Radio Is A Foreign Country is a not-for-profit radio platform and mixtape series that exposes listeners to obscure (and mostly vintage) regional folk and pop music from the global hinterlands, featuring cut-ups of international radio broadcasts (AM, FM, shortwave), field recordings, ethnographic film, vintage records and cassettes, and digital ephemera from the far reaches of the internet. For this special mixtape, the Radio Is A Foreign Country crew brings us a cross-section of North Sumatran electro folk.
Category: Mixtapes
Dealer’s Choice :: A Chance Meeting With Ras Tayo (Roots Reggae & Beyond)
By chance I met Ras Tayo at Deadly Dragon Sound a decade ago. He invited me to bring some tunes out to The Den in Brooklyn, and soon I began spinning with a serious group of selectors every Sunday night. All the DJs had their big tunes and favorites that I’d look forward to hearing. These songs are ones they played often.
Abstract Truths: An Evolving Jazz Compendium – Volume 8
The return of Abstract Truths. This series began in 2016 as a way to highlight jazz in all its many forms. The selector for this installment’s dig finds musician and collage artist Ilyas Ahmed weaving a two-plus hour tapestry of sound, spanning 1964-2021.
Mark Mothersbaugh’s Insomniak Flora (A Mixtape)
A one hour compilation of assorted Mothersbaugh muzak, from Insomniaks cuts to highlights from 2017’s 45 RPM box set Mutant Flora. Sprinkled in are other rarities, musical pieces composed for some of the musician’s visual art exhibitions. The weirder the better.
First & Last: Japanese Private Press, Vol. 4
This fourth volume of First And Last features a menagerie of tunes for the early days of summer (with seven of the twelve songs culled from EPs), from psych-pop to breezy bossa nova, wrapping up with a grip of introspective folk.
AD Presents: Sonor Music Editions | Italian Library Music (A Mixtape)
Founded in 2013 by Lorenzo Fabrizi and Andrea Galtieri, the Rome based Sonor Music Editions focuses strictly on the world of vintage Italian Library music and original soundtracks, largely from the 1970s and early ’80s. Prolific, we asked Fabrizi and Galtieri to curate a medley of sounds via their catalog, and the following mix is most definitely a vibe.
First & Last: Japanese Private Press, Vol. 3
For much of Japan’s youth, the five nationally televised Beatles concerts of 1966 were transformational. Japanese academic Toshinobu Fukuya stated that the Beatles embodied a new identity for the country’s youth. Their presence had signaled that “one did not always have to obediently follow arrangements prescribed by adults; it was possible to follow one’s own path and still be socially and financially successful in life”
In this vein, we open this third installment of First & Last with a track from 1974 by 田中寛 (Hiroshi Tanaka) & 不破洋一 (Yoichi Fuwa), who in their liner notes written by a friend, dub the band as the “Late-Arriving Heirs of the Beatles.”
Tinariwen :: Radio Tisdas/Amassakoul Influences (Mixtape)
To commemorate a pair of remastered reissues of Tinariwen’s first albums—2001’s The Radio Tisdas Sessions and its 2004 followup, Amassakoul, the desert blues masters drop by with a special mixtape showcasing their influences.
Aquarium Drunkard Presents: A Spectrum of Blue (A Mixtape)
Hang your coat, unknot your scarf, kick your boots to the corner and open those windows–spring is almost here. Aquarium Drunkard presents: A Spectrum of Blue- an hour long medley of spring cleaning, dust knockin’ bluegrass …
First & Last: Japanese Private Press, Vol. 2
Welcome to the second installment of First & Last, a series of mixes providing a glimpse into the world of Japanese private press, or 自主盤, pronounced “jishuban”, which loosely translates to “independent board.” This second entry picks up where volume one left off, including a live recording from a concert compilation (track one), and music from the incredibly rare First Album, by Elf, of which only fifteen copies were manufactured.
First & Last: Japanese Private Press, Vol. 1
Welcome to the opening installment of First & Last, a series of mixes providing a glimpse into the world of Japanese private press, or 自主盤, pronounced “jishuban”, which loosely translates to “independent board.”
This first mix, a menagerie of songs from across the spectrum of Japanese private press, serves as an introduction to subsequent mixes. Tanoshī.
AD Presents: Off-Piste | A Mixtape
From the confines of a snowed in cabin, Aquarium Drunkard presents Off-Piste, a 90 minute TDK mixtape. Expect a taut embrace of ice cold synths, nascent drum machines, reverb, echo, ornithology infused Danish funk, and two tracks referencing penguins. Duck the rope.
Aquarium Drunkard Presents: Castle Dogs | A Mixtape
Castle Dogs is a sixty minute slow boil of post-punk and new/no-wave, mixed live from Uncle Tio’s collection and dubbed to tape exclusively for Aquarium Drunkard. Each tape features exclusive artwork and an instant photo of the tracklist. Play at full volume.
We are giving away six copies of the cassette via the AD instagram…head over there to land one. Actual dogs not included.
Christmas Jambree :: A Vintage Jamaican Yuletide Mixtape, Vol. 2
In 2017 Aquarium Drunkard brought you Christmas Jambree: A Vintage Jamaican Yuletide Mixtape. At 28 tracks it’s an extensive collection of Jamaican reggae and ska Christmas tunes. If you’ve never heard it, do slide over there right now, but if you’re already converted, and looking for a bit more in that vein, the following companion has you covered. Dig in, dig deep, and happy holidays.
Autumn Hymnal :: A Mixtape
Autumn Hymnal: 23 tracks of jazz, folk and ambient suited to navigate these changes–from the celebratory catharsis of Tim Buckley, to the mournful acceptance of Anne Briggs, to the haunting beauty of Jessica Pratt. Put on your favorite sweater, pour something warm and enjoy the ride.