my all-time favorite dj mixes3 min read

Blech 20.1 by DJ Food

as i am sitting here getting totally exited about blech 20.1, the dj mix strictly kev did a few months ago for the warp 20 celebrations, i can’t help but think that the dj mix, when done with such innovation and perfection, can be an artform in its own right. i especially like dj mixes that go all over the place musically, that tell a story and that use lots of spoken word samples to splice things up. this one is bloody brilliant. again…

i decided to make a list of my all-time-favorite dj mixes, you’ll notice quite a few by strictly kev, can’t be helped i guess, he really is up there:

1. Coldcut: 70 Minutes Of Madness [1995] – this mix dates back to 1995, it still stands out for sheer genius in the musical combination and the sense of humor with the word samples. and yes, strictly kev was envolved…

2. Strictly Kev and PC: Blech II: Blechsd̦ttir [1996] Рanother classic, this one dating from 1996. for this mix strictly kev and pc were asked to dig through the crates of warp label backstock to create a hip hop mix with electronic music.

3. Osymyso: 4AM Eternal [2000] – this mix was actually glued to one of them magazines, mixmag as it occurs, but it is so goddamn brilliant i still love it every time i listen to it. the tracks always add to each other, musically all harmonies are spot on, great and really funny samples. incidentally this introduced me to osymyso’s work and he has quite a few other brilliant mixes out there: The Art of Flipping Channels [2005] or more recently Warp20 (Elemental) [2009]

4. DJ Spooky that subliminal kid: Live without Dead Time [2003] – musically often complicated i still love this mix for the relevance it had. produced in conjunction with adbusters magazine to protest the war in iraq the mix really drives a political message like no other mix i have ever heard.

5. DJ Food: Raiding [2005] – strictly kev, jup him again, pretty much manages to create the definitive field guide to sampling and remixing, introducing many examples of how musicians through out the ages have used each others work to create new stuff. he also manages to cram 167 tracks into 58 minutes. its a very busy, cut-and-pasty affair, but sheer brilliance.

6. Peanut Butter Wolf: Badmeaningood [2003] – i added this mix as a representative for the whole series, the other mixes were done by Skitz & Volume, Roots Manuva and Scratch Perverts, all of them are sporting original artwork by Banksy, and to me these are the definitive example of how a modern hip hop mix should look like. i chose the peanut butter wolf mix for the exquisite crate digging at the start, where he uncovers some outstanding disco and funk tracks from the 60s and 70s and mixes them in flawless fashion.

7. Kruder&Dorfmeister: DJ-Kicks [1996] – another classic, and a very solid mix. not much else i can say about it.

8. Strictly Kev and DK: Now, Listen [2001] – Mirrors in the Bathroom mixed up with the drum’n’bass beats of Mask, enough said really… the solid steel mixes all are great.

9. 2 many dj’s: as heard on radio soulwax pt.2 [2002] – the whole mix demonstrates what mashup is all about. fun.

10: Andrew Weatherall: Hypercity [2001] – this mix would probably be the closest to what people generally think of as a dj mix. its a solid minimal house mix of forcetracks gems. dark and funky. perfect late night driving music.

and now enjoy part 2 of blech 20, meow…

Blech 20.2 by DJ Food

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