Mind Flaying Through the Cosmos

I feel like I'm on the cusp of a major breakthrough in my life, where possibilities are endless and doors open and close at my command. Within the next couple of days, I will know whether or not strongly advocating on my own behalf will have resulted in the largest pay raise that I have ever received at a job during my arduous journey spinning on this mortal coil. This, along with the lack of comments on my last two posts, is the reason why I haven't posted during the entire month of January. I don't like to harp on this too much, because I'm grateful to be able to share music with an audience who appreciates it, but it often feels like I'm talking to myself. I can't stress how important encouraging comments can be to me as writing on this blog serves as an outlet for relieving stress and coping with the everyday rigors of life. I guess it can simply be stated as such: a plant needs water and light to grow and thrive. Receiving comments and having ongoing discussions with my visitors is the water and light that I need to grow and thrive.

Now that I have that off my chest, I want to share a mix with you that originated less than than two weeks ago. This one came about after many hours of compiling recommendations from various sources such as magazines, books, radio shows and blogs. I went through my most recent downloads, and started pulling one song from each album at random. Occasionally the song that was chosen for the mix didn't work for one reason or another, but more often than not, it was a perfect fit. I really feel like I'm at a stage with these mixes where I'm reaching heights that I never thought were possible. This is not to say that I'm getting a big head about myself, but only to come to the realization that I have a talent for doing this. Who knows?  Maybe someday I'll be able to pursue my dream of working as a music supervisor or recording engineer. For now, I'll be happy with the fact that I'm able to utilize my inner creativity to share music with you that is special to me.

This mix features a wide range of music including psych rock, jazz fusion, electro-glam, afro-fuzz, new-wave, free jazz and country. I hope that you guys enjoy the music, and I sincerely hope that some of you reach out to let me know what you think of this week's mix.

Until next time...

 Mind Flaying Through the Cosmos















1) Masayuki Takayanagi- Sun in the East
2) Groundhogs- Status People
3) Nucleus- We'll Talk About it Later
4) Hamad Kalkaba and the Golden Sounds- Lamido
5) Os Mundi- Missile
6) The Khan Jamal Creative Arts Ensemble- Cosmic Echoes
7) La Dusseldorf- Viva
8) Hawklords- 25 Years
9) Wings- Wild Life
10) Kebnekajse- Rattviakarnas Ganglat
11) Lee Hazlewood & Ann-Margret- Walk on Out of My Mind

Total time: 58 mins

Comments

Unknown said…
I think you may be missing a lot of comments: The way the blog's comment features are configured, visitors must log in with a Google or OpenID account name to post comments, and that probably knocks out a majority of those who would otherwise do so right out.

I only recently found your blog and so far I like what I see. Don't give up on us quite yet! :D
7:46 PM
Kevin said…
Hey Unknown. Thanks for stopping by and dropping me a line. I changed the way the comments worked awhile back because I was getting spammed so much, but maybe it makes sense to change it back to the default setting. I'm glad that you like the blog, and I appreciate you saying so. Just out of curiosity, how did you discover my blog?

Best,

Kevin
12:37 AM
The Swede said…
A tremendous comp Kevin. Very pleased to see a Nucleus tune included, I featured Ian Carr over at my blog just the other week. I'm also a big fan of Charisma period Hawkwind/Hawklords, so '25 Years' went down very nicely indeed. The Masayuki Takayanagi track was a total revelation. I expected his music to be far more out there and impenetrable, but I absolutely loved 'Sun in the East' and as a consequence will be investigating further. So much good stuff here and not a weak moment in the whole 58 minutes. Excellent job!
7:09 AM
Kevin said…
Swede: It's always good to hear from you, my friend. Thanks so much for giving me feedback on the mix! I have been digging Nucleus as well as Ian Carr's solo output for over a decade, but "We Can Talk About It Later" took fusion to a completely new level in my opinion. Recently, I was listening to a radio show that Jeff Conklin used to do on East Village Radio called Just Music, and heard Hawklords for the first time. I couldn't believe that I actually liked something with synthesizers, and that this band was even related to Hawkwind. The Masayuki Takayanagi was also a new discovery that I heard on the Just Music show. I like free jazz that is discordant, but that knows when to bring everything back home to a straightforward melody and rhythm. If you are interested in finding any of the East Village Radio shows, a lot of them can be found on the Internet Archive. One of my favorite tracks on this mix is the Groundhogs "Status People". This one sends chills up and down my spine every time I hear it- the amazing chugging riffs, the majestic bass line and the drum break at the end that's begging to be sampled.

Until next time..

Best,

Kevin
12:17 PM
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