EPTDJ mixes are by far my favorite way to listen to music. What I really like is getting a mix that's just one track an hour or two long. The first time I listen to them is always the best, because I don't know what songs are on the mix, but I know the artist and I know the style. There's nothing better than when one song starts to fade out and then I hear a familiar sound mixing in it, it's a song I absolutely love. It's kind of like listening to pandora or other radio programs, but what makes DJ mixes better is the mixing.
So without further ado, in chronological order, Mano's Essential Essential Mixes:
September 16th 2007: Diplo, electro, hip-hop, variety
link: http://fiftyonefiftyone.com/2007/09/diplo-essential-mix-91507.html
Thomas Wesley Pentz, Diplo, is an American DJ, he's produced tracks for M.I.A. and has a unique view on electronic music.
In the mix he flies through songs and genres, hip-hop, electro pop, baile funk, dancehall and more are all present in this mix. It's a bit unfair to post full songs for this one cause you won't hear any full versions in the mix, but here's a few of the songs featured in this mix.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kgb6FxuaPQA&ob=av3e
May 24th 2008: MSTRKRFT, "we make dance music but we don't really know what kind of dance music it is anymore"
link: http://www.wiredla.com/news/mstrkrft-essential-mix.html
Jesse F. Keeler and Al-P are MSTRKRT, a Canadian duo with varying backrounds, Jesse was originally in punk band Death From Above 1979 and Al-P was in the electropop group Girlsareshort, there style is influenced by both and the end result is quite enjoyable.
The mix is based on the live set they'd been doing at the time, a relentless mix of house and electro. It's a wild and fidgety 2 hour set that's great for house parties.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBpUbaqrOCM
March 14th 2009: Fake Blood, house
link: http://soundcloud.com/fuse-oxford/fake-blood-essential-mix-march-2009
Theo Keating, Fake Blood, is a British DJ, he doesn't have a huge body of work, but his style of house music sets him apart from more traditional artists of the genre.
This mix is split into 2 halves, the first is a club set, and the second half is an after party set. The club mix is full of fidgety up beat house tracks. The after party mix has slower more atmospheric sounds but is still housey electronic music.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3lPocF6HuU
January 23rd 2010: Four Tet, minimal techno, idm
link: http://er7radio.net/?p=2883
Kieran Hebden, Four Tet, is a British musician with a unique take on electronic music.
His essential mix is unlike any other on this list, this mix doesn't have the usual radio interview or any of the inter-weaved reminders or what program you're listening to. Instead the mix is a pure 2 hours of down beat, minimal, and idm tracks, with a very relaxed feel to it. I love this mix for comedowns, hangovers, or just to lay in bed/slump into a chair and immerse myself in the music.
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http://soundcloud.com/four-tet/angel-echoes-bbc-session
(sorry couldn't find a youtube of the proper version)
(sorry couldn't find a youtube of the proper version)
February 20th 1020: Jack Beats, house, dubstep
link: http://er7radio.net/?p=2978
Niall Ferguson and Beni G are Jack Beats, a UK duo from turntablist backgrounds. Their style of house is quite different from the traditional four to the floor standard. Extremely heavy, wobbly basslines represent the Jack Beats sound. One of my top 3 favorite artists, a hard feat considering my personal playlist spans tracks from over 5,000 musicians.
This mix is a relentless barrage of bass heavy house and dubstep encapsulating the Jack Beats sounds. Featuring their hit songs, their amazing remixes of other tracks and remixes by other people. This mix I recommend above the previous mixes and probably above all the mixes in this blog, a must-listen.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uw_rLFGh-XM
July 17th 2010: Pendulum, dubstep, drum & bass
link: http://core.thomaslaupstad.com/bbc-radio-1-essential-mix-2010-07-17-pendulum/
Pendulum is an Australian based drum & bass fusion band. Using live instruments in their shows Pendulum plays a very Rock/Metal influenced version of electronic music. Originally they only played dnb but have recently expanded to include dubstep and house sounds in their music.
