Midnight Radio

Slow Gold

James A. Reeves Episode 35

Like my thoughts on egg foo young and tornados, tonight’s broadcast is all over the map—but I’m increasingly fond of intensely personal playlists that ratfuck the algorithm. We kick off with a Breakfast Club anthem pitched down into Sisters of Mercy gloom, followed by a heavy slice of Detroit electro I bought in '95 and played to death, entranced by its bottomless growl. Years later, I heard this track on a compilation CD and realized it was meant to be played at 45rpm. This might be the godhead of my passion for slowing things down, and the ritual continues with a song from ’74 that reminds me of my parents’ kitchen and the big romance they had when they were young. Then comes a dub techno staple that sounds like a beautiful machine at 40% speed, which gives way to a Swans track I love. It came to mind after reading Adam Greenfield’s delightful piece about wanting to eat God while watching them perform—and I discovered “Leaving Meaning” degrades into a lovely ambient song if you fiddle with the equalizer and douse it in reverb. Then we head to heartbeat city, here we come.

  1. Simple Minds - Don’t You Forget About Me (38% slower)
    The Breakfast Club | 1985 | More
  2. Will Web - Spacewalk (30% slower)
    Cosmic Driveby | Direct Beat, 1995
  3. The Hollies - The Air That I Breathe (20% slower)
    Hollies | EMI, 1974
  4. Vladislav Delay - Huone (46% slower)
    Multila | Chain Reaction, 2000 | Bandcamp
  5. Swans - Leaving Meaning (20% slower)
    Leaving Meaning | Mute, 2019 | Bandcamp
  6. Pole - Hafen (40% slower)
    2 | Kliff/Matador, 1999 | Bandcamp
  7. Aphex Twin - #1 (Cliffs) (42% slower)
    Selected Ambient Works II | Warp, 1994 | Bandcamp
  8. The Cars - Jacki (31% slower)
    Heartbeat City | Elektra, 1984

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