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I once heard that if a young person smokes, the nicotine threads itself through the fibers of that young mind and changes the way the brain develops and becomes a part of how he thinks. Whether or not that is biologically accurate, that process describes how music has affected my mental processes and experience of the world.  Certain songs have quite simply taken control of my brain. The opening track to this mix, Taco’s take on Puttin’ on the Ritz, is one such song that entered my little 5 year-old brain and has never left. The cheesy syths, the tap-dance interlude, and that quirky voice kept me constantly turning the radio dial hoping to hear it again and again.

And that describes how this mix was born. I was innocently listening to my iPod on shuffle and Taco began to sing to me and I was immediately hypnotized and began to gather a playlist of equally intoxicating songs (to me) that fell under the umbrella of cheesy dance songs. It spans three decades, and includes some of the standout tracks from 2010 that I’ve been obsessed with despite the fact that they aren’t cheesy at all. This mix was compiled for my friend Pawan who just celebrated a birthday, but I decided that it was awesome enough to share with the rest of the internets. Enjoy!