“MULTI-MIXING MASTERS”
MUSIC IS THE ANSWER SPECIAL POST
4TH APRIL
Having been committed to our regular posts, then procured writing contracts, not to mention recent setbacks following our review work, our promised special music post, “Multi-Mixing Masters”, has been put on the back burner until now. So, without further ado, we look two talents that have an amazing skill of blending not two, but three & sometimes more tracks into one, giving their sound incredible dimension and leading the pack in this art.
First up is Beyond resident Alan K, who’s repertoire of gAylist appearances also includes Gravity, A.M., Later, Orange, & As One, but also associations with clubbing brand Puscha & intentional exposure with “funky4love" not to mention a recent tour of Mexico, keep this man really busy. But as much as he enjoys his D.J.’ing for all these clubs & brands, his real passion is in mixing, not just one record into the other, but blending a whole host of sounds & tracks, giving immense depth to dancefloor hits recognisable to ardent clubbing fans. This is a continual feature both of Alan’s live sets & his studio work and whilst the constraints of some clubs equipment don’t always allow him to exercise these mixing skills directly in front of his audience, he tireless works on recording blends away from the clubs, then arming himself with suitable multi mixed recordings to delight his crowd. We can only imagine how difficult it is to combine three, sometimes four different tracks and just how much hard work & concentration goes into selecting the appropriate tunes to intertwine, but Alan seems to scintillatingly succeed and the results have often left us breathless in admiration, two brilliant examples being a delightful combo of sounds when he played out Celada’s “The Underground” at the As One party on NYD and at Beyond two weeks ago, when floor filler favourite Zoe Baldwin’s “Release Me” benefitted brilliantly from the Alan K treatment. However, his sets are well & truly littered with other examples, not only making his sound fresh & vibrant, but ensuring, particularly at Beyond, the dancefloor remains packed & the crowd mesmerised by his performances. Now, we highly suspect to achieve this unique sound, the equipment needs to be as good as the D.J. and in amongst the plethora of options & manufacturers choices, Alan explains “...I would love it if someone would come up with a machine that allows me to blend a handful of sounds to create that unique style I aim & crave for, but in the meantime, I do it the hard way...” he going on to say “...all that hard work & managing the limitations of the equipment at my disposal is worth it when you see the reactions on people’s faces to the results...”. And we are definitely one of those people that really admire what he does & how he does it, the sheer enthusiasm that he exudes, either multi mixing live or playing out the studio work results, pure magic. Now, if you haven’t yet sampled Alan in action, best you do and Beyond on a Sunday morning from 11 a.m. is one of the best places to do it, but if (how could you not) can’t make it to Area, then the next best thing is to tap into his podcast recordings, his latest offering taken direct from his live performance at this afterhours club phenomenon, which includes that Zoe Baldwin blend we mentioned. So, to find out exactly why this multi mixing masters skill is so addictive, go to http://djalnk.podomatic.com/ and check out not just this latest Beyond Live recording, but a whole series of compilations laid down for posterity, which has Alan lamenting of these various sets “Beyond is without question the leading, biggest & best afterhours parties in the U.K.... the main room was buzzing & what another killer night...one of my most memorable sets that will live with me for a long time..” And all we can say is, long may they continue & long may Alan’s multi mixing talents delight us on the dancefloor.
