WEEKENDMIX 12.20.13: Tis The Season … for Music

This time of year in the Northeast usually means temperatures that require an extra layer of protection against the outdoor elements. It also means that we’re a bit warmer on the inside as we look to connect with family and friends we haven’t had the opportunity to all year. Everywhere you turn, the brisk air is stirring up something: charity toward our fellow human, a bit of extra patience as a pedestrian navigates a snowbank, a door held open for the mom with the baby trying to get into the warmth, a smile as music wafts through the air toward glittering lights wrapped around a lamppost, making even steel a bit warmer and softer

Some of us take this time to reflect on what we’ve accomplished, what we could have changed and what we will change. We set our soundtrack for the dawning of a new year. What does yours sound like?

Music, whether it’s a soundtrack to our lives, to a movie, to a dance floor, has a place in whatever we do. The type of music depends on where we find ourselves in the moment. There’s music for every mood, state of mind, level of consciousness.

This week’s Weekend Mix gives us three very different moods. Andrej Belik’s (Moscow, Russia) Cacao Chaos is FAT – Bittersweet Jazz talks to our mellow side, coaxing us to soft laughter and easy action. I listened to this mix a few times and had the same reaction at the end of each listen: peacefully blissful. It weaves through you, whispers in your ear and before you know it, you’re pulled into the “I am Here I am Here”. In Belik’s words “this music just fits together like all sounds in the universe…” (Snap Snap Snap). And just as the universe would have it, Belik made this a free download.

“FUNKOLOGY” by DJ Flashboy starts us off dreaming about music, through some 90s funk to “should I stay or should I go” and amps up the beats to a hip shaking jaunt through Funky House and Tech House to keep your energy up for untangling those lights that always seem to end up in an unsightly bunch.

Tony Touch, a local and 1200Dreams favorite, takes us on a sweetly romantic, fire in the hearth, candles lit and wine glasses clinking trip through some beautifully selected pieces in “Feel Good 5”. His usual hard hitting, Funkbox dance floor circle vibe is gently pushed aside for this seductive vibe that warms you from the inside out. There’s enough soul here to get you from NY to California. Tony Touch is a romantic at heart. Who knew?

And if none of these fit the mood, check out the bonus video. Just goes to show you, nothing can stop good music. As a matter of fact, it just seems to bring people together, no matter where you are or what state of mind you’re in.

Cacao Chaos

FUNKOLOGY

Feel Good 5

BONUS VIDEO