HI54… XMAS | #HI54MIXCDS on MOUN.TOWN/FM
This xmas playlist gets refreshed with different xmas-ish vibes on a somewhat regular basis (ok, more seasonally with this specific genre), with new stuff added near the top & older tracks removed from the bottom to keep the total count at a nice, even 95. Which means you can also find this playlist in the daily programming options for the ‘pretend, for real’ mountain town DIY radio station MOUN.TOWN/FM that HI54.BLOG collaborates on with mountain town internet cousin 95EH.CA (all 3 signals get broadcast from the same HWY 95a mountown tower… hence the 95 total tracks, eh).
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And if your ears are liking what they’re hearing in the above digital mix cds, it would probably be a good idea to like/follow/listen over on Spotify so you can get future updates auto-magically appearing on your listening device throughout the year. And, as always, when you hear something you like, do the universe some good and support/check those artists out further (every little bit helps).
Speaking of which, here’s a few ‘available-on-Bandcamp’ gems that have been recently featured in this ongoing playlist:
Latest SHUFFLE UP’D 8:
But they’re not the only tracks you could go from discovering on a streaming service that pays artists fractions of pennies to directly supporting on a site like Bandcamp, which is one of the many reasons why I keep a Buy Music Club list going for all the tracks that get added to my HI54… XMAS playlist that are also available on Bandcamp (at the time of me checking) — so go check that list of headphone treats out whenever you find yourself wanting to reward your ears while also sending out support to those who help keep our lives nicely soundtracked (comes in especially handy on Bandcamp Fridays fyi, for all those who celebrate):
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Because the Corporate Streamers™ of the world are great for discovering and keeping track of music + streaming tools allow us to easily choose better soundtracks throughout the day than what Corporate FM™ radio stations used to drill us into submission with before the internet arrived in everyone’s pocket, but the way creators are paid out with streaming is just not very good/fair at all —ESPECIALLY in comparison to what some are making off of providing access to other people’s art.
Ideally, smart artist/human-minded people will start making some more momentum towards coming up with a better/fairer streaming model (here’s my contribution to the dialogue), but, for now, us appreciators of creativity/good things need to start doing a better job of being a bit more mindful of making sure we’re continuing to show direct support to the creation of good things. And Bandcamp is still one of the best online places going for intentionally & directly supporting the makers of the music you like (and then you get to carry around your BC music collection in your pocket).
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Anyways, I HOPE YOU HEAR A FEW THINGS YOU’LL LIKE ENOUGH TO GO INVEST MORE TIME WITH BACK IN YOUR PERSONAL ORBIT, BUT IF YOU FIND YOU’RE ACTuALLY IN THE MOOD FOR A DIFFERENT ‘95 TRACKs from 95 different artists’ SOUNDTRACK THAN THE ONE ABOVE, have a flick thru this carousel of MOUN.TOWN/FM diy programming & give a listen to whatever catches your fancy:
An ongoing 95-track playlist of music/artists coming out of the The East AND West Kootenays (so… Kimberley, Cranbrook, Nelson, Kaslo, Revelstoke, Golden, Castlegar, Trail, Fernie, Rossland, Creston and the etc area).
I recently did a proper deep dive thru all 14 of The Tragically Hip's studio albums so I could officially figure out what my official subjective album rankings would be... and a part of that process resulted in the creation of a massive mix cd featuring 95 of my fave Hip songs. This is that mix cd.
An ongoing shuffle of 95 tracks that capture some of the vibes that bounce around the air when, like myself, you find yourself kicking about in a mountain town (or 'Mountown' for short / easier hashtagging).
Come take a musical trip thru Indie America, USA — an ongoing 95 song mixer featuring a bunch of great artists currently making some of my headphone’s favourite American “indie” music.
There is a very small window leading up to Jesus' birthday where listening to Christmas music is bearable, if not even just a little bit desirable. But it's gotta be the good stuff.
Look, I am not claiming that me having a Danish girlfriend makes me better suited to put together a Nordic playlist than your next Joe Canada, but I'm also not saying that it doesn't. I guess you'll have to listen and hear for yourself.
“There are certain songs that sound especially perfect when paired with an afternoon winding down, a cold beverage and having enough time to do nothing except enjoy that special bit of the day that comes before sleep (however you enjoy spending it with whoever).”
Every week, I shuffle the pot of what my ears have enjoyed over the years & put a new 19 track mix cd on top of this 95 track playlist. It’s the kind of playlist you can listen from start-to-finish and come back and listen again on shuffle (especially if you missed what was added the previous week).
Here's a halloween-ish mix of tunes for you to put on while you put your spooky face on or while you bop around the house feeling a little bit sinister. Your call if you only want to do that once a year.
As someone who lived in England for a good handful of years, I can tell you that it's not quite as grey & cloudy as everyone always says it is. But it almost is.
An ongoing 95-track mix of artists/music with Indigenous blood (mainly focused on North America as I live in Canada + I also have a playlist called SOUTH OF AMERICA which is mostly Indigenous too). And, yes, I also have been watching/enjoying Reservation Dogs.
