Less Cargo

I made this mix a few weeks ago to commemorate good friends that have moved to France for 6 months or so on new adventures in their lives.

The challenge I set myself was to create a mix where every track had a French producer or remixer, to prove that the French do make really good underground music - and to go over a variety of house music genres.

I like the flow of this mix, starting with more summery house tracks, then goes into deeper territory before going into percussive house and the beautiful classic by Agoria - Les Violins Ivres.

Then my favourite mix where I mix the aforementioned track into the Amine Edge remix of Ghetto Kraviz - upping the tempo and I was surprised how well together they went together when mixing, I had feared a car crash.

I finished the mix off in techno territory, and with a bona-fide classic.

I recorded it in one attempt, though I appreciate a few of the mixes were slightly off, either in terms of beat-matching just being a tiny bit off perfection, or sometimes my timing.  I am starting to think that at this stage in the Superstar DJ project there perhaps should be a bit more quality control, which is why I haven't really promoted this mix at all.

It is good, everyone I have played it to has given me positive feedback - but I know I can do better.

Tracklisting as follows:

1. Etienne De Crecy - Prix Choc
2. Dan Ghenacia & Shonky - Close To The Edge
3. Okain - Sleepwalking
4. Intruder - Amame (Dyed Soundorom Downtown Remix)
5. Gwen Maze & Jef K - Boy Meets Girl
6. Dan Ghenacia - Da Doo Da
7. Agoria - Les Violons Ivres (Super Remix)
8. Nina Kraviz - Ghetto Kraviz (Amine Edge Mix)
9. Jennifer Cardini & Shonky - August In Paris
10. Chateau Flight - Chichi Devils
11. Agoria - Code 1026

Less Cargo by James Winfield on Mixcloud

Massive Announcement

Dear Fans and Stalkers

It is the news that you have been waiting for, the first big announcement of 2013 – James Winfield’s first DJ set of the year.

Yes, I will be playing for Time 2 Groove on Saturday 2^nd March 2013 – between 10pm and midnight.  On the Flight Deck – which I assume is the upper floor of the two.

I am really excited, it is a massive opportunity for me to move up the superstar DJ ladder and just play some beautiful music that I love even more than my fans love me.

So much so, that I am even going to get a hair cut.  And I have ordered a new t-shirt, though whether it arrives in time is another matter.  I might even play some trance or some fake house.

The night itself has lots of local house DJs, is promoted by 3 lovely people, is only £5 to get in and they are hiring a Martin Audio soundsystem.  That is what fabric have.  Better than Funktion One.

Enough talking – please come.

Pavement Cyclist - Recorded Mix Number Six

I am not a huge fan of techno. I wouldn't normally play it unless I was in the mood and the crowd were up for it. 

I much prefer house music. 

However I hate pavement cyclists. They are a menace to society. I want rid of them. Now I am not a violent person nor do I approve of violence so I decided the best way to show my distaste towards the pavement cyclist scumbags that every day impede upon my peaceful pedestrian activities was to record a techno mix influenced by them. 

Dedicated to anyone who has had to move out of the way for those selfish arseholes. 

This is my sixth publicly available DJ mix and I have plenty more planned.

Tracklisting:

1. Marc Houle - Seeing In The Dark

2. Eric Johnston - Waiting For Weird

3. Clouds - Optic

4. Wolfgang Voigt - Kafkatrax 3.2

5. Excercise One - Top Score!

6. Soul Center - Dyr Bul Scyl

7. Vitalic - La Rock 01

8. Hrdvsion - Prettier Than That

9. A. Mochi - Black Reigns

10. Planetary Assault Systems - Sucktion

11. Traversable Wormhole - Where 2d Meets 3d (Chris Liebing Remix)

12. Dominik Eulberg & Gabriel Ananda - Eucalypse Now!

13. Mr. Flagio - Take A Chance

Why Am I The Favourite DJ Of Only One Person????? Hello...

Hello.

And I mean that in a camp, sarcastic kind of tone.

I'm sat here wondering what position I will come in in the Resident Advisor DJ poll this year, having yet again failed to finish about Jimmy Saville in the DJ Mag poll (though that one is a bag of shit and we all know that), and I had a glance at my DJ page on Resident Advisor to find that I only have one fan.

ONE solitary fan.

Only one person has me as one of their favourite DJs.

Maybe this means I will sneak into the top 100 as a total surprise, but maybe not.  How many years do I have to wait?  I've been DJing for over a year now.

Ricardo Villalobos is a favourite of 12959 RA users.
Sven Vath is a favourite of 6803 RA users.
Even Swedish House Mafia are a favourite of 653 RA users.

For fuck's sake - Skrillex has 332 more people that rate him as a favourite than I have.

Surely I am better and more popular than Skrillex?  I have a real name for a start.

Go on, show me some love.

Unexpected Update

Us prospective superstar DJs live an uncertain life between the realms of excitement and delusion.

I have actually been putting the hours in the last couple of weeks to practice, and I was looking forward to a good night out on Friday when the call came "Do you want to play for the first 45 minutes?".

I thought for about 30 seconds.

"Hell yes" was answer.

So instead of preparing for a night out, I had to quickly think about which of the zillions of tracks I have, I should play.

I only played maybe half a dozen tracks, but it all seemed to go well, and I actually got people dancing!  OK two of them were my friends, but there were other people dancing too.

