Music
Remnants, Movement 3: The Parking Lot
The Parking Lot is the third and final movement in my mix triptych, Remnants. It is an hour long footwork mix that serves as the soundtrack for an imagined footwork battle just before the break of dawn between several ghosts in the parking lot outside of my apartment. While retaining all of the bass, super intricate drum rhythms and odd sampling techniques used in footwork tracks, this mix zeroes in on the deep and haunting sounds that are found across the genre.
The recipe for this mix is pretty much as follows:
- Step 1: Repeatedly stay up late watching Chicago footwork battle videos, over and over. Be in particular awe of how some of the biggest responses from the dancers come from the deepest or weirdest tunes.
- Step 2: Have a garbage truck outside your window wake you up at 4 in the morning. Go look out the window and notice that the rain has made the parking lot look especially cool as the light reflects off the puddles.
- Step 3: Go back to bed and have a great dream about a whole bunch of different ghosts materializing out of thin air and battling each other in aforementioned parking lot while the deep footwork tunes play.
- Step 4: Wake up and have the phrase “Footwork In The Rain” stuck in your head. Foolishly let yourself think you’re going to score this mix like a musical, only with footwork. Weeks later, drop the scoring to an imagined plot concept. Keep the ethos that a musical wouldn’t have songs that used swears, lots of gunshots, airhorns, or repeatedly called women bitches or hoes. Try your best to stick to that when picking out tunes.
- Step 5: Start having massive doubts this is a good idea. Start wondering if you’re pulling an Elvis or at the very minimum, jumping ahead in a clueless fashion about the whole footwork genre.
- Step 6: Purchase James Blake’s Enough Thunder EP only for the song “A Case of You.” Upon listening to all of the vinyl, hear the song “Not Long Now” and realize you’ve found a perfect opening track for this deep footwork mix. Put moral concerns aside for the moment and let inspiration create results.
- Step 7: Record the sounds of the same garbage truck that woke you up before dawn months earlier. Clean up a field recording made of the summer of giant flock of birds in same parking lot as the sun was coming up.
- Step 8: Assemble tracks for mix. Cut a few crazy songs that sounded cool, but just didn’t work. Finalize tracklist.
- Step 9: Realize that mixing footwork tracks requires a whole different set of phrasing techniques. Humble yourself with repeated draft recordings and lots of practice.
- Step 10: Finish recording. Feel proud of finished product. Retain some of that lingering Elvis doubt. Release to the public.
Movement 3: The Parking Lot
James Blake – Not Long Now
Prime Slime – The Future
Kuhn – Slime Beach (Range Remix)
DJ Roc – I Can’t Control The Feeling
B Yrslf – Celdi Riddim
Roni Size & DJ Die – It’s A Jazz Thing (Phillip D Kick’s Footwork Jungle Edit)
DJ Tre – Some Jazzy Tunes
Philthkids – Mo Fiyah
DJ Rashad – Drop Juke Out
Leatherface – The Stars
Chrissy Murderbot – Break U Off
DJ Roc – Back Up Shawty
DJ Roc – Lost Without U
Wheez-ie – Leave Her Alone
Cedaa – Juke Clap
Ital Tek – Gonga
DJ T Why – Buddah Lovaz
DJ Manny – All I Do Is (Smoke Trees)
Danny Breaks – Droppin Science Vol. 1 (Phillip D Kick’s Footwork Jungle Edit)
Elefo – Can I
DJ Roc – Break It Down
Traxman – The Comeback
DJ Nate – Poetry
LTJ Bukem – Horizons (Phillip D Kick’s Footwork Jungle Edit)
Remnants, Movement 2: Hepped up On Goofballs
Hepped Up On Goofballs is the craziest movement out of the three movements in Remnants. And when I say crazy, I mean I was going for a “what’s wrong with that guy?” kind of vibe at various times, and at the rest of the time I just wanted dancefloor mayhem.
