While his last LP Parallax Error Beheads You (read the Quietus review) might, according to Twitter, be his last, Max Tundra continues to be a curious, diverting presence when playing live. Bobbing, weaving, ducking and indeed diving behind his various gizmos and machines, his sets are skittish and energetic curios. The same can be said for this mix that he’s made for the Quietus to celebrate his set on the Village Mentality Stage this Saturday, a collection of MIDI covers that’d do a sonic centipede in your lugholes. For a full tracklisting, see the bottom of this page.
Hullo Max, thanks very much for the mix, can you tell us a little about what inspired it?
Max Tundra: I’ve just noticed there are a ridiculous amount of MIDI files on my hard drive. I have amassed these over the years from various nether regions of the internet, and the ones I’ve chosen here feature some great examples of the skill, fastidiousness and occasional bum note of the MIDI programmer’s thankless art. Sit back, relax and listen to the preset musical instruments on the internal sound card of my desktop PC belt their way through these lovingly programmed files – and spare a thought for the countless MIDI men and women who stayed indoors hard at work, painstakingly replicating their favourite songs while the weather outside was lovely.
What do you think makes a good mix?
MT: Ensuring the concept of whether a track "works on the dancefloor" is the furthest thing from one’s mind. Pandering to a hypothetical nightclub-full-of-people, is the main reason most mixes are so dull.
What are you working on at the moment?
MT: Remixing Abe Vigoda, Marnie Stern and – hopefully – Chilly Gonzales, getting a haircut, watching Wonder Showzen DVDs, emptying the cat litter tray.
What can we expect from Max Tundra at this weekend’s Field Day?
MT: My wiggly old tunes, nice and loud, with glorious weather.
And finally, which of the other artists on the Village Mentality stage would you most like to collaborate with?
MT: Bowling For Bacon!
Max’s Field Day MIDI Megamix by theQuietus1 ‘Coming Up’ (Paul McCartney)
2 ‘Contusion’ (Stevie Wonder)
3 ‘Birdland’ (Weather Report)
4 ‘Peaches En Regalia’ (Frank Zappa)
5 ‘Genius Of Love’ (Tom Tom Club)
6 Sexboy93′ (“ASHY”)
7 ‘1999’ (Prince)
8 ‘Games Without Frontiers’ (Peter Gabriel)
9 ‘YYZ’ (Rush)
10 ‘What A Fool Believes’ (The Doobie Brothers)
11 ‘Awakening’ (Mahavishnu Orchestra)
12 ‘Dance Hall Days’ (Wang Chung)
13 ‘I Feel For You’ (Chaka Khan)
14 Ana Ng’ (They Might Be Giants)
15 ‘Useful Chamber’ (Dirty Projectors)
16 ‘Andy’ (Frank Zappa)
17 ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’ (Cyndi Lauper)
18 ‘Toccata And Fugue In D Minor’ (Bach)
19 ‘Stepping Out’ (Joe Jackson)
20 ‘Sunchyme’ (Dario G)
21 ‘Mr Blue Sky’ (ELO)
22 ‘Help Me’ (Joni Mitchell)
23 ‘Breakout’ (Swing Out Sister)
24 ‘We Close Our Eyes’ (Go West)
25 ‘I Would Die 4 U’ (Prince)
26 ‘Children Say’ (Level 42)
27 ‘Spirit Of Radio’ (Rush)
28 ‘Proclamation’ (Gentle Giant)
29 ‘Just Can’t Get Enough’ (Depeche Mode)
30 ‘Rydeen’ (Yellow Magic Orchestra)
31 ‘The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway’ (Genesis)
32 ‘Beautiful Stranger’ (Madonna)
33 ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’ (The Who)
34 ‘Inca Roads’ (Frank Zappa)
35 ‘Video Killed The Radio Star’ (The Buggles)
36 ‘Our Song’ (Yes)
37 ‘Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic’ (The Police)
38 ‘A-Punk’ (Vampire Weekend)
39 ‘The Logical Song’ (Supertramp)
40 ‘Sowing The Seeds Of Love’ (Tears For Fears)
41 ‘Heart’ (Pet Shop Boys)
42 ‘You Get What You Give’ (New Radicals)
43 ‘Bette Davis Eyes’ (Kim Carnes)
44 ‘Peg’ (Steely Dan)
45 ‘Senses Working Overtime’ (XTC)
46 ‘The Rain Song’ (Led Zeppelin)
47 ‘Birdhouse In Your Soul’ (They Might Be Giants)
48 ‘Into The Groove’ (Madonna)
49 ‘Virtual Insanity’ (Jamiroquai)
50 ‘Close To The Edge’ (Yes)
51 ‘Let’s Go Crazy’ (Prince)
Max Tundra plays the Village Mentality Stage in association with The Quietus this Saturday, 31 July. For tickets and more information, visit the Field Day website
