firme tracks vol. 7

firme....y un poco pesaroso

1. celso piña - cumbia sobre el rio
2. emmit long - call me
3. los diamontes - triunfal
4. indee styla - más cerca
5. angeles azules - como te voy a olvidar
6. tommy mcgee - we ought to be together
7. the lovelites - this love is real
8. ms krazie - taste of honey
9. joe bataan - i wish you love pt. 1
10. crime mob - circles
11. barbara mason - oh how it hurts
12. cassie - when your body is talking
13. miguel - sure thing (chopped n screwed)
14. droop-e ft. nite jewel & j-stalin - n the traffic
15. jeremih ft. lil wayne & natasha mosley - all the time
16. farruko - cositas que haciamos
17. banda ms - amor express
18. rocky gil & the bishops - place in the sun
19. william bell - i forgot to be your lover
20. alice clark - say you'll never leave me
21. william devaughn - be thankful for what you got

>> DL here <<

haha i don't know how it got so smooth and sorrowful. a lot of good ballads in here! and of course, all of them are fit for crying OR driving around with the windows down and telling yourself está bien, vas a llorar después.

lost women

1. susan lim & the crescendos - silver threads & golden needles
2. little frankie - i'm not gonna do it
3. yvonne carroll - please don't go
4. christie - make me belong to you
5. wendy rene - what will tomorrow bring?
6. doris duke - ghost of myself
7. little janice - i am a soul
8. tammi terrell - my heart
9. gribouille - j'rai danser quand meme
10. patsy cline - crazy
11. timi yuro - hurt
12. linda van dyck - unlock my door
13. the feminine complex - the warmth of your smile
14. cass elliot - good times are coming
15. broadcast - papercuts
16. linda perhacs - chimacum rain (demo)
17. sibylle baier - remember the day
18. molly drake - try to remember
19. connie converse - man in the sky
20. two gospel keys - if i never see you anymore

~1 hour, DL here

cover photo is of patsy cline -- some info about these tracks below --

1. susan lim & the crescendos was a popular singaporean pop band in the 1960s. in 1966, at the height of their popularity, the band decided to take a break from recording while susan pursued studies in political science and sociology at the university of singapore.
in 1970, susan lim was 22 years old and engaged to be married to john chan york lee. after completing her final university examinations, susan went on a holiday to malaysia with her fiance and some friends and relatives. on february 8, 1970, while at a beach in kemaman, trengganu, she was swept away by strong waves despite attempts by her fiance to hold on to her. the body of lau kheng khuang, another member of the party killed in the accident, was recovered, but susan’s body was never found. shortly after the accident, the national university of singapore awarded susan lim a bachelor of arts honours degree in absentia. http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_1155_2010-06-10.html

5. wendy rene recorded a handful of songs at a young age, then retired from music and retreated from the public eye around the age of 20. other music nerds have noted that her voice is "remarkably mature" for her age; i just think it's good, period. i've often wondered what happened to her after she retired.

6. doris duke had a tremendously unsuccessful recording career; especially hard on her as she went through a handful of divorces and tried to raise her kids alone + with very little money. the re-release of her 1969 album "i'm a loser" in 2005 brought her to the attention of a handful of people, but despite the beauty and sorrow in her voice, she's still not very recognized.

8. tammi terrell...

9. gribouille...

10. patsy cline...

11. timi yuro was a powerful pop singer of the early 1960s. her career declined in the late 1960s; so she settled down and became a housewife. she attempted a comeback in the 1980s, which was abruptly cut short when she developed throat cancer and her larynx was removed. "hurt" was her biggest single, and with good reason.

14. cass elliot...

15. trish keenan, lead singer of broadcast...this song off their 2000 debut album always struck a chord with me

16. linda perhacs recorded one album in 1970 and no one listened to it until very recently. the songs on this album, parallelograms, are beautifully written; this one especially (album version here)

17. sibylle baier -- almost the same story as linda perhacs -- an actress who recorded songs in the 1970s, and they only saw the light of day in 2006

18. molly drake was nick drake's mother. she played the piano at home and wrote small songs in her spare time. never recorded any songs professionally, but "family tree" collected some of her home recordings along with some unreleased songs of nick's. i love the image of a dedicated housewife running her fingers over the keys softly on weekend afternoons, while everyone else is napping.

