AUGUST ’15 MIX.

I find myself obsessed with this idea of rummaging just on the edge. So much of what we do is about doing what we did yesterday, and doing what we’ll probably do tomorrow. There’s a familiarity to repetition. Often it helps us stay sane. 

And occasionally you’ll sit on the edge of that Comfort, tentatively dip your toe into those unknown waters and slowly remove some of those covers.

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As I embark on the next six months, I am trying to broaden out those boundaries. And with that, I hope that maamf will too broaden out. Next year though. Next year.

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I find myself obsessed with priorities. It’s priorities that drive us (insane), keep us (from) going (mad).

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Miks

JULY ’15 MIX.

I was going to begin this month’s with some long winded metaphorical ramble about names and hey, what’s in a name you know?

Big statements make us take notice. That immediate impact, no matter what, can be pretty hard to forget. Statements that are distinctive in their voice, in their makeup, hey even in their words.

It looks like a scene from The Great Gatsby out my window – a low lit swimming pool with young, attractive people, cavorting around, champagne in hand. They’re making impacts. Drunk, flirtatious immediate impacts. You’ll see what’s underneath those pert bods soon, the distinct beings that they are. But for now, those quick smacks in the face’ll do you.

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A tape, full of everything, all marked and unmistakable in what they’re conveying. All for you. And please try the download – you won’t regret it (ha mate, hopefully).

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Miks

JUNE ’15 MIX.

I fucking shouted it, much louder than I ever thought I knew my voice could go. Much bigger, louder, with this knowledge and acceptance.

Up until this point I had tolerated it. Now, I accept it.

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It’s done. I’m down. Here in Melbourne, where it’s fucking cold but there’s amazing sights and great coffee at nearly every turn. And the site, the website that is, is changing and it’s all- everything’s a familiar new. Big generous helpings of everything you’ve come to expect, but all just sitting slightly different.

Full download available below, but if you just sitting at work/home/life looking for that next distraction/reason to live, you can stream ’em all too.

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Miks

MAY ’15 MIX.

Oh, you know, tonight I move. For just a couple of days short of 2 years and 5 months I’ve been in Sydney, doing a PhD. I know i know, i’ve banged on about the bloody thing for forever. It has taken a big part of my life, and it’s not over yet. Tonight, I head to Melbourne, land of ‘good’ music and ‘cool’.

Trouble is, the PhD still continues, and so does my involvement. This tape (yeah mate, it’s still maamf, you haven’t just opened up my sticky journal of personal going ons), this May tape that is short, but sweet, is excellent. As always, and again, broken record I know, this is the music that has been the constant in a time of going through ALL of my shit, packing up a house, falling bookshelves and housesitting with other people’s dads.

As the PhD continues on (Melbourne is so I can write, get away and into the thesis), what maamf is will undoubtedly change. Whilst we’re unsure as of yet, there is talk (really amongst myself with the occasional drunk chat with Adam) of pulling maamf back to just the mixtapes. These tapes offer me a chance to escape the work, and to reflect on the month (all pretty wanky right, but m8, we all gotta be in touch with our sensitivities ya know?). Also, letsbehonest yeah? It’s not like there are all that many individual posts going up anyways. We’ll start the tape only thing soon, although we might just start it from today. We’ll still be posting a bit over on the maamf fb, occasionally on the maamf twitter and if you’re keen to follow the Melbourne journey, my own instagram.

So yeah mate, this is the tape that’ll accompany my flight tonight, and the future tapes will be those that accompany other, important times of escape. Awwwwwwwwwwwwww. ha jks no time 4 escape wid dis phd.

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Miks

APRIL ’15 MIX.

Delirious. Full blown fucking delirious.

So much so that at 1am on Monday morning as I write this and then think, ah no, maybe I should just wait till the morning and read this ol’ thing over, you know, give it the old clean up, but then as I write that realise that if I lost this the next morning, you readers wouldn’t know the struggle. It’s real. And sure, it is some privileged white male struggle full of scholarships, reasonably affordable rent and a supportive group of friends and family, but mate it be struggle all the same. (although not the same as those actually going through struggles. I’M JUST FUCKING TIRED).

Big April tape. 18 tracks. All real good. I mean gee whiz. as if it wouldn’t be amirite? As always, can’t recommend enough the tape download. A tasty morsel, showcasing the best in contemporary Australian music of all kinds, put together by one of our chefs Miks, because hey let’s be honest, we had to give the guy something to do, because he’s just always free and ALWAYS HAS TIME ON HIS HANDS ESPECIALLY IN THE EARLY HOURS OF THE MONDAY MORNING.

Anyway, yeah, just have a listen, and bloody click download (or maybe even follow the instructions in the brackets, yeah mate, like these instructions in these brackets, but the ones in the brackets below k?) on the DOWNLOAD thing just below the soundcloud playlist.

It be the music that gets us through. It’s always the music that gets us through.

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Miks

VIOLET.

