2020/21 final mix CDs

I made a last minute month decision that since this is presumably my last mix CD of the "mix CD of every year of my life" vanity project, I'm totally justified in including 2021 songs that would've made it onto that unmade future mix. And I mean definitely would have made it. I'm not the quickest listener processing songs when I first hear them. I might like something right away, but it's basically in one ear and out the other and it often takes a handful of listens before a song really starts to sound like something with elements I can remember. But every once in a while a song will stop me in my tracks, grab me by the lapels and demand my attention leaving me slack-eyed and/or wide-jawed at how good it is for whatever reason. The five 2021 songs included on Disc 2 are in that league. 

And I'll admit the decision to change the mixes to include 2021 songs was made rather recently after the Oh My Girl and fromis_9 songs on Disc 2 were released a week apart and made me wonder about including them. And I might also admit the decision was made easier because I had already shoe-horned the 2021 Chungha song into the original finalized track list because I couldn't make it work with only 2020 candidates. That song, released in January, was emotionally stunning and I tried slotting it in just to see how it sounded and I liked it! I ended up suppressing my obsessive-compulsive impulse to include only 2020 songs and tossed two 2020 songs to accommodate it. But then opening up the field for other 2021 songs that met the standard, in addition to the two mentioned above, I found two more and then a bunch of 2020 songs of the "original concept" went out the window. 

There were no live audiences at the music shows for the entirety of 2020 so I avoided linking to those videos because the energy is different. Most are videos with mp3 sound and some supplemental live versions. Unfortunately I've found that mp3 sound is much better than the live sound videos I've been linking for the past 10 years! Maybe I shoulda been linking videos with mp3 sound all along :p 

Disc One: (zip download)

1. I Can't Stop Me (Twice)

2. Feel Good (SECRET CODE) (fromis_9) (live version)

3. Voice (LOOΠΔ) (English version 'Star') (funny tweets described the choreo at the beginning as "train stopping at a station")

4. Oopsy (Weki Meki)

5. Butterfly (WJSN/Cosmic Girls)

6. No Big Deal (Elris) (lyric video)

7. Not Shy (Itzy)

8. Dingga (Mamamoo) (live version)

9. Dumhdurum (Apink)

10. Mago (Gfriend)

11. We Ride (Brave Girls) (unofficial stage mix)

12. On Air (3YE)

13. Oops I'm Sorry (April) (live version)

14. Barbie (Ye-eun (CLC))

15. Eight (feat. Suga (BTS)) (IU)

16. Lazy Day (Tymee) (official audio)

17. Want It (Kisum x Bora (Cherry Bullet)) (audio only)

18. Pporappippam (Sunmi (ex-Wonder Girls))

19. D.B.D.B.DIB (Saturday)

20. yaya (ME TIME) (Yubin (ex-Wonder Girls)) (live version)

21. Push This Button (Baechigi) (official audio)

22. Diver (YooA (Oh My Girl)) (audio only)

23. Fall Again (LOOΠΔ) (official audio)

24. Play (feat. Changmo) (Chungha) (live version)

Disc Two:

1. Why Not? (LOOΠΔ) (full-stage cam)

2. Dun Dun Dance (Oh My Girl) (unofficial stage mix) (full-stage cam) 2021

3. Dumdi Dumdi ((g)I-dle)

4. Hands Up (Cherry Bullet)

5. Lalalilala (April) (stage mix)

6. We Go (fromis_9) (unofficial stage mix) 2021

7. Surf (Itzy) (official audio)

8. Alien (Lee Suhyun (Akdong Musician))

9. Naughty (Irene & Seulgi (Red Velvet))

10. The Paradise (Weki Meki) (audio only)

11. This and That (Yuju (Gfriend)) (audio only)

12. Things Are Going Well (Heize) (lyric video) (short music video)

13. Red Lipstick (Bolbbalgan4)

14. Hmph! (WJSN: Chocome) (live version)

15. Cry For Me (Twice)

16. Money Serenade (Mommy Son) (audio only) (annoyingly censored telecast)

17. Mimi (youra) 2021

18. Teddy Bear (Kim Sejeong (ex-gugudan) (audio only) 2021

19. Apple (Gfriend) (unofficial stage mix)

20. X (No Flowers on the Path I've Taken) (Chungha) 2021

21. Daily (DIA) (lyric video)

22. Up No More (Twice) (official audio) (lyric video)

23. Travel (Mamamoo) (official audio) (lyric video)

2019 mix CDs 

2019 mix CDs

Yes indeedy, yet another addition to my vanity project of making a mix CD for every year I've been alive! And same as since 2012, it's a double-disc collection filled with K-pop! Yay! Of course there's no reason on multiple levels for doing this. There's no reason for most of my life, what's your point? The CD medium itself is an artificial and/or obsolete construct. Who even uses CDs anymore? (oh yeah, me) But for me the physical limit is important (if allowing for a second CD can be called "limiting"), as is the concept of a "collection" with track order, segues and flow and contours. Who even thinks that way anymore? (oh yeah, me)

What a long, strange trip it's been in just these mix CDs. The extreme left turn that is K-pop so late in my life still confounds me to the point that I still can't dismiss mystical attribution of future life resonance – that my next life will be in Korea. FLR might also be why I'm primarily attracted to girl groups, whereas if it was just about the music genre I should be equally accepting of the boy groups. I'm drawing analogies with passages in the so-called Tibetan Book of the Dead that describe the bardo of rebirth whereby individuals that are to be reborn as male will feel jealousy towards the father and attraction to the mother and vice versa for females (that's just the basic template while, as my theory goes, genetics also play a part; the gender-"determining" experience in the bardo primarily affects subjective identity and may influence physically being born one gender or another (or yet another these days) but can't counter genetics dictating otherwise. It explains a lot if you think about it). So the Korean thing may be a resonance as to where I'm to be reborn, while the focus on the female may be sticking with current karma that I'll be born male (getting XX chromosomes notwithstanding). What the hell am I talking about?

