GUEST MIX 001 :: BAWXXX

It's a week of firsts so far. Sure, it's only been two days, but yesterday I premiered a track for the first time and TODAY I am posting the very first YES/NO Guest Mix! Isn't that exciting?

I'd seen a lot of other places do guest mixes and wondered "how in the hell did they get such-and-such a person to create a mix for them?" amongst other such incredulous inquiring. However, it turns out all you have to do is ask nicely. Be nice to people: there's a motto or mantra you can remember for like, ever. Anyway enough of the prologue. I'm all prologued out. Let's get to this mix eh? EH?

The first ever, FIRST EVER, guest mix on YES/NO comes from a guy called Bawxxx. I've been following him both on Twitter and SoundCloud and have always been very happy with the mixes they have made and uploaded to SC - full of gems that I never knew existed. In addition, following him on Twitter means that like every so often he'll like a song on SoundCloud and I'll hop right over to see if it sounds nice: more often than not, it sounds more than nice (HOME, for instance, came off the back of one of Bawxxx's likes). And that's how the world works. Word of mouth. Word of type. Symbol of like.

However, he describes himself modestly as a "company employee" from Nagoya, Japan. Judging from most of what he's posted and re-posted and liked and whatever, I'd've guessed this anyway, but he describes his taste in music as "pops, disco, funk... etc" and that is pretty much exactly what you're in for with this 第一GUEST MIX! For Bawxxx's own enjoyment, he's saved the best - in his opinion - till last and I gotta say it IS rather a special track. So please. Enjoy this selection of POP music, gems of pop in all styles from all over the world - from AlunaGeorge to Michael Jackson, from VentureX to tofubeats. It's wonderfully varied and a real joy to listen to. This resurgence in pop music - where POP is no longer a particular type, but a... form I suppose, a particular form of how to build a song and NOT a particular sound or style - is allowing a lot of different, interesting stuff to seep into the mainstream. Anyway. I'd need to think a bit more about that: it's a big thing. Sorry. I type! Too much! Here's the! Mix!

TRACKLIST
01. Penthouse Penthouse & Chloe Martini - Closer
02. Toro Y Moi - Still Sound (Casa del Mirto Remix)
03. tofubeats - Synthesizer (Okadada remix)
04. Kan Sano - Music Overflow (Martin Hayes Remix)
05. Venturex - Digital Work (Saint Pepsi Edit)
06. Club Sandwich - It's Okay
07. Justin Timberlake - Suit & Tie (Mix Chopin Remix)
08. Michael Jackson - Rock With You • The Reflex Re√ision
09. Toshiki Kadomatsu - Do You Wanna Dance
10. Chromeo - Over Your Shoulder
11. AlunaGeorge - Outlines (Pat Lok 'Crayola' Edit)
12. tofubeats - Don't Stop The Music feat. 森高千里 [Chisato Moritaka]

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Listen to Bawxxx on SoundCloud
Visit Bawxxx at flavors.me
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OKADADA SHIMIN POOL

A blast of summer as we head into the depths of Autumn, September engulfing us like a galaxy-sized blob of soggy days and slowly browning trees. Yep, a blast of summer. I think a blast of summer is what's needed right now. So I'm kinda glad I'm a month late for writing about this particular tune. It is by Osaka-based producer (or as they say, "DJ/Trackmaker" - I like "trackmaker", I'll use that one day) Okadada or okadada or OKADADA and it is called 'Shimin Pool'.

Which is funny, because it's kind of a pun. "Shimin pool" sounds a bit like "swimming pool" but also "shimin" in Japanese means citizen or community so it's "community pool" - hoho. In addition, it comes from a recent-ish compilation CD by netlabel Maltine Records called 市民プールサイド - or Community Poolside. Puns an' that - fun, no? Anyway it's cool and it's damn summery and I think I need to emigrate someplace warmer.

聴く〜　(Listen〜)

It begins with a rather funky selection of percussion - bongos and whatnot - which is the base of all good dance-a-thon: a few drums and you're well away, am I right? It's a lush blanket of beats that is a great warm-up to the rest of the song. Some modulating synth chords come in and lightly lead us to the house beat that accompanies us for the rest of the song. House piano chords make an appearance too, their warm timbre screaming "beach", "party", and "summer" and "summer beach party" all at once. The tempo here is also perfect. Just right for chilling or moving - you decide!

The lead string-synth on this song drip with liquid sunshine, it's like dappled light by an actual poolside or beachside as palm trees wave gently above. With an old-school twist to it - those kinds of strings just seem to have that vibe y'know? The vocals are cool too, faraway like a floating-and-melting-at-the-same-time pistachio ice cream in amongst the summery sounds. Then there's this groovy bass breakdown - yeah! - bwing boong de-ding bom bom... You know how a bass sounds anyway. Real organic sounding electric bass that taps yer bones. Nice dynamic when the vocals come back in - and a lead synth screeches in for the final part of the song. All in all: a much-needed dose of nostalgic 90s-esque funky slo-house that takes me away to a sunnier place for four minutes.

You can download the album on which 'Shimin Pool' appears, 市民プールサイド - or Community Poolside, on Maltine Records' site.

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