Ssleeping desiresS is the project of San Francisco musician Gabriel Ramos. The project has seen people come and go, with Ramos being the "owner" and the only stable member. He began recording alone during the time he lived in Portland, Oregon, as a result of an ever growing appetite for music he developed due to the DIY scene in the city at the time. Ramos claims Ssleeping desiresS descended from acts such as Chrome and Suicide, but his output - the 7" A Voice/Sister released on FlexiWave in 2012 and the eponymous 2015 full length (OnderStroom Records) - betray a fascination with '80s goth/synth/cold wave music as well as some rather unexpected hints of dub (check the "Impasse" track in particular). His music maintains a melancholic quality despite being full of contagious post-punk basslines, screeching guitarwork and punchy beats. Any one of the tracks is a potential dancefloor hit. All of these aspects are on display in his exclusive mix.
Secret Thirteen mix 163 is a well-researched venture into a vault filled with classic post punk / wave gems, which are seamlessly interwoven with a couple of soundtrack pieces and abstract interludes. Claudio Gizzi’s dramatic score from Andy Warhol’s “Flesh for Frankenstein” serves as an excellent introduction for a selection that develops into a much darker territory with the murky and soulful Octavius piece of hidden melodics and monolithic beats before exploding into a French-sounding noir dancefloor anthem by Deux. It maintains an elegant and moody danceable line with Jeff and Jane Hudson’s punchy and haunting “Los Alamos” or John Maus’ playful synth explorations in “Rights for Gays”. Guitars are also present with the tribal and energizing Scottish post punk of The Flowers and Wire’s classic piece “Outdoor Miner” from their innovative masterpiece “Chairs Missing”. The intensity finds shelter with Arthur Russell’s noisy melancholy and Ennio Morricone’s cinematic balladry before getting wild again with Chrome and the sharp synth voyage of Spector Protector. The mix might be a good choice for both listening and moving. It has the right amount of emotionalism to affect one internally, but at the same time is intense enough to keep the heat up during the cold autumn evenings. Richard Mortensen’s abstract painting „Cat“ would be a nice visual interpretation for this mix.
01.Claudio Gizzi “Main Title Theme” (Varese Sarabande, 1982)
02. Black William-“Untitled” (Not on Label, 2006)
03. Octavius “Of Mask and Money” (Mannequin, 2009)
04. Deux “Golden Dreams” (Not on Label, 2006)
05. Harmonia “Watussi” (Lilith, 2006)
06. Cold Cave “Heaven’s Gate” (Dais, 2008)
07. Jeff & Jane Hudson “Los Alamos” (Captured Tracks/Dark Entries 2011)
08. John Maus “Rights For Gays” (Upset the Rhythm, 2007)
09. Flowers “After Dark” (Fast Product, 1980)
10. Wire “Outdoor Miner” (EMI, 1978)
11. Arthur Russell “You Can Make Me Feel Bad” (Rough Trade, 2009)
12. Ennio Morricone “Amore” (Dagored, 2000)
13. Chrome “Wings Born In The Night” (Siren, 1977?)
14. Spector Protector “Reciprocation” (Not On Label, 2003)
