2007
- Another Day in the Mix (Live MPC Mix)
- Headphones at night (Live MPC Mix)
- Sudden Explosion
Summary
These were my earliest forays into mixing. After countless mixtapes and playlists for parties, I was thrilled to try my hand at making seemless mixes. My core rule for mixes of any genre is that nothing is more important than finding and developing a narrative in the mix. This isn't to say that I always adhere to that principle very well, but I believe technical proficiency (beat matching, delay transisitions, etc) is secondary to good track selection and putting the music, rather than your DJing, first.
These mixes are crude, but fun. The first two mashups were very fun to make and perform on my Akai MPC 16. Sudden Explosion was a mix of some of the trance, prog house, and breakbeat that I was listening to at the time. I had NO idea how to really mix trance, and that's clear in the transitions :).
2008
- Objects and Desires Mixset March 28, 2008 - Live set at Table Manners
- Bedtime Conversations - Oct 4, 2008
- Harsh Words//Soft Sounds Mix November 22, 2008 - Live set for a hip hop concert
Summary
I begain DJing at parties fairly regularly this year. The idea for Objects and Desires came as I was listening to a CD that had Glamorous playing right after World Hold On, and I noticed how well they fit together. This set is recorded live during a set at my favorite weekly party, Table Manners.
Bedtime Conversations was mixed live at the "moon half-new" party. It is one of my top three favorite mixes I've done.
Harsh Words//Soft Sounds was a very interesting mix for me because I received more positive feedback for this set after I performed it than any other thus far. I had just learned about dubstep the summer before, and this was my first, and only, attempt at DJing it. A lot of people at the show had yet to be introduced to dubstep, so they were just as pumped as I was to hear "leagalize it" put to a wobble.
2009
- :::Beyond Time + Colour::: June 14, 2009
- Give My Soul mix August 25, 2009 - study/ambient music
- NYE '09 December 31, 2009 - live mix for NYE @ Bienvenue House
Summary
Beyond Time + Colour was my first unequivocally non-linear mix in the sense that I did not DJ it live, and I had no intention to. This made it easier to add more music genres, and I often think of this mix as my first "cross genre" mix.
Give my Soul is probably the mix that I listen to most freqently. I did almost zero "technical" DJ stuff, as I just wanted a long mix of all my favorite IDM music to listen to when I study. I'm a bit disappointed that no one else seems to like this mix as much as I do, but I'm really glad to have a mix of these amazing music producers.
In contrast, this set I recorded DJing a New Year's Eve party has been popular, but I never thought it was particularly special. In terms of DJing proficiency, it's probably the best I have done thus far at cross-genre mixing.
2010
- Nice ≠ Beneficent June 21, 2010
Summary
From here on, my Djing output slowed down significantly, but I've made an effort to put out at least one mix each year. As a result, I had really high expectations for myself from each mix. This mix was also non-linear like Beyond Time + Colour, and I wanted it to be in that style -- cross-genre and filled with interesting pop remixes -- but better. I think I got a bit lazy towards the end and resorted to electro house. oh well.
2011
Psychedelic Stretching Music January 31, 2011
- Something = new(Old x Borrowed + blue) mixset December 21, 2011
Summary
Psychedelic Stretching Music was intended to be an ode to my favorite mix of all time, Sasha & Digweed's Northern Exposure. Sadly, PSM doesn't flow nearly as well as that seminal mix, but it was still fun to revisit psytrance and some more eastern sounds after a four year sabbatical from the genre.
Something = New(Old x Borrowed + Blue) is the most challenging mix I have ever done. I was determined to make a dance mix with brass music. That stuff is REALLY hard to seemlessly mix for many reasons. More nuanced recording means more dynamic range, which is great for individual songs, but stands out like a sore thumb when mixed. Pitch matching wasn't just desirable, but necessary. I really wanted this to be a HUGE mix that crossed several genres and still knocked. I played this at a new year's party, so I put an extended section of pop remixes in the last third that hasn't aged well, but I'm really happy with how the beginning turned out.
