Optimo

Will you do a digital release of the mixtapes at some point? I realize it may defeat the purpose somehow but ,you know, a) some folks - like myself - have no way to play cassettes and b) love your mixes!

psst - look up thread - 5th march post by stirmonster.

Yes, thanks. I took advantage of Stirmonster’s generous move when he posted that in March. But I would like to have purchased digital files of the upcoming mixes. And now that I’ve read the info re: the mixtapes on the Bandcamp page I can see that. ain’t. never. gonna.happen...ah, well.

gotcha.
but hey, who knows whats going to happen when it comes to this thread.
we can but hope.

Hey Capitaine Jay Vee. I was going to have the mix available digitally but just don't think it is possible unfortunately. i will report back if that changes down the line.

here's a download of tape 2. this will expire in 24 hours so gimme a shout if you miss it - https://spaces.hightail.com/receive/yHGTOLOiEA/amRfdHdpdGNoQG1hYy5jb20=

stirmonster :
i am happy to use my little FTP site to host files for a limited time.
i wont advertise them beyond the ILM boundaries, and will remove after a set period of time.
just offering and all that.

Finally found the right time / mood to listen to ULTRAGOTH and let me tell you, it does the trick.

xpost Thanks Stir!! I d'l'ed it and also just made a purchase from the Optimo Bandcamp in exchange ( a gorgeous Fernando Falçao album ) :)

Thanks Capitaine Jay Vee and thanks for the offer Mark E. I can actually keep that link going for a while longer.

if anyone feels like giving something in return plesase consider making a donation (even a very small one is greatly appreciated) to Positive Action In Housing, who are a Glasgow based independent, anti-racist homelessness and human rights charity dedicated to supporting women, children and men from refugee and migrant backgrounds to rebuild their lives.

https://www.paih.org/donate/

thanks!

thanks for the upload stirmonster, and for suggesting donating to the paih

Got my tape yesterday and it is sounding lush. Lovely springtime vibez.

loving this whacked-out "We Travel The Spaceways" cover at around 13 minutes into side B of the new one

“Raise Your Hands If You Understand (Ambient House & E Musik from the early Rave era)"

At the start of the 1990s as the Rave scene exploded it was such a new thing for so many people that they often didn’t know what the music was, nor did they have the vocabulary to describe it. I was DJing every Friday night at Pure in Edinburgh and frequently had people come up and ask me to play some of that “E music” I always played. It took me a while to figure out what they were asking for and then I realised exactly what it was; it was a sound I played a lot as a counterpoint to the frenetic and hardcore sounds of the day. It was atmospheric, often tripped out and hypnotic, synth heavy, full of emotion, and yes, sometimes ecstatic. “E Musik” became MY genre and complements the new age, Utopian, proto trance, Ambient House sound, which was an actual thing at the time.

Many of the records these tracks are from were played so often in very intense and extreme club conditions that they are in less than pristine condition, so please forgive some of the less than perfect audio here (I actually spent many hours editing out a lot of the worst scratches). As the record says, “Come together in peace & harmony”

Tape comes in a hand-stickered opaque white case with riso printed OBI-style banderole, with artwork designed by Andrew J Beltran and printed by Sundays.

We now have a subscription operating so a smaller batch of tapes will be on sale, one batch @ 10.00 UK time & a 2nd smaller batch for US folks @ 17.00 UK time.

(incredible mix, possibly my fave so far)

(raises hands in prayer) Will there be a digital version of this?

Last month's SMI2LE tape was the best one yet for me.

Fuck me, had it in my shopping bag then received an error and then it was sold out

that description sounds amazing

it is also available digitally just for today on bandcamp,with all proceeds going to Positive Action In Housing, a Glasgow Anti-racist refugee and migrant homelessness charity.

there is also another small physical batch going on sale at 17.00 uk time.

grabbed it, cheers stirmonster!

nice!

where's the link to the digital release? I don't see it here:

https://optimomusic.bandcamp.com/album/raise-your-hands-if-you-understand-mixtape-by-jd-twitch-2

https://optimomusic.bandcamp.com/album/raise-your-hands-if-you-understand-mixtape-by-jd-twitch

Looking forward to listening! Cheers stirmonster, hope PAIH make a good few quid

Brilliant, thanks! Just purchased, looking forward to listening.

Superb mix.

i would've liked a cassette :(((

but i will shell out the 7 lbs. for the cause <3

In stock at Boomkat right now if anyone needs

https://boomkat.com/products/raise-your-hands-if-you-understand

good looking out!

this e-music mix is absolutely incredible. my favourite mix in a long, long time. it sounds like the primordial soup that people like speedy j and sabres and david holmes etc all seem to have been spawned from. like tadpoles!

the tape arrived today, absolutely beautiful design/color/etc, just fantastic all around

i honestly hear some proto-chain reaction in there too, around the 12 minute mark on side 2

I’m loving this mix and I’ve had it on a loop now for days. Several of the tracks I already knew and liked but this is definitely greater than the sum of its parts. Feels like they were meant to be together.

That said, could I get a track ID for the song that starts about 5 mins in with the really sustained keyboard note that leads into Holy Ghost Inc? It’s beautiful

And when I say “greater than the sum of its parts” all the individual parts are also exceptional so that’s a double compliment

:-)

That track is "Enlightenment" by Andre "Phenix" Estrada (one of 3 tracks he is involved with on the mix). It's a bit of an outlier as it is from a couple of years later than anything else on there.

I’m loving this mix and I’ve had it on a loop now for days.

On a loop now for days weeks.

loving the newest "Caverns Of Dub" mix as well, the actual tape should arrive sometime soon

Me too, great timing for me because I've been listening to a lot of dub and reggae recently. Next one is another Jamaican music mix iirc.

That last one absolutely flew out. I was sat at my computer pressing refresh before it went up but it sold out between me adding it to my basket and confirming payment both times, madness.

It’s also on bandcamp as a download if you missed the digital

Er, missed the physical

I was able to get the download. Loving the original version of 'Dub Along' from Super Ape (I think the original's called 'Come Along') and the track on the Sleng Teng riddim, don't think I'd heard that vocal version before.

a few people reported the same issue; not sure what is up with that - apologies.

Yes, 'Come Along' is by Blue Bells. The Sleng Teng is "Know How Fe Chat" by Shinehead

Any chance of a full track listing?

when the series is done, there will be full tracklists, is my understanding

love this new one - is that some kind of earlier slower version of Althea & Donna's "Uptown Top Ranking"?

yup, tracklisting at the end of the series.

That's the original version of "Uptown Top Ranking" by The Rolets and is called "Top Ranking Girls". It came out early 1977. Later in 1977 they ad libbed an "answer record" to "Three Piece Suit" by Trinity on the instrumental version, changed their name to Althea &

yup, tracklisting at the end of the series.

That's the original version of "Uptown Top Ranking" by The Rolets and is called "Top Ranking Girls". It came out early 1977. Later in 1977 they ad libbed an "answer record" to "Three Piece Suit" by Trinity on the instrumental version, changed their name to Althea & Donna and *boom* early in 1978 they got a UK no. 1.

oops.

Well I'll be darned, you learn something new every day. 'Three Piece Suit' is ace.