It's been quiet around hereabouts, I know. Sorry. I took a couple of weeks off to prepare for and assist in the nuptials of a dear friend. It really was a great, if somewhat frantic, vacation. Not to sound like a sentimental prat, but it does one's heart good to see one's friend's happiness so apparent.
And then it was back to the grind on Monday. I never thought I'd say this, but thank god for work. Because it's summer and most people are on vacation it has been lovely and quiet 'round the station over the last week. I was able to work peacefully, headphones in place, for almost the entire week and, believe it or not, it really gave me a chance to recharge. I hit the weekend running, with the intention of mixing up something fresh. I had expected that my exposure to the wedded bliss of the previous weekend would nudge my selection in an uplifting direction. Wrong. It would seem my subconscious had other ideas.
It's not common knowledge, but I've become somewhat disillusioned and jaded towards the Promoter-DJ relationship of late. My last two outings have ended up being freebies; one promoter has managed to avoid me since the event while the other got busted and is incarcerated for an as-yet undetermined period of time. Apparently, getting stiffed is endemic in the local scene. If a party doesn't earn enough cash to cover its costs, the DJ is the last guy to get paid.
I want to make it clear; this is really not about the money. I don't make my living from DJing and likely never will. It's about respect for the service we provide. Without a DJ there is no party, just lights and a sound system. That service is worth something and the DJ should be compensated for his/her work creating the vibe. Hell, if I could get paid in records or gear, I'd accept that over dollars any day.
Back to the mix: I picked out some records on Friday night, anticipating an opportunity to record the following evening. When I got up the next morning, I had another look through the stack and was stunned by the selection. It would appear that the majority of the tracks I had chosen the previous night alluded in some way to mental illness, be it track titles, remix titles, or included samples. Tracks are as follows:
Psychological (Ewan Pearson Remix) - Pet Shop BoysThe standout track from last years Fundamental was also one of my favourite records of last year. A song about madness made all the more menacing by Mr. Pearson's remixing skills. First half of the track here.
R U Ready (Psycho Dub) - HyperdelicsA tribal track complete with tribal drums and samples of someone whooping and hollering. It sounds like a one of those cannibal tribe scenes from some B-movie; all drums and screams and big steaming pots.
Harrison's Ford - Unlucky BrothersA groovy little track built around a
Bladerunner sample.
Leon: Is this part of the test? I get kinda nervous when I take tests.
Holden: It's a test design to provoke an emotional response.
Walking on Thin Ice (Orange Factory "Larry" Dub) - Yoko OnoNice bassline on this one. Yoko sounds wonderfully unhinged warbling about somebody crossing a frozen lake.
A Little Bit Paranoid – Different GearGroovy track with lots of low end. "Do you think I'm going insane?" goes the vocal. No, but I'm beginning to wonder about myself.
Galleon – ClubberAnother movie sample in this one, this time from M. Night Shyamalan's
Unbreakable.
Elijah Price: You have a weakness. Water. It's like your kryptonite.
Not to spoil the movie for those who haven't seen it, but Elijah is the comic-obsessed nutjob who kills large numbers of people in an effort to find someone who can't be injured.
Killer - Adamski featuring SealSeal's first song. One of my favourites. Classic bassline. It's a pity nobody's done a decent remix of "Crazy".
Lazy (Norman Cook Remix) - X-Press 2 featuring David ByrneNothing fills me with rage like laziness. That said, the production on this one is anything but; Normie turns out a fidgety chunk of the bigbeat he's famous for.
Psychological (Ewan Pearson Remix) - Pet Shop BoysHere's the second half.
Lose Control (Freaksundertoneredub) - Zoo BrazilThere's this crazy little buzzing sound in the bassline that I just love. Just what I imagine neural feedback would sound like.
Where's Your Head At? (Sounds of da Future Remix) - Basement JaxxIt was when I saw The Jaxx's seminal ode to "losing the plot" in the pile that I started to get an inkling something might be amiss. This breaks remix by Sounds of da Future fits in perfectly with the apparent disagreement going on in my head.
The Creeps (Fedde Le Grand Remix) - Camille JonesFunky yet dark, Fedde Le Grand (of "Put Your Hands Up For Detroit" fame) manages to make getting the creeps a delicious experience.
Love’s Too Much (Mugwump’s Next Phaze Reversion) - ShapemodThey're all excellent remixes on this 12"; in fact I used the Llorca remix on Fizz. This one is a nice long, bleepy, techy work-out. The gist of the vocal is that the singer can't handle his own feelings.
Psycho – Romain Curtis and CeerylBrand new test pressing from Dutch label Spinnin'. Another gloriously bleepy melody with a rumbling undercarriage. Crazy.
Out Of Control – The Chemical BrothersOne of my favourite Chems tracks; the breakdown is just nuts.
Somewhere Beyond – Michael GrayThe mix ends on a high note with this sunny number from Michael Gray. An uplifting finish to what is otherwise a very dark journey.
See what I mean? What's amazing to me is the way that my subconscious influenced my choices rather like a word-association game. The negative things I was feeling about the scene and the music I associate with it coming to the forefront over the good vibes generated by the vacation and subsequent wedding. This mix is by far the darkest thing I've ever put together and may even be one of the best in that the theme is derived from such a raw set of emotions. I'll post it as soon as I've finished with my meager attempts at mastering. Here's hoping it leads to actual paying gigs.
Download Psycho Biscuits here.
