The "Big Shoulders" mix is named for the "City of Big Shoulders"-- Chicago, Illinois USA. The mix is all about my fascination with Chicago. I lived there for 7 years, somewhat sporadically, between the years of 1989 and 2000. My experiences in that city have never left my mind, and related impressions have inspired many a mystified song. This mix is comprised of 15 songs, mixed into continuous play. The tracks in the mix were written between the years of 2004 and 2007. Some tracks will sound familiar to those interested in mystified net releases, while others appear on limited edition cdrs and cassettes, and will be new to most. As a point of interest, three tracks use sounds created by cars or parts of cars, including "Coming This Way", "BDrum" and "Down Way Down". Two pieces were composed using algorithmic sample manipulation-- the tracks "Massy" and "Quite Deep". Many tracks feature such phonographic elements as shortwave static and found drone sounds. More than anything, these pieces reflect the "Spirit" of Chicago-- as a sprawling urban area, with industrial qualities-- as a city with notable architecture-- buildings that loom and soar-- as a city with a history, from gang violence to racial tension to cultural growth. On a personal note, my years in Chicago were especially difficult, for a variety of reasons, including emotional and financial ones. However, I was close to many friends, who today I miss. There were high points to my life there, for sure. Chicago is the largest city in which I would consider living. Sometimes I have thought about moving back, to this day. The "Big Shoulders" mix is music by someone who has left Chicago, but whose heart is still there.
3/16/2009 Special thanks to Bruce Hollett, for the "Chicago Photos", 1-4, which so nicely illustrate the setting for this material. Mr. Hollett's phenomenal pictures were taken simply with a mobile phone while driving near Chicago, on 2 separate occasions. The first 2 photos were taken at sunrise leaving the city, and the other 2 were taken at sunset returning to the city.
Special thanks to Mark Jondahl for the cover art ( www.markjondahl.com ).
Thanks again to Bruce Hollett for his excellent photography.
Here is a list of individual tracks from the mix:
Mystified "Big Shoulders" Mix
1. Coming This Way
2. Skyscraper2005
3. Centipede Fog
4. Massy
5. True Crime
6. Level Three
7. NV
8. BDrum
9. Quite Deep
10. Incidental 2
11. Humscape
12. Undertow
13. Down Way Down
14. Strange Traffic
15. Still Constant (Edit)
Tracks are from a variety of Net and other releases dating back as far as 2004. For more information about mystified, including a complete discography, please visit www.mystifiedmusic.com .