WE LOVE THE 90S MEGAMIX

WE LOVE THE 90S MEGAMIX

Approach and Methodology

My approach to this megamix was to look at it as a mix production and not a mix set.  When the organizer explained that he wanted us to provide "self produced megamix", I understood immediately that he was thinking of a megamix production that was reminiscent of the era and style when DJs would create megamixes using reel to reel machines or multi-track digital recorders.  In essence, it would be a medley of many songs in just a short span of time.  There are a few ways of creating megamixes, such as using a primary beat throughout the mix and arrange and layer the samples in a way that sounds good.  In this example, I did not use a primary beat and instead used traditional methods such as beatmatching (8, 12, 16 measures)  and in some cases beat switching.  I also used my knowledge of mashing up songs to add an extra element to this mix by creating new compositions using acapellas, instrumentals, and samples from the 90s.  

I'm not an expert in creating megamixes and some pros that are may argue that this megamix is more of a quick mix, since a true megamix may contain significantly more samples such as 100 tracks in just fifteen minutes, where I used around 37 tracks. 

The mix contest had some important guidelines.  It had to be between 10 - 15 minutes long and it had to include hit songs from artists that are performing at WLT90s2015.  The following artist had to be in this mix:

1. Shaggy (US)
2. Scooter (DE)
3. 2 Unlimited (NL)
4. E-type (SE)
5. Safri Duo (DK)
6. Lou Bega (DE)
7. Rednex (SE)
8. Alice DeeJay (NL)
9. Solid Base (SE) Twenty 4 Seven (NL)

This proved to be challenging since I had to make sure that the songs I chose by the required artists would work well with each other.  Also, I wanted to be able to include other hit songs from the 90s to fill out the mix.  It would have been cool if I could have just used material from each artists' discography, but that would have been another limitation in addition to the contest's requirements.  So I took the path of least resistance and decided to include other hit's from the 90s and mix them with songs from the required artists, with focus on the main artists.  I got approval from the contest organizer first before proceeding with this plan.

The first step in creating this mix was to sit and with a pen and paper, sketch out a plan for arranging the tracks together.  This gave me an idea of what tracks I would definetely use from the main artists (i.e. "No Limit", "Angels Crying").  I also created a rough draft of other 90s music I could include in this mix to fill out the mix and bridge the required songs together.  

The first challenge I noted was that it would be difficult mixing Shaggy and Lou Bega in this mix, which would mostly consist of uptempo Euro Dance music.  Shaggy and Lou Bega's hits were mostly low tempo tracks (80-95 BPM Hip-Hop, Reggae, SynthPop).  In addition, there were no uptempo remixes of those artists from that era that I could take advantage of for this project.    There was however, an acapella of Shaggy's "It Wasn't Me" and I decided that an uptempo mashup would be my starting point for this megamix.  After auditioning a few samples, I decided on using the instrumental of Marky Mark's "Good Vibrations".  

Now there were two issues with this track.  First, an official instrumental of the album version was never released.  I actually went on www.discogs.com to purchase the 12", which contained a tracked called  Good Vibrations (Boomin' Beats For Marky's Jeep - Instrumental Dub).  

http://www.discogs.com/Marky-Mark-The-Funky-Bunch-Good-Vibrations/release/199574
 
However, after  purchasing the vinyl and listening to that track, I realized that it was not the actual album instrumental, but more of a remix dub.  I actually wanted to use the familiar beat from the actual album version, so I compromised and purchased a karaoke version of the instrumental.  

The second issue was that the song's key was in G#m and the vocal from "it wasn't me" was in G minor.   What I did was alter the key of the instrumental one semitone so that it would fit the singing vocal much better.  I also time-stretched the acapella to 128 bpm from it's original bpm of 96.   

This method allowed me to mashup Shaggy with a beat that I could  now fit with the overall sound of the mix.  

The next required artist that I would use in this mix would be 2 Unlimited.  However, I did not find that mixing any of their songs into the beat of "Good Vibrations" sounded good.  Therefore, I used a "transitional" song to get me from "Good Vibrations" to "Twilight Zone".  This was Reel 2 Reel "I like to Move it".  To make the transitional song sound interesting during the segment and mask the transition I mashed it up with vocal elements from Technotronic, Mighty Dub Katz, Mr. Lee, 20 Fingers, Tag-Team, and C&C Music Factory.  Even when I finally was in the song "Twilight Zone", I still kept a vocal bit from "I like to move it" to give it some reference to the previous track that was used.  These techniques are used to trick the listener so that they think they are still in song A but are really in song B. 

