the soundtrack

As far as take away gifts go at weddings, you've probably seen a nice spread of kitschy goods from matchbooks with the couples inscribed wedding date, yummy treats and even living keepsakes like plants in pots. Having only been to two weddings in my life, when Lia married Victor and then Michelle married Jason, oh and Kenny Flynn's big day, I have no idea what "the norm" for weddings are anyways. (All were beautiful and fantastic and I cried my eyes out in joy, something I'm really good at doing.) Either way, I just know what to expect at weddings from reading blogs and watching sappy chick flicks. Neither, might I add, lays any real groundwork for planning your own but that's not what this post is about. What I wanted to talk about was what I do know well, music, and having some fun creating a mix that our guests could "take away' from our special day.

Most people know that I have been DJ'ing for some time, almost 13 years actually - whew! These days, I'm far less interested in playing clubs but I still have a strong passion for music. I wanted to make a pretty mix that we could share with our friends and family and a few friends helped me make that happen.

Pancho "The Cho" Santiago helped me master and track the mix and Jonathan Prestige (aka. J Luv) at New Step Promotions, pressed a hundred or so copies. Then, J surprised Cliff and I with a special insert that he recreated from our Save the Date card. What a sweet touch! Thanks to both of these superstars for making it happen. Truly music to our ears..

Check out the mix and download here.


Track List - Track, Artist, Album

1. Instructions    Deadset    Keys Open Doors 
2. Twice    Little Dragon    Little Dragon   
3. The Blower's Daughter    Damien Rice    O (Deluxe Version)   
4. La Cienega Just Smiled    Ryan Adams    The Suicide Handbook [CD 1]  
5. Black And Gold - (Sam Sparro cover)    Katy Perry    Sweetheart: Our Favourite Artists Sing Their Favourite Songs   
6. Know This    Alice Russell        
7. Sweet Thing (Mary J Blige cover)    JMarie        
8. Bloodstream    Stateless    Stateless    
9. Fortune    Little Dragon    Berlinmaster 
10. Sour Sour Times    Portishead    Trip-Hop Reconstruction   
11. Little Bit    Lykke Li feat. Drake & Mickey Factz 
12. Green Eyed Love (Classixx Remix)    Mayer Hawthorne 
13. Eyesdown (feat. Andreya Triana)    Bonobo    Black Sands    
14. Easy (Fabian Remix)    Dragonette    
15. The Eraser    Thom Yorke    The Eraser    
16. Smile   Télépopmusik      Genetic World                
17. Last Songs    Dntel    Life Is Full Of Possibilities   
18. Days To Come (feat. Bajka)    Bonobo    Days To Come
19. Stay the Same (feat. Andreya Triana)    Bonobo    Black Sands   

wedded bliss & the one thing missed

They say the one thing you will regret missing from your big day, isn't the small details or the forgotten finishing touches. Those things may nag at you if you're a perfectionist planner by nature like myself, but then you realize that those things never really mattered anyways. The thing you most regret is not having enough time to spend with the family and friends you love the most in life. Not getting in a few more hugs in or a laugh or two for the road. It's the one time in my life that all those people were together, and may ever be, and I hardly got a chance to tell them how much I love them and how much they mean to Cliff and I just for being in our lives.

So if I didn't get a chance to tell you in person, or get to whisper it in your ear, let this be a reminder. In this digital age, in this slightly impersonal but sincerely heartfelt way, thank you for being so wonderful. You fill our lives with love in so many ways.

The Hoffmans...

Rachael, Cliff, Sativa & Ca$h