Inspiration is hard to come by these days. When 2013 started, I already had a bunch of mix ideas planned, but as I got closer to actually making them, I realized they were terribly boring, predictable ideas. The last thing I ever want to do as a DJ is be predictable or uninteresting. I'm always trying to switch up my styles. So in this mix, I've drawn inspiration from producers like Nujabes and made a mix of relaxing, groovy, instrumental hip-hop/jazz-hop fusion. Close your eyes and explore the beautiful melodies created by strings, pianos, saxaphones, and all the other magical instruments that make this music special.
Key matching was a difficult obstacle in this mix. I tried my best to avoid blatant key clashing, and in some cases I found perfect keys, but there are a few transitions here and there that don't make a lot of musical sense. Hopefully some of the hiccups don't detract from the content of this mix.
Friendzone - Change [Friendzone]
Friendzone - I Miss Y'all [Friendzone]
Nosaj Thing - Aquarium [No Label]
Bambino - Lay Over [No Label]
Ayur - Children of the Earth [Aicube]
Blazo - Metamorphosis [IntroDuCing!]
Blazo - Righteous Path [IntroDuCing!]
DJ Okawari - Tayutau [Libyus]
Kondor - Pure Thoughts [Avens]
Ayur - Far From A River [iNFAS]
Blazo - Rebirth [IntroDuCing!]
Kondor - Mental Healing [Avens]
Woong San & DJ Okawari - Change the World [Libyus]
Nomak - Anger of the Earth [Huge Soul]
Nujabes - Kumomi [Dimid]
Bambino - Mother Enigma [No Label]
Quasar - Time Flies [iNFAS]
Thomas Prime - Two Below [Cult Classic]
Little West - Mugen Eternal (UDK Remix) [Aicube]
Ayur - Apollo Road [iNFAS]
Credit to toko for the cover photo. Credit to Jeremy Vancaulart for the rain sound effect.
Enjoy! :D
ziptnf
Okay, I posted this a couple days ago and Woony was the first to reply. He said he was rather disappointed that he was expecting chilled out jazzy hip hop beats but instead found a more orchestral/anthemic type of hip hop that he found to be quite cheesy, and not in a good way. He also went on to mention that this music would fit over a crappy documentary on saving the planet.
I deleted the thread because I was afraid everyone would agree with him and this mix would be a flop. But nobody will ever get to express their opinion on it if I don't let them.
So here I am to say, Woony, I'm sorry I overreacted and declared defeat after you posted your review. You are definitely entitled to your opinion, and even though I don't necessarily agree, all opinions should be voiced and heard.
I'd like to see if anyone else has a different opinion than him. I found this mix to be very enjoyable to make. It's loaded with soft melodies and moments that I find to be quite beautiful. Hopefully you folks will find it to be worthwhile.
SYSTEM-J
quote:
Originally posted by ziptnf
Key matching was a difficult obstacle in this mix. I tried my best to avoid blatant key clashing, and in some cases I found perfect keys, but there are a few transitions here and there that don't make a lot of musical sense. Hopefully some of the hiccups don't detract from the content of this mix.
Have you got Mixed In Key? I obviously try and key-mix as a general rule, given how melodic I tend to play, and it saves you from a lifetime of tediously deducing keys, especially when you're mixing music that doesn't come from the Beatport vault.
ziptnf
quote:
Originally posted by SYSTEM-J
Have you got Mixed In Key? I obviously try and key-mix as a general rule, given how melodic I tend to play, and it saves you from a lifetime of tediously deducing keys, especially when you're mixing music that doesn't come from the Beatport vault.
Actually, I used [[ LINK REMOVED ]]
which works well in telling you what the key is for the track, but trying to translate that to the Camelot Wheel was more trouble than it was worth, especially when there are so many keys missing. It's definitely nice to apply to your entire library so you can sort everything out, but I had already chosen the tracks for this mix and attempting to sort things by key afterwards was a bit of a nightmare :wtf:.
SYSTEM-J
Real men memorise the circle of fifths.
ziptnf
Music theory makes my butthole quiver.
KilldaDJ
piano beets
a nice blend of abstract beats/strings/pianos.
didnt really notice the mis-matched keys, thats not my thang dawg.
this stuff reminds me of 'pianochocolate' google them. you will see.
i wouldnt call this instr. hip hop, but more arty farty chillstep...the stuff they play on heh, world documentaries and sofa commercials/adverts :)
i totally need that marble worktop.
PoisonJam19
About 15 min in. Digging it so far. That Nujabes track is a good one, as are pretty much all of his productions... RIP
Vernon Wanderer
Gettin.
ziptnf
quote:
Originally posted by KilldaDJ
piano beets
a nice blend of abstract beats/strings/pianos.
didnt really notice the mis-matched keys, thats not my thang dawg.
this stuff reminds me of 'pianochocolate' google them. you will see.
Thanks for the listen. In hearing pianochocolate, I think they sound similar but more of a "breaks" style beat rather than a hip-hop style beat.
quote:
i wouldnt call this instr. hip hop, but more arty farty chillstep...the stuff they play on heh, world documentaries and sofa commercials/adverts :)
See, this is kinda where I disagree with you and Woony. Hip-hop is definitely made to these kind of beats. It may sound faggy and fluffy to you guys but I feel like a lot of artists use the calming/relaxing melodies and vibes to send a more clear message, or leverage the music in favor of more lyrical depth and meaning.
Originally posted by PoisonJam19
About 15 min in. Digging it so far. That Nujabes track is a good one, as are pretty much all of his productions... RIP
RIP indeed. He was a trailblazer. Thanks for the listen.
Vernon Wanderer
For s sake get a proper mirror, fourth time I try to download and after 10 minutes of 90kb/s downloading it fails again.
BshidoHEAT
quote:
Originally posted by SYSTEM-J
Real men memorise the circle of fifths.
Does memorizing it really help? I mean, my general rule of thumb is you go up, down, left or right no diagonal movement. Thus, if you use either Camelot Wheel or Open Key notation (Traktor does) you can mix in key even if you don't even know what key it is, if you have the notation it should be ok.