Like the rest of the Remnants project, several tracks on this mix were ones that I had been dying to spin live, but never had the right setting to use them. Worthy and Eats Everything’s “Tric Trac” is one of those cuts. The entire Bounce section falls in that category. And if it wasn’t for Spank Rock’s track “Nasty” and Kingdom’s “Let You Know” I’m not sure I would have created the last 40 minutes of this mix, but I’m glad I did because it’s one of my favorite sections of the whole triptych.
As I mentioned before, movements 1 and 2 of Remnants are tightly intertwined. There are some obvious similarities — the use of Radiohead, the spoken word interludes, the lack of a single genre, the classic house track blended with a dubstep track, and not to eliminate some of the fun that comes from trying to find sample sources, but I’ll also point out that both mixes share samples from the same movie (and if you don’t know what that movie is, do some Googling and then get a copy and watch it!).
At the end of the day, these two mixes function well together and even mix together if you listen to them back to back. Coming on Friday, Movement 3: The Parking Lot… an hour long footwork/juke mix…
Movement 2: Hepped Up On Goofballs
Abe Duque – Salute The Dawn (Abe Duque Records)
John Tejada – Antithesis (Steve Rachmad Remix) (Sino)
Blawan – What You Do With What You Have (R&S)
Look Like – Buggin (Sinjin Hawke Remix) (Get Flavor)
Jay Weed – On The Nile (Grizzly)
Lil Silva – Pulse vs. Flex (Soul Jazz)
Sabbo – Broken Marimba (Scattermusic)
B Yrslf & Delta Delta – Eardrums (B.YRSLF Division)
Worthy and Eats Everything – Tric Trac (dirtybird records)
Boddika – Warehouse (Hotflush Recordings)
Dimitri Dimas – Sportex (Ikonika Remix) (Pushing Red)
Bushwacka! – Monster (Plank Records)
Banger and Cash – Shake That (Acapella) (Downtown)
Photek – UFO (Addison Groove’s Almost Headhunter Remix) (White)
The Orb – Little Fluffy Clouds (Danny Tenaglia’s Detour Mix) (Island)
Ratville – Screaming Butterfly (Goth-Trad Remix) (Public Riddim)
XXXY – Body Moving (Infrasonics)
Zed Bias ft. Mark Pritchard – Trouble In The Streets (TruThoughts)
Deko! – How Do You Like Your Cookies? (Probe Recods)
Dirty Gringos – Cowbell (White)
Idjut Boys – Five (Droid)
Radiohead – Good Evening Mrs Magpie (Modeselektor Remix) (XL)
Photek – Totem (Photek Productions)
Addison Groove – Make Um Bounce (Tectonic)
Gotty Boi Chris – Do You Know (Nick Catchdubs & Proper Villains Remix)
Spank Rock ft. Big Freedia – Nasty (Bad Blood Records)
Gotty Boi Chris – Lift It Up
Big Freedia – I Got The Power (540 Records)
South Rakkas Crew – Mad Again (EMYND’s NOLA Bounce Remix)
Gyspyphonic Disko ft. Katey Red & Neil Diamond – Drummer Boy Phonic
Ghost Mutt – Sasquatch (Coco Bryce’s Donky Pitch Tee Rewerk) (Lowriders)
Megadebt – It’s Too Controversial To Have An Opinion (Rice and Beans)
Movie of the Week Interlude
Munchi ft. Mr. Lexx – Shottas (Nguzunguzu Remix) (T&A)
Buraka Som Sistema – Hangover (BaBaBa) (Caspa Remix) (Enchufada)
Mister Tweeks – Elevator (Lucid Remix) (Pelican Fly)
Kingdom – Let You Know (Night Slugs)
Lucid – Kalso (Pelican Fly)
Hud Mo – Freek (The Pleasure Principle)
Remnants, Movement 1: Ode to 57
The first movement of my Remnants triptych is called Ode to 57 and it was directly inspired by Jackmaster’s Fabriclive 57. What I loved about Jackmaster’s mix was how new and old, classics and cutting edge, all flowed so well together. Because I have a few of the tracks Jackmaster used, I thought I could make my own version of the same idea: a mix where release date wasn’t important, but rarely did anything sound dated. I’m not sure if I succeeded on the level he did, but I definitely had fun making this all-vinyl mix.
