The sequel to my first “pretty techno” mix, Anodyne. Drawing on a range of classic and contemporary techno and electro selections with a melodic, atmospheric feel, there are tracks from legends like The Orb, Fluke, Luke Slater, The Future Sound of London, and Orbital. There’s also a healthy dose of dubbed-out minimal techno from the Kompakt label and some vocal-driven electro from Solvent, Safety Scissors, and Dapayk & Padberg. With 24 tracks in just over 70 minutes, there’s a lot of layers, but I think it all comes together into a moving, uplifting experience. Full tracklist after the jump…
I’m back with another DJ mix – this time it’s all about the 80’s! Electro Classixxx is a non-stop megamix of 34 of the best electro jams from 1980-84, and is a great introduction to this massively influential genre. According to British DJ and music historian Greg Wilson,
Electro is the missing link of Dance music. All roads lead back to New York where the level of musical innovation and experimentation throughout the early 80s period was quite staggering. It wasn’t one narrow style that never strayed from within the confides of an even narrower BPM range, Electro-Funk was anything goes! The diversity of records released during this period was what made it so magical, you never knew what was coming next. The tempo of these tracks ranged from under 100 bpm to over 130, covering an entire rhythmic spectrum along the way.
There was no set template for this new Dance direction, it just went wherever it went and took you grooving along with it. It was all about stretching the boundaries that had begun to stifle black music, and its influences lay not only with German Technopop wizards Kraftwerk, the acknowledged forefathers of pure Electro, plus British Futurist acts like the Human League and Gary Numan, but also with a number of pioneering black musicians. Major artists like Miles Davis, Sly Stone, Herbie Hancock, Stevie Wonder, legendary producer Norman Whitfield and, of course, George Clinton and his P Funk brigade, would all play their part in shaping this new sound via their innovative use of electronic instruments during the 70s (and as early as the late 60s in Miles Davis’ case). Once the next generation of black musicians finally got their hands on the available technology it was bound to lead to a musical revolution as they ripped up the rule book with their twisted Funk.
This mix bounces a number of different musical styles off each other, building up steam into high energy dance party. I was inspired by some fascinating interpretations of the blues by Kenny Larkin (in his Dark Comedy alter ego) and an Akufen track from the Blu Tibunl remix project. Then after a short detour into the “heroin house” style, I got down to business with some jackin’ house and then electro from Riton, Beck, and a medley of classic Prince tunes.
Where do you go from there? Ghetto house, Bmore breaks, and some straight up dance rock from folks like Blues Explosion, LCD Soundsystem, Blur, The Libertines, DJ Mujhava, and much more. I did lots of edits throughout this mix and even threw in a remix of Juney Boomdata’s “Cookies” I did myself.
The latest edition of the Meow Mix takes you to the beach! In keeping with the Meow Mix tradition, it features lots of uplifting, melodic tunes with some Latin spice and a couple classic anthems. It kicks off with a rare live jam by BT & Danny Tenaglia called “Blue Skies,” a longtime favorite of mine. Other highlights include funky workouts by Herbie Hancock and War, Aly-Us’s unforgettable “Follow Me,” Pete Heller’s “Big Love” and a little Daft Punk. Bob Sinclair, Basement Jaxx, and DJ Gregory are all in the mix, too.
***Update*** I added six more songs to this mix on December 26th, 2010. See tracklist for update.
Here’s a fantastic new mix from Shapeshifter, a talented DJ and producer whose mixes I have featured in the past. I’ve been rocking it daily since he released it last week and it’s time to add it to the collection. In his words:
Here’s a mix that’s been well over a year in the making. I’ve been collecting my favorite glitchy/whompy hip-hop-esque tunes and working them together into a mix. It’s finally finished, and bangs hard.
I honestly love all 21 of these tunes to death, and am thrilled I finally figured a way to mix them all together. I hope you enjoy them as well.
Things start off with some banging glitch-hop, then venture into crazy glitched out & wobbly dancehall/reggae vibes, back into some mindfuck bass heavy killers, and then finally ending with a little moodier funky selections.
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.
DJ Icey has been a purveyor of ravey ravery since the early 1990’s. Coming from the fertile “Florida breaks” scene, Icey’s DJ style and record labels (Zone and Tree Records) has always been about big BIG basslines and electro-acid synth noises. I’ve always found his music a mixed bag but he shines as a DJ, with impeccable track selection and on-point mixing.
The Essential Mix compilation was released in 2000 at an interesting time for the breaks scene; Florida’s electro-inspired, sample-heavy “acid breaks” sound was being edged out by the UK “nu-school” breaks scene that favored more lush, orchestratal arrangements paired with dark, devastating bass lines drawn from drum ‘n bass scene. Icey’s track selection reflects this, blending tracks from UK stars Orbital, Plump DJ’s, Freestylers, and Sabres of Paradise with plenty of American tunes (many of them being his own, and thankfully some of his best.) This mix also includes a DJ Godfather tune, a nod from Icey to the sparse “ghettotech” style that exploded out of Detroit and into the dance music mainstream a year or two later.
This is one of those mixes that stands as a classic of the genre, an excellent snapshot of a sonic aesthetic in transition, and just a helluva lot of fun to listen to. Track list after the jump.