Back on planet earth I've tried to explain the K-pop in other ways – that it's about songwriting, really good melodies, tight backing-track arrangements, the progressions, the gestalt and other musical/production attributes – but I feel like I'm trying to legitimize something that doesn't need legitimizing. I've always trusted my musical tastes and rarely have I made the blunder of thinking something was good only to realize there really wasn't much substance (mostly when I was trying too hard). But I suppose maybe none of this matters if it's future life resonance at play. It's no longer my musical tastes in this lifetime, but echoes from a future that hasn't happened yet or is supposed to be happening if I had kept to script and departed for that life long ago. My music listening has been hijacked. And I've mentioned before that the Korean thing is the future life resonance, not K-pop. The K-pop is because of love of music in this current life. In future lifetimes I may not be interested in music at all. Theoretically, if I had some other strong interest, it would be some other aspect of Korea that would be inexplicably manifesting.

I wonder what I would've been listening to for the past decade if K-pop hadn't happened. Anything good coming out of the west aside from Hamilton? I haven't noticed anything. I wouldn't need anything new since all the music I acquired in those hard-drive exchanges in 2009-2010 may have taken 10 years to get familiar with; as I mentioned, it's good stuff, I like it, but I frustratingly just don't know it. 

*sigh* Music show video clips from 2019 still had live audiences. Because of the CCP pandemic, there have been no audiences for the music shows in 2020 and there's a palpable difference in energy without the screaming audiences and fanchants. 

Disc One: (zip download)

1. All Mine (Coast of Azure) (GWSN) (choreo video)
2. Bing Bing (Nature)
3. Uh-Oh ((g)I-dle)
4. Umpah Umpah (Red Velvet)
5. Tiki-Taka (99%) (Weki Meki)
6. Butterfly (LOOΠΔ) (music video) (choreo vid)
7. %% Eung Eung (Apink)
8. One Blue Night (Jiyeon (ex-T-ara)) (lyric video) (audio only)
9. Sunrise (Gfriend)
10. Bbyong (Saturday) (choreo vid)
11. Well Come to the BOM (Berry Good) (official audio)
12. Kill You (Hot Place) (lyric video) (audio only)
13. Hip (Mamamoo)
14. Dalla Dalla (ITZY)
15. How You Doin'? (EXID) (lyric video) (official audio)
16. Lalalay (Sunmi (ex-Wonder Girls))
17. 1, 2 (Lee Hi) (unofficial upload) (lyric video)
18. 5 More Minutes (DIA)
19. Sugar Pop (Cosmic Girls (WJSN)) (lyric video) (music students react)
20. Turn It Up (Twice) (lyric video) (official audio)
21. yeah yeah (Kisum) (audio only)
22. Guerilla (Oh My Girl)
23. This Winter (Berry Good)

Disc Two:
1. Picky Picky (Weki Meki)
2. Woowa (DIA)
3. Devil (CLC)
4. Thumbs Up (Momoland) (choreo video)
5. Hakuna Matata (DreamNote) (choreo video)

6. Late Autumn (Heize) (lyric video) (official audio)

7. Hush (Everglow) (lyric video) (official audio)

8. Underwater Love (Oh My Girl) (lyric video) (official audio)

9. Kkili Kkili (G-reyish)
10. Fever (Gfriend) (choreo video)

11. Boogie Up (Cosmic Girls (WJSN)) (full-stage fancam)

12. You Don't Know Me (Yoomin (ex-Melody Day)) (audio only)

13. New Day (Ladies' Code) (lyric video) (audio only)
14. Hocus Pocus (Bvndit)
15. Fancy (Twice)
16. Lion ((g)I-dle)
17. XX (Bolbbalgan4) (lyric video) (official audio)
18. Moonlight (Lovelyz)
19. Goblin (Sulli (ex-f(x)))
20. Recipe ~ For Simon (GWSN) (lyric video) (official audio)
21. LP (Red Velvet) (lyric video) (official audio)
22. Memories (Apink) (lyric video) (official audio)
23. Love RumPumPum (fromis_9) (unofficial stage mix)
24. Ruddy (Cherry Bullet) (official audio)

2018 mix CDs

2018 mix CDs

I wonder. Has anyone heard of BTS? In my isolated little world, I honestly don't know who I can suppose has heard of this K-pop boy group that seems to have been lighting the pop world on fire the past few . . . years (sorry, that's a totally gratuitous link to a group that I do like, but at least is a BTS song with an appropriate title)? And I mean globally, heading all the way east from Korea until it meets the west, and all the way west until it meets the east.

It's a given western pop is global; no matter where you go in the world, everyone seems to know iconic western pop acts, whether they suck or not (I wouldn't know about now, but in my rock-oriented youth there was a disdainful assumption of more suck than not). Pop acts around the world, including K-pop, emulate and aspire to be like western pop acts. Has BTS breached that rarefied air and become one of them? I honestly don't know. I read the K-pop newsfeed headlines about impressive milestones they've achieved in global popularity and exposure (they spoke at the U.N.?! wut?!) and records they keep breaking, but are they anywhere near being an enduring household name? Do people recognize their name in the entertainment section or can't avoid hearing about them even if they know nothing about K-pop and couldn't care less? 

