June Mix: Late Night With Abby: 2

As you may recall, back in April, I presented a mix made in the style of the incredibly awesome Late Night Tales compilation series (highly recommended if you haven’t heard them). At the time, I was pretty sure it was one of the best mixes I’d ever made. I usually think that about all my mixes when they’re brand new. But I’ve completed the second in my series of copycat compilations, and I don’t think I’m at all wrong in saying that I’ve completely outdone myself with this one. That last Late Night With Abby mix seems amateur compared to this masterpiece.

I do feel like putting these mixes together is an art. This isn’t a typical car mix I’d make of songs I want to hear and that make me excited. No, Late Night Tales is about expressing and creating a mood. Though many songs in the compilation you may not always have occasion to listen to independently, your mind develops a new appreciation for them when presented in this context. You’re glad to hear the songs; you want to hear them. They complement each other in the order they’re given. Maybe that’s why I enjoy making these so much. It’s a creative challenge that allows me to hear music in a way I hadn’t before, and I learn to appreciate it all over again.

Late Night With Abby: 2

Nosaj Thing – Caves

General Elektriks – La Nuit Des Ephemeres

Jean-Jacques Perrey – E.V.A. (Fatboy Slim Mix)

Diamond Doves – Club Night

April Mix: Late Night With Abby

I’m sure you all know by now how much I love a good mixtape. That’s why I’ve become so deeply enamored with the Late Night Tales series of compilations by selected artists such as MGMT and Belle & Sebastian. I listen to these albums not like a regular album, but like a mix carefully arranged from start to finish, meaning I don’t usually skip through to a song I want to hear because it would compromise the integrity of the mix.

Sounds vary from one mix to the next, with really wonderful offerings of everything from mid-20th century rock rarities to modern day electronic tunes. It’s always a nice surprise to see what they’ve managed to fit in, such as when Air’s compilation included Jeff Alexander’s “Come Wander With Me.” It’s certainly not always what you expect, but it always works. Though there are many differing genres, there’s a particular vibe that flows from one Late Night Tales to the next. It’s hard to define exactly, besides the series’ requisite to be the “ultimate late night mix.”  So instead of describing it to you, I decided to make my own Late Night Tales-esque mix. At 23 songs, it’s perfect CD length, so if you’re like me, do the proper thing and burn these to a disc.

If you like it and are like “Heck! Abby’s Late Night mix is so good I want her to keep making more and more!” then you are in luck. Because there will be more in the future as the initial playlist I formed for my Late Night Tales mix had like 200-something songs on it.

Late Night With Abby: 1

Spooky – Cat Fight

Flying Lotus – Camel

Sergei Prokofiev – ‘Montagnes and Capulets’ from ‘Romeo and Juliet’

The Asteroids Galaxy Tour – Crazy

Little Bark – In the Forest