Moods 54: Peer Review
Moods Season Five closes out with Denver-based duo Peer Review (Manny A and Nico Tobón). From South Chicago to cumbia to spoken word to cloudy walks against the mountain range, the prolific duo's two-hour mix is split by the first half by Manny and the second by Nico: two stories and trajectories that talk, walk, and salsa together.
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Tracks
Manny (0:00-0:57)
Yu Su - Tales
Roc Marciano - Sweet Nothings
The Vickers - She’s Lost
Broshuda - An Ocean For Breakfast
Furns - Sparks
Slum Village - Forth and Back (ft. Kurupt)
King Krule - Will I Come
Flying Lotus - See Thru to U (ft. Kurupt)
Amber London - LXX MF KXXY
Heinrich Dressel - Journey Thru Caves Under The Hill
Madteo - Confessions of a Permanent Alien Opium Addict
Koreless - Never
Daye Jack - Hello World
Moonstarr - Broken Bossa
Nico (0:57-2:07)
Mohammad Reza Mortazavi – I Am The Wind
Codona – Trayra Boia
Jerzy Milian – Dziewczyna Z Aszchabadu [Ashkhabad Girl]
The Undisputed Truth – Ungena Za Ulimwengu (Unite The World) Friendship Train
Lucrecia Dalt – El Galatzó
Verde Prato – Amaren kanta
Hiele – Mercredi des Patates Aussi
Coil – Are You Shivering?
Sonic Youth – Halloween
Autumn – You Are You Are
Sprung aus den Wolken – Noch lange nicht
Pavel Milyakov – Rebel Funk
Brenda Ray – The Scream
Zatua – Silver Horizon
V.D.B. Joel/F. Voelxen/W. Rockman – Mridamgam Song
Roberta Flack – Afro Blue
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Liner Notes
Manny:
Hi, one half of Peer Review checking in. This mix is a tribute to the sweet yet brisk morning and afternoon commutes around school. Hands shoved deep in the pockets of well loved sweaters and jackets. Back when iPod headphones were still wired, input left then right make sure to untangle them as best you can! It’s my world, let’s take a ride.
Nico:
Borges’ labyrinths, Lucrecia Dalt’s Lynchian mixes, combined with the changing of the seasons (and thus our moods ;) ) all played a role in this attempt at something dreamlike and cinematographic—a thread through seemingly disparate elements.
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QnA
Where did you grow up? How did this influence the songs you listened to?
Manny:
I grew up on the South Side of Chicago, South Shore specifically. Always not too far from both grannies and papa. There’s a lot of hardship but it’s a beautiful place with beautiful people.Nico:
I grew up in the Seattle metro area as a first gen Colombiano en una casa soundtracked by salsa, merengue, boleros, abd cumbia amongst other ofrendas.
Can you pick one song in the mix and explain where you first listened to it?
Manny:
I want to highlight Sweet Nothings by Roc Marciano, this one is for my guy X, rest in power my brother. X was always a big Roc fan, he’s the first one to put me on to him. Definitely was a late night session, smoking in someone’s car that was not mine (lol). The sample is light, the lyrics are heavy. I have always appreciated that sort of juxtaposition in many types of music.
Nico:
Roberta Flack – Afro Blue. My partner often provides the aural backing to breakfast on a Sunday morning. This one blew me away and has been on repeat for a while—a 9-minute epic.
Who “introduced” you to these songs? Was it a person, a radio station, a CD?
Manny:
They say it takes a village, and I believe that my musical journey is no different. There are a litany of friendships and acquaintances that I feel as though I was being reintroduced to when I was conceptualizing my half of the mix. I love and appreciate each and everyone of them. Maybe they’ll find themselves when listening back.
Nico:
Shouts to Jessica and Delaney for introducing me to a couple of these songs, although the rest of these tracks come from those delirious youtube and discogs wormholes.
Where and when did you first hear techno? What drew you to it, and Who did it sound like it was for?
Manny:
Motherfucking techno, isn't she stunning. We were introduced, albeit briefly at the age of 16. My parents had always been househeads. Pops still spins to this day, and I can say I was quite fortunate to have had this peek behind the curtain at a formative time in my own life. I was certainly left wanting more, and so the deep dive began. If I had to pin point one track, it would have to be Blue by Elgato. I’m sure it could fall under some other genre but that was the first song that felt like techno to me. It has a haunting vibe, something pulling you deeper and deeper into the night. Techno has always sounded like it was the naughty and cool older cousin that wouldpush you further towards self-discovery. “BAad” feeling so damn good.
Nico:
I can’t quite place the first time I heard techno, but I can speak to a formative party I attended with my dancing partner Riley a few years back: Mike Servito in a basement here in Denver. There’s no way back from that experience ;)
You’ve got the microphone. What do you want to say to the techno community?
Manny:
Love and appreciate your people, respect both the old and new, mistakes are inevitable but rectifying them is not. Gotta work for dat! Last but not least thank you Daniel, pleased to contribute a MOOD.
Nico:
Denver has a praiseworthy music scene. Recently I’ve heard a lot of negative criticism in the community, but I see a lot of motivated people doing interesting things here across the creative spectrum. It is certainly easier to sit back and hate than it is to make the most of what you’ve got and create something worthwhile. Keep pushing the envelope y'all. *saluting cowboy emoji*
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Art
We've paired Peer Review’s mix with Navid Nuur, an Iranian-born Hague-based artist whose practice “applies concepts that often relate to a temporary in-between state that places his work between the audience and an often abstract phenomenon, such as light, energy, air, or ‘rest space.’” (Max Hetzler 2022). Broken Blue Square takes something impossible to miss—neon—and renders them like blinds—something that can hide and determine interiors.
For more on Nuur, we recommend this artist talk.
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