But here I am, a supposed K-pop fan and I know near nothing about them just because I'm not into the boy groups. I'm not chagrined that it's a boy group that's breaking through after multiple high-profile failures of girl groups through the years to gain attention in the U.S. mainstream. Even though I'm not into the boy groups, I have no doubt the quality of the songwriting and production is just as good as the girl groups I'm into (the above link is the first time I listened to a BTS song, and it notably didn't suck. I could listen to it multiple times and even pinpoint what I think is cool in both the audio and the choreo (I just prefer to watch LOONA doing it)). I don't doubt they're exciting and fun to watch if you're into that sort of thing boy groups. Despite what my CD mixes reflect, I'm under the impression K-pop boy groups are much bigger business economically than the girl groups.

My 2018 mix CDs (of the mix-CDs-of-every-year-of-my-life project) are par for the course since about 2012 and are all K-pop and two CDs. I thought it was bad when there was so much stuff being released that I couldn't satisfactorily contain everything killing me to leave off on a single CD. Now it's just ridiculous and I could easily fill a third CD (whoa! déjà vu), but that's somewhere I'll never go, even if these are just for me. Actually, because they're just for me. A third collection would need a specifiable justification, the likes of which I can't even imagine for K-pop.

I think this is just normal now, but I struggled for months, gnashing my teeth and pulling my hair (at least taking off my slipper and repeatedly hitting my head with it), compiling song lists and track sequences, often ending in frustration and whimpering feelings of futility and impotence, trying to carve out a flow and segues that I felt worked. Segues and sequence flow are what make a mix for me (says the person who listens to a 20,000+ collection on SHUFFLE. It isn't always pretty). But then suddenly I'll have one or two magical sessions moving songs around in iTunes playlists and suddenly all the problems go away (not really, it's more of a forced satisfaction considering there was enough good stuff to fill a third CD) and something comes together and "by George, I think I've got it!". Where I had nothing the day before, suddenly I have something. Pretty!*

Disc 1: (zip download)

1. favOriTe (LOOΠΔ)
2. Mi-myo Mi-myo (Lovelyz) (full-stage camcorder)
3. What is Love? (Twice) (unofficial stage mix)
4. Bad Boy (Red Velvet)
5. Green Apple (Berry Good)
6. Hurry Up (Sohee (Elris))
7. WooWoo (DIA)
8. The Blue Bird (April)
9. Crush (Weki Meki)
10. DKDK (Dugeum Dugeum) (fromis_9) (music video (because cats))
11. Lady (EXID)
12. Don't Let Me Know (Ko Sungmin)
13. Burning (Rothy)
14. Punk Right Now (HYO (SNSD (Hyoyeon)))
15. Baby Boo (feat. KissN, Mint (ex-Tiny-G)) (High Soul)
16. Is Who (Minseo)
17. Dududu (AoA) (lyric video) (official audio)
18. See Sea (Hyolyn (ex-Sistar))
19. Let You Go (Yubin (ex-Wonder Girls)) (lyric video) (official audio)
20. I'm Your Girl? (Khan) (although this is how people from my generation read their name; don't know if their agency CEO is a Star Trek fan)
21. Remember Me (Oh My Girl)
22. The Same Memory (Kassy) (lyric video) (official audio)
23. I Wish (Baek Ah Yeon) (official audio)
24. Masquerade (WJSN - Cosmic Girls) (lyric video) (official audio)

Disc 2:
1. I Mean (UNI.T)
2. Oh! My Mistake (April)
3. #Cookie Jar (Red Velvet)
4. Wind Flower (Mamamoo)
5. Milkshake (Flavor (Fanatics))
6. Travel (Bolbbalgan4)
7. Rendezvous 18.6y (yyxy (LOOΠΔ)) (lyric video) (audio only)
8. Heroine (Sunmi (ex-Wonder Girls))
9. Fanci (Girlkind)
10. Love Bomb (fromis_9) (choreography video)
11. Twenty Something (Song Juhee (Hello Venus (Alice)))
12. Twilight (Oh My Girl)
13. Jealousy (Nara (Asha))
14. Dressroom (Primary x Anda)
15. Sullae (Rothy)
16. Dear (Gugudan) (lyric video) (official audio)
17. Yes or Yes (Twice)
18. Hi High (LOOΠΔ) (choreography video) (live)
19. Save Me, Save You (WJSN - Cosmic Girls)
20. Once Love Begins (Kassy)
21. LaTaTa ((g)i-dle)
22. Daydream (Lovelyz) (lyric video) (official audio)

The lyric videos are something new in the past few years, made by media-savvy international/bilingual fans, and they seem to not be getting flagged for copyright violations. Have agencies despite their corporate mindset accepted the value of international fans and their desire to know the lyrics or practice Korean (not me on either of those points)? Doubt it, but I have no idea, but as long as they're not getting taken down, I'll link them for the audio files. And I might note that one of my original criteria for K-pop fandom was that I never look up the lyrics (assuming it's a lot of stupid, banal shit about löve and broken hearts). It's actually not all bad (unlike western pop, whose lyrics which I can understand are usually what make me turn it off relatively quickly).

2017 mix CDs

2017 mix CDs

It seems like there should have been a sea change in the K-pop girl group scene in 2017 with the epidemic I mentioned before of girl groups disbanding, losing members or falling into limbo with inactivity or no news to the point of potential irrelevance. It was shocking. Yet here I am with no problem still filling two CDs for 2017. New groups have emerged amidst new trends and new top groups. Same as it ever was.

