Dummy Mix 25 // High Places

Excellent electronic duo HIGH PLACES take us on a trip through their teens with this awesome mixtape that takes in Pop, Rock, Reggae and Funk. It makes us want to skip school and hang out behind the bikesheds. They follow up their 2008 self-titled debut album with ‘High Places Vs Mankind’ on Thrill Jockey on April 5th. Check their myspace for a string of UK live dates around then too.

What will your mix do to our ears?

Rob: It’ll be like we are at the Burbank Mall, and went to Hot Topic and bought a gauged stud, and we are by the payphones and restrooms, and we are piercing that little cartilage flap in front of your ear canal, and our hands are really dirty, and it’s bleeding and you’re squirming, and we feel sort of guilty, because it hurts, but like we really need to do this because it’s like the most important thing in the world to us right now, having this piercing that your parents will trip out over, and so we can Twitter it so our friends know how cool we are. People are starting to stare. This is a true story.

Tell us about a couple of the tracks you’ve included.

Mary: Chick Habit by April March is actually a cover and translation of a Serge Gainsbourg song, Laisse Tomber les Filles. I always would hear 2 a.m. on the radio and it wasn’t until recently that I learned it was a Slightly Stoopid song. My friend who grew up in SoCal said it’s definitely not cool to like Slightly Stoopid. I’m pretty sure their other songs are terrible (I’m too scared to listen), but this song is sooo good.

Rob: Slighty Stoopid’s myspace page is the most amazing myspace design ever made. The Funkadelic song has the BEST guitar into echoplex beginning ever, and Public Enemy made the raddest use of in it in ‘Bring The Noise’. It gives me chills. Deep Wound is J. Mascis on drums, and he is like so incredible and like 15 years old, and he didn’t have that amazingly perfect Gandalf hair yet. This band split into Dinosuar Jr. and Sebadoh. Is Reel 2 Real basically the worst thing to put on a mix in the UK? Like, were they played into the ground back in ’92? I don’t know, but I love this song, and I am truly sorry if you guys all hate it over there. Dirtbag is GIllian from the Melbourne band Beaches. This tape is so so good. I am responsible for the Ce Ce Peniston. I have loved this song ever since seeing Priscilla, Queen of the Desert when I was in high school. Whoa! I just realized what the first five letters of her last name are! Awesome. My first crush ever was Janet Jackson, like when she was Willace’s GF on Diff’rent Strokes, but it got totally shattered at that Super Bowl halftime Justin Timberlake duet a couple years ago.

So you’ve got a huge tour coming up. What’s the best thing about being on tour?

M: The best thing about tour is traveling the world with my best friend. Oh, and tofu pâté. You can’t get that in LA.

R: Hand washing my underwear in the sink. I am serious. I kinda love the whole on the go challenges of day to day life while on tour. I love truck stops in the U.S. The U.S and EU are really pretty in the Spring.

Where are you most excited about visiting and why?

M: I’ve never been to Italy, so I’m pretty excited for that. Also, I’ll be celebrating my birthday in Barcelona. I can’t wait to turn 18!

R: Croatia, never been there! I love Norway and Portugal! Prague is rad too. I always love London, because Chris and Claire are there. They are great! My birthday will be spent driving through Idaho. I love the Rockies in the Spring, still lots of snow but also spring is in full effect too.

What surprises can people expect from your new album?

M: Lots of airhorns. A cover of 4’33”.

R: Side two is entirely Spoken Word, with a backing track of Seinfeld
style synth slap bass.

What are you most looking forward to in 2010?

M: Taking on the humans.

R: While she does that, I’ll be hiding from the man.

What’s your favourite colour?

M: Green.

R: Clear.