Category Archives: Mixes

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Skelp – Never Say Never (hardhouse mix)

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Another old hardhouse mix of mine dragged up from the archives. I think I recorded this in the summer of 2006, after a long break (possibly a year or so) from buying and playing this style. I had fully embraced both the sounds and the scene of techno, finding the hardhouse scene stagnating musically and the Scottish clubs to be full of absolute chumps. Every breakdown was accompanied by moronic football style chants, every dancefloor full of eejits with their tops off and there was often an unwelcoming, unfriendly atmosphere. This was a shame, as back in the golden years of 1997 – 2002(ish) it was a brilliant scene to be involved in, with crowds made up from all walks of life, all happy to be sharing the happy vibe (even if the music was often dark!). I blame hardstyle for the change, but that’s another story for another time…

Anyway, in the summer of 2006 I found a few tunes by accident that made me think that maybe, just maybe, there was a glimmer of hope for hardhouse (I was wrong). It inspired me to make a mix that took in some of my favourite hard tracks, and plotted a musical direction that I always tried to take with my longer sets, encompassing a few separate sub-genres, getting harder, darker and faster along the way and finishing on a toxic euphoric note. I reckon this mix does that – have a listen and let me know what you think.

Right click here and ‘Save As’ to download Never Say Never

Tracks
  1. Mauro Picotto—Lizard (Megavoices mix)
  2. Pranksterz—Jah Lion
  3. Rubec & Dan Basely—Closer
  4. The Chunk Brothers—It’s Time
  5. The Fast & The Furious—Thosak
  6. The Chunk Brothers—Bring On The Mayhem
  7. Nick Sentience & Tim Healy—Feel Surreal
  8. DJ Misjah & DJ Tim—Access (OD404 Mix)—
  9. Astra—I Need It (BK and dBm Into Orbit mix)
  10. Eufex & Jay B—Hypnotica
  11. Jay B—Rock It
  12. Eufex—Feel It
  13. Defective Audio—Champion Style
  14. Equinox—Immure
  15. Kernzy & Klemenza—Eardrums Pop
  16. Little Jon & Tim Priestly—Rock The Beat
  17. Chris C & The Doctor—Naked
  18. James Nardi & Julian Dwyer—Mad Dogs (Ben Stevens remix)
  19. Matt Rains—The Claw
  20. RR Fierce & DMF—Rock Da Spot
  21. Andy K & Lee Mills—In My House
  22. Phil Cogan—Alley Cat
  23. Jon Doe—Here Comes That Sound
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JD Pleks – Rallying Call (techhouse mix)

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I recorded this full-on techhouse mix back in August of this year (2010) but have sat on it for a couple of months as I wasn’t too sure about it – I was worried that the middle section was a little too samey for listening to, but one of my friends (thanks Stephen!) said:
‘Aye, it might be a bit similar for a wee bit, but it’s seamless and if you were in a club you would get well lost in it before the sprint to the finish’.

Now thats what I wanted to call it, but it was far too long a title, so I have abstracted the name from the mix. What does it, and the image mean? I guess you’ll have to work that one out for yourselves, maybe while you’re getting lost in the middle section of the mix?

Right Click here and ‘Save As’ to download Rallying Call

Tracks:

  1. Reminimalized – Alex Young
  2. Money (Babydoc & SJ Mix) – T-Roks
  3. Es la Vida (Format:B Remix) – Daniel Steinberg
  4. Get Come – Sila Guney
  5. Norrecs 24h Street Carnival – Schadenfreude
  6. Voodoo Palace (Khainz Remix) – Squoid
  7. Macedonio (Manel Diaz Remix) – Juan Ddd
  8. Sub-Sonic – Audio Dolls
  9. Pandoras Box – Echo Vacio
  10. Techno Killed The Cat – Sinisa Tamamovic
  11. Fly-By-Wire – Koen Groeneveld
  12. Mudma – SeeGee
  13. Responding To Dynamic (Koen Groenveld Remix) – Umek
  14. Reminimalized (Glitter remix) – Alex Young
  15. Drumrush (tribalism2002 re-edit) – Thimo U.S.
  16. Work This data – Umek

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JD Pleks – AtmosFerric (techno mix)

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This 75 minute mix reflects a further (r)evolution in my  techno style – I’m not too sure how to describe it really, other than it has elements of my earlier demos Room to Breathe, Shifting Perspective and the overall intensity ‘arc’ of Weeping Angels. There’s a lot of big kicks and shelves of bass with long flowing mixes so that the transitions are very easy on the ear. I think of this as ‘heads down’ techno, and its the kind of music that gets my feet stomping and my fists pumping but still has a lot of space between the sounds – this is a lot different from the music I played a few years ago but I haven’t totally lost my hardcore!