All the extra video links are supplementary videos that I enjoy. The full stage "camcorders" are room sound quality (poor), but they capture the full choreography and the audience noise, and are the closest facsimile of what it might be like to actually be there. I started linking the unofficial stage mixes by a user whose editing skills are amazing in 2016 and continue here (they also serve as a terrific review of fashions and variations girl groups go through in the course of a promotion). And then other various and sundry videos that I like.

(updated 1/15/2019)
2017 mix CD, part one (zip download):
1. Girl Front (Odd Eye Circle (LOOΠΔ)) (music video)
2. Baby Face (Cosmic Girls (WJSN)) (official audio)
3. Rookie (Red Velvet) (full stage camcorder, stage mix)
4. I Don't Like Your Girlfriend (Weki Meki) (live version, full stage camcorder, funny relay version)
5. Excuse Me (AOA) (full stage camcorder, unofficial stage mix)
6. Irony (Park Bo Ram) (audio only)
7. Bippity Boppity Boo (Berry Good) (full stage camcorder, unofficial stage mix)
8. Yes I Am (Mamamoo) (full stage camcorder, ad-lib compilation stage mix (captions recommended), unofficial stage mix)
9. No Thanxxx (Epic High) (lyric video) (audio only)
10. The Weatherforecastors (All Day Sunny) (Grace) (audio only)
11. Aloha (Pristin)
12. Signal (Twice) (full stage camcorder, unofficial stage mix)
13. Gashina (Sunmi) (dancers gender reversed version)
14. Love Me (Lee Hyori) (audio only)
15. Jealousy (Baek Ah Yeon)
16. Night Rather Than Day (EXID) (full stage camcorder, live version)
17. Love Cherry Motion (Choerry (LOOΠΔ))
18. Some (Bolbbalgan4)
19. Listen to This Song (DIA) (official audio)
20. I Think I Love U (Sonamoo) (full stage camcorder, unofficial stage mix)
21. Nalari (S.E.T) (full stage camcorder)
22. Only U (Laboum) (full stage camcorder)
23. Roopretelcham (Elris)

2017 mix CD, part two:
1. WoW! (Lovelyz) (full stage camcorder, unofficial stage mix)
2. Happy (Cosmic Girls (WJSN)) (unofficial stage mix, full stage camcorder)
3. Heart Attack (Chuu (LOOΠΔ))
4. Bing Bing (AOA) (full stage camcorder)
5. Wee Woo (Pristin) (full stage camcorder, unofficial stage mix)
6. Will You Go Out With Me? (DIA) (full stage camcorder, live stage, Eunchae focus cam because super cute, unofficial stage mix)
7. Red Flavor (Red Velvet) (full stage camcorder, Seulgi focus cam, unofficial stage mix)
8. Dlwlma (IU)
9. Stars (Rothy)
10. In the Rain (Kisum)
11. Pow Pow (Elris) (full stage camcorder, unofficial stage mix)
12. Would You Like? (Tymee) (lyric video) (audio only)
13. Rolly (Good Day)
14. DDD (EXID) (full stage camcorder, funny parts switch version, even funnier parts switch audio over live version)
15. Last Carnival (Juniel)
16. Pastry (Nine Muses) (audio only)
17. Kiss on the Lips (Melody Day)
18. Love is Sudden (MIXX)
19. Everyday I Love You (feat. Haseul) (Vivi (LOOΠΔ))
20. Glass Shoes (fromis_9)
21. Twinkle (Lovelyz) (unofficial stage mix, full stage camcorder)
22. Hz (Hashtag) (audio only)
23. Heart Shaker (Twice) (live version, full stage camcorder, unofficial stage mix)
24. Hwi Hwi (Laboum) (full stage camcorder, unofficial stage mix)

2016 mix CDs

2016 mix CDs

These 2016 CD mixes of my vanity project to make mixes of every year I've been alive took months of "little tweaks" to be satisfied with them. Maybe not "satisfied", but rather that I reached the point where I got tired of making any more changes.

Still all K-pop, although I did manage to fit in a David Bowie track from his last album; that was going to happen no matter what. I was concerned that it would stick out like a sore thumb, but I think I put it in a sequence of songs (the last five actually, with their minor feels) that creates an appropriate atmosphere without getting depressing. That song is probably the most emotional regarding his cancer and facing dying.

If I do this again for 2017, I think I'll make all effort to make it a single disc or not at all. I don't even know if that's even feasible. Looking at the rejected songs for 2016, they could fill a third CD and it still would have been pretty strong by my estimation. That's why it's hard to say I'm fully satisfied with the end result, a lot was left off.

The "unofficial stage mix" videos that are linked are fan made so it is left to be seen whether they get deleted in the long run. Still, they are so brilliantly done by this particular user that I thought they are worth linking at this point.

The transitions are so smooth that it's like watching a magic show. What's astounding is how the editor matched shots from multiple performances from different music programs (different camera crews and directors) and made the transitions look more like morphs.

