Change is never easy. Whether it is the yearly confusion surrounding seasonal shift or a major alteration in fortune, change takes us all by the scruff of the neck and wags its finger in our faces. Through its clumsy reminders we are forced to accept that we are finite, that we own nothing absolutely, and that we must make the best use of the time that we have. I believe that an approximation of personal peace can be attained by acceptance that flux is the only constant, and that in the end, the details are everything. That said, sometimes you just have to pull yourself up by your bootstraps and keep going.

Trends and fads in music shift continually, sometimes in response to greater cultural factors, and sometimes at pure whim. I’m not sure what impetus drives small groups of people to create similar structures in art and music at the same point in time. It’s almost like a certain tendency in the process of manifesting itself creates a feedback loop, building on its own momentum until it reaches a crescendo, and eventually declines.

I’m not going to deny that I’ve always been attracted to colder, electronically influenced music, and I’m glad that minimal synth, darkwave, coldwave, and italo disco are seeing a resurgence, especially since much of that effort is concentrated around my own Brooklyn, New York– though it exists in pockets in other cities as well. For those of you that aren’t familiar with these genres, let me spare you the history and simply say that if you enjoy sparse, elemental, atmospheric tones, stay up too late too often, are familiar with the strange feeling of disconnection that is ever-present in major cities, or just need a good dance beat without the schmaltz factor, you will most likely enjoy this mix.

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1. Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark – Joan Of Arc
2. Obscure By Degrees – I’m Dying
3. Absolute Body Control – Into The Light
4. Snowy Red – Never Alive
5. Black Fantasy – Evil Places
6. Reserve – Destination Pour L’Inconnu
7. Das Ding – Reassurance Ritual
8. Deutscher Kaiser – Danse
9. Clan Of Xymox – Seventh Time
10. Led Er Est – Port Isabel
11. Soft Moon – Breathe the Fire
12. Telefon Tel Aviv – You Are the Worst Thing In the World
13. Zola Jesus – Run Me Out