RAN PARK (@ranparkmusic) is a brilliant friend, activist, and pianist/multi-instrumentalist based in Seattle, WA.

✱ What is the inspiration and vision behind RAN PARK?

RAN PARK as a project is my way of saying yes to the child in us. I'm interested in the healing properties of music -- specifically, how it grants us access into the hidden parts of our being, and how it encourages us to embody fuller expressions of the many identities we carry, even/especially the parts of ourselves that may seem contradicting. I see this sort of acknowledgment of our complexities as an important step towards healing generational trauma. Sonically, it means I welcome musical influences of all kinds. I'm exploring how those sounds intermingle with my personal history, and I'm finding delight in creating new contexts for them. 

✱ Can you share a little bit about what you’ve included in this mix? 

RAN PARK: I've included old and new experiments in composition and rhythm. Thankfully this project could house vast explorations! You'll hear passages ranging from symphonic to classical, jazz, electronic, and some trance-inducing meditations. Two composers that I'm deeply indebted to are Ennio Morricone and Ryuichi Sakamoto. There are some tracks in this mix that are unabashedly aspirational and attempt to follow the shadows of these maestros. 

Slowfoam: I've also included some unreleased Slowfoam tracks and some songs off a forthcoming EP by myself and Neilll ~ an incredible ambient/experimental multi-instrumentalist based in LA. The mix evolved into a slightly dystopic soundscape that encourages wanderings away from clamoring cities and back into the stillness of the natural world.

✱ What are some of your utopian dreams?

RAN PARK: My personal understanding of utopia is a world and existence in which our differences, shadow parts, and discomforts can be acknowledged without fear. 

Slowfoam: Mine exist tangentially to this world, but we're more closely connected to the ecosystems we take part in, as well as ourselves and each other. Similar to RAN PARK's, vulnerability, imperfection, and growth are innate and supported equitably. 

✱ Any exciting things we can look forward to from RAN PARK in 2022?

Several fruitful collaborations, including this one! With regards to my own work, expect more music beyond solo piano.

Our Tomorrow w/ RAN PARK (Seattle) & Slowfoam (Berlin)

It's a real pleasure to welcome highly respected and experienced musical selector, DJ, radio host and curator Colleen 'Cosmo' Murphy (@colleen-cosmo-murphy) with a special 'audio yoga mix' to our series. Interview (excerpt) down below.

www.musicfrommemory.com

MFM: Hi Colleen, thanks for sharing your thoughts and music with us. Hosting your weekly online radio shows, making plenty mixes for several outlets, DJing clubs and festivals... How do you keep motivated and inspired?

CM: Sharing music has been focal to my life since I was a teenager hosting shows on our 10-watt high school radio station and working in a record shop after school. Turning people onto new tunes and artists gives me immense joy and courses throughout every aspect of my vocation. I’m a communicator at heart. That’s balanced with the more internalized creativity of music productions and remixes. Being in the studio and playing with ideas and sounds is very focusing and the rest of the world seems to fall away. It’s therapeutic. And playing records as a DJ or musical host is like a lively musical conversation in which I draw energy from the dancers and give it back in turn. A great party is a collective creation. Throughout all of my endeavours I try to impart the life energy of music, a healing and motivational force that inspires me every day.

MFM: In a time and place where the context of a DJ seems to have changed over decades, do you feel your “classic” approach of DJing gives you an advantage in keeping relevant and reaching a crowd?

CM: It's important to have your own point of difference. I have never been a ‘cookie-cutter’ type DJ and used to struggle with the idea that I didn’t fit in. But then I recognized that all the different aspects of my vocation had one thing in common – myself. Once I integrated everything and became more holistic in my approach, I felt happier and more confident. Being authentic to oneself is first and foremost and then it is up to others to decide whether or not they like your creative output. You can’t please everybody, but you have to try to please yourself otherwise there is no point. I get immense pleasure in what I do and hope that it brings joy to others. I do have a classic approach to DJ-ing but I’m also always looking for new sounds that resonate. I also admire other DJs styles even if it’s quite different to my own. There’s room for everyone.

MFM: You're a DJ who encourages the listener to open up and really listen to music, its definitions, context and aesthetics. Probably one of the foremost reasons why you tend to let a song run from beginning till end. With such strong values, what's your view on the modern way of “consuming” music?

CM: There are many different ways to enjoy music and none are the wrong way. Any experience of music is good. When I started Classic Album Sundays in 2010, it was a response to music only being ‘consumed’ rather than experienced and I wanted to share the way the I often listen to music with others to provide an alternative. At that time, we were in the midst of shuffle culture and the almighty MP3 and whilst both have their place, it shouldn’t be the end-all experience. When people come to a Classic Album Sundays event and hear the subtleties and nuances of an entire album played without interruption, on one of the world’s best sound systems and in a communal setting, they experience music in a different way and most find it transformative. But listening to music in a car or dancing to a DJ who scratches and cuts up songs can also be inspirational. I can only try to offer what is authentic from me.