2016 mix CD, part one (zip download):
1. Russian Roulette (Red Velvet) (full stage camcorder, Seulgi focus fancam, 2x speed version for people short on time)
2. Jealous 질투 (U Sung Eun x Kisum)
3. Sting 찔려 (Stellar) (choreography version)
4. No Oh Oh 아니야 (CLC) (choreography version)
5. Good Luck (AoA) (full stage camcorder)
6. Very Very Very (I.O.I) (full stage camcorder, unofficial stage mix)
7. Help Me (Brave Girls) (lyric video) (audio only)
8. To the Beautiful You (Wonder Girls)
9. So Good (Hyosung (Secret)) (lyric video) (audio only)
10. The Rain (Ladies' Code) (full stage camcorder)
11. Bambamhae (feat. Mad Clown/prod. by Gil (LeeSsang) (Yuk Ji Dam)
12. Day of Excess (Miryo (Brown Eyed Girls)) (lyric video) (audio only)
13. Free Time (Kisum) (audio only)
14. Are You Hungry? (EXID)
15. Next Page (Twice) (lyric video) (official audio)
16. Lip 2 Lip (Nine Muses A)
17. ViViD (HeeJin (LOOΠΔ))
18. Come In (Two X) (lyric video) (audio only)
19. Secret (Cosmic Girls)
20. Love Like This (Hyolin (Sistar))
21. I Do (Jeon Ji Yoon (ex-4minute))
22. Dollar Days (David Bowie) (official audio)
23. Missing U (Lee Hi) (official audio)

2016 mix CD, part two:
1. Magnet (Jeon Ji Yoon (ex-4minute))
2. Windy Day (Oh My Girl) (full stage camcorder, unofficial stage mix)
3. You Are the Moon (DIA (BinChaenHyunSeu))
4. High Heels (Brave Girls)
5. I'm Jelly Baby (AoA Cream) (full stage camcorder)
6. Around You (HyunJin (LOOΠΔ))
7. You're the Best (Mamamoo) (adlib compilation, full stage camcorder)
8. Keep On Doin' (Luna (f(x))
9. Shooting Love (Laboum) (unofficial stage mix, full stage camcorder)
10. Hate (Melody Day) (audio only)
11. Why So Lonely? (Wonder Girls)
12. Do As I Say (I.O.I) (lyric video) (audio only)
13. And July (feat. Dean, DJ Friz) (Heize)
14. 13 months, 32 Days (DIA (L.U.B.))
15. Only One (EXID) (lyric video) (Solji x Hani audio only)
16. Let Me In (HaSeul (LOOΠΔ))
17. Hoo Hoo Hoo (NC.A) (lyric video) (official audio)
18. I Like That (Sistar)
19. Ya Heart (Dal Shabet) (audio only)
20. Walkak (Baechigi) (audio only)
21. Smile (Jeon So Yeon)
22. TT (Twice) (full stage camcorder, unofficial stage mix)

2015 mix CD, part 2

2015 mix CD, part two

As anticipated, the second 2015 mix CD (of my vanity project of creating mix CDs for every year I've been alive) wasn't easy to put together. The first CD came together surprisingly fast and easily, and that probably caused most of the difficulty with the second disc. My satisfaction with it locked in the track list and didn't give me flexibility to move things around between the two discs. 

So that's how not to make a double-disc mix. Collecting songs for 2016, I am already playing with song order, but I'm doing both discs simultaneously to avoid limiting options later.

I found it hard recognizing the segues, which shouldn't be hard. Also elusive was identifying placing of songs, either beginning, middle or end, which also shouldn't be hard. Probably a case of thinking too much.

This mix largely came together by finding two or three song segues by similar type and then jigsaw puzzling them together in a way that flowed. In the end, the final track list does succeed with satisfactory segues and song placings that I hadn't been able to see initially.

The biggest thorns were finding the opener and closer. There was a parade of songs that became final candidates for those positions, only to be ultimately rejected; almost all of them having not been considered for the mix at all, and then not staying on the mix when rejected.

2015 mix CD, part two:

1. Warm Hole (Brown Eyed Girls)
2. Drama (Nine Muses)
3. Joker (Dal Shabet)

4. Not an Easy Girl (Lizzie (After School))
5. Twenty-Three (IU)
6. Radio (Baechigi) (audio only)
7. Don't Be Such a Baby (Sistar)
8. Just for One Day (JeA (Brown Eyed Girls))
9. Oh Boy (Red Velvet) (lyric video) (official audio)
10. Traveler (f(x)) (lyric video) (official audio)

11. Like Ooh-Ahh (Twice) (full stage camcorder)
12. Vibrato (Stellar)
13. Sorry (Park Bo Ram)
14. Please Just Go (feat. Whee In (Mamamoo)) (Louie (Geeks)) (lyric video) (audio only)
15. I'm Ill (Hello Venus)
16. Five More Minutes (Hyosung (Secret)) (audio only)
17. Dice Play (Brown Eyed Girls) (official audio)
18. Don't U Wait No More (Red Velvet) (official audio) (music students react)
19. Skip (Tahiti)
20. You and Me (Kisum)
21. Give It a Little Shake (High Soul x KissN)
22. Sleepless Night (Nine Muses)
23. Can You Feel It? (feat. Youngji (Kara)) (Goo Hara (Kara))
24. Only You (miss A)

2015 mix CD, part one (audio files uploaded for zip download)

mix CD 2015, part one

The track list for the first 2015 mix CD fell into place ridiculously quick and easily (it was done by year's end). It still may change depending on how the second CD comes together, but this collection is pretty solid. Same as before, 2015 is set to be a double CD collection of predominantly K-pop girl groups.

Compiling the second CD looks like it's going to be a pain. Out of the candidates for the second CD mix, there are very few obvious segues (actually none), and key tracks like opening and closer or even where a lot of the tracks belong on a mix are elusive. Hey, I put a lot of thought into mix CD track order!

At least all but one track of the first CD has a YouTube video that's likely not going to be deleted (no dead links). I'll upload all the audio tracks to the cloud once the second mix is finished.

