Arnault CASTEL (acastel@indocarrsec.com)
Tue, 1 Jun 1999 09:52:45 +0800
Outstanding mix CDs? Well for me, the choice is obvious : Phonophile #2
(aka _City Lights_) mixed by Tadashi Abe (spelling?) of UFO. This is not a
mix per se, but rather tracks blended together. All tracks (absolutely all
of them!) are amazing. But where this CD really succeeds is in building a
climax. We go through different phases/atmospheres from mellow/Asian to
hip-hop then samba to jazz. I think this is the CD I listened the most in
1998 and it's among my top 3 ( the other 2 being - and I know it's not
original - Massive Attack's Mezzanine and Elliot Smith's XO).
Just got the Phonophile #3 mixed by Jazzanova (_Circle_). It's now on my MD
for 2 weeks non-stop (but this has not reached the cult status of _City
Lights_ for me).
Jonathan, what do you mean that technical skills can be artificially
over/underrated. Are you talking about the hype and all the blurbs in
specialised magazine. And what about "Panorama" by La Buena Vida (genre?
availability???). Thanks
Jonathan Takagi <jtakagi@millennianet.com> on 01/06/99 02:27:10
Please respond to jtakagi@millennianet.com
To: acid-jazz@ucsd.edu
cc: (bcc: Arnault CASTEL/Banking/ASIA/BANQUE_INDOSUEZ/FR)
Subject: Re: Thievery
Mark Turner wrote:
> Do you want it to sound like 70 minutes of the same track?
> That's almost what the Kemi & Storm one is, to me. Or some of the
> early techno mixes K7 put out. Boring! I much prefer DJ's whose
> musical knowledge stretches beyond a single genre, and who can link
> disparate tracks in a way that makes sense musically. I don't give
> a damn whether it's properly beat-matched.
After further reflection I have to reevaluate my stance and
say that Mark is right, track selection is really the most
important thing (at least for me) in a DJ set. But I have
yet to hear one mix CD that can hold my attention for long,
that I can listen to the whole way through. Another big
factor is that there are many in the DJ Kicks series (almost
all of Mark's favorites) that I haven't heard. Also, mixing
abilities are never accurately represented on a mix CD,
technical skills can be artificially inflated (ex: A. Parker)
or deflated (ex: J. Atkins).
Even though it's not the only criterium of a DJ's ability,
I still think there's some value to beat-matching. It's
one of the most powerful ways to merge tracks, even if their
styles vary wildly. Even when the base material is homogeneous
or uninspiring, some DJs (usually hip hop DJs) can make it
interesting, purely via technical merit.
Perhaps the idea of a mix CD is just impractical; in a club
I've been absolutely blown away by a DJ performance, but the
same excitement of both good music and ingenious presentation
never seems to make its way onto a recordable format, I guess
the essential context is lacking.
Does anyone have a mix CD that she/he feels is outstanding?
I have never been able to get a copy of the Coldcut JDJ one
that everyone seems to think is the greatest ever. I had
forgotten about the Nicolette contribution to the DJ Kicks
series; even though I haven't heard it, I remember the comments
portrayed it to be so schizophrenic that I have to admire it
if only for its weirdness.
Jonathan
whose new favorite album of 1999 is now "Panorama" by La Buena Vida
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