My introduction to mash ups came from hip hop DJs like Mixmaster Mike, DJ Shadow and Grandmaster Flash as well as the likes of Coldcut, Andy Smith, Soulwax, The Avalanches and Liam Howlett. When I first started doing them I didn’t know anything about ‘Mashups’ writ-large and the burgeoning scene based around GYBO, Boomselection & Bastard (although doing them led me to discover the Mashup scene and that became my primary creative outlet for a long time). These mixes were a logical extension of loving a diverse range of music and being interested in sampling and mixing tracks. Had the technology not been available I’d have just created eclectic mixes, segueing one track into the other, but since Ableton 2.0 was around (was it that long ago?!), I decided to mix as many things together as possible. Simple as that really.
I did quite a few of these mixes but the following two I’m particularly keen on. Despite the diverse tracks, there’s a similar vibe running through them, they’re kind of melancholy and soulful, introspective and expansive at the same time. I think this vibe makes them particularly coherent as mixes, the mood shifts but stays in that general zone creating something more like one long tune than a DJ mix in the traditional sense.
Listening back to them has made me realise how much I miss doing these mixes and as a result I’ve decided to start making them again. Watch this space.
