After 5 lovely days spent in Barcelona, I am back in grey England nursing an amazing head cold (you wouldn't think it would be possible to blow my nose as much as have this morning) and announcing another episode of Mix Tape Radio On Folk Radio UK. The 18th episode is a mix of some artists that I've played before and some artists that I haven't played before… and it also features a track from a brand new DIYtrotter Session (from Wes Tirey).

Time flies. Somehow it is already May. Two thousand and thirteen. And it has also been 2 weeks since the last episode of 'Mix Tape Radio On Folk Radio UK'. Which means it is time for another 1 hour mix of music. Episode 17 features 17 tracks. The double 17's was not planned, but if you like things like that, then you've one more extra reason for tuning in. The other reasons would be the quality of tunes (including a track off the latest HI54LOFI RECORDS release, a bunch of sweet covers from a sweet covers compilation, and… well just press play and see for yourself).

After a few weeks of unplanned but kind of needed) absence, 'Mix Tape Radio On Folk Radio UK' returns this Sunday with EPISODE 016. The reasoning for no episodes for awhile has not been because of a lack of good tunes to share, but just a lack of time. I'm still a bit short on time, but I managed to find enough spare moments to put together an hour of some of the music that has been getting heavy rotation on my headphones (including a track from the upcoming HI54LOFI RECORDS / A Singer Of Songs release - our first foray into putting something onto vinyl).

EPISODE 15 sees both the return of our Bedrooms Sessions series, as well as the end of our Bedroom Sessions series. But not really. We're just going to be calling those sessions something different (DIYtrotter to be exact). So along a track from Joseph McNulty's session of all new material, you'll find 16 other great artists / tracks.

Episode 14 is a cracking set of 16 tunes that bleed quite nicely into each other, making for a perfect 60 minute soundtrack to your day.

The 13th episode of ‘Mix Tape Radio On Folk Radio UK’ is a bit of a ‘valentines’ theme. This is not because I am a fan of this time of year, but more because, it just happens to be this time of year. And let's not beat around the bush… HI54LOFI RECORDS has a Valentines Day compilation available, so doing a Valentines Special seemed like a pretty nice way to sneak in a few tracks from that compilation. Personally, I don't really care for Valentines Day. I'm pretty sure there is nothing romantic about trying to do something romantic because it is the day that everyone is supposed to do something romantic. But at the same time, the emotions and feelings that are stirred up around this time of the year are quite interesting. And there are a lot of great songs that were written while those exact same emotions and feelings were once being stirred. More info on the episode: http://hi54lofi.com/blog/mix-tape-radio-on-fruk-episode-013

EPISODE 012 of 'Mix Tape Radio On Folk Radio UK' is another little musical treat for your ears (as long as your ears are similar to mine). Not only will this episode feature a track from our 6th Bedroom Session —which comes from one of Saskatchewan's favourite sons, the great Zachary Lucky— but it also features a track off of the new & brilliant Mike Tod record, two songs that have the word 'Mixtape' in their titles (how appropriate), and 13 other brilliant tracks that all add up to bring you one of the nicest sounding hours of your day. So press play and enjoy (more info on the episode + track listing can be found on HI54LOFI.COM)

After two episodes that ran a little bit longer, Mix Tape Radio is back to a brisk 60 minutes. EPISODE 011 also sees the return of Bedroom Sessions, although that is kind of a lie (if you want to get technical on me). You see, the 5th Bedroom Session comes from Tyler Butler, but it was not recorded in a bedroom. It was recorded in a church. But if you think about it, I'm sure god considers every church his bedroom, so in a way, it still works. And besides, when you hear the three tracks Tyler performed you'll see that they sound intimate enough to have been sung from the edge of a bed into a laptop mic on the dresser. You'll hear one of the tracks from Tyler Butler's Bedroom Session (the entire session is available to download for free) sandwhiched in between 17 other great tracks / artists.

The tenth episode of 'Mix Tape Radio On Folk Radio UK' is a 90 minute mix of some of my favourite albums / tunes. These 26 tracks are not necessarily my top 26 albums (in fact, the tracks do not come exclusively from albums and the reason there is 26 tracks is just because that is what worked out to make an on the dot 90 minutes), but it would not be inaccurate to say that at least 10 of my definitely top ten albums are in this mix (I think I'll post an actual top ten list in the next day or so). I'm a bit biased, but I think it's a pretty solid 90 minutes and well worth checking out.

Now, if you're like me, you have a complicated love some things / hate a lot of other things relationship with this time of year. Well, this episode is a mix tape-us for the rest of of us. Yes, it features Christmas music, but none of that Michael Buble/Josh Groban, sugar cookie sweet garbage that is being constantly played in every department store your girlfriend drags you through. These tunes capture the more realistic feelings that yuletide season brings out. Some of the tracks aren't even really Christmas songs. They just evoke familiar feelings that are unique to this time of year (like Harlem Shakes 'Strictly Game', which is my go to anthem for getting ready to take on a new year). Some of them are Christmas songs, but they are really good ones. Modern classics one might even say.