Our other protagonist of this mixing game is Steven Geller, who, from the minute he broke out onto the D.J. scene in London, showed he was really adept at combining sounds to exhilarating effect. Of all the D.J’s we know and there are many, Steven ranks as one of only a few that displays his sheer enthusiasm for his art in energetic movements & reactions behind the decks, sometimes even surprising himself just how good the sounds he is producing are, Steven remarking “...if I am not dancing and having fun, how can I expect the crowd to be?...”. When Mr Geller is on fire, there is hardly anyone that can touch him with regards to the immense amount of layers he develops within his sets, often switching from one mix to another & then back again, keeping his audience very much on their toes and injecting a level of pace & vitality rarely seen across the many dancefloors of the capital. His trademark sound of uplifting house with tough tribal undertones yet with accessible vocals, means that mixing & selecting tracks can be tricky, yet Steven manages it to incredible effect and can often be seen delivering his unique sound through three decks or more and this skill not only won him the award for best new D.J. for 2008 from Boyz magazine, but secured a long list of appearances at clubs & events including The Orange group’s, Gravity, A.M. Later, & Open, Trade’s Naked Zoo parties & Heaven’s Popcorn, his special sound being very much in demand. However, exercising these multi mixing skills was put to best effect at Friday night club Onyx, an event which he created & which, under his steer-ship, landed the best newcomer club award in favourite clubbing website Seenqueen’s 2009 poll, not to mention knocking closely on the door of SuperMartXe’s in the Boyz Magazine awards, the whole fabric of the club built around his D.J.’ing skills & the sounds it produced. Whilst Steven is now pursuing other projects which include his own productions company and fresh new club ideas, music remains central to his activity and this exponent of multi mixing can be found playing out at clubs that include Fitladz & new afterhours Booster, as well as a whole host of music bar venues across the capital. In addition, Steven produces regular podcasts which are testament to his incredible passion for blending sounds and has even been noted as having played back-to-back with our other mixing master Alan K, Steven commenting that “...this was a set we recorded on four decks and gives you a real insight into the tracks we used to create that special sound...”, that mix still being available at http://djstevengeller.podomatic.com/ which, among a list of compilations which showcases Mr Geller’s finite art. Judging by the feedback we have received from friends & faces across the scene, many of who proclaim amazement for the magnificent mixture of sounds in his recordings, we suspect that, with plenty of years ahead of him, Steven Geller will no doubt become considered as at the top of this multi mixing game, yet for us is already as master at this very clever skill.
So, two superbly talented D.J.’s who for us display those extra special qualities within their work that deliver dynamism and serve up special sounds through their multi mixing magic. What more can we say, apart from hunt these two down on the scene, so as to see with your own eyes & hear with your own ears, just how good they both are that doing what they do, but if not, then check out their podcasts which will confirm everything we have said in accolade of them both. (DISCO MATT)
MUSIC IS THE ANSWER SPECIAL POST
4TH APRIL
Having been committed to our regular posts, then procured writing contracts, not to mention recent setbacks following our review work, our promised special music post, “Multi-Mixing Masters”, has been put on the back burner until now. So, without further ado, we look two talents that have an amazing skill of blending not two, but three & sometimes more tracks into one, giving their sound incredible dimension and leading the pack in this art.
First up is Beyond resident Alan K, who’s repertoire of gAylist appearances also includes Gravity, A.M., Later, Orange, & As One, but also associations with clubbing brand Puscha & intentional exposure with “funky4love" not to mention a recent tour of Mexico, keep this man really busy. But as much as he enjoys his D.J.’ing for all these clubs & brands, his real passion is in mixing, not just one record into the other, but blending a whole host of sounds & tracks, giving immense depth to dancefloor hits recognisable to ardent clubbing fans. This is a continual feature both of Alan’s live sets & his studio work and whilst the constraints of some clubs equipment don’t always allow him to exercise these mixing skills directly in front of his audience, he tireless works on recording blends away from the clubs, then arming himself with suitable multi mixed recordings to delight his crowd. We can only imagine how difficult it is to combine three, sometimes four different tracks and just how much hard work & concentration goes into selecting the appropriate tunes to intertwine, but Alan seems to scintillatingly succeed and the results have often left us breathless in admiration, two brilliant examples being a delightful combo of sounds when he played out Celada’s “The Underground” at the As One party on NYD and at Beyond two weeks ago, when floor filler favourite Zoe Baldwin’s “Release Me” benefitted brilliantly from the Alan K treatment. However, his sets are well & truly littered with other examples, not only making his sound fresh & vibrant, but ensuring, particularly at Beyond, the dancefloor remains packed & the crowd mesmerised by his performances. Now, we highly suspect to achieve this unique sound, the equipment needs to be as good as the D.J. and in amongst the plethora of options & manufacturers choices, Alan explains “...I would love it if someone would come up with a machine that allows me to blend a handful of sounds to create that unique style I aim & crave for, but in the meantime, I do it the hard way...” he going on to say “...all that hard work & managing the limitations of the equipment at my disposal is worth it when you see the reactions on people’s faces to the results...”