MIX - Hold On

The Bloke Network of Shows

Hold on because this is a bit of a ropey one! I enjoyed mixing this one. It's a style of mixing I get into - drop the record, push the faders up, sort it out in the mix. It might not result in the smoothest, cleanest mix in the world - but you know there a human behind the decks, not just an algorithm. I swing back and forward on the 'method of mixing' and what is DJing and what isn't. I started on the 1200s and Vinyl, but have done CD's, controllers only, and for that matter, even a live PA featuring an 808 and 909 (actual, not emulations). It's really a different method, which results in a different, well, result - and to me, also creates a separate vibe. Big room, epic, prog house for example - makes perfect sense to have a controller, like Sasha's original Maven, glitchy minimal, Monolake and the MonoDeck, but I think bumpy house, fast and snappy techno (Jeff Mills, Dereck May, etc) decks and the push and pull of an analogue interface just appeals to me. While the controllers allowed a lot more in regards to loops, effects, visually lining up breakdowns and drops (mixing by numbers), I always also missed a little bit of the unexplainable groove of two decks slightly slipping in out around each other - I suppose some people would just call that bad mixing these days! Like drummers trying to play along to metronomes, or being inspired by computer-programmed beats and trying to emulate them - there is no denying there is a strong digital influence to a lot of this music, but I think there is still a place for a slightly non-perfect, human element in its presentation. I guess it's a party mix? Maybe good for some point on New Year's Eve. Maybe, whatever floats your boat I guess.