MFM Mix 045: Colleen 'Cosmo' Murphy

𝙡𝙞𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙙𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 w CCL # 8 ꜰʀᴏꜱᴛ [21.12.2022] Winter Solstice Edition

Ari Balouzian – Comfort Or Freedom
Pool Boy – Closed for Renovations
Agosta – Don Alfio
Tracisgrey – Night Eyes
Leisure Centre – 食料品店
Wojciech Jagielski– Śniadanie Pod Palmą
Wichita LimeWire –  Be My BonziBUDDY
Lil Creepshow – Underwater Racetrack
Tracisgrey – Wet Night
Alina Baraz –  The Beginning
死夢Vanity – ソウルメイト
Desert Sand Feels Warm At Night – 第一次
DX-Digital – Magic Rose
Employee – Romantic Relax
Bahamadia – Interlude
swing slow - Voo Doo Surfer
Tibor Szemzo - Einstein-Express
Dick Hyman - I'm Glad There Is You (5ive bit)
Civilistjävel! – Untitled
Thomas Fehlmann – Wunschwechsler
Dentistry - bdw
Odopt - Orch Noise
Twin Peaks Angelo Badalamenti explains how he wrote Laura Palmer's Theme (piano)
Tonio Rubio – Dead Slow 

artwork by Hiroto Ise
instagram.com/iseneehihinee

cosxmes 2022

cosxmes 2022mix

Delighted to host NAP Influence mix on Oddity Radio for @sonidoisla

@napmusick : The mix is an amalgamate of disparate inspirations behind the label. Here you’ll find music from some of my friends who inspired the label and who were also behind some of the first releases (Scott Gailey, Yu Su, Spencer Davis). Likewise, there’s a lot of formative records across various genres and labels which were some of the instigators behind starting a label. A lot of these I found working at Dandelion Records which was a shop I frequented and worked at during my teens/ early 20’s in Vancouver. Shout out to Jeff Knowlton and Les the record man – my music dads!

Turn on, tune in and don't drop out!

For regular updates please follow : www.instagram.com/oddityradio.fm/

Isla - Oddity Influence Mix by NAP

First up in 2023 is Los Angeles based Juan Izguerra (@juanizguerra) who runs his residencies at Dublab and Homage Brewing. Interview (excerpt) down below.

www.musicfrommemory.com

MFM: Hi Juan, welcome to the series. You're based in Los Angeles, right? Can you tell a bit about what keeps you busy? 

JI: Hey there! Super stoked to contribute. Well, I was born in Pomona, California and I started DJing about six years ago. I recently found myself as the event coordinator at Homage Brewing in 2021 and It’s been a great experience to be on both sides… I love being able to DJ at some of my favorite parties, and then host locals and out of town friends at my own events with Homage. My girlfriend and I made the move to LA in the summer of 2020. Early on in the pandemic rent was pretty much the same in Pomona as it was in LA so we thought we’d just live in the city. When clubs/bars opened up again I got involved with Homage. Since then I’ve been able to host parties at our space and focus on bringing people together for the music. 

MFM: What triggered you to initially get interested and involved in buying and playing records?  

JI: I’ve collected records since my teens but it wasn’t until I was 20 that I met one of my now super close friends Josh da Costa (Confusing Mix on NTS) who put me onto crazy records he found during his time living and touring in Europe. He showed me things like Roberto Musci, Thomas Leer, The Antennas, Cherry Red records, and weird compilations. Hearing things like that made me so curious. I saw Josh DJ one day and I was fascinated with how he made people dance. It made me want to learn how to do that! 

MFM: Nice. Did you have any other role models you felt inspired and motivated by?

JI: Definitely. My friends Josh (who I mentioned), Jimi Hey, and Shags Chamberlain were an early influence on me. They toured all over the world and would come home with bags of records, share their discoveries, and give a story about where they found it. I saw that as a way to connect with people and It inspired me to travel and want to find things of my own to share. As I got more curious on the DJ’ing side of things, I definitely got a lot of inspiration from my good friend Bianca Lexis. She’s one of my favorite DJ’s!

MFM: You've done quite some traveling yourself too, within the US but also intercontinental. How is LA nightlife compared to some other places you've been? What's the LA style?

JI: LA’s nightlife definitely needs some work. In New York, Europe, and Mexico City, there’s an audience for every genre and a club for it as well. I think that’s what we struggle with most. People have to resort to attending warehouse parties which involve a lot of financial strain on the organizers. Still, we do have a lot of people putting together great parties here such as Third Place and Moony Habits. Lots of great house/outdoor parties which are really fun and unique to LA. 

