Mixtapes

HAPPY NEW YEAR! i want to give a loud shout out of thanks to all of you who have supported 5:4 during the last year, especially my most excellent posse of Patrons. As always, i’m starting the new year with a look back at the best albums of 2022, in …

For the autumn 5:4 mixtape, i’ve returned to the same mathematical world that led to the Prime Numbers mix, and upped the ante a bit. This time, i’ve used the Fibonacci series as the basis for the mixtape, but instead of featuring the numbers in the titles of the tracks, …

Almost as soon as i finished the previous 5:4 mixtape, focusing on war, it seemed necessary that the next one should go in the opposite direction. For this love-infused mix, i’ve not allowed myself the usual interpretative free rein but have for the most part focused on songs and tracks …

For the spring 5:4 mixtape the theme has felt tragically unavoidable. i’ve opted to approach the subject of war partly in a generalised way, but it would have been disingenuous not to reflect the specifics of what Ukraine is currently being subjected to by Russia. The mix therefore opens with …

Happy New Year! i want to begin 2022 by saying a bigger THANK YOU than usual to all of you who have actively supported and followed 5:4 during the last year, most of all my faithful band of Patrons. While 2021 isn’t a year i’m sorry to see the back …

For the new 5:4 mixtape, apropos of nothing in particular, i’ve chosen fire as the theme. (Perhaps subconsciously i was reflecting on the fact that the days are getting colder…) As always, the mix draws on a diverse collection of tracks that in some way reference fire, charting a journey …

When i first started putting together the new 5:4 mixtape, my intention – inspired by the sunshine of summer – was to focus on the colour yellow. However, i also allowed gold and orange onto the shortlist as well, and in the end, completely by chance, gold has almost completely …

A little over a year ago, my spring mixtape reflected the growing state of the world by having Virus as its theme. Shortly after that, as lockdown kicked in, i switched from a quarterly to a weekly sequence of Isolation Mixtapes, supplemented with the Outside-In series exploring field recordings from …

A very Happy New Year to you all! As always, i want to begin 2021 by thanking all of you around the world who have followed and supported 5:4 during the last year, most especially and above all to my growing number of esteemed and beloved Patrons. i don’t think …

It was nearly six months ago that i began my weekly series of Isolation Mixtapes, and even after just a few weeks it was starting to look as if i had been hopelessly pessimistic about how long the presence of lockdown and the necessity for isolation were going to be …

This week’s Isolation Mixtape focuses on music beginning with the letter Y. Once again there are two of the most outstanding tracks from each of the years 2010 to 2019, featured in chronological order. Here’s the tracklisting in full, together with approximate timings and links to obtain the music.

This week’s Isolation Mixtape was the most difficult letter of the alphabet to work with. My usual plan of featuring two fabulous tracks from the last decade initially proved impossible regardless whether i was focusing on the artist or the track beginning with that letter, which i suspect says more …

We’re nearing the end of my alphabetical series of Isolation Mixtapes, celebrating some of the most interesting music from the last decade. This week features groups, composers and artists beginning the letter W, and as always there are two tracks from each of the years 2010 to 2019, explored in …

This week’s Isolation Mixtape explores some of the most fascinating and beguiling music from the last decade by artists, composer and groups beginning with the letter V. As always there are two tracks from each of the years 2010-2019, featured in chronological order. Here’s the tracklisting in full, together with …

For the latest Isolation Mixtape, i’m focusing on some of the most enthralling music from the last decade beginning with the letter U. Once again there are two tracks for each of the years 2010 to 2019, explored in chronological order. Here’s the tracklisting in full, together with approximate timings …

The twentieth instalment in my weekly Isolation Mixtapes is devoted to some of the best music from the last ten years by composers, groups and artists beginning with the letter T. Two tracks from each of the years 2010 to 2019 (three in the case of 2019, as i wanted …

This morning i’m setting off for five days in the Swiss Alps, where i’ll be checking out this year’s postponed Forum Wallis festival. Words to follow next week upon my return. Meanwhile, this week’s Isolation Mixtape explores some of the most interesting and marvellous music from the last decade by …

Number 18 in my weekly series of Isolation Mixtapes explores some of the best music from the last decade by artists, composers and groups beginning with the letter R. As always, there are two tracks from each of the years 2010 to 2019, featured in chronological order. Here’s the tracklisting …

For the latest Isolation Mixtape i’ve had to take a slightly different approach from usual. We’ve reached the letter Q in my alphabetical celebration of some of the best music from the last decade and, quite frankly, though i scoured my music collection like never before, trying to put together …

This week’s Isolation Mixtape focuses on artists, groups and composers beginning with the letter P. As usual the mix celebrates some of the best and most striking music from the last decade, with two tracks from each of the years 2010 to 2019, featured in chronological order. Here’s the tracklisting …