Grade: Overall: A-

Stronger, faster, thinner
Mixed & recorded July 2004. No takes, complete whim.

A mix of mostly German-style IDM-inspired techno/downbeat from the amazing Net Label Thinner. You should check them out, all tracks are free to download in high-quality MP3 format.

I had only tried mixing this particular style of music ("German Minimal Techno" for lack of being able to remember what all the kids are calling it thes days) once before and was just goofing around, playing a bunch of my fave tracks that I'd burned to CD. After a track or two I feel into this strange groove and decided to get the MiniDisc and start recording, and nailed a pretty solid mix on the first take.

Good points:

• Mix turned out extremely well considering I wasn't trying and hadn't practiced it at all.
• Not a style of music I've ever mixed much but managed to get a good groove going and make it work.
• Did a good job of dealing with tracks that cover a lot of different BPMs, styles of high hats and kick drums used, and atmospheres and moods.
• Still get tons of compliments on this from everyone: people who know this genre and/or the Thinner label, people who've never heard this kind of music, and DJ friends who don't mix this style of stuff at all (although my pal Jasno does a better job with this kind of thing, frankly.)

Bad points:

• Sent a copy of the mix to the guy who runs the Thinner label, who basically wrote back a long, snarky book-length reply, ripping the mix and me to shreds on all sorts of points, none of which I agreed with or thought mattered. I guess German DJ's never change the pitch or even much of the tempo of a track. Yay cultural differences.
• Made the mistake of trying to explain the mix to the Thinner guy and got ripped me another new arsehole. Note to self: people get it or don't. What-ever.

Grade: Overall: A (Thinner label master: F-)

Michie Mix Take 2
Mixed from a Dub Tones set on a Wednesday night in October 2005.

Good points:

• Managed to find a lot of dubby, downtempo material that featured guitar, and the tracks that didn't, I managed to layer my own pre-recorded guitar stylin's over and into them.
• Lots of tracks have hints of loops from upcoming tracks, and also loops in the background from the previous track, so that almost every track in the mix also has references to what was played before and what is coming up next. Subtle but I think really makes for true, major flow.
• These days (2005) I feel very comfortable in front of the decks as long as people are digging and deep into the music and ignoring me, which is my goal as a DJ. That said, people taking the time to say thanks, ask about a track, or give props to the music (not me) is always appreciated, and there was a lot of that.

Bad points:

• Honestly, I can't think of any. I was happy with it, not too nervous, didn't nervous-puke but had some medicated reinforment to help.
• The mix into the Saafi Brother's track (buy both their CDs now if you do not own them!) could have been better layered but I chickened out on the mix because it didn't sound beat-matched although it turns out it was.

Grade: Overall: A-

Comments:

Psyfunk Part Deux: One Booty Under a Groove
Probably a bit more prog/tech trance than pure funky-ass psy-trance, but it should still get your back-end moving. As usual, a mix of old, rare, & new.
Mixed June 2005, take #2.

Good points:

• Lots of good mixes where the tracks really blend together, mixed for 30-60 over each other and sounding solid and well-mixed, with each track complimenting and working well with the other.
• One nice "bang-over" or "slam" from one track to the Saiko Pod one that was just right, totally seamless and works nice as the harsh transition it's meant to be (halfway & mid-point through the mix, signaling the apex of the mix.)
• Decent track selection, some really great, under-appreciated tracks.
li>Great samples thrown in a few places, mixed well w/music.
• Don't care if it's not purist, love opening with that Peter Gabriel track, from his tragically ignored album "Up", and like how I mucked with the original to make it even more "psy" than it already was. Going on 60 years old and still brilliant, Mr. Gabriel is.

Bad points:

• Track selection could be better, more tech-trance and progressive than just funky psy-trance; should have named it something other than Psyfunk 2 and waited until I got together a mix of solid funky tracks.
• One muckup between mixes that I left in because the others were all really good-to-great and I like it when mixes aren't perfect (because I'm not, yeah?)
• I don't think The Infinity Project track fits the mix at all and I should have found something better, if even just another Kooler track (thanks again Philly G.!) Praying for more Kooler (Son Kite side-project.)
• I should have lead out of the Peter Gabriel track with The Mainline, which is more minimal tech-trance and then the Cass & Slide track, which gets funkier and more psychedelic, rather than the other way around, would really improve the flow. You mix, you learn.
• Should have found a less abrupt way to mix in the closing track but I was pretty tired.

Grade: Overall: A-

Psycoustical Sounds of Yesterday and To-Day
Mixed & recorded Dec. 2003.

A combo of tech & psy-trance with a bit of prog & acid thrown in for good measure.

Good points:

• Really happy with the overall track selection, lots of tech- and prog/psy-trance, a lot less "stompy" than the usual psy-trance and definitely not the dark/angry/pounding stuff that's dominating psy-trance in recent years.
• Some really great, long mixes between tracks that work together really well.
• The transitions between tracks, technically speaking, are almost all very solid. But not perfect, which I find boring.

Bad points:

• Overall flow isn't great, could have definitely re-arranged the tracks to make for a better flow through the whole mix
• While the mixes are good, the transitions from track to track could be more copacetic.
• More a CD to listen and work/clean-house to than shake yr booty. Depends on your tastes/desires.
• Not my best mix, but overall the first one I ever decided was worth of putting on CD. Too bad my recording of the live set I did with ethno- electronic tracks at "Ambient Awakenings" was mucked, that was a A+ set. Bummer. Death to MiniDisc - oh wait, that's what happened, the MD died.

Grade: Overall: A-