19. connie converse made some home recordings in the 1950s through 60s, then disappeared completely in 1974. no one knows what happened to her. (luckily, there appears to be some kind of indie documentary in the works). download her album, it's great.

20. recorded july 1948, in new york city. the two gospel keys were two women, emma daniels and mother sally jones. their song "i don't feel at home in this world anymore" is the title track of this great compilation.

the other artists -- it's just really hard to find any information about them; most of them recorded a few songs or EPs then just seem to have disappeared.

getting ready for a party

1. katie kissoon - you're the one
2. cyber people - polaris (club version)
3. kano - i'm ready
4. phoenix - if i ever feel better
5. azealia banks - p-u-s-s-y (ft. 77klash)
6. big freedia - feelin myself
7. rihanna - only girl (irresistible jersey remix)
8. nightcrawlers - push the feeling on (2003 mix)
9. miguel - adorn
10. howard johnson - so fine
11. cherrelle - saturday love ft. alexander o'neal
12. scotch - take me up
13. vicky d - this beat is mine
14. teka munike - revolution ft. rubygold
15. shakira - she wolf
16. gloria gaynor - never can say goodbye
17. alicia bridges - i love the nightlife
18. cheryl lynn - shake it up tonight
19. baccara - yes sir i can boogie
20. stephanie mills - never knew love like this before

~1.3 hrs - DL here

this mix is as relentless as the first dance mix that i made. it's almost painful!! nonstop dance, disco, 80s funk

album art: alicia bridges at a party; i googled a few of the artists and she was the only one i could find in a party setting. hardly a justification, as i am a mega-fan of her single. have you seen her performing it?



luv u alicia bridges

FIRME SUMMER - GOLD CADILLAC EDITION

1. cali life style - lost
2. lala ft. mr. capon-e - summertime anthem
3. zapp & roger - be alright
4. black moon - i got cha open
5. salt - hung up
6. roadway - let's go for it
7. master p - ice cream man
8. cameo - candy
9. proper dos - something to bump
10. parliament - flashlight
11. jae-p - perdoname ama
12. bloodstone - natural high
13. ms. sancha - try me
14. ciara - ride (remix) (ft. andre 3000, ludacris, bei major)
15. lil rob - ooh baby baby
16. akwid - pobre compa
17. jean p - de sol (ft iz)
18. malo - pana
19. joe bataan - es tu cosa

1.3 hrs, >>DL here<<

this...is heavy...on the firme...so heavy...can't...move...

june jams

1. the jesus and mary chain - happy place
2. skywave - got that feeling
3. x - the world's a mess, it's in my kiss
4. felt - sunlight bathed the golden glow
5. the sunrays - i look, baby, i can't see
6. the mike sammes singers - youth: just like swingles*
7. daedelus - fair weather friends
8. young gunz ft. juelz santana - $$$ girlz
9. elle varner - refill
10. grass widow - milo minute
11. the tempters - kamisama onegai
12. the nevegans - surfbound
13. the royaltones - flamingo express
14. ike & tina turner - anything you wasn't born with
15. hep stars - cadillac
16. wanda jackson - tongue tied
17. ken lazarus - tonight
18. major lazer ft. amber coffman - get free (bonde do role remix)
19. kylie minogue - can't beat the feeling
20. b.w.h. - stop
21. dazz band - let it whip

~1 hr, DL >>here<<

there's a little bit of something for everybody in this one

photo credit: i took the pic last summer （￣ー￣）

*this comes from this bizarre little compilation called "music for biscuits." i found it at amoeba records a couple of years ago and it's worth the bucks

firme tracks vol 5

1. empresarios - cumbia salvaje
2. al castana & the precisions - i need and love
3. don julian & the larks - te amo
4. kase-o - boogaloo (aka tarantula)
5. souls of mischief - from '93 til infinity
6. cortex - i heard a sigh
7. big lu & los muchachos - foolish things
8. rocky gil & the bishops - me & you
9. glen miller - where is the love
10. cuarto poder - 8 grados
11. warren g - this d.j.
12. brown pride riders - cruisin remix
13. rosie & ron - bring me happiness
14. lloyd price - just because
15. pepe hernandez - having fun
16. sunny ozuna - runaway
17. brothers seven - evil ways
18. the brilliants - what you gonna do
19. nine - whutcha want?
20. lowrell - mellow mellow right on

