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jonmitz
mixcloud.com/mitztronic
Registered: May 2004
Location: San Francisco
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From what you said I more or less hit exactly what I was going for (hehe!). Per the name of the mix, it was not meant to be linear in any fashion but meant to fluctuate (I am not a fan of linear progression in ANY mix except one meant for the dancefloor) throughout, in both energy and styles; I felt this would be the only appropriate way to complete a space-themed mix. As you noted, I practically never do single-genre mixes and am very eclectic in all my mixes. I just wanted to say this because you need to consider these two items when thinking about the structure and flow - it's not going to be A to B with extended transitions throughout (although there are large sections of this in the second half, which you seemed to enjoy  ). Different styles call for different mixing techniques, and as a DJ it's important to have the ability to recognize this and adapt. I am very interested in hearing from people about which transitions are not good in particular, and why - I could learn a lot from that type of feedback. Every mix I do I try to challenge myself to mix types of tracks I've never mixed before and this was no exception, so I am particularly interested in criticism on that front. I probably should have included a few words along these lines when I posted my mix so that people knew what to expect.
This doesnt make your comments any less valid, just trying to explain my thought process going into the mix. Thanks for giving such great feedback (despite the above, you have some very good points that I've noted and they will help me to improve in the future)! much appreciated! 
I look forward to seeing everyone else comes up with!
e: VVVV not offended at all man, just wanted to say a few words about my mindset going into the mix. cheers.
Last edited by jonmitz on Jan-17-2014 at 16:41
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 Jan-16-2014 20:47 
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Bierheld
Supreme tranceaddict
Registered: Aug 2010
Location: Utrecht, Netherlands
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| quote: | Originally posted by jonmitz
From what you said I more or less hit exactly what I was going for (hehe!). Per the name of the mix, it was not meant to be linear in any fashion but meant to fluctuate (I am not a fan of linear progression in ANY mix except one meant for the dancefloor) throughout, in both energy and styles; I felt this would be the only appropriate way to complete a space-themed mix. As you noted, I practically never do single-genre mixes and am very eclectic in all my mixes. I just wanted to say this because you need to consider these two items when thinking about the structure and flow - it's not going to be A to B with extended transitions throughout (although there are large sections of this in the second half, which you seemed to enjoy ). Different styles call for different mixing techniques, and as a DJ it's important to have the ability to recognize this and adapt. I am very interested in hearing from people about which transitions are not good in particular, and why - I could learn a lot from that type of feedback. Every mix I do I try to challenge myself to mix types of tracks I've never mixed before and this was no exception, so I am particularly interested in criticism on that front. I probably should have included a few words along these lines when I posted my mix so that people knew what to expect.
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Well I think I get the intent behind it, I myself am a big fan of eclecticism and have carried that through all the mixes I've released on here. Sometimes successfully, other times not so much.
There's a good and a wrong way to do everything after all. Obviously we're bordering closely on the line of subjectivity here, but I have my own opinions on how such a thing should be done.
From what I've gotten from you you're an avid and enthusiastic music collector, and the frequency with which you push out mixes here and the way they come off when I listen to them makes me suspect that you lack some restraint when it comes to these things.
Even in an eclectic mix I'm still looking for some universally important properties, mainly overall consistency and clear intent. There's a reason why most mixes focus on a single theme or genre, the more sounds you draw in the more chaotic it becomes, up to the point were there is nothing to hold onto any more. That's why there always needs to be a reason for something to happen, you can't sacrifice the narrative. It's what separates good eclecticism from sheer randomness.
For some reason I always have problems with piecing together the puzzle in your mixes, and it has a lot to do with the tracks you pick. You can have a lot of different ideas in a mix, so long as you work them out properly and give the listener some time to get imbued with the concept. Having loads of short blends between tracks that are all fizzing with individual quality confuses the mind, you get a lot of tracks shouting: "Look at me!" and competing when they should be complementing each other. Pick your moments and have a good look at the overall product when it's done. You should be able to look back and feel that every place you went had a reason for being there, like providing a contrast to make sections stand out more.