I hope you enjoy it – right click here and choose ‘Save As’ to download AtmosFerric

Tracks

  1. Freakshow (Format B Remix) – Channel X
  2. Michigan Lake – Jonas Kopp
  3. Sardinian Clan – Alessio Mereu
  4. Mancing Dachine – Scalameriya
  5. Etecite (Heib’s Truth Facing Fight For Love Remix) – Sackrai
  6. Playing with Fire – Alessio Mereu
  7. Innocuous Clouds – Technasia
  8. Pelvic Thrust – Channel X
  9. Dark Church – Gaiser
  10. The Worker – Azari & III
  11. Jail Signal – Marco Bailey
  12. Razkaz – Marcel Fengler
  13. Mind – Xhin
  14. Azzekkatek – Flavio Diaz
  15. Hydrant – Virgil Enzinger
  16. Tethys – A.Paul
  17. Thwack – Marcel Fengler
  18. Mono Tactics – Axel Sohns

right click here and choose ‘Save As’ to download AtmosFerric

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Span Decks – Manifesto (Eighties mix)

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I love a lot of things about the 80s. I love the fact that all my teen years were spent in that decade – I had a back perm, a Raleigh Super Burner, Sta-Prest trousers, poser belts and the Atari 2600 (Pacman ON YOUR TELLY!). In 1983 Aberdeen won the European Cup-Winners Cup in  Gothenburg (Here we go!). The Beastie Boys had their first UK tour in 1987 which had the tabloids in a frenzy and 17 year old boys like me wearing VW badges and drinking budweiser. It’s no wonder that I look back on the music that was made in those years with a great deal of warm nostalgia – I guess that’s why I now have this alter-ego of Span Decks!

When I first started thinking about djing 80s music, I decided quite early on that anything I did for recordings I should be able to reproduce live, in a club, without too much pre-planning, the same as I do with techno, electro and hardhouse. This I thought of as the Span Decks manifesto, so when it came to my first demo, it had to be named the same. This mix can be thought of as a manifesto of sorts in itself – it’s unthemed (other than by decade) so takes in a bit of funk, rock, electronica and pop. It was mixed in one take using Serato Scratch live with no autosynching and no post-recording edits. There are some loops in there to help make the transitions easier on the ear though – no point having a digital djing setup without using it’s features!

I hope you enjoy this little trip down my memory lane.

Right click here and choose ‘Save As’ to download ‘Manifesto’

Tracks:
  1. Going Back To My Roots – Odyssey
  2. Axel F – Harold Faltermeyer
  3. Eye Of The Tiger – Survivor
  4. Nightflight To Venus – Boney M.
  5. Funkytown – Lipps Inc.
  6. Theme From S’Express – S’Express
  7. White Lines (Don’t Do It) – Grandmaster Flash / Melle Mel
  8. Beat Dis – Bomb The Bass
  9. Obsession – Animotion
  10. Ghostbusters – Ray Parker Junior
  11. The Final Countdown – Europe
  12. The Race – Yello
  13. Fade To Grey – Visage
  14. The Power Of Love – Huey Lewis And The News
  15. Call Me – Spagna
  16. Relax – Frankie Goes To Hollywood
  17. Blue Monday – New Order
  18. Super Freak – Rick James
  19. 99 Luftballons – Nena

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JD Pleks – Room to Breathe (techno mix)

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Here’s another mix from the recent past – this one was recorded in December 2008, when I was really just starting to find my feet with a slower, more considered style of techno. I had begun to tire of the very ‘samey’ sounds and energy in the ‘nu’ techno scene, and had been, over the previous year, discovering that I enjoyed listening to techno that had less going on, more space between the sounds and tracks given time within the mix to progress and get inside your head.

I guess you could call it minimal, certainly for the first half, but I reckon it’s just techno!

Right click here and ‘save as’ to download ‘Room to Breathe’

Tracks:

  1. Coheed – Nathan Fake
  2. Buenos Aires – Igor S Milton
  3. Shibuya (Rocha Lewinger remix) – Anderson Noise
  4. Pandemonium – A.D.M
  5. Hyperbolic – efflle and Jitzu
  6. Static (Christopher Manik remix) – Topher Jones
  7. Burlington – Bradler Dualton
  8. Eclipse (Locodice remix) – Oner Ozer
  9. Lost Memory – Oxia
  10. Runaway – Ron Flatter
  11. Dirty Game – Sinisa Tamamovic
  12. Keep It Going (Microdinamic remix) – Igor S feat Lady Brian
  13. Pan Pan – Koen Groeneveld
  14. Shady Rider – Sinisa Tamamovic

Right click here and ‘save as’ to download ‘Room to Breathe’

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    Skelp – MDM (hardhouse mix)

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    While sorting out my record collection I was reminded of the time when vinyl was worth something, and in some cases worth quite a lot. I decided to make a mix of tracks that either cost me a lot more than average to buy, were regularly traded for high prices or were considered rare before the advent of legal and illegal digital downloads. As it turns out most of them were hard as nails!

