n t i – w i n t e r 1 c by Ryan Radler by Et Musique Pour Tous