1 hr (as always!), >>DL here<<

(once again, some of these songs have dead air for a few seconds at the beginning...this can be fixed in itunes options for individual songs ("start time") and/or you can add some crossover fade in itunes preferences. or however you wanna deal with it in your audio program of choice)

i picked a cactus for the cover because it's march and that means st. patrick's day and the onset of spring -- green things abound! cactus is one of my favorite plants, and i think it's pretty firme. tough on the outside, soft inside...and they grow flowers too...como la masculinidad !

will it go round in circles

a jangly piano, tambourine and brass driven mix:

1. sons of moses - soul symphony
2. nina simone - my sweet lord
3. joe cocker - the letter
4. wendell stuart & the downbeaters - my world is empty without you
5. carla thomas - it ain't no easy thing
6. jean dushon - plaything
7. artrud gilberto - stay
8. francois de rubiaux - dernier domicile connu
9. the monkees - valleri
10. billy preston - will it go round in circles
11. banny price - you love me pretty baby
12. ike & tina turner - flee flee fla
13. ray charles - what'd i say
14. the kickin mustangs - kickin
15. marsha gee - baby i need you
16. the crystals - i got a man
17. the undisputed truth - smiling faces sometimes
18. jae mason - lady jane
19. irma thomas - time is on my side
20. west coast revival - feelin alright

1 hour, >>DL here<<

this mix is relentless. it slows down sometimes into bossa nova or moody 50s r&b, but that's only to give it an uphill momentum to come swinging back down again

of all the mixes i've done, this one might have my favorite three opening songs + three closing songs!

[some of these tracks have some dead air for a few seconds at their beginnings or end, so if you want a smooth playback, try going to your itunes > preferences > playback and adding some crossfade (if you're picky like i am)]

cover: billy preston surrounded by organs!!

winterlong

we need to push through the winter! we need to lean on each other!

1. the escorts - look over your shoulder
2. the angels - i adore him
3. flowers - confessions
4. alibabki - to ziemia
5. gribouille - a courte paille
6. broadcast - long was the year
7. young tigers - i have nothing
8. kleenex/liliput - madness
9. julia holter - goddess eyes
10. mikal cronin - give it to me (troggs cover)
11. junior parker - tomorrow never knows
12. pool-bah - laughter and pain
13. silver apples - i have known love
14. shuggie otis - aht uh mi hed
15. george harrison - if not for you
16. gloria lynne - you don't have to be a tower of strength
17. letta mbulu and the honeybees - umaradebe
18. neil young - winterlong
19. the clean - anything can happen

1 hour, >>DL here<<

a nice little collection, like a candle

[source for pup]

merry christmas :)

a new christmas compilation featuring funk, soul and jazz:

1. funk machine - soul santa
2. wild honey - angel's christmas
3. ike & tina turner - merry christmas baby
4. kim weston - wish you a merry christmas
5. soul stirrers - christmas means love
6. solomon burke - presents for christmas
7. lou rawls - christmas cocktails
8. ramsey lewis trio - here comes santa claus
9. the enchanters - mambo santa mambo
10. lena horne - jingle all the way
11. ella fitzgerald - sleigh ride
12. james brown - merry christmas, i love you
13. the supremes - my favorite things
14. stevie wonder - some day at christmas
15. smokey robinson & the miracles - it's christmas time
16. al green - feels like christmas
17. the mistletoe disco band - winter wonderland
18. ohio players - happy holidays

~60 MB, DL here (or you can click the pic of a lovely young tina turner!)