This mix released after their recent Immersion album is very dubstep centric. Their rock and influences can be heard in many of the bridges throughout the mix, at one point even just playing a metal track. Fast paced and heavy as shit, if you can't listen to this mix at loud volume it might not even be worth it, but if you can turn it up it'll knock you on your ass.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeOJDgAu4LE
July 24th 2010: Magnetic Man, dubstep
link: http://core.thomaslaupstad.com/bbc-radio-1-essential-mix-2010-07-24-magnetic-man/
Skream, Benga, and Artwork compromise dubstep super-group Magnetic Man, Skream and Benga individually are two of the godfathers of dubstep, and Magnetic Man really represents the feel and sound of UK dubstep, a never ending bassline.
2010 is an insane year for essential mix, this one coming out just a week after the pendulum mix. Sharing a few songs from the previous weeks mix this set is nonetheless in it's on right "bloody mental" as they say in the UK. Magnetic Man tracks and tracks from the individual artists who make up the group fill the majority of this mix along with other of the years biggest dubstep tracks.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxSMV8_1HPI
October 9th 2010: Netsky, drum & bass
link: http://core.thomaslaupstad.com/bbc-radio-1-essential-mix-2010-10-09-netsky/
Boris Daenan, Netsky, is a Belgian drum & bass producer with a melodic futuristic sound. Many of his tracks feature full vocal tracks, as opposed to the more common short vocal samples of most dnb.
His mix covers a wide array of dnb styles and it's all very danceable. I feel dnb is underrated amongst the general electronic community. I think it's a great genre though, and this mix is really great for people who've never heard much or haven't gotten into dnb. I highly recommend it.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeA6xOkTgng
November 13th 2010: Nero, dubstep, dnb, electro, house
link: http://er7radio.net/?p=4007
Daniel Stephens and Joe Ray are Nero, a UK dubstep and dnb duo. Their style revolves around big build ups followed by even bigger drops into extremely bassy beats. If you're a dubstep fan I'd be more surprised if you hadn't heard of them.
The mix starts with dubstep and flows through electro, house, dnb, and even more dubstep. Most of Nero's studio tracks and many of their remixes appear on this mix along with skrillex, sub focus, and a handful of french electro. My absolute favorite essential mix and my highest recommendation.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1VLaXoRRdk
December 11th 2010: Avicii, house
link: http://core.thomaslaupstad.com/bbc-radio-1-essential-mix-2010-12-11-avicii/
Tim Bergling sometimes known as Tim Berg or Tom Hangs, but best known as Avicii is a Swedish house producer. His popularity has grown quickly over the mere 3 years he's been producing.
His set features many of his hits and a lot of dual track songs featuring vocals of one song over the beat of another. It's a great showcase of the house style coming out of Sweden.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbB3z2fZ7PM
June 18th 2011, DJ Shadow, Simian Mobile Disco, Fake Blood, Skrillex, Live from Rockness Hip-Hop, House, Dubstep
link: http://er7radio.net/?p=5188 (download is all 4 hours in 1 track, google if you want one set in particular)
DJ Shadow is an American DJ (how rare!) and maybe the biggest name in instrumental hip-hop, a pioneer and mainstay of the genre. Simian Mobile Disco, are a British House duo, known for their hit song Hustler and their Justice collaboration We Are Your Friends. Fake Blood has his own review already. Skrillex is America's most famous dubstep producer, and practically defined the American dubstep sound by himself. All these artists have an hour set performed live at the Rockness festival held next to Lochness, Scotland.
DJ shadow performs a set of all his own tunes while flexing his finger prowess with some crazy scratching and mixing throughout the set. I prefer this mix to his solo essential mix from 2003(still a great set though), the smaller time frame turns this mix into a fast-paced relentless dose of hip-hop and turntablism, keep an ear out for the exclusive scratching and the hit Organ Donor.
Simian Mobile Disco, follows up with their own set of all their own music, a ruckus hour of house featuring many of their recent hits. Just as lovable as the DJ shadow mix, and a perfect addition to this dance addictive mix.