The HI54 ‘Provincial Playlists’ idea continues, this time with 95 nice tracks from 95 different artists being carefully exported from the Canadian province of Saskatchewan for your listening pleasure / headphone tourism needs.
The HI54 ‘Provincial Playlists’ idea continues, this time with 95 nice tracks from 95 different artists being carefully exported from the Canadian province of Ontario for your listening pleasure / headphone tourism needs.
A good backyard bbq playlist should consist of the kind of songs that get heads nodding and toes tapping and maybe a few booties thinking about shaking, but it should also not be so overpowering with the 'party vibes' that it makes it hard to carry a conversation on while you go for a second helping of 'slaw. This playlist is 5+ hours of that.
“I started off with the mix title of 'Hipster Hip Hop'—because I thought that was a good dumb way to describe a hip hop playlist made by a white guy from a small Canadian town.”
The 60s is such a great mix of my favourite stuff from the 50s and my favourite stuff from the 70s, and then you throw in all the uniquely sixties stuff that was going on and, even if you’re not old enough to have ever experienced any of the sixties yourself, you can still close your eyes and get the message. |-> OPEN ON SPOTIFY
An ongoing mix of a bunch of great music coming out of the continent of Africa. — so go grab the headphones and let’s take a metaphorical musical road trip to Africa (aka: by listening to music from Africa & closing our eyes).
“A soundtrack for when you're doing some thinking, reading, studying, working, daydreaming, soundtracking an audiobook and/or just ruminating out the living room window.”
There are certain songs that sound especially perfect when paired with a quiet morning, a warm beverage, and having enough time to just sit and do nothing except enjoy that special bit of the day that exists before the actual day rears its demanding head again.
A hearty mix of a bunch of great music coming out of Ireland (and for playlist purposes + my general lack of history, this includes Northern Ireland too). So go grab yourself a bowl, because there's a tasty collection of headphone ingredients in here.
When trying to put together a playlist that "sounds like spring", sometimes it is best not to think too much about what *exactly* that means, and instead just go with what feels "spring-like". Which, admittedly, might mostly mean songs that mention rain or melting.
Sometimes, the easiest way to go back in time is to just put a time capsule collection of musical vibes in the headphones, close your eyes and let the music drift you away. You might even say that this is the only way to travel back in time (tbh I don’t know much about time travel). So, with that in mind… let’s take the soundtrack back the 1950s! |-> OPEN ON SPOTIFY
An ongoing mix of 95 tracks from 95 artists coming out of the Canadian province that is British Columbia (with accompanying available-on-Bandcamp archive + other things). Why? Well, I live in BC. But also… other reasons (one being a bigger project called The Provincial Playlists).
A Valentines Day-ish playlist that you can throw on the speakers for Valentines Day or really just any day that you're feeling like feeling some Valentines-ish feelings.
A mix cd of great music coming out ‘Far East Asia’ (and for playlist rules purposes this includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste, Vietnam, China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau). So go grab the headphones \m/
I’m not sure if it’s because I grew up in the 90s, so a lot of 70s culture was referenced in the movies I came of age to (aka: Dazed & Confused, Boogie Nights, etc), or if it’s just because there’s so much great timeless music from the 70s that it’ll make anyone nostalgic for the vibes, even for those who don’t have the actual fuzzy memories — this playlist captures some of that. |-> OPEN ON SPOTIFY
The HI54 ‘Provincial Playlists’ idea continues, this time with 95 nice tracks from 95 different bands/musicians being carefully exported from the Canadian province of New Brunswick (or with past roots there) for your listening pleasure / headphone tourism needs.
The HI54 ‘Provincial Playlists’ idea continues, this time with 95 nice tracks from 95 different bands/musicians being carefully exported from the Canadian province of Newfoundland & Labrador (or with past roots there) for your listening pleasure / headphone tourism needs.
The HI54 ‘Provincial Playlists’ idea continues, this time with 95 nice tracks from 95 different bands/musicians being carefully exported from the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island (or with past roots there) for your listening pleasure / headphone tourism needs.
The HI54 ‘Provincial Playlists’ idea continues, this time with 95 nice tracks from 95 different artists being carefully exported from the Canadian province of Manitoba for your listening pleasure / headphone tourism needs.
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OR SEARCH “MOUN.TOWN/FM” ON SPOTIFY TO BROWSE THE FULL COLLECTION OF #MOUNTOWNFM PLAYLISTS (BECAUSE THERE’S MORE THAN WHAT THE ABOVE CAROUSEL CAN HANDLE — AND EVERY ACCOMPANYING BLOG POST COMES WITH AVAILABLE-ON-BANDCAMP EMBEDS/ARCHIVES)
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And here’s an Xtra Xmas Headphone Stuffer
Sometimes I make eggnog flavoured mix tapes… and you can listen to all the HI54 Holiday mix tapes one after the other by pressing play on the player below:
Now go have yourself a merry little whatever you celebrate!
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And here’s hoping this year we’ll be better than the last \m/
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JEREMY / @HI54LOFI
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