This first movement is also very intertwined with the second movement, Hepped Up On Goofballs. In fact, I don’t think it’s going out on a limb that subconsciously I was looking at the two almost as a theme and variation type interaction. But you’ll have to wait until Wednesday to hear what I’m talking about. For now, enjoy the first movement of Remnants, my Ode to 57.
Movement 1: Ode to 57
Jeff Bennett ft MC Leroy – Unfinished Dreams (Stupendous Music) (2005)
Unknown – Sicko Cell (Swamp 81) (2011)
Meat Beat Manifesto meets The Herbaliser – Prime Audio Soup (OM Records) (2000)
DJ Rum – Emerald (The Antidote) (Smokin Sessions Records) (2010)
Throwing Snow – Shadower (Sneaker Social Club) (2011)
Massive Attack – Unfinished Sympathy (Kamouflage Loves Fred Remix) (White) (2009)
Cube 40 – 10, 9, 8, 7 Launched (Matador) (1999)
DJ Assault – My Caddy (MoWax) (2000)
TV Feet – Nothing In Its Wrong Place (Remix Pt. 2) (White) (2002)
Lil Louis – French Kiss (The Original Underground Mix) (CBS) (1989)
Skream – Trapped In A Dark Bubble (Tectonic) (2009)
Cluekid – Hawkeye (Bullfrog) (2011)
Graphics – OK Rainbow (Well Rounded Individuals) (2011)
Horsepower Productions – Let’s Dance (Club Mix) (Tempa) (2000)
FaltyDL – Because You (Planet Mu) (2010)
Jacques Palminger – Leiser Machen (Nobistor) (2009)
DJ Rum – Mountains Pt. 2 & 3 (2nd Drop Records) (2011)
Krampfhaft – Makin’ Magic (Rwina Records) (2011)
IPaintMyMind Mix Series
It’s with great happiness and a lot of pride that I present my contribution to the great IPaintMyMind DJ Mix Series.
I’ve written about this mix in my blog, so you can check out the back story there. If you’re looking for a tracklisting, it can be found here. In addition to IPMM’s own Mixcloud posting, I’ve uploaded it to my Soundcloud since I know some people prefer that format.
Voices of Change – A Sound Collage
Throughout the 11 month process of creating my upcoming mix for IPaintMyMind I had plenty of ideas for the mix that were eventually dropped. One thing I thought in particular that would have made it was a little sound collage idea I used in a live setting a few years ago at an art show. At that show I simply let a speech from George W. Bush about the lead up to the Iraq War and Obama’s announcement of more troops being sent to Afghanistan play together. The effect, in a far more simplistic way, is in the spirit of the sound collages of Brion Gysin.
When trying to put this into my already very layered IPMM Mix, I realized that the constant applause points for Bush’s speech to Congress were too distracting, so I went back and (quickly) cut out the applause points from Bush’s speech and started recording the two speeches together to use as a track in the mix. Obama’s speech, before a military crowd, only had one applause point and I didn’t realize it was there until I the two speeches had been going for a while, but it seemed to fit just fine.
In fact, the only reason I’m posting this audio file is that a lot of points in the two speeches seemed to “fit” and what is said by those fits is something I will leave up to the listener to think about. This definitely isn’t something I expect most people to listen to for more than a minute or two. And it’s not something that will have any meaning if you try to listen to it while doing other things or in a distracting setting.
But for the few people that do take the time to listen to these speeches together will hear some cool things happening… in the spirit of Gysin’s famous theory that, “when you cut into the present, the future leaks out” I urge the dedicated listener to pay attention to how these two speeches interact with each other, and what greater insights might be gained from spotting those interactions.