2015, part one
1. So Crazy (T-ara)
2. Crazy (4minute)
3. Um Oh Ah Yeh (Mamamoo) (adlib compilation)
4. Heart Attack (AoA)
5. Apple (Ga In (Brown Eyed Girls))
6. Like (CLC) (live full stage camcorder)
7. Celepretty (Park Bo Ram)
8. Phone Number (Tahiti)
9. Wiggle Wiggle (Hello Venus)
10. I'm a Woman, Too (Minah (Girl's Day))
11. Yes or No (Nine Muses)
12. You're Pitiful (Fiestar)
13. Into You (Hyosung (Secret)) (unofficial upload) (2020 new choreography)
14. Sugar Sugar (Laboum)
15. Don't Be Shy (feat Choa (AoA), Iron) (Primary)
16. Seductive (feat Jimin (AoA)) (Kang Min Hee)
17. Red Queen (feat Zion T) (IU)
18. Ah Yeah (EXID)
19. Bang Diggy Bang Bang (MFBTY)
20. Touch (Anda)
21. Broken Doll (Miwoo)
22. Get (feat Beenzino) (Urban Zakapa)
23. To.Mom (feat. Insooni) (Kisum) (unofficial upload)
24. Girl Crush (Mamamoo)

2014 mix CDs

mix CD: 2014

The ups and downs of 2014.

2013 set the precedent of a double disc mix of all K-pop girl groups and . . . shamelessly not even trying to fit anything else in for 2014.

2014 certainly had its downs. The Sewol ferry tragedy in April had the Korean entertainment industry go dark for about three weeks, and K-pop fans around the world sympathized and felt the national mourning for all those young lives lost.

Then there was the car crash I blogged about at the time that killed two members of Ladies' Code in September. When compiling the second disc, it became a no-brainer that Ladies' Code's last song would open it. Turns out it's a perfect opening song.

A 2014 up was Mamamoo's debut. They actually had a pre-debut release called Peppermint Chocolate. There were a bunch of times I'd have the TV on in the background and this video would come on, and it always got my attention.

I'd be wondering who they were and why I didn't recognize them since they couldn't be rookies. Everything about them indicated they were seasoned performers. The song was funky and cool and the execution was sophisticated and confident with poise and swagger. A long version of the video had an array of cameos by people no rookie group could get (that was another pre-debut video that I saw and confused it with this track).

But rookies they were and the press started referring to them as super-rookies, whatever that means. I think they did really well at the end-of-year awards in the rookie of the year category. As did Ladies' Code the year before.

AoA is another up. Not rookies, but I started noticing them in 2013 and in 2014 they owned the sexy concept. I think Sistar is the girl group most associated with the sexy concept, and no slight to them, but AoA owned even them, with great songs to back them up.

The 2013 mix also set the precedent of three tracks by one act (Girl's Day). In 2014, both Mamamoo and AoA had at least three worthy tracks, but ultimately Mamamoo won out with a track that wasn't promoted, over an AoA track that was. I'm not sure what the logic is, but as great as AoA was in 2014, maybe I throw my hat in for Mamamoo for being more than just an agency trained girl group. Something about them was, and continues to be, actual talent, creativity and . . . soul.

That all made the second disc difficult to compile, but adding to that were three established girl groups (Kara, Secret and T-ara) releasing songs they promoted that were pretty good but didn't bowl me over, but with b-side tracks that did catch my attention and were included. Maybe the promoted tracks were getting a bit cliched. They were the kind of tracks that they'd typically promote; upbeat tracks that were easy to choreograph. Not bad at all, but other tracks I thought were better songs.

I did like ending up the whole collection with a song called "1999". Prince's "1999" ended my 1982 mix. That was 18 years before the millennium and was kind of a pre-apocalyptic, Cold War party song. Koyote's "1999" is 15 years after and is more of a nostalgia party song, recalling the fashions and music and how cold the winter was and wanting to go back. Turns out it's a perfect closing song.

2014, part one
1. Mr. Ambiguous (Mamamoo)
2. You Don't Know Women (Hyosung (Secret)) (audio only)
3. Miniskirt (AOA)
4. Monday Blues (Sunny Hill)
5. Marionette (Stellar)
6. B.B.B. (Big Baby Baby) (Dal Shabet)
7. Uh-ee! (Crayon Pop)
8. Pretty Lingerie (G.NA)
9. Ice Baby (Tiny-G)
10. My Copycat (Orange Caramel (After School))
11. Darling (Girl's Day)
12. Marionette (Jiyeon (T-ara)) (lyric video) (audio only)
13. Hello Baby (NC.A)
14. Beautiful (Park Bo Ram)
15. Goodbye My Love (feat. Tiger JK, Bizzy) (Kim Wan Sun) (unofficial upload) (music video)
16. Cha Cha (Rainbow Blaxx)
17. I Swear (SISTAR)
18. What Cha' Doin' Today (4minute)
19. So Wonderful (Ladies' Code)
20. Full Moon (Sunmi (Wonder Girls))
21. Yasisi (NS Yoon-G)
22. Inner Space (Park Ji Yoon)
23. Goodbye (SNSD)