I would use these techniques thought the mix to bridge the songs from the required artists, fill out the mix, and provide some ear candy to the listener.  I tried not to stay too long on a song (8 / 16 measures).  I would also sample melodies on some minimal beats to help transition to the next segment of the megamix.  In this case, sampling the melody of Snap "Rhythm is a Dancer" under the beat of 2 Unlimited "No Limit", during the chorus of "No Limit".  I then used that melody from "Rhythm is a Dancer" to transition to the actual album version and sample the vocal from the required artist/song, Rednex "Cotton Eye Joe".

If I felt an original song from a required artist would not work within the mix, I would then see if it was possible to remix the vocal with an instrumental from the 90s that would work.  I did this for tracks such as "Cotton Eye Joe" and "It wasn't me".  Using the beat from "Rhythm is a Dancer" allowed me to transition to Safri Duo "Played Alive" from 2 Unlimited "No Limit".

While I wanted this megamix to play the songs short (8 - 16 measures), there were some areas where I decided to play them longer because of the nature of the vocal I was mashing it up with.  One example was Alice Deejay "Better Off Alone" remixed with the vocal from Everything But the Girl "Missing".  I felt the vocal harmonized well with the beat and wanted the listener to enjoy it for the duration of the verse and chorus.  

It's also worth noting that I tried to make this mix, with all the tracks involved, key compatible.  I relied on tweaking the root key of some tracks to make them work with other songs.  For example, I changed the key of Alice Deejay "Better off Alone" from G#m to Am so that it would work with the vocal from Everything But the Girl "Missing".  I altered the keys of "Magic Carpet Ride", "Slave to the Music", "Rhythm is a Dancer", "This is how we do it", Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom, and "Better off alone".

 All the mashups that were used in this mix were created specifically for this project.  In other words, I had not produced those mashups previously.


Although the 90s is not an era I work with primarily as a DJ, I did have a mix-show for many years on Radio 1075 (Stockholm) where I would mix 90s music on-air during their lunch hour.  I've also had extensive experience mixing daily for The Voice and NRJ Radio.  I think having that background helped in shaping my ideas for this mix.  My experience in producing mashups/edits also contributed to how this mix sounded overall.  

There were some challenges I had in making this mix.  One main issue was that I did not have all the music available in the studio.  I did alot of research on www.discogs.com to find out what original or remix versions were released during the 90s, as well as dub, instrumental, and acapella tracks.  I wanted to make the mix using actual tracks from that era.  If I could not find the track on any one of my music sources, I would then go and purchase the CD Maxi or 12" at www.discogs.com.  It took a while to get all the source tracks in the studio.  I also want to thank Vladislav Chavine for being kind enough to help me rip some of the vinyl tracks to digital.

The second challenge was that I was not able to get an authentic instrumental to Marky Mark's "Good Vibration" and authentic acapella to "Missing" by Everything But The Girl.  There never was a release of these two tracks officially and there were no leaks on the Internet.  To solve this I used a cover version.  I wasn't 100% pleased with this but after listening to the mix a few times I got used to the cover tracks.

The third challenge was including Lou Bega - Mambo No 5 into this mix.  The song was the outlier of the project.  It just didn't fit in with the Euro House style of the rest of the artists/tracks.  There was no 90s era remix that worked well and there was no acapella available.  As a result I ended the high energy set with Scooter and proceeded to make my own little mashup of two of Lou Bega's popular songs, which sounded very similar to one another.

I spent quite a bit of time thinking up the structure of the mix, procuring the music, auditioning the samples, arranging the tracks, and recording the mix.  When I was not working in the studio preparing for my gigs or being a full time dad, I would spend few hours in the night time working on this project.  Total time was around 12 hours from thought to execution.

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Spinning Mix - A one hour music filled workout

Recently, I was commissioned by a fitness instructor that works for a large fitness chain in Scandinavia to produce two 1-hour mixes for his Spinning class.  The mix had some requirements.  The first ten minutes was a warm up set that actually started with high intensity music for five minutes followed by a less intense track for another five minutes.  Then the next thirty five minutes is the "meat" of the mix and builds in intensity.  The last fifteen minutes is a "cool down" section where I decided to incorporate some chilled "dubstep" tracks that had a euphoric tone to them and eliminate any hard drops that are associated with that style.  I hope you enjoy it!!

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Aronsborg Night Club - November 2012

Last week I had the pleasure of headlining one of the biggest parties in Bålsta, Sweden.  The day started after my Friday gig at my residency at Havana Nightclub.  Me and my pal Magnus took an 7 a.m. flight out of Kristiansand and arrived in Stockholm at 10.30.  We were picked up and shuttled to the hotel where the venue is located.  I got a chance to see the different rooms in the nightclub and check out the fantastic rig they set up for my performance before crashing in my bed for some needed sleep.





