2008 Wrap-Up and New Year’s Eve Mix

Well, here I am at the end of my first year doing this blog. I would love to be able to say something very profound at this point, but frankly, I’m just surprised I managed to keep it up for the entire year in a semi-regular fashion. Looking back at it now, I now realize why so many blogs litter the cyberspace as abandoned detritus – it can be pretty difficult to find something worth writing about on a regular basis. The bloggers who write daily or nearly daily are people to be admired. My sole aim when beginning this blog was to write about music I was passionate about and to write passionately about music. I may not have always achieved that goal, but I definitely tried. And for the most part (aside from a couple of rants and reviews of disappointments from artists I used to love), I’ve attempted to stick to the “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all” formula.

This blog has been an oddly apt support system during a fair bit of stress and strain this year; when I was a bit lonely and living in a different city for grad school, it became something to occupy my time and reach out beyond my small bedroom; when I was fretting and puzzling over my MA thesis over the summer, it became a way to refine my research and thoughts; and now while I’m desperately trying to find some sort of gainful employment, this blog is keeping me motivated, keeping me sane during the daily search through job ads. Through all this, I’ve truly met some extraordinary people, bands and fans, and they have made me feel less alone in my thoughts and tastes. They have also sometimes challenged me and made me think, which is just as great. I would like to thank all those artists and music lovers who have contacted me whether by email or by leaving comments behind, and I would especially like to thank a few regular commenters whom I now also consider my friends: Urban Gypsy, Rol, and of course JC, who has been a generous cheerleader from the day I got some hard-to-find Orange Juice off him. Your support has kept me at this when I’ve felt that I had no more words about music.

As my final gift to all of you for 2008, I’m leaving you with a New Year’s Eve mix – play it at a party, big or small, and dance around like a maniac. It’s called Party Like It’s A Prince Reference, and it comes in as the longest mix I’ve done this year, featuring many hits of 2008 along with some very danceable songs of yesteryear. To top it off, I’ve included a not-so-dancey bonus track from El Perro Del Mar, which you can play when the clock strikes midnight before heading back into the mix. In some ways, perhaps, this exercise fulfills some preposterous DJ fantasy I have, and that’s another thing that this blog has allowed me to do: fulfill some of my dreams for an audience that is larger than I would have ever expected back in January 2008.

Thank you, and good night.

Hallelujah (Club Mix) – Happy Mondays

One More Time to Pretend (Daft Punk vs MGMT) – Immuzikation

Wow – Kylie Minogue

Heart of Glass – Blondie

Blind – Hercules & Love Affair

Standing in the Way Of Control (Soulwax Remix) – The Gossip

Mercury (CSS Remix) – Bloc Party

Spit It Out (Alex Kowalski Remix) – IAMX

D.A.N.C.E. (MSTRKRFT Remix) – Justice

I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You (The Twelves Remix) – The Black Kids

Relax (New York Mix) – Frankie Goes to Hollywood

Ready For the Floor (LA Riots Remix) – Hot Chip

Lights & Music – Cut Copy

Money – Salon Boris

Love is My Drug (Remix) – Protocol

Radio Wolf – Kindle

Alsatian – White Rose Movement

Synthetiseur – Housse de Racket

The Sex Has Made Me Stupid (Stupid Sex Midfield General Mix) – Robots in Disguise

Kill Ya Stereo – Astra Moveo

Black Milk – Zeigeist

Kids (Pet Shop Boy Remix) – MGMT

Temptation – New Order

Kelly (Lifelike Remix) – Van She

Walking on a Dream (Treasure Fingers Remix) – Empire of the Sun

Paris is Burning (Cut Copy Remix) – Ladyhawke

Danger! (Mr. Pedro Remix) – The Sound of Arrows

Rebel Rebel (Soulwax Club Edit) – David Bowie

Personal Jesus (Boys Noize Remix) – Depeche Mode

You and My Pearldiver – TNT Jackson featuring Chris Corner

Supermassive Black Hole – Muse

Billie Jean – Michael Jackson

Paris (Justus Köhncke Remix) – Friendly Fires

Girls on Film (Night Version) – Duran Duran

This Boy’s in Love – The Presets

Hearts On Fire (Hoshina Anniversary Remix) – Cut Copy

I Get Around – Dragonette

Bounce – MSTRKRFT featuring N.O.R.E.

Higher State of Consciousness – South Central

Crimewave – Crystal Castles

Love Song (Philadelphia Bluntz Remix) – Simple Minds

Love Shack (12″ Remix) – B-52’s

Repetition Kills You – The Black Ghosts

Debbie Does Montreal (Blondie vs Of Montreal) – team9 vs Stereogum

Apollo-Gize (Fred Falke Edit) – Digitalism

Spin Spin Sugar (Armand’s Dark Garage Mix) – Sneaker Pimps

Runaway – Ladytron

Dead Sound (80KIDZ Remix) – The Raveonettes

Paper Planes (DFA Remix) – M.I.A.

Embrace (Fred Falke Miami Horror Remix) – PNAU featuring Ladyhawke

Auld Lang Syne – El Perro Del Mar

Party Like It’s a Prince Reference (Megaupload)