ILMiXor no more

Two months and four mixes after its inception, ILMiXor is calling it a day. I figured it wouldn't last, but that's OK, because I didn't want it to. This sort of project is best compiled in bursts, rather than as an indefinitely ongoing effort. You need time to regroup, get re-psyched about mix-making, fully asborb the ones you've already compiled, and come back in full force. Will ILMiXor ever be revived in some form? Who knows.

But for now, we're left with four mixes, containing 67 spectacular tracks plus some of the best music blog writing around. The final one, "Maximalism", is my favourite right now -- a compendium of volume and madness, perfectly blending wild mashups, big band jazz, prog-disco, acousto-drone, and a million other things.

This will probably change by next week, but for now, in no particular order, here is my ILMiXor Top Ten*:

1. Osymyso, "Intro-Introspection" (Maximalism). 101 intros, 12 minutes. Yes way.
2. Grachan Moncur III/Jackie McLean, "Soul" (Chutzpah). Free jazz + soul? Sure, why not.
3. Go Home Productions, "Girl Wants To Say Goodbye To Rock and Roll" (Pop Top 40 From Another World). Christina Aguilera fronting the Velvets? It works.
4. Books on Tape, "She's Dead To Me" (Pop Top 40 From Another World). The other Books (the ones who aren't on tape) should try this on their next album.
5. The Free Association, "Shanghai" (I've Got a Secret). Another MBV worshipper/clone? I'm there.
6. Organum, "Shin-En" (Maximalism). Kind of like three Nurse With Wound tracks played simultaneously.
7. Metal Urbain, "Train (Version 2)" (Chutzpah). Proof that Suicide should have done an album of Elvis' Sun Records output.
8. Fox, "Livin Out My Fantasies" (Pop Top 40 From Another World). Not a hit? In Blondie's hands, in 1981, it would have been.
9. Fletcher Henderson, "Oh Baby" (Maximalism). A time machine.
10. Bohren und der Club of Gore, Midnight Black Earth (I've Got a Secret). 6AM. What the hell, let's play Slint's "For Dinner ..." at half-speed.

*(I chose not to include any of the songs I chose (three), or songs that I was already familiar with (only six or seven). So this is really a top ten songs that I discovered through ILMiXor. However, even if I had included those other songs, the list wouldn't have changed too much).