From the Dog’s Desk
This month’s show is inspired by:
live track from K Wata, vocal sample aching, “I can give you time, I can give you space”
an ankle length black dress cut in a nubby silk purchased for $20 at Eightball Thrift Shop
listening to loud music sitting down
Outline Festival October 24
exploring new releases on ninaprotocol
a track Stella shared with me that I then BEGGED to premiere on this very mix
I had in mind that I would pull some tunes for getting ready to go out. Think sexy alternative pop, 90’s/2000’s avant garde electronics, upbeat club considerations, a little disco, slow dancing alone, hoping to run into someone, one martini, music playing from the other room while you put on your earrings. It leans moody but it still qualifies as a soundtrack option to pregame your next Girl’s Night Out. The girls are, in fact, moody.
“bias cut” refers to a dress made of fabric cut on the bias, which is to to say cut on the diagonal grain of the fabric as opposed to along the warp and weft. The technique is generally applied to already sumptuous fabrics and the result is a drape that follows the natural lines of the body without tension. A bias cut garment is often a little slinky, a little sultry, without necessitating a revealing cut. Lately I’ve not been feeling sexual, but it’s not to say I haven’t felt sensual. I was looking for such an article of clothing in the form of a black dress or skirt when my hands laid upon the most deliciously viscous fabric. I looked inside for the tag- 100% silk; up to the neckline- high collared, secured with a mother of pearl button at the back; I put it on- it cascaded forgivingly no, embracingly, over my soft hips. I wore it out that evening over my stringiest underwear to increase the surface area across which the fabric could caress me, swaying in a foggy room.
-R
Tracklist (in order)
Electric Murder, Marcy Luarks
Keeping Up, Arthur Russell
Coming Down (Immersion Mix), Bowery Electric
milk sugar (DJ Python Remix), Crushed
Back Of My Hand, Horse Vision
Trainsurfing, Stina Nordenstam
Hounds, Puma Blue
What’s The Use, Tirzah
Trois Gouttes De Sang, Vox Populi!
Humming Song (Alone Together), Yuka Honda/ Eucademix
i am good 0917, unreleased [world premiere]
Fight, a good year & Tiffi M
You got time and I got money, Smerz
Rita is Penniless, Rita P
Losing My Taste For The Nightlife, Arthur Russell
Ne Travaillez Jamais, Christopher Rau
Notes
Keeping Up & Losing My Taste For The Nightlife, Arthur Russell
I’ve been wanting to feature Arthur Russell’s sketch for “Losing My Taste For The Nightlife” for MONTHS but it wasn’t fitting anywhere… in someways it’s “fit” here is questionable, but when I had “reluctant sexuality” and “music playing from the other room” on the mind I couldn’t shake that this was the time to include the recording. When you get to this one around 49:14 I’d suggest taking your volume up a notch or two. I brought it up in the mix as much as I could without making it unlistenable, and the beginning of the following track is forgiving enough to get the volume back down. There exist a couple of sketches of “Losing My Taste…” The one featured on this mix is on Another Thought and another you can find on Sketches For World Of Echo: June 25 Live at Ei. The same albums include “Keeping Up.” The songs seem as two sides of the same coin. That heartbeat in me won’t go slow, not when it’s knowing you might be back tonight feeling falls away when they’re gone now I’m heading to nothing ‘cause it’s no more fun. Putting both tracks on together made the latter fit, I felt. Something up and out, something a little melancholic.
Electric Murder, Marcy Luarks
To tie in “Keeping Up” (which we know is to tie in “Losing My Taste…” a real Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly situation) I wanted to grab some 70s/80s disco, because Arthur Russell is so disco. So we open with “Electric Murder” by Marcy Luarks. Originally the show opened with “Cold Breath ’79”, another dance track with lyrics about poison and hate, paired with an upbeat track with “Murder” in the title. The original mix was almost exclusively instrumental/dance tracks. If this is of interest, drop me a line and I’ll send you the file.