MFM: Where and how do you go finding new records and music? Do you have your secret or not so secret methods?   

JI: When it comes down to record shopping I typically like to leave LA. Visiting suburban areas is where I get the most luck. Something about those areas feels more zen since it’s less competitive. It puts me in a mental space where I’m able to focus on looking through records thoroughly. 

MFM: Looking forward to anything specific in '23? Any future plans you'd like to share maybe? 

JI: I’ll be visiting Tokyo for the first time in May so I’m super psyched about that. Also planning to be in Europe in August/September so I'm looking forward to setting up some gigs there!

MFM: Tell us about your mix! How did you approach selecting and recording it?

JI: I wanted to make it a bit cerebral but still keeping it rhythmic and having plenty of songs with lyrics. It has an ambient start that works into downtempo tracks and slowed down Italian house. Hope everyone enjoys!

MFM Mix 047: Juan Izguerra

Three hours of all-original jazz, dub, reggaeton, house, and bass.

Download and tracklisting: https://bit.ly/XLR8Rpodcast_PabloArrangoiz

XLR8R Podcast

Download & Tracklist

XLR8R Podcast 785: Pablo Arrangoiz

AR005: Miles Mercer - Counting to Eight EP
A1. Mentalist
A2. Counting to Eight
B. Unknown Origin

Pre-order from KMA60 and most vinyl retailers.

@milesmercer

Artwork - Aaron Vinton
Distribution - KMA60

Pre-Order

AR005: Miles Mercer - Counting to Eight EP

recorded live at the confluence stones

equipment used:
tascam portastudio MKII
yamaha dx7
roland tr-707*

*thanks kuri!

Constant Comment

A transmission from the Tokyo based collective, mixed in one take in the centre of Shibuya <3 http://city2stgiga.jp/

www.buttersessions.com

Butter Mix #86 - City-2 St. Giga

Guest Mix Quarantine Special continues with Coco Maria from her Amsterdam flat.
Coco Maria is a selector and a radio host with impeccable taste. Hailing originally from Mexico and now based in Europe, she specializes in Brazilian, South-, Central-American, and Caribbean wax. Irresistible slices of bossa nova, samba, cumbia, and all sorts of rarities from sunnier, far-off places, all mixed with her irrepressible energy and original style. Coco Maria is the host of the regular "Club Coco" show on Worldwide FM and can be found showcasing her original sounds at festivals globally such as Worldwide, Bahidora, We out Here"

Cumbia de Monterrey -  Antonio Ortiz
05:22 Prende la vela - Lucho y su Conjunto
07:55 Cumbia con Arpa - Hugo Blanco
Cumbia y Beso - Golden Boys
Chinito Rulo - Ranil y su Conjunto 
El trencito - Los Compadres del Ande
Toquen Cumbia - Juan Piña Y Sus Muchachos
Cumbia Comgo - Guerra Sonidera
Sirena del Amor- Lisandro Meza
Cumbia del Monje - Los Monjes
Sirena del Amor - Lisandro Meza
Unknown - Yo no sé 
Cumbia de los Bee Gees - Machuca
Danza Negra -Lucho Bermudez/ Matilde Diaz

Guest Mix: Cumbia Selection with Coco Maria

There's no one else to blame
You can't lock that door

babysamdeejay@gmail.com

*2019*
2/16 - kremwerk 5 year b2b w/ dj having sex
2/19 - linda's w/ dj forever
6/12 - vermillion
6/29 - alt pride boat party
7/5 - research w/ tiger & woods

*2018*
1/6 - sisters (nyc)
4/25 - the runaway (neumos)
5/9 - house show w/ as_dfs, aos, ccl and dravier
6/29 - research w/ khotin and jenn green
7/7 - volunteer park conservatory w/ jenn green
8/11 - kremwerk w/ t. wan
9/6 - kremwerk (patio)
9/21 - w/ d. tiffany, having sex and ferg at tba
11/30 - southgate roller rink w/diamondlife loverboy, reverend dollars and having sex
12/18 - linda's tavern w/ eleanor petry


*2017*
5/28 - kremwerk patio w/ kuri + cody hammer
6/24 - nark boat party w/ brian lyons and riz
7/1 - kremwerk w/ T. WAN and Kash Honey
8/6 - roomwave w/ hello dj, ivda and seandonson
9/3 - bumbershoot @ sub pop lounge
9/10 - grounded
10/20 - directory w/dj python, ccl, hello dj and flørist

*2016*
1/23 - peace portal w/fergus "deejay" farley
9/10 - peace portal w/ fergus and flørist
11/10 - action potential w/ project pablo and d. tiffany

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