tis the season to think about the things that own

firme tracks, vol 4

1. blackrock - yeah yeah
2. redman - tonight's da night
3. doris & kelley - you don't have to worry
4. pat clayton - i said no
5. danny cobb - my isabella
6. mickey & sylvia - bewildered
7. brenton wood - oogum boogum
8. mos def - life is real
9. galt macdermot - coffee cold
10. them - here comes the night
11. roy orbison - in dreams
12. jonathan richman - vampiresa mujer
13. cheryl williams - i'm your fool
14. gucci mane ft. trina - vampires
15. kick - lollie pop
16. earth wind fire - getaway
17. preacher - life is a gamble
18. frankie karl - don't be afraid
19. candy & the kisses - are you trying to get rid of me, baby
20. the limiñanas - i'm dead
21. the shanes - can i trust you?
22. the cookies - softly in the night
23. raphael saadiq - big easy
24. nick cave & the bad seeds - running scared
25. the four tops - still waters run deep

81MB, 1.2hrs >>DL here<<

spooky soul, 60s funk, 80s funk, hip-hop, jazz...all that firme goodness, with a touch of the macabre! also featured: a few songs with guitars that i couldn't resist.

(last year's october mix: 12 tracks of sleepy/spooky)

p.s. i apologize! i've used that doris & kelley song twice. but it's just that tight.

firme tracks, vol. 3

in time for the labor day weekend:

1. kmd - sweet premium wine
2. the ohio players - love rollercoaster
3. teena marie - i'm a sucker for your love
4. evelyn "champagne" king - i'm in love
5. lil rob - summer nights
6. miss lady pinks - summer breeze
7. arianna puello - hoy me siento bien
8. carla thomas - i'll never stop loving you
9. dale & grace - i'm leavin it all up to you
10. bobbie smith - walk on into my heart
11. the cookies - girls grow up faster than boys
12. wendy rene - bar-b-q
13. mary jane hooper - i've got reasons
14. fabulous souls - take me
15. hubert laws - no, you'd better not
16. della humphrey - don't make the good girls go bad
17. shades of brown - be my lady
18. edan ft. insight- funky voltron
19. old town gangsters - only in cali
20. eddie sky white - baby be mine
21. beyonce ft. andre 3000 & kanye west - party
22. the cool notes - i wanna dance
23. prince - when you were mine

1.3 hrs, 95mb, >> DL here <<


THIS IS AN ULTRA FIRME MIX

60s funk, 80s funk, g funk, sultry soul, pop...and all of it bright and posi enough to be played at a pool party or bbq !

last lazy weekends of summer

1. esg - it's alright
2. kleenex/liliput - might is right
3. the bangles - the real world
4. san ul lim - it was probably late summer
5. ariel pink's haunted graffiti - something isn't something
6. quasi - i never want to see you again
7. the sunrays - you don't phase me
8. helen shapiro - tell me what he said
9. the la's - feelin'
10. the easybeats - made my bed, gonna lie in it
11. marmoset - blooms
12. dump - when u were mine
13. buckethead - humans vanish
14. beach fossils - sometimes
15. guided by voices - the official ironmen rally song
16. close lobsters - just too bloody stupid
17. alex chilton - she might look my way
18. alan vega - ice drummer
19. frank huston - old man me
20. the founders - don't you leave me baby
21. phyllis dillon - midnight confessions
22. the walker brothers - stay with me baby

110 MB, 1hr, >>DL here<<

a mix for when you come home, and you're exhausted, and you just want to lie down on your bed for a bit

and a friend calls and asks if you're going to the party

and you exhale and say "sure" and you realize that you sound irritated, but you're not irritated. you're looking forward to going out and being social

but after the call, you continue to lie there, and you decide that if you're going to go at all, you're gonna take your sweet time to get ready

--

cover girl is pier angeli; thanks to matt, thisismyfavoritesong, suicidewatch and negativepleasure for a few of these

firme tracks vol. 2

pues--


FIRME TRACKS - VOL. 2

1. mike adame - chicanita
2. billy stewart - look back and smile
3. ms krazie - si hoy que nos amamos
4. jean p - time
5. the brothers johnson - strawberry letter 23
6. js - ice cream
7. paperroute gangstaz - woodgrain
8. johnson & johnson - wow!
9. honey cone - the want-ads
10. king floyd - groove me
11. fontella bass - hold on this time
12. allen toussaint - get out of my life woman
13. sunny & the sunliners - should i take you home
14. wah wah watson - bubbles
15. the mandells - think back
16. doris & kelley - you don't have to worry
17. quietfire - you make me wanna shout
18. young & company - i like what you're doing to me
19. the fentones - take five
20. el chicano - don't put me down if i'm brown