After some sleep and a pizza run, I relaxed in my room and went over some battle weapons I knew I'd be dropping tonight.  Made some finishing touches to some of my edits and bootlegs and headed off to the venue.

The gig went off extremely well.  They had a very professional staff, excellent sound and light technicians.  The warm up DJ was playing hard and the crowd was already loving it.  When it was time for me to take over they were ready for mayhem.  I dropped many of my bootlegs which they ate up and asked for seconds and thirds.  The crowd was mostly 25 years and up so I also delve into the 90s and played them some fantastic club anthems from that era.  It was a very wide formatted mix show.  I played a bit of Hip-Hop, some breaks, Progressive House, got them dirty with the Dutch, and even got them skankin like headless chickens with some Dubstep.  They were a complete hot mess by the time the evening wrapped up. 












The crowd was amazing.  Great vibe throughout the night.  Big thanks to Andreas and his crew for bringing me down.

Here is a recap of the night:

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Why do I need to become a producer to become a successful DJ? Part 2

Continuing from my previous blog post on "Why do I need to become a producer to become a successful DJ?"

Now my questions is, could a superstar artist like Avicii mix that type of set?

My opinion is no he could not do it.  I believe that Avicii could not work in the same club every weekend and play a 4-5 hour set, keep the dance-floor busy by reading the crowd, making changes to his set, and deliver a great mix-show.  The reason I don't believe he can do this is because there is no evidence that Avicii has ever worked this way before.  His career started from a bedroom studio to guest spots at venues, to festivals and large arenas.  He's never had the responsibility to develop and maintain a club residency.  Mix it up for the same crowd every weekend.  Reinvent his sets so that he would not sound exactly the same as before.  

Fortunately, Avicii and other superstar producers have been able to avoid this aspect of the profession which is a reality to the majority of club DJs.  

I am not singling out Avicii in order to criticize him for this.  I have great admiration and respect for what he does.  He has talent making music for a dance-floor.  The reality is that we're two different types of DJs and yet the industry seems to value and reward him far greater than a local club DJ that is the life blood of many nightclubs around the world.

Nightclubs generally rely of making money from patrons at the door (cover charge), and selling alcohol during the night.  Clubs have expenses (rent, payroll, utilities, alcohol, equipment, and the entertainment).  If a club were to hire a superstar producer/DJ like Avicii every weekend and pay his fee, they would go bankrupt quickly.  It's simple economics.  Therefore, a club relies heavily on a solid club DJ that can mix it up for their crowd at a fraction of what a superstar producer/DJ commands.  

I'm often amazed that even in my town, a promoter or night club will book a local "producer/DJ" that has very few years experience mixing for a crowd.  That local producer may have made a few songs in their studio, but how does that actually translate to whether he/she is any good at rocking a dance-floor?  It's comparing apples and oranges.  If a producer releases a song, they instantly get a status of "Producer".  The song may be obscure, or never resonate with the local crowd or even get on radio.  Regardless of this, they have the status of "Producer".  But their ability to actually "DJ" for a crowd has nothing to do with that accomplishment.  That local producer may not have much experience when it comes to knowing the different music genres, eras, and applying that knowledge in a set.  And yet, those club managers and promoters put a higher value on the fact that he/she has published a song, regardless of whether that song becomes a hit or not.

Before the EDM scene became mainstream, many of us DJs were mixing urban music (Hip-Hop, R&B) which was the mainstream music at the time (2000-2008).  It wasn't very common to see DJs as producers.  Club DJs would play and mix songs that were released by artists.  (Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, Eminem, Mary J Blige, Ice Cube, etc.).  You never saw these artists coming into a club to DJ a set.  It just didn't happen.  They did their thing and we club DJs did our thing.  

But as EDM has grown and become essentially a mainstream form of music, alot of young talent that are producing music have decided to become DJs.  Or DJs, seeing the potential to elevate their careers, have taken on to producing music as a vehicle for becoming more popular and getting more gigs at higher salaries.

But this formula for success seems to ignore one important key element.  And that is the art or skill of knowing what songs to play and how to deliver a solid mix-show on demand.  This art or skill is something that takes years to understand and master.  Even if a DJ/producer makes a song(s) in a studio, they may still lack a fundamental understanding of what it takes to be a great club DJ.  Being a producer and being a great club DJ are two different things entirely.  Yet, still, the industry seems to perceive the "Producer" as having a higher value than a club DJ that may not produce music but knows how to deliver that music in a club setting.