    The result is M.D.M. (Million Dollar Mix) – 73 minutes, 320Kbps MP3 file

    I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I did making it – the (hazy) memories came flooding back!

    Right click here and choose ‘save as’ to download ‘MDM’

    Tracks:

    1. D – D2A – D
    2. The Project – Meltdown (OD404 Mix) – Chug n Bump
    3. Paul King – Odyssey Pt2 – Full On
    4. Keiser Sose – Somnium – White
    5. RR Fierce – Panik – Fierce Technik
    6. Code 21 – Wanna Play House (OD404 Remix) – DP
    7. E-Trax – Let’s Rock (Karim Mix) – White
    8. Lab 4 – Reformation 2 (OD404 Mix) – Alien Trax
    9. Karim – Taliban – White
    10. Paul Glazby – Kick It – Vicious Circle
    11. Karim – Mass Hysteria – Alien Trax
    12. RR Fierce & DMF – Rock Da Spot – Recharge
    13. Paul Glazby – Hostile (Nick Sentience Remix) – Vicious Circle
    14. Tony De Vit – I Don’t Care ( Karim Mix) – White
    15. Karim – Target Locked – White
    16. Lab 4 – Reformation – Elementary

    Right click here and choose ‘save as’ to download ‘MDM’

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      JD Pleks – Shifting Perspective (techhouse mix)

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      Courtesy of Jane South

      Right click image or here and choose ‘save as’ to download

      A 60 minute pure techhouse mix that reflects my slower, groovier, housier side. I still love to rinse out funky, chunky techno but this takes a less full-on approach. It’s still aimed at the dancefloor with heavy kickdrums and big bass, but it doesn’t ramp up the BPMs or get too crazy.

      The artwork for this mix is courtesy of Jane South, to whom I am grateful for the permission to use it – please visit her website

      Right click here and choose ‘save as’ to download ‘Shifting Perspective’

      Tracks:

      1. Dark Rain – Markus Schatz
      2. Neon Cringe – Simon Beeston
      3. It’s not a Zoo – Ludwig Coenen
      4. luvenis – Wally Lopez
      5. Dusty Back Room – Simon Beeston
      6. Dave’s Ghost – John Selway
      7. Brute – Sinisa Tamamovic
      8. Upper Deck – Markus Homm
      9. Hard To Find – Peter Kruder
      10. Windrose (Format B Remix) – Funkwerkstatt
      11. The Last Time – John Selway
      12. Directions (Nordstrom + Villegas Remix) – Psycatron
      13. U Can Dance (Carl Craig Remix V.2) – DJ Hell + Bryan Ferry
      14. Tough Luck – Simon Beeston

      Right click here and choose ‘save as’ to download ‘Shifting Perspective’

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        JD Pleks – Weeping Angels (techno mix)

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        This is a 70 minute techno mix, recorded in March 2010. It’s a mix that accurately reflects the type of techno that really gets me excited at the moment, which is why I make no apologies for including 5 tracks by Sinisa Tamamovic – he is producing, in my opinion, the perfect marriage of dark basslines, spaced out percussion, eerie, haunting synth lines and good old fashioned groove. Listen to his tracks in good headphones and they really come to life.

        The mix takes in a little bit of techhouse(ish) to start, quickly gets it’s techno pants on and ramps up the bass throughout. It grooves along in the middle section and then the finish is pretty dark – just the sort of thing I love to hear at 3am in a sweaty, grotty venue with big bassbins and a heaving dancefloor. Sounds quite good at 2pm on a Sunday afternoon in yer livingroom too, but without the no-top sweaty guy who ALWAYS wants to be my friend!

        The album artwork is an original piece by Audrey O’Brien and is exclusive to this mix.

        Right-click here and choose ‘save as’ to download ‘Weeping Angels’

        TRACKS

        1. Kill Me (Instrumental) – Steffi
        2. Dirty Walker – Itamar Sagi
        3. Deep Inside Ur Eyes (Abe Duque remix) – Savas Pascalidis
        4. Destroy Minimal – John Lagora
        5. Photophobia – Noiseprofessor
        6. Progresija – Mladen Tomic
        7. Bombscare – taster peter
        8. Halters – Mladen Tomic
        9. Round 2 (Tamamovic remix) – Sinisa Tamamovic
        10. Slap – Umek
        11. Kick On (Alexi Delano + Tony Rohr remix) – Ascion
        12. Bark 1.1 – Sinisa Tamamovic
        13. Flip – Sinisa Tamamovic
        14. Dirty Game – Sinisa Tamamovic
        15. My Religion 1.1 – Sinisa Tamamovic
        16. Dragon (Marco Bailey + Tom Hades remix) – Joey Beltram
        17. Face of Rejection – Alan Fitzpatrick
        18. Remainings III (Jesper Dahlback remix) – Adam Beyer

        Right-click here and choose ‘save as’ to download ‘Weeping Angels’

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