Sunday afternoon in Helsinki

Three recent mixes that have been keeping me warm in Finland:

Michna & SV4 – Seeing Colors: Ghostly Influences
Sam Valenti IV picks the records that influenced his eclectic Ghostly International imprint and Michna mixes them together for Self-Titled. Bookended by guilty pleasures from Orbital and the Cure, Seeing Colors hits some classic notes from Kraftwerk, I-F, Klein & MBO, and Joey Beltram, along with new favorites from Pantha du Prince and Sasch Funke. And there’s a Dopplereffekt remix of Air? Still can’t put my mind around that one. Check out the tracklist and get the mix here.

Stephen Hitchell – Soultek
Little White Earbuds has been on a strong roll lately, and this time they deliver ninety minutes of classic dub crazy techno from one of the men behind Detroit’s formidable Echospace label: a beautiful sequence of Rhythm & Sound, Substance, Maurizio, and some unreleased Echospace material. Download it after LWE’s thoughtful interview with Mr. Hitchell: “Honestly though, if this music grabs you the way it does me it just takes control of 95% of your thoughts — its hard not to be consumed by its beauty . . . I could only compare it to the first time a person discovered the power of religion, it makes such an impact on people and as a result of that you hold onto it for the rest of your life.”

Eli Verveine – Mnml Ssgs Mix 15
The guys over at Mnml Ssgs have put together an indispensable techno spot in 2008, delivering a first-rate series of exclusive mixes from Jackmate, Silent Servant, and Benjamin Brunn, as well as offering earnest and impassioned reflection about the state of electronic music. Best of all, they turned me on to Switzerland’s Eli Verveine last January via her Carebear mix and now she’s put together a stunning hour-long set of classy tracks from Robert Hood, Claro Intelecto, and several new names. Get it here.