Fakeblood picks up with a just as addictive set of house music. A mix of his own tracks and his own selection of the years hottest house tracks. Hopefully you enjoy it as much as the crowd does.
The night ends with Skrillex, (who I believe was one of the opening acts, Essential mix be confusing me on this one). Regardless, Skrillex lays down a mix of American dubstep featuring many of his own hits rounded out with other classics, for an hour of hard and heavy bass music.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujLzS2aXDJs
July 23rd 2011: Brookes Brothers, drum & bass
link: http://core.thomaslaupstad.com/bbc-radio-1-essential-mix-2011-07-23-brookes-brothers/
Phil and Dan Brookes are the aptly named Brookes Brothers, a UK (what's with all these Brits?) drum & bass duo. Rising to fame over the past few years with some heavy hitters, I expect good things from these two in the near future.
Their mix is off the hook, with a huge array of songs spanning over 10 years of music. It starts out hard and heavy, gets housey in the middle and then ends with some dubstep and more dnb. If you're a dnb fan you have to listen to this mix, if you're not a dnb fan you have to listen to this, and if you still don't like dnb then I don't like you.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ydw7XAnW7o
That raps it up for the ones I really wanted to talk about and the ones you should definitely listen to if you're into electronic music. If any of the download links I provided don't work just google search the mix, BBC hosts them for free download for a short while after they air, so there's always mirrors floating around the tubes.
Honorable mentions: Scratch Perverts, Trentemoller, Justice, High Contrast, Benga, Crookers, Deadmau5, Rusko, Gui Boratto, Sub Focus, Toddla T, Caspa, Major Lazer, Boys Noize, Noisia, Boy 8 Bit, Afrojack, Swedish House Mafia, Basement Jaxx, Magda, and Wolfgang Gartner.
Other mix series I suggest: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fabric_discography especially the FabricLive sets
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Back_to_mine a slightly different series featuring more relaxed music for at home after clubbing music, the Faithless and Adam Freeland sets are superb.
Tempa label's Dubstep AllStars for any UK dubstep fans.
And I've enjoyed the few "Mixmag Presents" sets that I've heard, especially Mixmag presents Kissy Sell Out's Xmas Blowout and Mixmag presents Jack Beats: Bass-bin Bombs!
Download Links: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Essential_Mix_episodes
http://www.themixingbowl.org/
http://core.thomaslaupstad.com/category/essential-mix/
http://unknownclubberz.org/deep-house/912-bbc-radio-one-essential-mixes-from-db.html
http://soundcloud.com/das-boy/sets/essential-mix/
Fellow TLers recommendations
I haven't had a chance to listen to any of these myself
Essential Mixes:
John "00" Fleming 2010-02-12
Kris Menance & Fred Falke
Eric Prydz 2007-03-04 (I'm a Prydz fan, I'll be listening to this soon)
The Twelves 2009-12-19
Joris Voorn 2010-09-11
Booka Shade (looking forward to this)
John Digweed 10-13-07
Blame 2009-02-28
DJ Marky and XRS 2004-03-21
Sven Vath
Ibiza liveset: Annie Mac, Knife Party, Deadmau5, Magnetic Man, Zane Lowe and Skream & Benga
Martin Solveig
Photek
Fatboy Slim and Tula
Mark Ronson
Maya Jane Coles
Paul Van Dyk
James Talk 2009-09-19
Tiga 2006-04-09
Dave Clarke 2000-10-29
Above and Beyond 2004-06-06
Sebastian Leger 2010-03-20
DJ Shadow 2003-03-30
Gabriel Ananda 2007-01-21
Richie Hawtin and Ricardo Villalobos 2005-07-10
Mix series suggested by others
Global Underground, I've heard a couple of these that are quite good, but I don't know many
http://mixes.dabears.ca/main.html from scanning the track lists of these they look promising, I'm going to check some out then I'll give an opinion on them.
Let me know what you think. I'm always happy to suggest more music, not just essential mixes, so let me know if there's a style or genre you're looking to get more into. Now lets all dance and be happy!
More write ups coming soon!
