MIXTAPE | Music For 2am: Session #1

Mixtapes can serve a variety of needs. With Rock Radar, I set out to make time capsules of my favorite new music. But Music For 2am is an entirely different animal. I created it as a sort of refuge. A soundscape to comfortably sink into when stress and anxiety threatened to eat me alive.

It not only accomplishes that, but also doubles as a great tape (or playlist) to throw on when you want to focus up and be productive. It features indelible tracks by Radiohead, Groove Armada, Nightmares On Wax, Cloudkicker, Air, and many more. Even if you don’t typically enjoy more downtempo and chillout music, I urge you to give this a listen. Preferably sometime after midnight. it just sounds better after midnight…

Below you’ll find everything you need to enjoy the first session of Music For 2am, regardless if you prefer analog or digital:

• For the purists: Complete MP3 versions of Side A and Side B of the original cassette mixtape. These are lengthy ~45m audio files designed to be recorded onto each side of a 90-minute blank tape. For this “master copy”, I created a custom mood-setting intro by recording my grandfather’s old clock, some vinyl record sounds, and weaving in an interview with Thom Yorke where he discusses the importance of dreaming. I’m pretty damn proud of it.
• Spotify playlists for Side A + Side B.
• Song.Link URLs for every track, for those who don’t use Spotify.
• A printable cassette J-card PDF file that has the original album art, tracklist, and personal liner notes.

Music For 2am: Session 1 🎵 Playlists On Spotify

If you want to dive right in, just press play on these Spotify playlists, but be warned you’ll only hear the full tracks if you have Spotify Premium and are logged in. Because these are meant to be enjoyed as classic mixtapes, I’ve separated the playlists into Side A and Side B.

Direct Downloads: Side A + B + J-Card

Here’s everything you need (except for the blank tapes and the audio gear) to reproduce this mixtape on cassette.

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Song.Link URLs: Side A

For your convenience, these are links to stream or buy every track on a number of streaming platforms including Apple Music, Spotify, Deezer, Tidal, and Amazon.

1. The Inner Banks: Electric
2. B. Fleischmann: Composure
3. Working For A Nuclear Free City: The Tape
4. Nightmares On Wax: You Wish
5. Klub Rider: Buleria del Alba
6. Spiffy Man: Time For Change
7. Tycho: Daydream
8. Air: La femme d’argent
9. Blackmill: Miracle

Song.Link URLs: Side B

1. Radiohead: Hunting Bears
2. Exotic Animal Petting Zoo: A Balloon Enters Kyoto City
3. The Album Leaf: Red-Eye
4. The Deadbeats: Loafin’
5. Cloudkicker: It’s Inside Me, and I’m Inside It
6. Groove Armada: Edge Hill
7. Emancipator: With Rainy Eyes
8. Massive Attack: Exchange
9. M83: Steve McQueen