Blog: Ugly Music for Beautiful People

When I was in high school, a friend of mine was an exchange student from Mongolia named Dashka Yagaan. When he went home, he gave me a mixtape of Mongolian pop that he had brought with him. A few days ago I was going through some boxes and came across it. I decided to rip it and share it. I don't know the titles or artists for any of the songs. I tried SoundHound on my iPhone, but no luck. Download it

Back in 2009, I made a mixtape. And then it sat on a shelf forgotten until now. I had just picked up some really cool records on record excursion to Flint, Michigan. So I made a tape of tracks from those records mixed with other stuff I had recently acquired. It was pretty good. I titled it Cassettestep for some dumb reason. While looking for a pencil, I came across the tape today and decided to rip it. I lost the tracklisting, but was able to mostly reconstruct it. Side A is more of dubstep, rap [...]

Mike Vasas I sometimes complain about the Lansing scene. While there are some good bands, they all seem to be either punk, metal or folk. But I recently found somebody doing something different. I recently met this guy named Mike Vasas. He's a middle school music teacher and musician. He started a blog called Songs Not by Me ( http://songsnotbyme.com) where he has been posting a cover every day this year. His song selections are impeccable and the diversity of style in these performances is just mind blowing. Some of them have incredible arrangements or rework [...]

Like any sane person, I'm a huge fan of the Numero Group . They are currently working on a compilation of music from Ebirac Records. Ebirac was a Chicago label that released music by Chicago's Puerto Rican community. Salsa, merengue, ranchero, you name it, they released it. While working on that compilation, Numero unearthed a cache of Ebirac deadstock LPs and 45s . They decided to give their fans an "unparalleled chance to preview a Numero project in process, digging simultaneously with us through this massive treasure trove of Chicago-by-way-of-Puerto Rico Salsa, Latin funk, Guaguanco, Guajira, [...]

I'm trying to solve a mystery. A mystery involving 80s Italodisco and underground gay cinema. Which is the best kind of mystery, of course. Italians Do It Better, which is my favorite label at the moment, just put out a new 123: "Robots are Un-American" by Solange. They described in their store as: While digging for rare italo disco vinyls in the archives of a now defunct radio station, a friend of Bottin's found this reel dated 1984. All we could find on the internet are traces of [...]

Big Party Down at Shabooms's Creepy John Thomas - Down In The Bottom (0:00) Ram Jam - Black Betty (4:53) Black Sabbath - Supernaut (8:42) Death - Keep on Knockin' (12:50) ZZ Top - Legs (123 Metal Mix) (14:09) Yardbirds - Lost Woman (21:56) Nazareth - Razamanaz (25:06) Ace Frehley - New York Groove (28:30) Lynyrd Skynyrd - Gimme Three Steps (31:19) Judas Priest - Living After Midnight (35:19) Blackfoot - Bummed Out (38:31) I recently watched Eastbound and Down . This [...]

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About a week and a half ago, I got an email from my friend Justin . It said "So, my friend Hank was in town this last few days and he, Sam and I made mix tapes full of songs to be played "when getting out of a car with a shotgun". One can only assume how the shotgun will be used. I thought you might be interested in adding to the list of mixes. I'll give you ours when you're done." What popped in my head was an image of a man holding [...]

About a week and a half ago, I got an email from my friend Justin . It said "So, my friend Hank was in town this last few days and he, Sam and I made mix tapes full of songs to be played "when getting out of a car with a shotgun". One can only assume how the shotgun will be used. I thought you might be interested in adding to the list of mixes. I'll give you ours when you're done." What popped in my head was an image of a man holding [...]

5 million years ago, I did a avant-garde/experimental music radio show on KXUA called Ugly Music for Beautiful People (a name I liked so much, I've reused it for this blog). For a while, I podcasted the show and it gained a decently sized following. This was fairly early in the history of the podcast, and I was putting out 2 hour long shows. At that point in time, there weren't many other dudes uploading 2 hour long shows filled with crazy new music on a weekly basis. So I filled a niche. Ever since I stopped doing it, I [...]