Even if the only goal is pure what the fuck confusion then at least you have to stay consistent throughout and use music that beams that idea. None of this happened during your mix, as I noted it suddenly changed into a more normal structure making me wonder why the rest of it wasn't like that and if this really was the intent or whether something just went horribly wrong in the first part. I shouldn't be left guessing about that. All these mixes need for me is to slow down a bit, I'm not expecting it all to make perfect sense but I like to have an overview of what happened. I can't honestly say any of the parts in the first half were worthwhile because I simply can't remember them, even though I've just listened to it. They just didn't register any more after a while because the madness left me with apathy.
Also, the reason why I didn't comment on the transitioning itself is simply because I didn't think there was anything glaringly wrong with it. I remember some minute key clashing in the earlier part but it was gone before it could really bother me because of the quick mixing. Besides that I'd hate to send you down the path of obsessing over transition technicalities when I think you have other more important issues to work out.
Now, I think I've said enough about this. Take it as you will but I do hope you understand there's no bad intent here. I just like to fully explain myself as I think it's a lot more useful then just stating I didn't like it much and moving on. I understand if you decide to agree on a disagreement, as I've done with others as well who commented on my mixes at times but I still like to take it with me as it is one of the few moments you get to dive into someone else's mind when listening to your work.
___________________
Mixes: Alaé (Conceptional ambient dub)
AOTSE (Experimental)
Listens:
http://www.last.fm/user/bierheld
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Jan-16-2014 21:51 
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SYSTEM-J
IDKFA.
Registered: Sep 2003
Location: Manchester
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| quote: | Originally posted by jonmitz
Per the name of the mix, it was not meant to be linear in any fashion but meant to fluctuate (I am not a fan of linear progression in ANY mix except one meant for the dancefloor) throughout, in both energy and styles; I felt this would be the only appropriate way to complete a space-themed mix. |
I just have to ask... why? When I think of space I don’t think of chaos or constant fluctuation. By its nature space is deep, vast and slow-moving, and if you look back through the history of “space music” right back to the 1970s or earlier it almost always involves long tracks, gradual development, repetition and so on. This is something you achieved pretty well in the second half of the mix, which was an enjoyable listen. The first half featured a lot of interesting music and the mixing was very effective actually (which in this kind of mix is more about careful cueing and mix placement) but it just didn’t feel remotely spacey, and the tracks with field recordings of distinctly earthbound environments (running water, nature, subway stations) were poorly chosen. I was a bit surprised when you said this mix was going to be “very challenging” and then within a couple of days popped up with a two hour mix. I definitely feel you could have slowed down, thought more about the concept and the structure and taken a few more days on this.
| quote: | | As you noted, I practically never do single-genre mixes and am very eclectic in all my mixes. I just wanted to say this because you need to consider these two items when thinking about the structure and flow - it's not going to be A to B with extended transitions throughout (although there are large sections of this in the second half, which you seemed to enjoy ). |
Just as a general note, eclecticism should not be used as an excuse to negate structure: a good eclectic mix is not just about sticking lots of varied tracks together. You still need to have builds and releases, peaks and lulls and gear changes, and that’s not the same thing as going A -> B or using long, smooth transitions.
___________________
Mixes:
> Maximum Elevation [Progressive House]
> DI.FM 26th Anniversary Guest Mix [Progressive House]
> Live @ Dance:Love:Hub London, 11.10.2025
> Higher Peaks [Progressive House]
> Dance:Love:Hub Afterparty (The Return) 23.11.24
Like these sets? Come see me play live at Kibosh in Manchester: https://www.instagram.com/kibosh.mcr/
Last edited by SYSTEM-J on Jan-17-2014 at 15:18
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Jan-17-2014 12:28 
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SYSTEM-J
IDKFA.
Registered: Sep 2003
Location: Manchester
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Jan-21-2014 23:32
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SYSTEM-J
IDKFA.
Registered: Sep 2003
Location: Manchester
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Jan-22-2014 00:00
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SYSTEM-J
IDKFA.
Registered: Sep 2003
Location: Manchester
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Jan-22-2014 00:02
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ziptnf
Programming your future
Registered: Jun 2008
Location: Louisville, KY
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Jan-22-2014 00:08 
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