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Tuesday 4 April 2017

3 Sets of 2017

So far I've had 3 sets - all warm-up sets, and I've tried to do something different with all of them.  Although I don't think there is anyone that is there during every one of my sets, I still want each of them to be unique, for my own sanity, if nothing else.

For January I tried planning my set.  Literally from the first track to the last, I planned it at home, made sure all the tracks sounded like they should be mixed into each other, and made sure all the tracks I desperately wanted to play were in there.

It sounded good.  It worked.  But I didn't enjoy it as much.  It kind felt that I had taken my creative freedom away and turned my DJ set into a factory line assembly job - do part 1, then do part 2, etc, etc.

February was my sober DJing month.  Normally the most difficult set, but with being unemployed and hence not having done a full week of work beforehand, there was no need for alcohol to help me power through.  In fact, I stayed an hour longer after my set than I did in January.

We had quite a cosmopolitan, European crowd that night and I was stood at the front after, feeling very proud of what has been created.  It was a busy night, and the crowd were loving the music - even my minimal techno.

March started disastrously by leaving my suitcase with music and headphones on the train when I arrived into Reading.  Thankfully First Great Western managed to return my suitcase and it was game on.  Except by this point I was pretty damn drunk, and slightly internally raging - never a bad thing to have emotion going on when you are doing some form of musical expression.

Myself and Martin were going to attempt a back-to-back, but we decided against it after just two tracks each as our styles were way too far apart for a warm-up.  I think it might have worked were we doing the last set - or if we had practiced and found a common groove.

So instead, I did an hour or so, Martin did an hour or so, then I came on and did 20-30 minutes before our headliner - though it could have been longer as I didn't really have too much concept of time by then.  Apart from one mix, somehow I held it together despite my insobriety.

I also eschewed my normal minimal and played a more underground house sound instead, a bit like this track by Unknown Artist:


I miss playing house music.  I suspect that next time I do the warm-up, it might be more house-orientated than minimal.  Not that I have any intention of planning it!

Unfortunately we have booked two headliners next month so I will not be DJing (or maybe that is fortunate depending on your view) - you'll have to wait until 19th May to catch me next.


Sunday 2 April 2017

New Mix: Brexit

You would have thought that with being unemployed that I would be behind my decks every day and night.

Nope.

I've been practicing less.  And it isn't exactly as if I am the perfect DJ, and don't need any practice.  It isn't exactly as if I don't have the inspiration - there are too many mixes that I want to do.  It isn't exactly as if I don't have the time - though I don't actually have the time - or I don't make the time.

But then I just had to get this mix out of me.  A beastly, dark techno mix that represents my feelings on a subject close to my heart - Brexit.

Lots of anger, lots of darkness - some pretty tough techno inside - not one for a jolly, sunshine-filled Sunday morning.

There are a few, hmmm, different tracks in there, something uplifting, something unusual and a couple of older tracks to finish.  Though there is also a rather gnarly track halfway through which I think is quite a challenge to listen to.

Some of the mixing could be better, but hey, I don't practice enough so what do you expect?  Though I definitely hit the sweet spot in the second half for a while and I bloody well enjoyed that part.

Hopefully, despite the intentional darkness, it will provide more satisfaction than Brexit itself.

I've also created a new look for my 'brand' (sigh) - at least for the DJ mix covers anyway - combining obscure street art with a more caring, artistic font.  Maybe I'll replicate it onto my website too one day.

Feedback always welcomed, even if you think it is shit.