2014, part two:
1. Kiss Kiss (Ladies' Code)
2. Pretty Age 25 (Jieun (Secret))
3. What About You? (ver. 2) (Laboum)
4. Red (Hyuna (4minute))
5. Boy Jump (feat. Hwasa (Mamamoo)) (Baechigi) (audio only)
6. Up & Down (EXID)
7. Short Hair (AOA)
8. Baton Touch (Mamamoo) (unofficial upload) (official audio)
9. Here I Am (Sunny Hill)
10. Beep (Park Ji Yoon)
11. You Don't Love Me (Spica)
12. Guilty (Stellar) (official audio)
13. I Don't Want You (T-ara)
14. Don't Fall Asleep (Pascol) (official audio)
15. Crazy You (NC.A)
16. Whisky (Hello Venus) (lyric video) (audio only)
17. Singing Got Better (Ailee)
18. I Would Do Well (Secret)
19. If I See Her (T-ara) (lyric video) (audio only)
20. The Story (Kara) (lyric video) (official audio)
21. Half the World Are Men (Sunny Days)
22. Piano Man (Mamamoo) (live version)
23. Catallena (Orange Caramel (After School))
24. 1999 (Koyote)

2013 mix CDs

mix CD: 2013

The previous 2012 mix set the precedent for double-disc collections. Which was timely since the explosive regional and global popularity of K-pop led to an explosion of releases by old and new groups. With this collection, there was no realistic way of cutting it down to a single disc.

And with the acceptability of double-disc collections comes, for the first time, the inclusion of three tracks by a single group: Girl's Day. Two of the tracks were Number One worthy, but it was the momentum they gathered in 2013 that led them to a number one song in early 2014, which I don't think was such a great track (not included on 2014 mix), but that's what they were leading to and I think deservedly so.

The only strange thing in compiling this set was that I didn't complete it until well into summer of 2014. I just couldn't get it right, but in the summer of 2014, I came upon the track by Pascol on the second disc. I forget how I came upon it, but that was the track that led to everything coming together. I don't know who Pascol is, I don't know what they look like, they don't promote on music shows and there's just not that much information out there on them. But the song had an emotional melody and some cool rapping and I wanted to include it.

I cleared out all the YouTube links before because they were too often taken down and became dead links, but in recent years the corporate entities themselves have been uploading videos and performances which are more likely to be reliable, so I'll link videos that likely won't be taken down.

2013, part one:
1. I Got a Boy (SNSD)
2. 24/7 (2Yoon (4minute))
3. Female President (Girl's Day)
4. Miss You (Tiny-G)
5. No. 9 (T-ara)
6. Gun (Nine Muses)
7. Tell Me Tell Me (Rainbow)
8. Attention (Trouble Maker)
9. Hot & Cold (Jewelry)
10. Recipe (Brown Eyed Girls)
11. Dripping (Clover)
12. Say It To My Face (D-Unit)
13. Modern Times (IU)
14. I Won't Ask (Lee Hyori) (audio only)
15. Fox-like Friends (No More) (f(x)) (lyric video) (official audio)
16. Moya (AOA) (lyric video) (official audio)
17. Tonight (Spica)
18. YooHoo (Secret)
19. Damaged Lady (Kara)
20. Crying (Sistar)
21. You Don't Know Love (K.Will)
22. First Love (After School)
23. What's Your Name? (4minute)

2013, part two:
1. Please Tell Me (Girl's Day)
2. Love Options (BESTie)
3. Study (Stellar)
4. Pretty Pretty (Ladies' Code)
5. V (Lee Jung Hyun)
6. Open the Door (Im Chang Jung)
7. Boogie Man (Hong Jin Young)
8. Give It To Me (Sistar)
9. Fantastic (Secret) (lyric video) (audio only)
10. Yours Mine (AOA) (lyric video) (official audio)
11. Kill Bill (Brown Eyed Girls)
12. Oh My God (NC.A)
13. Be Ambitious (Dal Shabet)
14. Missing You (2NE1)
15. Last Scene (Nine Muses) (lyric video) (official audio)
16. Let's Eat Together Sometime (Pascol)
17. Is It Poppin'? (4minute)
18. Darling of All Hearts (Sunny Hill)
19. Red Shoes (IU)
20. Expect Me (Girl's Day)
21. Mr. Lee (Park Ji Yoon)
22. Bad Girls (Lee Hyori)
23. Tonight (Hyolyn (Sistar)) (lyric video) (official audio)

2012 mix CDs

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mix CD: 2012

Truth to tell, this 2012 mix CD didn't have to be a double disc. I have a single disc version whereby I trimmed all the fat possible, getting it down to a single disc by brutally eliminating songs that I otherwise thought were worthy, just for the purpose of fitting the remaining songs on one CD.

The problem was that I didn't think it made for a better collection. Like there are double albums that people think would be better if they had been trimmed down to a single album. At this point I can't bring myself to think that about this collection.

Maybe 2012 is still too close in time and I'm still attached to a lot of tracks that I won't be in years' time. Maybe over time, I will not only think the single disc is better, but I'll be able to include western releases, meaning swapping out even more of these K-pop songs. But maybe there won't be "over time" either.

As it is, the entire collection is book-ended by two Japanese songs that couldn't be integrated into the otherwise all-K-pop set. Aside from those two, the only other non-Korean language song is by a K-pop group singing in Japanese. And that song ends disc 1.