. And we are definitely one of those people that really admire what he does & how he does it, the sheer enthusiasm that he exudes, either multi mixing live or playing out the studio work results, pure magic. Now, if you haven’t yet sampled Alan in action, best you do and Beyond on a Sunday morning from 11 a.m. is one of the best places to do it, but if (how could you not) can’t make it to Area, then the next best thing is to tap into his podcast recordings, his latest offering taken direct from his live performance at this afterhours club phenomenon, which includes that Zoe Baldwin blend we mentioned. So, to find out exactly why this multi mixing masters skill is so addictive, go to http://djalnk.podomatic.com/ and check out not just this latest Beyond Live recording, but a whole series of compilations laid down for posterity, which has Alan lamenting of these various sets “Beyond is without question the leading, biggest & best afterhours parties in the U.K.... the main room was buzzing & what another killer night...one of my most memorable sets that will live with me for a long time..” And all we can say is, long may they continue & long may Alan’s multi mixing talents delight us on the dancefloor.
Our other protagonist of this mixing game is Steven Geller, who, from the minute he broke out onto the D.J. scene in London, showed he was really adept at combining sounds to exhilarating effect. Of all the D.J’s we know and there are many, Steven ranks as one of only a few that displays his sheer enthusiasm for his art in energetic movements & reactions behind the decks, sometimes even surprising himself just how good the sounds he is producing are, Steven remarking “...if I am not dancing and having fun, how can I expect the crowd to be?...”. When Mr Geller is on fire, there is hardly anyone that can touch him with regards to the immense amount of layers he develops within his sets, often switching from one mix to another & then back again, keeping his audience very much on their toes and injecting a level of pace & vitality rarely seen across the many dancefloors of the capital. His trademark sound of uplifting house with tough tribal undertones yet with accessible vocals, means that mixing & selecting tracks can be tricky, yet Steven manages it to incredible effect and can often be seen delivering his unique sound through three decks or more and this skill not only won him the award for best new D.J. for 2008 from Boyz magazine, but secured a long list of appearances at clubs & events including The Orange group’s, Gravity, A.M. Later, & Open, Trade’s Naked Zoo parties & Heaven’s Popcorn, his special sound being very much in demand. However, exercising these multi mixing skills was put to best effect at Friday night club Onyx, an event which he created & which, under his steer-ship, landed the best newcomer club award in favourite clubbing website Seenqueen’s 2009 poll, not to mention knocking closely on the door of SuperMartXe’s in the Boyz Magazine awards, the whole fabric of the club built around his D.J.’ing skills & the sounds it produced. Whilst Steven is now pursuing other projects which include his own productions company and fresh new club ideas, music remains central to his activity and this exponent of multi mixing can be found playing out at clubs that include Fitladz & new afterhours Booster, as well as a whole host of music bar venues across the capital. In addition, Steven produces regular podcasts which are testament to his incredible passion for blending sounds and has even been noted as having played back-to-back with our other mixing master Alan K, Steven commenting that “...this was a set we recorded on four decks and gives you a real insight into the tracks we used to create that special sound...”, that mix still being available at http://djstevengeller.podomatic.com/ which, among a list of compilations which showcases Mr Geller’s finite art. Judging by the feedback we have received from friends & faces across the scene, many of who proclaim amazement for the magnificent mixture of sounds in his recordings, we suspect that, with plenty of years ahead of him, Steven Geller will no doubt become considered as at the top of this multi mixing game, yet for us is already as master at this very clever skill.
So, two superbly talented D.J.’s who for us display those extra special qualities within their work that deliver dynamism and serve up special sounds through their multi mixing magic. What more can we say, apart from hunt these two down on the scene, so as to see with your own eyes & hear with your own ears, just how good they both are that doing what they do, but if not, then check out their podcasts which will confirm everything we have said in accolade of them both. (DISCO MATT)
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