I started with:

And finished with:

It was a really enjoyable 45 minutes, my first taste of CDJ2000's - wow they are superb.  Sub89 does have a really good set up.  I was perhaps a little overwhelmed with two Martin Audio monitor booth speakers at first as I am rather not used to that but all was good.

And the night I played for, Listed, was run by good people with really good taste in music, so I hope they have more nights in Reading at Sub89.

Anyway, back to my teleport, I need a beer.

Superstar DJ Career Update

So thanks to getting off my own backside, putting in the hard work of organising and running a night I have now had my second and third DJ sets in a public setting.

I played for an hour 4-5pm and then 8-9pm, and also a couple of tunes in the last hour but I had lost my brain by then and couldn’t concentrate properly...I was a little overwhelmed!

I would love to give you a list of tracks that I played but I cannot remember half of them because it was a case of pick them, play them and move onto the next one.  I didn’t have much of a plan.  However, I do remember playing the following, in no particular order:

My top tunes are always listed here.  I might take a pen and paper next time so I can answer those "what did you play questions".

There is another DJ set in the pipeline which is in Basingstoke on 21st July, in the evening and apparently I am allowed to play whatever I like.  Ho, ho ho.  Minimal mixed with Whigfield, here we come.

The next Free House Project is Saturday 1st September – though it would be nice to find somewhere else in Reading to play before then...not too subtle a hint.

Oh and here are the DJ stats of my career so far that I am sure you are dying to know:

Rihanna Request Count: Zero
Decent Request Count: One (I would have played it but I was going down a different route in my head and not enough time)
Blow Job Offer Count: Zero
Champagne Bottles Given To DJ: Zero
Grams of Cocaine Offered To DJ: Zero

Not quite superstar yet...

Death To Vocals (A Love Story) - My Third Recorded Mix

This is actually my third mix of project Superstar DJ, despite it being released 4th.

You know I like to do things differently.  Perhaps too differently this time though.


The other thing about it is that I tried to make it a concept mix, so not only just trying to pick music that flows but also that told a story – in this case a love story.  Whether it works or not I will leave up to you to judge – it worked brilliantly when I was in the right mood but in the cold light of day I think I may have ruined it with my "extra touches".

Before you ask - the love story is just a love story.  It isn't based on my life or anyone else I know.

I do not think this is my best, other DJs tell me you get more self-critical as you go on, and I think perhaps I am trying to run before I can walk, so for my next mix I am going to try to go back to basics, stick to one genre or two.  And keep the microphone switched off - oh well you have to try things don't you?

The tracklisting is as follows:


1. Azari & Iii - Into The Night (Nicolas Jaar Remix)
2. No Regular Play - Lookin'
3. Tanner Ross - 4u (Deniz Kurtel Remix)
4. Nine Kraviz - You Take
5. Noir - Around (Solomun Remix)
6. Luca C & Brigante - Different Morals (Clockwork Remix)
7. David K - Somewhere In My Head (Deetron Remix)
8. Pillow Talk - The Come Back
9. Duke - So In Love With You (Gummihz Edit)
10. Whodini - Friends
11. Human League - Don't You Want Me (Extended Mix)
12. Steffi - Sadness
13. My Favourite Robot - Wakinda Park (Art Department Edit)

And why - 

1. Azari & Iii - Into The Night (Nicolas Jaar Remix) - This is a brilliant track to warm up with, it comes in too parts and it builds up a romantic story.

2. No Regular Play - Lookin' - A super next track to build up the mix more and hopefully get people warmed up to the idea of dancing, and also it seems to tell a story of being stood up.
3. Tanner Ross - 4u (Deniz Kurtel Remix) - This is a bhttp://www.mixcloud.com/jamesthemonkeh/death-to-vocals-a-love-story/it more mellow and also a slightly sad track, with the girl saying sorry in a way.
4. Nine Kraviz - You Take - A James Winfield mix is not a James Winfield mix without a bit of Nina Kraviz and she develops the story by advising that she is poison for the other person's love.
5. Noir - Around (Solomun Remix) - This is such a massive track, and such a fantastic track - and with an increasingly bitter guy thinking "what goes around comes around"
6. Luca C & Brigante - Different Morals (Clockwork Remix) - A bit more of a relaxed laid back vibe with a guy who is coming to the conclusion that they have different morals and cannot be together.
7. David K - Somewhere In My Head (Deetron Remix) - I slowed down this track quite a bit, quite an angry vocal with the increasingly annoyed and jilted guy who just wants to get out of his head.
8. Pillow Talk - The Come Back - I love this song, it comes in too parts, one slow and cute, the other rnb (yes sorry!).  And yes, he wants her back.
9. Duke - So In Love With You (Gummihz Edit) - A cracking remix of an old track - minimal mixing, it didn't really need it given the direction I am going in.  Needs no explanation as to its place in the story.
10. Whodini - Friends - Hip-hop.  Yes, a track about the value of friends, and it seems like this guy might need them.
11. Human League - Don't You Want Me (Extended Mix) - Classic 80's electro track, and the guy still cannot get over her.
12. Steffi - Sadness - A very sad house track to almost finish the mix (and a crap mix into it, oops).
13. My Favourite Robot - Wakinda Park (Art Department Edit) - Time for a walk in the park.  This track goes on for quite a time and is just perfect melancholy.

As always I would love your thoughts even if they are negative.