Rejected – A Failed Entry To BPM Magazine’s 2006 Next On The Decks Competition
This mix was recorded in 2006 as an entry to BPM Magazine’s “Next on the Decks” competition. It did not win. LOL But that is okay because the winning “prize” was having to open for Steve Aoki, and in retrospect, that sounds more like a punishment.
Tracklisting
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Pase Rock ft. Spankrock – Lindsay Lohan
Justin Martin – The Fugitive
Edu K – Hot Mama (Sinden Remix)
Missy Elliot – We Run This (Xpress 2 Remix)
Benedict X – A Bit Boxy
Diplo – Shhake It Up
Totally Forgot The Name of This
Mr. Zim & Pablo Ingles – Peanut Butter Jelly Time
Round Table Knights – Baltimore Clock Rock
Thinking About Japanese Electronics
This mashup is the last blend I put together opening up for Girl Unit last week at Smart Bar in Chicago. It’s a combination of Commix’s “Japanese Electronics (Instra:mental’s Moog Remix)” and someone singing a version of Arthur Russell’s “A Little Lost.” I am calling it Thinking About Japanese Electronics.
When I was first starting out as a DJ I exclusively spun house, and it was everywhere I turned in Champaign. So for any of us that got a big gig, the important thing seemed to be having at least one killer blend. Blends were everything to house DJs. You’d hear DJs practicing that special blend at their residencies in the weeks leading up to the big gig, and any discussions of the success of that gig usually started with asking about how that blend went down with the crowd.
I still keep my actual performances 100% improvised, but I also still try to work out big blends ahead of big gigs in the hopes that I’ll get to use it if the vibe feels right. The crowd at Smart Bar seemed very appreciative of the twists and turns in my set (even if I felt I put a few too many demands on people’s feet). So by the time the end of my set was approaching, I figured I’d just break out this blend, and for me at least, it felt great to hear it. I was singing along with every word.
This particular recording was mixed on two turntables with two pieces of vinyl. These tracks really do sit nicely together, so very little EQ work or fading in or out was necessary. Feedback certainly welcome!
Influenced
Parts of this mix have been kicking around in my head for a while, but the fact that I’m going to be opening for Girl Unit at Smart Bar was the kick in the pants that I needed to actually get this project finished and recorded.
It’s also my first mix recorded on three turntables. And while I went pretty easy on the three turntable blends, it did help me move between tracks pretty easily. As always with my mixes, this was recorded live in one take with no later edits or touchups. If there are slight imperfections in the mix, it’s because I like it that way. Enjoy!
DJ Mertz – Influenced
“I don’t think anyone can foresee one’s future in exact and detailed ways. But every second you live, you are influenced. You feel. Your thoughts and favors change in a lot of different ways. I think my future is where I end up after my mind evolved from repeating all such experiences.”
– DJ Kensei
“The way I interpret “future” is that it’s an image out of past experiences. You experience, see, hear and feel various different things in the past. Such past experiences become present, and what you can imagine right now is the future. Peace.”
– DJ Hide
Tracklisting
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Intro
Daedelus – Tailor-Made (Floating Points Remix)
Dro Carey – Much Coke (Cedaa Remix)
Pariah – The Slump
J Kenzo – Tropic Thunda
The Grizzl & J Phlip – BAKUPGRL (Grizzl Detroit Dub)
DJ Assault – U Can’t See Me
Addison Groove – This Is It
Seven – Wait
The Bug – Poison Dart (Scratcha DVA Remix)
D1 – Sub Zero
Chrissy Murderbot – The Vibe Is So Right (Quadratic 2 Bad 4 U Remix)
Zoltan – Pawnoramics (Wheez-ie Remix)
DJ Sabbo – High As The Sky
Wheez-ie – All Werked Up
Chrissy Murderbot – Braaain
The Glitch Mob – Fortune Days (DJ Limbs Footwork Remix)
DJ Roc – I Make Her Say
Adam F – Circles (Phillip D Kick Edit)
DJ Rashad – Rashad
Pearson Sound – Deep Down Inside
Burial – Street Halo
Bodika – Soul What
Leo Zero – Get Deep
Manikan – Bamboo Meltdown (Dev79 Remix)
Bee-Low – Horny As A Motherfucker
Girl Unit – Wut (Claude VonStroke Butt Naked Remix)
Buraka Som Sistema – Hangover (Tony Senghore Remix)
A1 Bassline – Shock Headed
Bozak – Up and Down
Jacques Greene – Holdin’ On (Braiden Remix)
Neat – Close (Falty DL Remix)
Live on WEFT Sessions, October 25, 2010
A soundboard recording of DJ Mertz hitting the decks at WEFT 90.1 FM in Champaign, IL on October 25, 2010. Gobs of disco, funk and slow-house.
