From The Desk Of The Bootlegger (LP #34)

7 tracks you won't hear anywhere else.

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Apr 30, 2025

This week on LONGPLAY the broadcast isn’t polished, isn’t pristine and that's exactly the point.

We’re diving into a tradition as old as live music itself: the bootleg.

Long before iPhones filled arenas with blue light, before official "Live at…" albums were pressed on heavyweight vinyl, there were the bootleggers, the lone wolves in the crowd clutching battered tape recorders, smuggling sound across the static. Some hid mics in coat sleeves or cigarette packs, others risked broken gear and tossed tapes just to capture a moment that felt too raw, too electric to let slip into the ether.

Tonight's setlist is a personal archive. These are recordings I made, tucked in corners of venues small and large, from sweaty basements to open-air parks. Some sound like you're buried in the crowd, some like you're floating above the stage.

This is a mixtape stitched from nights worth stealing and a few other live, bootleg and demo additions to fill the gaps. As for the Spotify playlist, I’ve included as many relevant songs since you won’t be finding my bootlegs anywhere else.

Press play. Drift backward. Welcome to the handheld dreamscape.

Thanks for tuning in.

About varied/mix & Brainrot Radio Partnership

We’ve partnered with Brainrot Radio, a non-profit independent internet station broadcasting coast to coast, to bring our playlists to life on air.

Tune in live at brainrotradio.com every other Tuesday from 12:30–2 AM for the show, where we curate playlists that reflect the moods and energies of the midnight hours (though they’re great at any time).

The next day, catch our writing and the full playlist right here on Substack.

Listen along as you read.
Listen to the recording of the live show above while you read and find the playlist on Spotify below.

Thank you for tuning in to LONGPLAY.

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