Coming Down (Immersion Mix), Bowery Electric
I’ve called this note a Tracklist (crashout) because it’s a bit of breakdown of some of my thought processes on the show. If one were interested they could take these notes and look back at other mixes to see how I’m often doing the same thing. It’s sonic similarities, similar lyric content, label explorations, dog references, and wordplay. Anyhow, this was on the OG show, and stayed here because “Keeping Up” followed by “Coming Down” suits the theme. Rollercoaster Emoji. Up and down. Relevant to the Arthur Russell couplet and comes up again.
milk sugar (DJ Python Remix), Crushed
An echo-y remix released by Ghostly International perfectly suits the “music from the other room” quality I’m looking for, and Crushed makes some great indie rock.
Back Of My Hand, Horse Vision & Fight, a good year & Tiffi M
An Innerinnerlife rework of a Horse Vision x Tiffi M track turned me onto both artists. ninaprotocol recommended some fresh tracks from each, featured on this show.
Trainsurfing, Stina Nordenstam
I put another song from this album on a show in March. Stina Nordenstam scratches an itch for experimental, whispery, exciting, playful, yearning sounds over and over for me.
Hounds, Puma Blue
Every Recumbent Dog episode includes a mention of dogs, whether it be lyrically, sonically, or just in the title of the track, enter this absolute DRIVER, “Hounds.”
What’s The Use, Tirzah
A B-Side Tirzah described as “having a beat for the beat’s sake.” It’s here for the beat. This is the halfway point of the mix… would you like another drink? What time are we calling the uber?
Trois Gouttes De Sang, Vox Populi!
“Trois Gouttes De Sang” translates to “Three Drops of Blood." "i am good 0917" coming up mentions blood in the lyrics. Anyway, it brings you back from the beat, steadies the hand to finish your eyeliner.
Humming Song (Alone Together), Yuka Honda/ Eucademix
If you’re looking for trip-hoppy, downtempo, music from the other room, getting ready in a slinky dress, close listening, girls making jokes, rich samples, etc. put on Eucademix, Yuka Honda, or Cibo Matto and be so glad you did. When I’m looking to build a bridge between the dancefloor and a bedroom recording I listen back to the way Yuka blends samples, genres, and beats… and often throw one of her tracks in the mix.
i am good 0917, unreleased [world premiere]
It’s fun to keep making the World Premiere joke, because these playlists tend to hit 20 or so sets of ears. Don’t let the joke distract you from my earnest love of this song, I had it on repeat the whole first night I heard it, and sing along now like it’s not sung by someone I know. Shimmering cymbals and playful fuzzy tones catch the ear early on to hint at the lush finale of a 3:25 min track that feels timeless.
You got time and I got money, Smerz
I love hearing this song. Since this album came out I’ve used “You’ve Got Time…” as a search term on NTS just to find more mixes on which this track might surprise me. I don’t ever think of a person as a subject of this song, no one to take on vacation or ask to see naked, but the desire behind that feeling is totally crystal. Mostly this song reminds me of drinking Peroni from a straw, riding around Nashville in the passenger seat of Karen’s Mercedes 560SL, top down, smoking Nat Shermans. The filters matched the convertible’s champagne gold paintjob.
Rita is Penniless, Rita P
Rollercoaster Emoji. “You got time and I’ve got money” to “Rita is Penniless.” The difference between fear and fun on a rollercoaster is acknowledging that you are on a rollercoaster and this is what they are supposed to feel like. AHHHHH! ahhhhh.
Ne Travaillez Jamais, Christopher Rau
Translates to "Never Work"- very suitable to a Recumbent Dog mix. This song pulls in piano as though it’s in another room that you’re in and out of. Yes “Losing My Taste…” was a bit of a downer, but sometimes it’s nice to tune into something danceable with a heavy heart, gives the track a new resonance. There are other sounds in the background… something that kind of sounds like a train out the window? Are you late? Only fashionably.
additional media in order of mention:
K Wata
Eightball Thrift Shop
Outline
nina
Stella & Jeremy
Some Imaginary Far Away Type Things - Arthur Russell playing in progress work, captured by Phill Niblock
Fifth World w/ Innerinnerlife