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BLAKE'S MINIMAL MIX
KAMP Digital Project Manager and music enthusiast Blake Carrillo (aka @cinemaminimal) shares his latest Minimal Mix. With a blend of ambient and Alternative Rock, this playlist has been helping us to get a little work done in the office. Blake has been building these mixes for a few years now, so we decided to ask him a few questions about the series.
What kind of songs make it into the mixes?
Typically they’re all songs I absolutely adore, whether they’ve been in my life for a long time or are a brand new song crush. Tracks that grip me the most usually have some sort of unexpected emotional reaction and I end up listening to them on repeat. I super appreciate underground music or stuff that’s outside of the mainstream, usually since they take an uncommon melody path or have interesting production. So any chance to shine a light on music that is underrated / under-promoted or fresh sounding is always a pleasure for me.
Stylistically and sonically, each song and placement are important to me as well - they’re not intended for shuffle lol! I love to try and create a flow or vibe whether totally hyper, super mellow or evenly balanced. I think that came from going to punk shows that were usually full blast for hours and needing some downtempo balance for the drive home, going to raves as a kid in the 90s and appreciating the thoughtfulness put into their set. The wave-effect of breakdowns and drops are so physically reactive and I love it. Of course these mixes are all just standard individual songs and not mixed live or anything, but I sort of use that as a north star for overall feeling.
Does the amount of songs in each mix play into it?
Usually it’s more about the overall timing than amount of songs. I like to keep them right around an hour so that they don’t seem intimidating or get too stale. There’s a couple mixes that break that rule, but not often. I’d rather leave someone wanting more than getting overly sick of whatever they’re listening to.
How long have you been making these?
I’ve been making the minimal mixes since the spring of 2017 probably around when spotify was released, but I’ve been making playlists in itunes since the early 2000s. Back in the 90s I use to make cassette mixtapes and then evolved into burning mixes on CD-Rs friends, so I guess this is just the most current form of that for me.
What made you start?
I think in general I’m always looking for ways or reasons to connect with people. Music is, of course, a great way to do this and it’s forever funsies for me to talk about. I want to share this excitement with anyone interested and learn more from others also. Part of me is also inspired by other music-heads at Kamp who are constantly sharing playlists and DJ mixes. I wanted to not only consume, but also share my musical tastes with the crew…. even if these mixes mostly just consist of 90s emo bands and ambient music lol! xox