What is Bunker Tuneage?
It is a labor of love.
In its most tangible and consumable form, Bunker Tuneage is a set of music mixes that are assembled each year around the Christmas holiday. There are usually three of four mixes in each year’s set, and the most common mix themes from years past are alternative-electronica, electro-industrial, dance-trance, and ambient chill.
The tunes that go into each mix are pulled from the body of music that I’ve listened to and really enjoyed over the course of the year. Since my listening tastes have changed and evolved over the years, so too have the contents of the Bunker Tuneage mixes. Each year’s set is a little (and sometimes a lot) different from the previous year’s.
So who is the “I” in Bunker Tuneage?
My name is Sean McDonough. By day (and many nights, actually) I spend my time working with Microsoft’s SharePoint platform through my company, Bitstream Foundry. I’ve always been something of a music junkie, and back in college (and for a while afterwards) I would occasionally DJ events and parties.
My music tastes are relatively diverse, but I naturally lean towards electronic music and the many forms that it takes – everything from ambient to synthpop to aggrotech and more. I love discovering new music, and I love sharing my discoveries with others.
Why does Bunker Tuneage exist?
I started getting “what should I listen to?” requests from friends and acquaintances in college. “I like Band XYZ; who else is like them?” is the type of question I would hear relatively frequently. My close friends would also ask me to put together mix tapes for them to listen to based on music they’d heard me play.
Well, mix tapes gave way to mix CDs. Mix CDs, in turn, gave way to all-digital compilations … and here we are.
Where is the “bunker?”
There is no bunker. Well, no real bunker. The whole “bunker” thing was something of a joke regarding the basement at our old house (seen on the left or above, depending on how you’re viewing this site). When I moved in with my wife, nearly all of my stuff (and PCs, and servers, and gadgets …) was sent to the basement. As a result, the basement ended up looking a lot like my old apartment (and college dorm room before it) with CRTs glowing, Christmas lights blazing, etc.
Some men have a “man cave.” I had a bunker.
When did Bunker Tuneage start?
I’ve been making mixes for a long time, but I didn’t start using the moniker “Bunker Tuneage” until sometime around the year 2000. At that time, I didn’t know that what I was doing would continue for so many years. Back then, I was burning CDs for just a handful of friends. That number grew over time, and when the mixes went all digital a few years back, a whole new group of people “tuned in” to Bunker Tuneage.
With so many people asking about the mixes nowadays, I wouldn’t think about giving them up. For me, they’ve become a holiday tradition and a way to share with my friends during the holiday season.