The Mixtape 19: Timur Ptakhin

Mixtape 19 comes from Kazan-based DJ and music promoter Timur Ptakhin. A deft hand at curating independent music events, Ptakhin was introduced to Tatar music as a child and has since been broadening his knowledge of the region’s music through contemporary Tatar musicians. “Some of the songs in this mix I got to know because my grandmother sung them to me as a child. Others I came to know later on,” Ptakhin said. “This isn’t a strict chronology or a representation of Tatarstan’s multifaceted musical culture. It’s a collection of the songs I like. Many think that Tatar music is just tasteless, shoddy pop with a provincial flavour. With this mix I want to destroy this stereotype. The mix starts with a waltz from Tatar composer Salikh Saydashev, then moves to Tatar folk music, and finally ends with a variety show of 1960s-1990s music: from jazz and bossanova, to rock and roll and disco. Basically, it’s nostalgia.”