A little background…
I had too many ideas in my head on what exactly to play for this show, and when the day job forced me to stay late the night of the show, I just grabbed a giant stack of vinyl 30 minutes before the show and threw it in my record bag. I was a little nervous about how it would go. This completely improvised set is the result and I’m more than happy with how it turned out!
Stop Counting, Start Dancing
Recorded in May, 2010 for Chris Grant’s web site. Recorded live with vinyl and Serato, no later edits or touchups. All one take and living looping.
TRACKLISTING
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Duffstep – Playing Your Game
Andy Ash – Never Give You Up
Mr. Scruff – Test The Sound
Scientist – Dub Of The Traveler (Spooky’s Bonus Beats Mix)
Wayne Smith – Under Mi Sleng Teng (Version)
6th Borough Project – Slow Down Baby
Horace Andy – Skylarking (The Revenge Carribean Sunrise Rework)
Duff Disco – Fame
Unknown – Drums Power (Dance Ritual)
Disco Deviance – Do It Nice & Easy (With Love) (Greg Wilson Edit)
Dennis Edwards – Don’t Look Any Further (The Revenge Rework)
Cole Medina – KC, It’s Really You
6th Borough Project – Do It To The Max
Kraak & Smaak – Man of Constant Sorrow
Brownout – Slinky (Tal M Klein Mix)
Duff Disco – Red Hot
The Isley Brothers – Between The Sheets (The Revenge Rework)
The Revenge v. Peter Gabriel – Just Be Good To Your Sledgehammer (Mertz’s Live Mash)
Mark E – You (Full Vocal Mix)
Jamie Lidell – She Needs Me
Leave Behind
This was a limited run (100) CD mix that I made for the 2010 Boneyard Arts Festival. Some of the remaining copies have been handed out at other art shows, but this was not a very widespread release.
The mix itself was made completely with vinyl in one recorded take. The goal was to showcase records that I find to be truly amazing, but never have played out in public or put in mixes. In other words, the records that seemingly had been left behind.
1. GB interprets the Beach Boyz – I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times
2. Mount Kimbie – 50 Mile View
3. Jacques Palminger – Tüeldub (Shackleton Remix)
4. Brackles & Shortstuff – Broken Harp
5. Phaeleh – Lounge
6. Silkie – Test
7. Synkro – Heroes
8. XI – G Funk-3000
9. Four Tet – Love Cry (Joy Orbison Remix)
10. Florence & The Machine – You Got The Love (Jamie XX Rework ft. The XX)
11. Miles Davis – Bitches Brew (Shoes Re-Edit)
12. DJ Krush ft. DJ Shadow – Duality
13. Nobody – Silent Movie Theatre Surprise
14. Mavis ft. Ed Harcourt – Puzzles & Riddles
15. Joy Orbison – So Derobe
16. matthewdavid – Know You’re Not Alone
17. Bullion – Crazy Over You
18. E’s E – Scratch’s Skank Pt 2
19. Nina Simone – Come Ye (P&S Passive Restraint Mix)
20. Suburban – Kei In Da (Live Recording)
21. Nobody’s Smiling – Part One
22. William S. Burroughs – Origin and Theory of Tape Cut-Ups
23. Cru Jonez – Painted Basement