I observe this trend with great curiosity.  I could spend the next couple of years learning how to produce music.  Or, I could spend the next couple of years perfecting the skill of rocking a dance-floor.  Because learning one will not translate to the other.  It's apples and oranges.

Please feel free to share your opinions and experiences.

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Why do I need to become a producer to become a successful DJ? Part 1

Last weekend I was in Kristiansand performing at both Tollboden and Havana Etcetera.  One night I was having dinner at a new restaurant, Atlantis, with a DJ colleague that I got to know that week.  We were discussing music, clubs, the DJ scene, etc.  At one point we got into the discussion of music production.  He asked me if I was producing music.  I truthfully answered "no".  And I got to thinking why is there such a value on whether a DJ is producing his/her own music?

Over the dinner I began to talk how it seems that today a Producer/DJ that becomes very popular with his music, can leap forward over highly skilled veteran club DJs that may not ever produce, but can pack a dancefloor.  Today, a producer/DJ can become the next superstar.  They can play at large festivals, arenas, and super clubs.  They can command up to six figures for a gig where they would play mostly their music for about an hour or two.  

I find the trend amazing.  I can see the temptation for young bedroom DJ/Producers to invest their time in creating electronic music.  They see the glitter and the dollar signs.  They follow their superstar heroes on Facebook and Instagram and dream of living that lifestyle.  I admit, I also have dreams of being a successful DJ.  But I don't dream of being a music producer.  

I've tried to produce music.  There is a big learning curve in understanding the programs, concepts, and theory that goes into making music.  Generally, it's body of knowledge that requires years of education at a school and more years of on the job training as a studio engineer.  

To me it seems ridiculous to go that route just to be able to come into a club, mix songs, and rock a party.  The skill involved in DJing such as reading a dancefloor, understanding flow in programming your music, and mixing, is what is most important when DJing inside a club.  This is my opinion but I believe it has great merit.  

For example, if a club were to hire a DJ/Producer like Avicii, they would pay him an exorbitant amount of money, cover all of his expenses related to his travel, hotel, and other items on his artist's rider.  This will set the club and promoter back tens of thousands of euros/dollars.

The artist will come to the club and play a set that may be at the most two hours.  The music will consist of only or mostly his music.  Now, the next day, a regular local DJ could come into that same club, and play every song that Avicii played during his set the night before, and in the same order and exactly the same way.  That local DJ would only get paid a tiny fraction of what Avicii made that night.  

The same local DJ, because he is a seasoned club DJ, can walk into any club and deliver a mix show for the guests, using songs from different artists and producers.  Maybe that DJ will use some bootlegs to give the guests a refreshing change from the music they are used to hearing all the time at a club.  That local DJ will be reading his dance-floor and make adjustments to his music programming.  Maybe he'll play a Progressive House set, followed by a short latin style dance set, and then sweat his dancers with a short Dirty Dutch set before cooling them down with a Hip-Hop set.  

That local club DJ may do this for 4-5 hours during the night and succeed in keeping the dance-floor busy and engaged.  For this work, that local DJ may only get a few hundred euros.

Now my questions is, could a superstar artist like Avicii mix that type of set?

Continued in Part 2

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Kato vs. Train - Turn the Lights Off vs. Hey Soul Sister (Mario Santiago Bootleg)

About two years ago, I made this mashup, which is what I call an "Inverse Mashup" where I take instrumental (A) and mash it up with a vocal from song (B).  Then, during the course of the track, I mix to instrumental (B) and mash it up with vocals from song (A) and just keep juggling between vocals (A) and (B).  I think it's a cool technique and I learned it from The Cut Up Boys who are masters at it.  

At the time, I did not release it for download because one of the vocals was not a clean studio, but a filtered version so I was never happy with the quality.  Now, I have that studio vocal so I have reworked this mashup and am giving it out for you guys to enjoy.  I have provided both the radio and club edit.  You can find it on the following link.  Enjoy!!

If you'd like a copy, please provide your e-mail address below and I will forward you a copy as fast as possible.
PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT THE RADIO OR CLUB EDIT

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I'm now an official remixer for Crack4DJs.net

This month I've been chosen to be one of the main remixers for Crack4DJs.  They are one of the premiere websites for bootlegs, re-drums, and edits for working DJs worldwide.


Crack4DJs is a sister site to the world famous Crooklyn Clan (CrooklynClan.net).  My plan is to prove myself on Crack4DJs and get promoted as remixer on Crooklyn Clan.  For those who are not familiar with Crooklyn Clan.  They have produced some of the most famous party break remixes heard on dancefloors.  Check out this clip so that you know.



Here are the releases that I've contributed to Crack4DJs so far.  Every week they'll be new additions from a wide range of music genres (House, Urban, Rock, Pop).

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