Look up the career credits of one Thomas Kuntz, the man behind some of the most bizarre, whimsical and undeniably memorable depictions on TV today. Kuntz is brilliant behind the lens (with a wikipedia page to prove it), staking his claim in the director's chair for various iconic commercials, music videos and short films amongst others. His track record spans popular campaigns by the likes of Old Spice, Skittles, Axe, DirectTV, MGMT, LCD Soundsystem and the list goes on. Funnily enough, this side of Kuntz was unbeknownst to us until recently, though we had been following the work of his alternative and enigmatic disc jockey ego, Pinchy Don. The eclectically obscure sounds of Pinchy and Friends have been nourishing our auditory senses for some time now, so we only thought it right to tap the man for a collaboration of sorts.
For our very first store mix series we present to you a Live Recorded Mix by the don himself, Pinchy Don. On this compilation created for Neighbour, Pinchy channels the sounds and imaginary vibe of an atypical desert excursion. The physical mix CD is accompanied by our heavy canvas tote bag adorned with Pinchy's parrot logo, designed by Sean C Bate, specially produced in limited quantities.
Pinchy Don's Live Mix and Tote Bag for Neighbour are available for purchase. Read along below for a brief question and answer with our favourite music selector.
What is your first musical memory and where/when did your relationship with music start?
The Monkey's Headquarters album. "Mr Dobolina Mr Bob Dobolina." I still have it!
Can you tell us more about your online collective, Pinchy & Friends and what sparked it?
I had been making lots of mixes on my own and wanted to create a place where they could all be accessed. I thought it would be fun to invite friends and people I admired to contribute. And thus.. it began...
Who are the people behind the website and where do the aliases come from?
Just me actually doing it. The aliases are a way for people to contribute anonymously. For fun, really. The contiributors are too many to mention but here's a sneaky peak at some of them if you have the urge to look them up:
Trevor Jackson, Rohan Bell Towers, Eddie Ruscha, Suzanne Kraft, Chris Kontos, Glen Goetze, Dougal Wilson, Karn Piana, Darren Seltmann, Robbie Chater and tons more!
Who does the artwork for the mixes?
I either have people give me art for their own mix or I do one for them. Lately i have been having art done (by friends) for each batch of 6.
What was the last record you bought?
ATHON - Rock Fiction de Roland Vincent et Jean-Pierre Lang. Random purchase but it's got some gems on it!
Where did you trace the inspiration for the Live Vinyl mix that you recorded for Neighbour?
You hear themes in all your records when you listen to them and you say, "It would be fun to make a mix that sort of leans towards this sound or that sound". The fun part about making mixes is kind of tying these sounds together, albeit perhaps loosely. This mix was inspired by the Sahara Band track that comes on around track 5 or so. I had been tracking that record down for a while and when I finally got it, I knew I wanted to put it on the mix, so it went from there.
Can you shed some light on where the name Pinchy Don come from?
My son invented it. I stole it from him. He says I owe him royalties.
Learn more about Tom: Pinchy and Friends | Kuntz Manor