On the air early Saturday mornings since 1993, BBC Radio 1′s Essential Mix has long been a staple for electrophiles and casual listeners alike. Hosted by Pete Tong since its inception, the program invites a different DJ, producer, or group each week to perform an exclusive two-hour set. With such long tracklistings and mixes from practically everyone in the game, it can be somewhat difficult to pick out the best of the best. But fear not, several of us New Philadelphians have come together to share with you our favorites from recent years. So without further ado, TNP presents…the essential Essentials.
Magnetic Man’s Essential Mix 07/24/2010
[click here to download + here for tracklist]
This mix comes courtesy of dubstep supergroup Magnetic Man. Made up of heavy-hitters Benga, Skream, and Artwork, the collective has been producing music and performing live for a few years now. They most recently released a self-titled LP back in October, which took the UK dance scene by storm. Their mix was performed using three computers; one for drums, one for bass, and one for leads and samples. With nine songs produced jointly, ten from Benga, and nine from Skream, this set is a great sampling of their work. Beyond the flawless production done by these three to piece the mix together, the essential mix provides some treats that even their self-titled debut album withholds. My favorite section of the mix comes right around forty-five minutes when the trio drops an unreleased track that leads perfectly into “The Bug”. Check it out.
Basement Jaxx’s Essential Mix 10/23/2010
[click here to download + here for tracklist]
On Saturday the 23rd of October, Simon Ratcliffe and Felix Buxton, also know as Bassment Jaxx, released their 2nd Essential Mix since 1999. Bassment Jaxx is well known for a variety of funk house, tropical sounds, interesting sampling, and their 2010 Essential Mix lives up to their standard of excellence, if not exceeding it. They wonderfully incorporate a huge variety of styles, the likes of which I’ve never seen any other artist experiment with. Though they normally play live with a full group, Ratcliffe and Buxton are master mixers to say the least. They start out low key, with some interesting disco funk and Latin funk electro, moving on to some hits like Bart B More’s “Sex Sax” Remix and Wolfgang & Deadmau5’s “Animal Rights”. They settle into a groove of tribal electro, until they blast their own single “Raindrops”, the Bloody Beetroots’ “Stay”, and Autoerotique’s “Bubonic”. The freshness doesn’t stop, though. They even dropped in a punchy Schizophrenic’s remix of the Bohemian Rhapsody – before jumping into some progressive ravey madness, and finally at 1:50:15, some wiley dubstep to wrap up the magic. If you want to experience the wonderful diversity of house and electronic music, these guys have got it all.
The Twelves’ Essential Mix 12/19/2009
[click here to download + here for tracklist]
The Twelves are a Brazilian electro duo who have made a name for themselves by producing catchy, can’t-help-but-dance remixes for artists such as M.I.A. and La Roux. Fans of The Twelves will find plenty of familiar fare on this mix, as all of their most notable remixes make appearances, including Radiohead’s “Reckoner” and Two Door Cinema Club’s “Something Good Can Work”. They do drop in a few exclusives though, and include countless other tracks, making for an epically long tracklist. The mix ends on a strong note, coupling a Beatles remix with their own cover of Daft Punk’s “Nightvision”. Overall, a feel-good mix that’s guaranteed to get your head bopping (at the very least).
Steve Aoki’s Essential Mix 08/02/2008
[click here to download + here for tracklist]
If the fact that Steve Aoki founded Dim Mak Records (to bring you MSTRKRFT and The Bloody Beetroots) isn’t enough for you, or if the idea that his dad founded Benihana and his sister is model/actress Devon Aoki doesn’t quite get you off, then hopefully listening to his essential mix might just do the trick. While the set is chockfull of MSTRKRFT and Daft Punk tracks, its electro-dance vibe never fails to get you in party mode. With so much energy packed into so little time, this essential mix is one for the ages.
DJ Mehdi + Busy P’s Essential Mix 11/07/2009
[click here to download + here for tracklist]
This essential mix is sweet for a few reasons: great flow, lots of creativity, and a wide spectrum of electro-house. Dj Mehdi and Busy P are a bit under the radar, at least here in the states, both being Frenchmen. Busy P (Pedro Winter) is actually the founder of Ed Banger Records, and managed Daft Punk from ’96 to ’08. Nice! Anyway, this is a straight up party mix (obviously!), taking you on an appropriate rollercoaster ride of rockin’ house music, starting slow and working up to the bangers. Busy P’s half of the tracklist has proven to be a tough find, though it may be because most of his set is riddled with unreleased tracks at the time. These include Crookers’ “No Security” (house version), and as well as Boris Dlugosch’s “Bangkok” (just to name a couple), both of which were heavy hitters coming out of late ’09. I guess the first thing I should have mentioned is that this mix was recorded live from “The Warehouse Project” in Manchester, just another reason it’s sweetastic!
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