“I want it to be a raw and possibly uncomfortable reminder of what we have put our Indigenous people through, and urge all Australian’s to respect and support the first Australians.”

Violet.

As those of you will know who read this old site a bit, I also spend my time doing a PhD. Or, I also spend ALL my time doing a PhD. My project is looking at young people and music-making and blah blah blah. It’s been awesome to see young people hone their own sound and make music that is meaningful for them. Violet, although not one of the young people participating in the research has kind of killed it when it comes to honing that sound and making music that is textured and provocative.

Violet, as a musician, wears it all there on her sleeve – her first single, ‘My Dress Hangs There‘ is an obvious ode to trip-hop inspired sadcore and Jackie Kennedy. It’s almost over the top but in the most subtle way – it’s that big waft of mellow melancholia  without being smacked over the head with it. Second single ‘Lines of Loneliness‘ was similar in style – showcasing a strong affection for quality Hollywood women of old melded with a much heavier and muddier production aesthetic.

Her third single takes that slightly uncomfortable intrigue and amps it up. As with Violet’s approach to music-making, the use of sample’s help provide her tales with context. ‘Ivory’ uses them in incredibly powerful ways. The audio from ‘White Australia’ documentaries, the manipulation of traditional indigenous percussion and that gunshot, all provide you with context for Violet’s message.

This site veers to the side of being not overtly political, although you can of course argue that having a blog is in itself an inherently political practice – blogs allow us to exercise our political rights. Heck, maybe simply our use of the internet every day is a political act. Lessons in what politics is and isn’t though aside, Violet’s refrain ‘We shot them dead’ makes for uncomfortable listening. Because that is what happened, but still, in this country we operate on a white way is best way ideology. As an aside, it’s not about which is the fucking best way, it’s about taking responsibility, working with people instead of on them. We still as a country are forcing people out of their communities, which makes Violet’s track all the more important.

And if I can also put on my rapidly ageing hat on (fuck man i feel like i’m older than 30 but wotever m8), at 18, Violet is making a stand, and using creative expression as a way of reaching as many people as possible. Bloody young people aye – makes my work feel all the more worthwhile.

Look out for more stuff from Violet. Hopefully we’ll get an EP soon!

Miks.

LOVE MIGRATE.

Long term followers of this site will know that a couple of years ago I use to harbour a deep deep love for a band called Love Migrate. The band haven’t released anything since the Dissolved EP in late 2013, a release that felt a lot more assured and focussed than their debut album of 2012. That’s not to say that I didn’t love that debut though.

This new track ‘Pippa’s In The Highlands’ feels as though a band in its new form, harking back to its older sound. And the track is all the better for it. The sparseness is back, allowing the vulnerability in Eddie’s voice once again to shine through. And those builds are also there – that euphoria that sets in at a minute left makes it all worth the wait.

They’ve also retained that solid pop structure to their songs that seemed to develop on the Dissolved EP, all while keeping that classic Australian singer-songwriter vibe.

The track is taken off the bands new EP Shimmer Through The Night due out May 22. You can catch the band launch the EP at the Gasometer on May 28.

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Miks

HEDGE FUND.

Sometimes it doesn’t take much. The driving, aggressive, propulsion on offer in Hedge Fund‘s latest ‘Look Who’s Back’ gives everything in what feels like one sweet blow to the body.

The fact that length wise, this is within your usual pop song fair says something about what they pack in – I find myself always pressing play again straight after it’s finished.

If you’re around Sydney, you might have caught Hedge Fund play Rare Finds‘s new night over at the Sly Fox in Enmore. If you missed that one then make sure you check ’em out at Junkyard Fest on Saturday. Details here.

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Miks

MARCH ’15 MIX.

I’ve been all deep inside this mixtape over the past couple of days. It’s been pouring and super windy here in Sydneytown, so I’ve been stuck inside, writing, selecting tracks, mixing etc. It’s longer than some of the earlier ones, with 19 tracks. All pretty solid too, although you’d expect that from a maamf mixtape.

From Oh Mercy to Sarah Mary Chadwick, there are odes to self desire and self defeat. From friendships to Abelard, there’s stark harshness and sugar coated nostalgic glitz. A tape full of contrast, with each playing off the other.

A tape worth it, for the showcase of broad tastes and ideas and sonicness alone.

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Miks

[PREMIERE] LOSTKEYZ.

Lostkeyz is an 18 year old Sydney MC. On the back end of immersing myself in the work of Flip The Script, it’s real cool to see new young MC’s embrace that more lowkey 90s sounding vibe. Also like the Flip The Script dudes, Lostkeyz has a real natural sense of flow and tone – his voice itself is real direct and personal.

‘Lagging On’ is his latest, a short rumination on keeping a sense of self through change. The production mimics the title, with that drum groove just sitting as far back as possible.

Lostkeyz has the game to back this all up too coming off some top support slots for Daily Meds as well as a killer single ‘Do What You Love‘.

Keen to hear some more stuff from this guy.

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Miks