1HR - DOWNLOAD >>HERE<<

para los noches, saliendo con sus amigos, dando una vuelta en tu chevy

or just lean waaay back in your office chair and pretend

FIRME TRACKS VOL 1

FIRME TRACKS - VOL. 1

1. africa - you take advantage of me
2. tommy neal - going to a happening
3. lighter shade of brown - on a sunday afternoon
4. war - don’t let no one get you down
5. s.o.u.l. - this time around
6. kelly rowland ft. lil wayne - motivation
7. love unlimited - i belong to you
8. manny corchado - pow wow
9. marsha hunt - oh no! not the beast day!
10. one way - cutie pie
11. t.i. ft. pharrell - freak though
12. mtume - juicy fruit
13. nathalie - my love won’t let you down
14. the wire - kidney bingos
15. missy elliot ft. special guest - love will freak us
16. 213 - so fly
17. mr. criminal - i know you like it
18. pete rock & cl smooth - lots of lovin
19. the delfonics - la-la (means i love you)
20. byrdie green - get a hold of yourself
21. the yum yums - gonna be a big thing
22. cannibal & the headhunters - follow the music
23. war - all day music

AN UNPRECEDENTED (well, nearly) MIX

DOWNLOAD HERE

perfect for sunday afternoons, riding down whittier blvd, checking out chicas, barbequeing at the park, early summer fun with loved ones.

this is absolutely my favorite kind of music (firme) so there will be at least one more volume! [this volume is the kind of stuff they play on hot 92.3 but i’m hoping that the next one will be more bilingual heh]

dumb names from the 1960s

remember my threat? ok you don't but i did!



tracklist:


(typing all that out would have been sick!)

about an hour long total, download here


what to expect: all 60s garage -- some of it more pop, some of it more psych, a bit of fuzz, a bit of acoustic. mostly not as stupid as the names of the bands/songs. i've been quietly collecting these for months heh heh

get it together

hey guys! back by popular demand: a mix

1. rock and roll has got to go
2. the feminine complex - movin
3. can - moonshake
4. sylk e. fyne - romeo & juliet
5. man friday - love honey, love heartache
6. new edition - mr. telephone man (chopped and screwed)
7. luniz - i got five on it
8. kleerup ft. lykke li - until we bleed
9. blackbird blackbird - pure
10. masta ace ft. jean grae - soda & soap
11. the three degrees - maybe
12. the gay poppers* - i wanna know
13. pigmeat markham - sock it to em, judge!
14. betty wright - i love the way you love
15. big boi ft. janelle monae - be still
16. charlotte dada - don't let me down
17. exuma - the vision

~1 hour, DL >> here <<

this one has no real theme, just stuff i've been listening to lately. and they fit together reeeal nice

(photo credit here; i can't take credit for that cute-ass dog. and if you wanna know where i got certain tracks, there's little notes in some of em in itunes)

*yes, that's really their name. and yes, lol.

"so over you"

(updated 3/2013:) this is one of my favorite mixes that i've ever done:

1. i don't wanna be friends with you - shop assistants
2. stop killing me - the primitives
3. no offense - slutever
4. why don't you kill yourself - the only ones
5. she lied (i know why) - jester iv
6. over it - dinosaur jr
7. it's ok - the sunglows
8. i've gotten over you - the sonnettes
9. i'm over you - jan bradley
10. ain't no big thing - the radiants
11. i wish i never met you - trina
12. i'm single - lil wayne
13. i'd do it all over you - doris duke
14. your key don't fit anymore - marie "queenie" lyons
15. i'm glad i got over you - jeanette jones
16. so gone - monica ft. missy elliot
17. up out my face - mariah carey & nicki minaj
18. you cheated - the shields
19. gonna get along without you now - trixies
20. don't mess with me - the teddy boys
21. does it hurt? - wipers
22. look back in anger - television personalities

it is wonderful for anyone who is trying to get over someone and it's really hard because you still like them but you're still really angry at them.

