y00h00: It’s been ten years since I started making these...

y00h00:

It’s been ten years since I started making these year-end mixtapes. That’s kind of flabbergasting, honestly. Every year I reach a point where I wonder if it’s really worth the effort, but I hear from so many of you who enjoy the mixes, and music really does help keep me sane. So as long as I keep listening, I’ll keep putting these out. Thank you for the encouragement and support. Without further ado…

To commemorate the passing of 2012, I’ve put together my tenth annual collection of the songs that made me happiest, that moved me to dance, that made each day a little better than the one before. (Special thanks go to DJ CPI, Electronic Rumors, Audio Drums and This Song Is Sick, who introduced me to most of these tunes.)

Download the entire Happy Hippy 2012 mix in ZIP format (129 MB)  or listen to the streaming version of the mix:

Track List:

1. Tammie / The Dø
   Handclaps, driving acoustic rhythms and throaty half-shouted vocals. Yep, I’m in.
2. Faces / The M Machine
   The harmonies and the unrelenting slow synths get me on this one.
3. Ghost Train (Vox Mix) / Vince Clarke&The Good Natured
   Featuring the lead vocalist from Depeche Mode, this sounds like a good opening track for a Goth club giving electropop a try.
4. Post-War Blues / Dan Mangan
   This spritely number has me bopping from side to side almost from bar one.
5. I Will Wait / Mumford & Sons
   I always picture the Muppet bluegrass trio flopping about when I hear this song.
6. Bittersweet Melodies (Christian Strobe Remix) / Feist
   Bring it down a notch with ethereal vocals and a 80s-esque synth descant.
7. With You (feat. Kotomi) / Germany Germany
   Continuing the female vocals/synth pattern theme, but with a slightly more driving beat.
8. Stay Awake (prod. by Madeon) / Ellie Goulding
   Madeon continues to blow me away with just about everything he’s done. This glorious dancey track is no exception.
9. Head Above Water / Men Without Hats
   If this sounds like the 80s, it should; Men Without Hats are behind such classics as ‘The Safety Dance.’ This is their first single in almost 30 years, and it’s pure bubblegum fun.
10. Tais ta tête / Amylie
    This sultry Quebecois number envelops you in breathy vocals and sumptuous strings.
11. New York Times (prod. by D’Mile) / D-WHY
    I love the contrast between the string-filled samples in the background and the urban beat/vocals.
12. High For This (The Weekend Cover) (Monsieur Adi reMix) / Ellie Goulding
    Two Ellie Goulding songs may seem like overkill, but I love how this one relentlessly builds to an ecstatic climax.
13. All You Cannot Live Without / Rich Aucoin
    This reminds me of some of my favorite tracks off Pink Floyd’s Pulse album.
14. The Mountains Grow / Erik Gundel
    Simple repetitions of piano and guitar licks remind me of a mountainside stream.
15. Oh, Why / Balam Acab
    A gentle lullaby for sleepy technocrats.
16. Near Light / Ólafur Arnalds
    Sad and sweet, with a lonesome piano intro, this slowly builds to a beautiful cacophony.
17. Didn’t Leave Nobody But the Baby / Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss&Gillian Welch
    This one startled me when it first came up. It’s incredibly simple, but incredibly beautiful.
18. SUPER SECRET BONUS SONG (audio NSFW; courtesy melodysheep)

I also put together a separate dance music mixtape every year for those of you interested in such things, available here:

http://y00h00.tumblr.com/post/38113586683/in-2005-i-started-making-dance-music-mixes-as

Past mixtapes are available here:

http://y00h00.tumblr.com/tagged/Mixtape