WARMER MIXTAPES #270 | by Teaadora Nikolova

1. Bo Knows | The Ninth
My first record was produced by the man behind Bo Knows, Jeremy Armstrong, who is a prolific painter, Aquarius-Dog, objective critic, outsider, tattoo artists, future primitive of Normal, IL where I grew up. We found each other in the fringes of the emotional hardcore community, which was relevant because when my band broke up he gave me the assurance and insight to find my own way. I find my greatest inspiration from his music, which he once made me cry when he was excited to tell me about his new record... I cannot explain. Either way, as he said once taking the Sonic Youth song/record Kill Your Idols, Kill your idols, do something better, which I am trying. Lastly, Bo Knows recently put out a split with The Rebel, aka Country Teasers, certainly worth checking out.

2. End Me | Boring Sydney Boring
This is the song that introduced me to the brilliance and beauty of noise, which was blended with simplified type of hardcore, maybe related to Burmese, early Black Dice, etc... Vince, the drummer of this band went on to perform with Witch Hunt, of Philadelphia, who was a kindred spirit in the sense of remain drug-free and vegan as myself. He is an exemplifier of the self-disciplined artist with succinct climbing potential.

3. Prince Rama | Everything
Once again, these are my friends, I am greatly open to the influence of my friends, as is the community of Jamaica Plain in 2008 to Prince Rama, in this area we both lived in Boston. Prince Rama represented the band who was able to accumulate a great deal of success while remaining at a level of artistic integrity in the humble DIY spirit. I enjoy this song because it is unlike their other songs, not to say I don't love their other music because I think it fills me with life. In May or June of 2009, they came and visited me while I was living in Boise, ID, I had only heard Everything played before by Greg Beson of Manners at a house show at The Spook Cat the year before, so, it was meaningful to. This song is a stripped down version of their usual song, which I usually search out in bands with such unique sounds.

4. Saetia | The Burdens Of Reflecting
The reason I am making music. This music.

5. Simon Joyner | I Will Find You
Simon Joyner I feel is a greatly underrated musician, who has influenced such people as Beck and the whole Saddle Creek music scene, which I prefer not to align myself with but know these among many other song artists have been.

6. OCS
The OCS records found me after I started making records myself, it wasn't influential as relevant to opening to this sound. This band went to be known as The Ohsees, which I am less interested in to mention for this mixtape since their sound is unrelated to me personally.

7. Sonic Youth | Confusion Is Sex
One cannot fathom this happening in 1981, I was instantly in love with it when I heard it, which usually means such art or music effect will wear off over time but I have been returning to this record for many years now.

8. Diamanda Galas
Generally enjoyed.

9. Meredith Monk
Both Diamanda & Meredith Monk are artists I found by the nature of what I was doing, they were attracted to me by The Universe. I enjoy them mostly conceptually and enjoy a wide range of both their work. This was brought to me by the world by the action of myself performing with elements outside of music, that which you cannot see, greatly in the metaphysical and gesture plane.

10. Sebadoh | Bake Sale
I am fond of the lyrics, and was not interested in Sebadoh because of Lou Barlow's involvement or any relation to Dinosaur Jr. I found an especial affinity with this record, as my friend Pilar at Waiting Room Records, in Normal, IL said It is the ultimate break up album, which I identified with the record quite easily after a falling out with love myself as she suggested. The record has remained in circulation in my life for many years now, which is greatly rare.

+11. Silver Apples | Contact
Back to the future, with Banjo's, percussion and Oscillators when visiting this record. Its beautiful to listen to and to see such a veteran of the synth world find such wide approval in the present. I think of this being rather sophisticated and futuristic music myself, these jams open one up to a greater world of possibilities, aka this band is very inspiring.

+12. Laurie Anderson | Big Science
In 2006, I was hanging out in a record store with my close friend than Rai Rish, when we decided to purchase the record we felt after judging the cover would exemplify what we thought would be fulfill our taste. When we played the first side with O, Superman, we were put into a trance of amazement that we were actually attracted to such an object to mirror our perceptions of our identity at the time, when I was 19. This again is something I have kept in circulation in my life ever since, however, I would not pinpoint Laurie Anderson as being an influence but who can truly understand this idea anyways of how one perceives their influences. I do not even understand why I make the music I do, it came to me, I fulfill its life.

+13. Ten Grand | Ten Grand
Ten Grand, which was originally called The Vida Blue, until the keyboardist (?) from Phish offered The Vida Blue $10,000 or Ten Grand for their band name. Ten Grand to me sounds like an indifference and ignorance to music, some kind of subtle fashion of turning away while using traditional instruments. I knew Matt Davis before he died, he lived in Normal, IL where I grew up. He got me into a lot of things and it wasn't until after he died that I was able to truly realize the meaning of his art. RIP MATT DAVIS.

+14. Neil Young | On The Beach
Necessary to everyone's record collection, Ambulance Blues is my favorite off of this album.

+15. No New York
One of the last inspiring things for me when in high school, one of the last inspiring thins to instill the feeling of un-abandoned chaos or a sense of teenage revolution before the choas of the art category brings itself into a period of meaningless, where all art is art because everything is art.