5 million years ago, I did a avant-garde/experimental music radio show on KXUA called Ugly Music for Beautiful People (a name I liked so much, I've reused it for this blog). For a while, I podcasted the show and it gained a decently sized following. This was fairly early in the history of the podcast, and I was putting out 2 hour long shows. At that point in time, there weren't many other dudes uploading 2 hour long shows filled with crazy new music on a weekly basis. So I filled a niche. Ever since I stopped doing it, I [...]

Back in January, I started watching David Lynch's avant-garde soap opera Twin Peaks . The first season of it was incredible, some of the best TV I've ever seen. The second season started off strong, but fell off. The music of the show made a particularly strong impact on me, so I decided to make a DJ mix that used music from Angelo Badalamenti's score as well as music that I thought shared thematic and stylistic similarities with Twin Peaks . That Gum You Like is Going to Come Back in Style [...]

Back in January, I started watching David Lynch's avant-garde soap opera Twin Peaks . The first season of it was incredible, some of the best TV I've ever seen. The second season started off strong, but fell off. The music of the show made a particularly strong impact on me, so I decided to make a DJ mix that used music from Angelo Badalamenti's score as well as music that I thought shared thematic and stylistic similarities with Twin Peaks . That Gum You Like is Going to Come Back in Style [...]

Here's a brand new mix for y'all. It's based on a set list that I used when I DJed at an art reception at (Scene) Metrospace. There ain't no party like an art reception party because an art reception party has wine, cheese and melon. This is also the first mix I'm posting under my new DJ name, DJ Triple Rambo. Please adjust the mp3 tags of all of my previous mixes that you have downloaded. kthnxbye. Wine, Cheese & Melon 1. Tel [...]

Here's a brand new mix for y'all. It's based on a set list that I used when I DJed at an art reception at (Scene) Metrospace. There ain't no party like an art reception party because an art reception party has wine, cheese and melon. This is also the first mix I'm posting under my new DJ name, DJ Triple Rambo. Please adjust the mp3 tags of all of my previous mixes that you have downloaded. kthnxbye. Wine, Cheese & Melon 1. Tel [...]

Top 50 Singles 50. Miranda Lambert - Gunpowder and Lead 49. Bone Thugs-n-Harmony - Wind Blow 48. Klaxons - Golden Skans 47. Chromeo - Tenderoni 46. Robyn - Handle Me 45. Amerie - Take Control 44. Young Jeezy ft. R. Kelly - Go Getta 43. Bonnie "Prince" Billy - Strange Form of Life 42. Los Campesinos! - You! Me! Dancing! 41. R. Kelly ft. Usher - Same Girl 40. Klaxons - It's Not Over Yet 39. Róisín Murphy - Let Me Know 38. [...]

Here are two disc length compilations of my favorite singles of 2007 and tracks from my favorite albums of 2007. Both are in reverse order and there as many songs as I could fit on a CD length mix. My full top 50 lists are below. Singles Albums Top 50 Singles 50. Miranda Lambert - Gunpowder and Lead 49. Bone Thugs-n-Harmony - Wind Blow 48. Klaxons - Golden Skans 47. Chromeo - Tenderoni 46. Robyn - Handle Me [...]

I DJed last Thursday at the end of the year party of the MSU Graduate Employee Union, of which I am a member. Here's a nice little 30 minute DJ mix I just put together that is based on the set I did that night. It's pretty smooth. So smooth, I call it International Seduction . While my last mix was done with vinyl, this one was done on my computer with Mixxx, the same way I do it live. Also, if there any DJs out there, I welcome any tips on my beatmatching/transitions. Download [...]

I DJed last Thursday at the end of the year party of the MSU Graduate Employee Union, of which I am a member. Here's a nice little 30 minute DJ mix I just put together that is based on the set I did that night. It's pretty smooth. So smooth, I call it International Seduction . While my last mix was done with vinyl, this one was done on my computer with Mixxx, the same way I do it live. Also, if there any DJs out there, I welcome any tips on my beatmatching/transitions. Download [...]