When I “officially” started Bunker Tuneage around the turn of the millennium, the bunker was the unfinished basement in our old house where I spent most of my time surrounded by computers and all of my carryover stuff from my bachelor days. As we close out 2021 and our second full year of contending with COVID in its various forms (Delta, Omicron, v-next …), the bunker appears to be fully back in-play – at least conceptually. Largely, we remain hunkered-down in our house like so many others trying to remain healthy and COVID-free. It’s less-than-optimal, but it has become a way of life.
Bunker Tuneage has continued to roll on in mostly unabated form for 20-ish years now … but it has shifted over that time. I’ve said this for a few years now: my musical preferences have transformed (matured?) over the years as I’ve gotten older. The mixes I put together are of things I want to hear (mostly), and the way I listen to music nowadays isn’t the same as it was when I began doing this. The process of “active listening” seems like a thing of the past for the most part. Most of my music listening now occurs when I’m working, and so naturally I gravitate towards more ambient music that doesn’t disrupt my thoughts.
I haven’t completely thrown in the towel on “non-ambient” music, and if you review the songs present in this year’s mixes, you’ll see that I’m still listening to quite a bit of other music. The overwhelming majority of the music remains electronic in nature, and a relatively wide range of electronic styles are represented.
So, without further ado: I present the 2021 Bunker Tuneage mixes – released ahead of the holiday yet again! I hope you enjoy them, and as always, I welcome any feedback you’re willing to share!