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We can’t travel overseas yet (unless you count the Cook Strait), but we can let music take us to distant lands.
We’ve prepared a sonic sojourn for you to enjoy from the comfort of your own home thanks to one of our favourite DJ’s and mix-tape makers, Dan Paine.
This playlist has been carefully curated to take you to new musical destinations and horizons, with Dan selecting from his epic collection with his exceptional musical ear; an insatiable appetite to keep discovering new/old artists, sounds and genres means Dan’s tastes keep broadening year on year.
Born in 1977, his first ever cassette was purchased 1987 – Round the Outside by Malcolm McLaren’s The World’s Famous Supreme Team. Not one to miss a milestone each decade, Dan started DJing in 1997 and has been a regular on BaseFM for 15-years with his weekly show Off the Record /OTR.
We asked Dan a few questions to get some background into what has informed his musical affections.
Oh man, what a question! There are lots but let me pick one... Listen to the 'You Can Win' by Bileo. This 1979 funk/disco tune is so loaded with good vibes - from the tempo, to the lyrics, to the horns - that it really does put a smile on your face, make the heart soar and feet move. It's one of my favourite songs of all time and can be played mid-set or as a great finisher to leave the people on the dancefloor both wanting more and feeling in a happy headspace. Perfect for outdoor summer parties.
Prince - 'Take Me With You'. I love Prince's music and this is him at his escapist best. The acoustic guitars and uplifting, organic feel of the song runs a little counter to what you might define as the "Prince sound", I love that about this one. From his film Purple Rain. This is great driving music.
The Sylvers - 'New Horizons'. Such a great vibe; It's kinda cheesy but also incredibly positive both lyrically and in sound. I discovered this tune many years ago when investigating what the sample was in the song 'Hot 4 U' by A Tribe Called Quest.
Joni Mitchell - 'Dreamland'. I am always trying to challenge my musical tastes through a constant musical curiosity and only really started to dig deep into Joni Mitchell's music in 2020. I had a pretty general idea in my head about what her music sounds like and then I heard Dreamland... ideas out the window!
The Jones Girls - 'Nights Over Egypt'. The in-the-pocket groove makes this an outstandingly smooth funk track. I love the epic breakdown at the start and between each of the verses and choruses. I've played this A LOT in DJ sets over the years.
It's a real cop out as I always answer the same but, Japan. I used to live there and have visited a couple of times since but I just can't deny it for many reasons.
A bit of working and living in our sunny part of the world; and the family and I kept up our tradition of camping for a week at Whananaki in mid-January.
Listen to the Sonic Sojourn mixtape here
And, to listen to any of Dan’s past shows (more than 450!), tune your ears to Mixcloud
