Friday Mixtape: Caterina Bianchini's mix to listen to "In your pants! On the bus! Walking! Running!"

Date
20 July 2018

With countless record sleeve designs under her belt, we knew graphic designer Caterina Bianchini would provide a brilliant mixtape and she hasn’t disappointed!

This week Caterina provides a mix of all sorts to get you up from your desk ahead of the weekend. Picking 11 songs (her taste is so varied she sneaked in an extra one on top of the usual ten), below she gives insight into her genre-spanning musical picks and the tracks she listens to while working.

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Caterina Bianchini

It’s Nice That: Why have you picked these songs?

Caterina Bianchini: Some of these are pretty old and some of them are fresh releases, but they all make me feel good and I believe music should make you feel good. Music is my biggest interest after graphic design, so making a playlist of only ten tunes was really hard for me. My music taste is so eclectic as well, I pretty much have favourite artists in every genre (minus heavy metal – although I did use to listen to Metallica and Slipknot as a “nobody understands me” teen). For this playlist, I focused more on house music.

They remind me of why I love music so much, I love listening to the tunes and listening out for all the tiny little instrumental motifs or the really low-frequency bass lines the producer has created that can only be heard on proper speakers. 

INT: When or where should this mixtape be listened to?

CB: In your pants! On the bus! Walking! Running! But maybe more on a Friday, to gear you up for the weekend! 

INT: Are there certain albums you listen to during the different parts of your creative process?

CB: Not really, I always have music on, but usually, I don’t have specific albums I listen to. I usually always have a radio station on in the background so either NTS or Worldwide. I sometimes listen to my Soundcloud but I end up getting distracted discovering new tunes. I work a lot with music posters or EP covers, and I find that the music you listen to while you design for music really influences what the outcome of the work is. So usually, if I am listening to something quite minimal or background music, I get really into what I am designing and I almost find myself in this weird intense headspace, whereas if I am listening to something more fun and chilled out I’m more playful with the way I design. 

INT: What records did you listen to when you were a teenager? 

CB: I grew up on RnB and hip-hop, so Nelly, Ja Rule, Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Left Eyed Lopez, J5, Outkast, The Pharcyde, Eve, Cypress Hill, Nas, Biggy, Kanye — I could go on for some time.  But I also had such an interest in music when I was a kid so again I tried to learn more about music and discover new artists. For a bit, I loved “Alternative” so artists like Wolfmother, Tv on the Radio, The Smiths, Joy Division, LCD, Nine Inch Nails, Slipknot, Nirvana, Interpol — again could go on for some time!

INT: If a feature film of your life was to be made what song would play on the trailer?

CB: It would be between Nina Simone’s Funkier Than a Mosquito’s Tweeter or New Spring by Karin Krog & John Surman. Both incredible pieces of music! 

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About the Author

Lucy Bourton

Lucy (she/her) is the senior editor at Insights, a research-driven department with It's Nice That. Get in contact with her for potential Insights collaborations or to discuss Insights' fortnightly column, POV. Lucy has been a part of the team at It's Nice That since 2016, first joining as a staff writer after graduating from Chelsea College of Art with a degree in Graphic Design Communication.

lb@itsnicethat.com

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