Strange is a Four Letter Word

Once upon a time you had to buy the DFA Seasonal mixes online and they would ship them to your door. In 2005, I bought the Holiday mix because, then, I yearned to be at the forefront of the DFA craze. Apparently--not that it's any surprise--I've fallen behind, and I just learned that you can download these quarterly mixes on the DFA website. Perhaps it's a new phenomenon, but in any case I decided to check out the most recent mix, the "T&T Halloween mix" recorded live at Studio B in New York City during a Ghostly International and DFA joint-bash. As one might guess, the set, mixed by DFA's Timothy Sweeney and Timothy Goldsworthy, attempts to capture the typical minimal horror film sound, beginning wonderfully with an original remix of the theme from the Exorcist. The effect is furthered with Baby Oliver's "Shot Caller": as the song builds and eventually explodes, a demonic voice insists, "I call the shots."



However, the creepiness theme seems to clash with the dance theme, though since I wasn't there I can't say if it was a dance party or--if it was--if anyone was dancing. The beat seems a little slow throughout, but that doesn't take away from the quality of the beat matching and terrific transitions. The highlights here include a Simian Mobile Disco remix of the Klaxons song "Magick." The cut up vocals, repeated, seemed as though they were plucked straight from some kind of b-list thriller. And the build up, as is oft the case with SMD songs, is great.

Tim & Tim Halloween Mix live at Studio B

Not all the songs are enjoyable however. "Good Life" by Inner City just takes me back to the bad techno of the 90s. So, if you don't feel like listening to the whole mix (though I recommend it for next year's Halloween party, and there are some songs I can't find online such as the Juan Maclean finale), I've posted my favorite tracks.

Klaxons- Magick (Simian Mobile Disco remix)

Holy Ghost!- Hold On



Ever since we started this blog, I've been making a chore--nay, my (happy) responsibility--to increase the amount of song searching and listening per day. Well, I've come across some bombs, but today I found a great remix of SMD's old favorite "Hustler." Remixes these days tend to come out quite fast, often before the original is even released. But Hustler has been around for a year now, if not more, so it's had time to sit and get old. This keeps a few of the elements, but does a general overhaul including sinking vocalists Char Johnson's boyish voice to a sexy growl. Unfortunately, I can't find an mp3 of the track yet, but here's a link to the Pitchfork site that also reviews it.

Simian Mobile Disco- Hustler (A-trak remix)