[Years in Review] – Musicophilia’s 2017-2018

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Musicophilia has always been a total labor of love, and the last two years have been the blog’s most intense both in terms of labor and love, with (in my opinion) the highest quality and widest breadth.  Despite the Age of the Blog being long-gone, listenership skyrocketed during these two years, going from around a hundred subscribers to almost 700 at Mixcloud, and several hundred at the Facebook group and on Twitter.  Mixes and sets got much-appreciated love from friends like Aquarium Drunkard, Dangerous Minds, Mr. Matos, Woebot and Doom & Gloom From the Tomb.  And, Musicophilia turned a decade old!  The music I’ve heard and collected has often kept me from despair over the state of the world, reminding me why humans are worth all our trouble.  It’s my deepest hope that it’s helped you find new artists to support, to keep the music alive.

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All that said, it’s probable that the demands of life are going to require me to slow down a lot in 2019.  So I wanted to take this time to look back and celebrate what’s come together, and hopefully help you quickly find what you might have missed but need to hear.  If you’ve enjoyed what you’ve heard, I’d love to hear from you, and I hope you’ll pass it on!  Thank you so much for listening, and keep up the good fight in the new year.

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[March 2017] ‘Le Monde du Funk ’85‘ (1983-1985)  [Download]

Funk, pop, boogie and hip-hop, gloriously solid-state, still shaping the music of today.

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[April 2017] ‘The Young Lady’s Post-Punk Handbook – Vol. 4’ (1979-1985)  [Download]

A fourth volume expanding the collection of eclectic, arty, brilliant women-led Post-Punk.

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[April 2017] ‘Le Monde du Funk ’82’ (1980-1982)  [Download]

For my money, the peak of electronic pop.

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[May 2017] ‘Le Son de L’Infini’ (1974-1980)  [Download]

Leave Earth behind for a while and spin through the infinite.

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[June 2017] ‘Le Monde du Funk ’72’ (1970-1972)  [Download]

Funk expands its consciousness and its purposefulness, body, mind, and soul.

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[June 2017] ‘Evensong’ (1985-1995)  [Download]

Beauty, grace, heartbreak, hope.

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[August 2017] ‘Le Monde du Funk ’74’ (1973-1974)  [Download]

Funk gets upscale and sophisticated while maintaining its roots.

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[August 2017] ‘Their Hearts Had Six Strings Vols. 5 & 6’ (1962-1977)  [Download]

Two volumes added to the collection of dazzling, adventurous singer-songwriter music.

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[September 2017] ‘1979: Post-Punk’ Seven-Mix Set (1979) [Download]

The long-awaited box set follow-up to ‘1981,’ Post-Punk’s mutations accelerating exponentially.

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[October 2017] ‘Le Monde du Funk ’78’ (1977-1978)  [Download]

Funk soars into the stratosphere on a rocketship called Disco.

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[October 2017] ‘Post-Punk: 2007/2017’ (2007-2017)  [Download]

Post-Punk is an ethos and an evolving language, not a born-died tombstone: it’s alive!

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[November 2017] ‘Le Monde du Funk ’76’ & ‘Le Monde du Funk ’79’  [Download]

Two more volumes with the collected ‘Le Monde du Funk’ running 1970-1985 (so far).

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[November 2017] ‘The Four Ethers’ (2016-2017)  [Download]

The most beautiful and exciting new music we loved in 2016-2017.

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[December 2017] ‘Nocturnes’ (1969-2017)  [Download]

A journey through the depths and heights of emotion, in tribute to Serpentwithfeet.

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[February 2018] ‘Les Bibliothécaires’ 27-Mix Library Music Box Set (1967-1982)  [Download]

There’s a secret mirror-history to funk, jazz and electronic music, a whole other world: Library Music.

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[April 2018] ‘Translucence’ (1974-2018)  [Download]

Deep ambient music that rewards full attention, in tribute to Brian Eno.

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[April 2018] ‘Their Hearts Had Six Strings Vol. 7’ (1996=2016)  [Download]

Adventurous, sophisticated singer-songwriter music is a living tradition.

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[June 2018] ‘Le Nouveau Tour du Monde ’87’ (1981-1987)  [Download]

Music for the heart, body and mind knows no borders or walls, and tore them down through the 80s.

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[June 2018] ‘Old Souls Part I’ (2015-2018)  [Download]

Brilliant young People of Color are making music rooted in the past and pointing the way to the future.

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[June 2018] ‘Post-Punk 1968-1977’ (1968-1977)  [Download]

The ethos and aesthetics of Post-Punk began when Johnny Rotton was still wearing bellbottoms.

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[August 2018] ‘Afrominimalism: 1966-1978’ Four-Mix Set (1966-1978)  [Download]

The best and most eternal early minimalist music was made by African and Afro-diasporic artists.

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[August 2018] ‘Post-Punk For Kids’ (1978-1984)  [Download]

The best Post-punk is not all grey clouds and overcoats; it is also joy, silliness, exploration, experimentation: it’s play.

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[September 2018] ‘Le Monde du Country ’72’ (1969-1972)  [Download]

Country music got funky and weird and more dirt-road and more fun in the 70s.

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[September 2018] ‘Cancels Out’ (1958-2018)  [Download]

A tribute to Low’s strangest, most experimental, and best work, ‘Double Negative’.

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[November 2018] ‘The Fire’ (2018)  [Download]

The fire of music burns bright in the darkness of 2018, and this is what’s burning brightest.

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[December 2018] ‘Old Souls Part II’ (2018)  [Download]

Hip-hop is in a new golden age, just when it’s needed most.

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Stream most Musicophilia mixes here

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