2012 (part 1):
1. Much Ado About Nothing Tonight (Tokyo Jihen) Japan
2. Bing Bing (Crayon Pop)
3. Lipstick (Orange Caramel (After School))
4. To Be or Not To Be (aka Have or Have Not) (Dal Shabet)
5. Don't Forget Me (Girl's Day)
6. Every Night (EXID)
7. Dirty (Miryo (Brown Eyed Girls))
8. Alone (Sistar)
9. Cherry Blossom Endings (Busker Busker)
10. Talk That (Secret)
11. Blue (Big Bang)
12. The Evening Sky (Ailee)
13. Lost (Kara - Nicole solo)
14. Pork Soup (Clover) (unofficial upload) (audio only)
15. Russian Roulette (Spica)
16. Touch (miss A)
17. In Praise of the Grasshopper (Sunny Hill)
18. Twinkle (TaeTiSeo (SNSD))
19. Like This (Wonder Girls) (dance practice video)
20. 1, 2, 3, 4 (Lee Hi)
21. Lovey-Dovey (T-ara)
22. Paparazzi (SNSD) Japan

2012 (part 2):
1. I Love You (2NE1)
2. Cosmetic (Lizzy (After School) & Andup) (audio only)
3. Mermaid Princess (Mystic White: Bora (Sistar), Lizzy (After School), Gayoon (4minute), Sunhwa (Secret), Jiyoung (Kara))
4. Wonderful (Casker) (audio only)
5. I'll Be There (Spica)
6. I Am Hot (NS Yoon-G) (lyric video) (audio only)
7. Get Out (AoA)
8. This Guy (Dazzling Red: Hyuna (4minute), Nicole (Kara), Hyolin (Sistar), Hyosung (Secret), Nana (After School))
9. Hard to be Humble (LeeSsang)
10. Electric Shock (f(x))
11. Look At Me (Jewelry)
12. Bloom (Ga In (Brown Eyed Girls))
13. Ice Cream (Hyuna (4minute))
14. Loving U (Sistar)
15. illa illa (Juniel)
16. Goodbye to Romance (Sunny Hill)
17. Don't Let the Love End (Wrong) (Epik High)
18. I Know How to Play a Little (e.via)
19. Ticket (Nine Muses)
20. Probably So (Don't Look Back) (Park Ji Yoon)
21. I Don't Need a Man (miss A)
22. Aozora (Salyu) Japan

2011, 2010 mix CDs

mix CD: 2010, 2011

Way back when, I did this little ongoing vanity project of making mix CDs of every year I've been alive. The last mix CD I posted was 2009, believing there wouldn't be a 2010 since I wouldn't be around to make 2010. Obviously nothing prevented me from making 2010. Then 2011. Etc., etc. to 2014.

I've continued to make them and work on them, but I stopped posting them because they were getting to be quite a mess with constant updates of songs especially from the most recent decade as I would find new songs that had to be on that year's mix CD.

Aside from updating, even some older ones, I was trying to link songs to YouTube videos and that became a mess, too, with videos constantly being taken down and becoming dead links.

Anyway, as time passes, there is less updating as final forms of CDs become more satisfactory. Even if new songs come along, it's harder for them to be so compelling as to switch out a song already there.

Also I've cleared out all the YouTube links. They were such a bother. Instead I've put all the collections on a cloud so if there's the remotest chance that someone might want to hear the best music in my life, it's all there without the vagaries of . . . YouTube. (problem solved as videos have since been officially uploaded by the companies and not likely to be randomly taken down. -ed.)

2010 was the last year I even tried to include western music. My exposure to western music has so diminished and my tastes had become so different to accommodate anything new coming out of the west, it was inevitable.

2011 is the first all Asia mix CD. It's not that there haven't been western releases that are worthy. They just don't fit anymore, square peg in the round hole. But Asian music squeezing western music out of my scene is just the start. The Korean contagion continues.

2011:
1. Love is MOVE (Secret) Korea
2. I Won't Meet You (Kan Mi Yeon) Korea
3. Pinocchio (Danger) (f(x)) Korea
4. I Am the Best (2NE1) Korea
5. 心のスポーツ (Kokoro no Sports) (Perfume) Japan
6. Bubble Pop! (Hyuna (4minute)) Korea
7. Mr. Taxi (SNSD 少女時代) Japan
8. 忘記丟掉 (Tizzy Bac) Taiwan
9. Midnight Circus (Sunny Hill) Korea
10. Back It Up (Jewelry) Korea
11. Supa Dupa Diva (Dal Shabet) Korea
12. Good-Bye Baby (miss A) Korea
13. Les Adultes Terribles (Tokyo Jihen) Japan
14. Heart to Heart (4minute) Korea (unofficial upload)
15. Black & White (G.NA) Korea
16. Roly-Poly (T-ara) Korea
17. Be My Baby (Wonder Girls) Korea
18. You and I (IU) Korea
19. Ma Boy (Sistar19) Korea
20. Rachel (Chara) Japan
21. Sixth Sense (Brown Eyed Girls) Korea
22. Everyday (Gavy NJ) Korea (unofficial upload)

2010:
1. Breathe (miss A) Korea
2. Hoot (SNSD) Korea
3. Umbrella (Kara) Korea (unofficial upload)
4. Under the Luminaries (Shannon Wright) (audio only)
5. As Much As Ten Thousand (Casker) Korea
6. Good Day (IU) Korea
7. 電波通信 Radio Communications (Tokyo Jihen) Japan
8. Invincible Hero (Versus) (audio only)
9. Eeny Meeny Miny Mo (Lee Jung Hyun) Korea (audio only)
10. Magic (Secret) Korea
11. Strangers (Crooked Fingers)
12. Goodbye Happiness (Utada Hikaru) Japan
13. A-ing (Orange Caramel (After School)) Korea
14. NU ABO (f(x)) Korea
15. Why Are You Being Like This? (T-ara) Korea
16. Can't Nobody (2NE1) Korea
17. イナヅマ (Inazuma) (Salyu) Japan
18. Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) (Arcade Fire)
19. 夜空のムコウ (Beyond the Night Sky) (Nokko) Japan
20. Radio Star (Narsha (Brown Eyed Girls)) Korea (lyric video) (audio only)

2009

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