DL here, original post here.

about to head out

gonna go on vacation

1. amu - prism
2. charanjit singh - raga kalavati
3. the dovers - about me
4. generifus - and i tried
5. the beau brummels - no lonelier man
6. clockwork oranges - ready steady
7. the first four - empty heart
8. the dawnbreakers - alligator
9. harry toledo - busted chevrolet
10. 9th street market - you're gone
11. mavi isiklar - iyi dusun tasin
12. the bats - mad on you
13. jerry butler - never give you up
14. candyman - knockin boots
15. paula wayne - never less than yesterday
16. the mops - blind bird
17. rah digga - tight
18. the jet age of tomorrow - lunchbox
19. diddy & skylar gray - coming home
20. southern toads
21. c.o.b. - when he came home
22. dr john - mama roux
23. nina simone - don't let me be misunderstood

total run time ~1.1 hour; >> DL here <<

this one's a little big! more mellow than the last one, but there're still some rolas


there's no real theme -- just songs that i've been vibing on lately. if you've liked my other mixes then you'll like this one! sorry for the soft sell, i just have to prepare for the strange week ahead of me

it's almost christmas...it's *almost* christmas

i KNOW you guys are tired of christmas music. but maybe you're like me -- you like christmas music, you like all the elements of christmas music (bells, strings, warm inflection, cherry as hell), but oh my god you just can't hear those standards anymore. so after you've heard "all i want for christmas for you" 50 times and it's just* starting to lose its magic, what do you do?

here, i've made a comp of music that has nothing to do with christmas, but sounds sorta like christmas.

1. isao tomita - the girl with the flaxen hair
2. johnny ace - pledging my love
3. koes bersaudara - rasa hatiku
4. francoise hardy - pourtant tu m'aimes
5. saint etienne - the birdman of ec1
6. aislers set - "christmas song"
7. au revoir simone - take me as i am
8. white apple tree - passed out
9. the townhouses - pray (tina cousins cover)
10. the originals - the bells
11. bob b. soxx - the bells of st. mary
12. richard and the young lions - you can make it
13. milton banana trio - vou deitar e rolar
14. jens lekman - maple leaves
15. the impressions - i'm so proud
16. sam hopkins - needed time
17. jon richman - oh moon, queen of night on earth

48 min total, >> DL here <<


stay in the christmas spirit without hearing one more lyric about santa or sleighbells! how is this possible?? well baby i made it possible ;)


*note: it is very hard for that song to lose its magic
**ps: have you seen mariah's new christmas song? pretty neat

existential garage

mixtape time! i'm reading up on philosophy and theology, trying to make sense of brevity, lack of permanence, trying to figure out the world and my head. here's a soundtrack to that

1. the fabs - that's the bag i'm in
2. brute force - nobody knows
3. bob morrison - i looked in the mirror
4. honeycombs - eyes
5. episode six - only lonely people
6. gnomes - the sky is falling
7. the ravens - this i know
8. the trespassers - living memories
9. los ovnis - cuando era nino
10. the pleasure seekers - what a way to die
11. the sparkles - i want to be free
12. the merry-go-round - live
13. lollipop shoppe - who's it gonna be
14. the colony - things on my mind
15. tucker zimmerman - another normal day
16. the beau brummels - tomorrow is another day

43.2 min total, DL >>here<<

i tried to veer away from garage-psych. it's so easy to be existential when you're vibing on psychedelics, but i think it's adorable when garage punk or pop or "fuzz" or whatever you want to call it, simple little tunes, incorporate lyrics like, "my shadow's grown, and my die is cast."

besides, you can find plenty of existential garage-psych in this other compilation, 30 seconds before the calico wall!


shh, don't tell nobody, but if you click the album art...well, you might just get two compilations for the price of one*, ya dig?

*the price of mine being: $0


note: other good 60s/70s pop songs that deal with mortality and brain drains:
the faces - ooh la la (1973)
paul simon - run that body down (1972)
emitt rhodes - someone died (1969)
peggy lee - is that all there is? (1969)