Recently Carey Ott, a friend of mine and very talented singer / songwriter, sent me a mixtape of some of his favorite funk and soul songs. We had been chatting about DJ’ing, something Carey was interested in trying out. As a sort of a guide, I wrote Carey a long email about what I think are the fundamentals of a great DJ mix. I’ve decided to reprint some of that email here, because I think it captures my thoughts pretty well.
This is not a “how to” in terms of a shopping list of DJ gear or a hands-on tutorial. Rather, it’s an explanation of the creative an aesthetic decisions that go into putting together a great DJ mix. The kind of mix that transcends the individual songs to become its own music document, one that will still endure and entertain listeners years and thousands of plays later. Enjoy the article after the jump…
Here’s a new build I just threw together from some spare parts I had and a very nice frame. It’s a blue IRO Mk.V track bike, sized 51cm. Originally from the BikeForums group buy two years ago, it’s got a custom color scheme and is in fantastic shape. It’s rolling on Suzue hubs I recently overhauled, laced to Araya rims – a very smooth and classy wheelset, completed with a Dura Ace cog and lockring. Truvative Touro cranks, Wellgo track pedals, a Cane Creek front brake & cross lever set, Selle Italia Laser saddle, and some sweet risers finish off this build in style.
This is my latest build, a 57cm touring frame converted into a tough snow bike with 700c x 32mm mountain bike tires and a rare Sachs Torpedo 2-speed coaster hub. The hub has an automatic transmission! When pedaling 0-10mph, it sits in a low gear. When you break 10mph, it automatically (and very smoothly) switches into a higher gear. No need for a shifter! These hubs were made in the 50’s – 70’s and a relatively rare. I had it overhauled at B’s Bikes in Greenpoint, and the mechanic wanted to buy it from me.
The frame is an un-branded lugged steel touring frame with lots of clearance for big tires. Interestingly, it has an oil-port in the bottom bracket shell. I added a pair of SR cranks with a 42T chainring and a brake up front for extra control. Risers with BMX grips and Brooklyn Machine Works caps finish it off in style. This bike handles great in any weather but is perfect for all the snow and ice we’ve been having.
I remember being introduced to Rob Playford, founder of the Moving Shadow label, at a club in London in 1998. At the time, I wasn’t familiar with who he was, and the friend that introduced me quickly set me straight: “You know ‘Tough At The Top’ by EZ Rollers? They’re on his label. You know Goldie? He produced his first album. You know 2 Bad Mice? That’s him.” And then I said “ohhhhh…..!” and ran back to buy him a pint and apologize for the blank look I’d given him moments before.
I dug up this mix recently and still really enjoy it. It captures some of my favorite Moving Shadow releases, catching the label at a time when it was split between the jazzy sounds of EZ Rollers and the harder techstep sounds of Dom & Roland that were coming to the forefront of the drum and bass scene then. This mix is a great tour of Moving Shadow’s sound, including “Tough At The Top” and Flytronix’s awesome “A Rosay for Rhythm,” an urban spoken word poetry tour de force. Mixed flawlessly by Rob, (under the moniker Timecode), it still has the same edgy, sophisticated and sexy energy that was the mark of this important era in d’n’b. Tracklist after the jump.
I remember the first time I heard “two-step” a.k.a. UK Garage. Having recently arrived in London in 1998 to go to school at Westminster, I followed the scent of ganja in my dorm floor and made some new friends. The stereo in their small, smoky dorm room was tuned to a pirate radio station and it was playing a new kind of dance music that I hadn’t heard before. I asked what it was and one of the guys replied, “garridge.”
At the time, I thought they meant “garage” as in disco and house made famous by New York’s Paradise Garage. They were quick to correct me: no, this was a completely different kind of music, the next evolutionary step from mid-90’s Speed Garage, and the predecessor to the Dubstep and Grime genres that rose to prominence in the early 2000’s. Two-step’s popularity only lasted a few short years, and inspired both strong loyalty from its fans and scathing hate from those who preferred harder bass lines and rougher, more aggressive sounds.
Nowadays it can be pretty hard to find a good, let alone definitive mix of this music. This mix captures all the top singles from the Locked On label, a sub-label of Pure Groove and home to some of the most famous two-step artists and singles. If you’re searching for a great two-step mix to reminisce on, this is it. Originally packaged with Muzik Magazine’s November 2000 issue, this is a flawless mix showcasing the distinctive clipped rhythms and sugar-sweet R&B vocals of two-step, which retain their funky soulful vibe a decade later.
Listening to old-school acid house often means listening to scratchy old recordings ripped from 20-25 year old mixtapes. Not this time! Back in 2000, Underground Construction, a Chicago house label known for releasing literally hundreds of great 12 inches, compiled and released an excellent compilation of hits from the Trax Records vaults. For those not familar with Trax, here’s a little history from Discogs:
Trax is one of the two original Chicago house-music labels (the other being D.J. International Records). Founded in the early 1980s by Larry Sherman, Screamin’ Rachael, Jesse Saunders, and Vince Lawrence. Responsible for the release of “Acid Tracks” by Phuture, “Move Your Body” by Marshall Jefferson, and many other records that shaped the Chicago and acid house sounds through the 80’s until the early 1990’s.
Mixed by DJ Rick Garcia, this is a journey through twenty-four of Trax Records’ most famous and beloved anthems. These songs shaped the future of house music and techno, with their haunting synths and acid 303 lines, as well as soulful vocals by Darryl Pandy and Xavier Gold. Essential and timeless.
Here is the second installment of my clipless / SPD shoe round-up. This bunch are all sneaker-style shoes, typically aimed at BMX riders. None of them are quite as cool as the Nike SB Dunks, but they do offer a better shoe than my home-made SPD Dunks and are probably a little cheaper. I hope more companies (hint hint Nike) offer SPD sneakers this year!
So if you’re not ready to whip up your own SPD Dunks or Adidas Shelltoes, check out my round-up after the jump: Continue reading →
Recently Carey Ott, a friend of mine and very talented singer / songwriter, sent me a mixtape of some of his favorite funk and soul songs. We had been chatting about DJ’ing, something Carey was interested in trying out. As a sort of a guide, I wrote Carey a long email about what I think are the fundamentals of a great DJ mix. I’ve decided to reprint some of that email here, because I think it captures my thoughts pretty well.
