Every so often, I find it necessary to change, umm . . . remix, an opinion I have previously fervently announced.
In this very forum (if I remember correctly) I have claimed that Coldcut’s Seventy Minutes of Madness is arguably the best mix CD ever.
Well, last night I listened properly, that means loud and in an enhanced state, to Steinski’s A Rough Mix. Let’s just say “the first among equals” and “depending on your criteria.” I’d heard it before but this time I heard it! Of course, it was originally made for the Solid Steel radio show.
Had to Google this as I have no memory of it whatsoever. Have to say, having read the tracklist it looks right up my street - a bunch of titles that I barely recognize with no indication of the original artist! I used to love the whole cut’n’paste scene - am going to check this out next week. Thanks for posting this!
Bit more background to the Rough Mix. Have no idea if the free downloads mentioned are still available. I can think of a work around. Now, what would that be?
I have the Rough Mix record. I seem to remember he did an expanded version of it on Solid Steel radio (SO much great music discovered on these over the years, whilst similarly refreshed). I can’t find that, but here’s another if his…
If I read something somewhere on the internet right, not that I can find it again, the Rough Mix music was originally broken up by interview segments on the Solid Steel show. Listening to it, it does seem to have some natural break points as well as all its breaks.
Is there much of a modern cut ‘n’ paste scene? I’m not aware of much (admittedly speaking as a chap who hasn’t looked particularly hard). One would assume the way things are these days - with all music ever available to all, and the internet a fertile grey ground for copyright infringing - that there would be some fun / interesting stuff about.
My son is an aspiring DJ/Producer and I started playing 70 Minutes of Madness in the car a few weeks ago: “here you go, greatest mix-CD OF ALL TIME!”. I’d forgotten just how abrasive the first couple of minutes are and we had to switch to something “less anxiety-inducing” [an old Dimitri from Paris mix CD on Defected, for the record]
The good old days of abrasion - and constant anxiety. Who needed it induced? It was an art form in and of itself. We DJs just surfed it. Most of the mix CDs I can think of from around the late ‘90s/early ‘00s employed a healthy amount of abrasion. Of course and somewhat unfortunately, my tastes have moderated a teeny-weeny bit - and my wife is not in favour of it at all - so I don’t spend quite so much time with it. However, once in a while, after the rest of the world has gone to sleep, I like to crank up some fine abrasion and shred my head.
As to what happened to cut’n’paste, the RIAA killed it along with hiphop’s turn towards the commercial and anodyne.
70 MoM IS the greatest commercial DJ mix of ALL TIME!! There, I said it so therefor it must be true. LOL
I’m gonna have to check out the ‘“other one” you’d mentioned.
I got to warm up the room for Coldcut and DJ food in the early 00’s in Toronto. My jaw as constantly having to be picked up off of the floor when they were weaving their magic. Likely the best DJ performance I’ve ever had the pleasure to have heard.
That’s funny, a bootleg of a bootleg. Well, it’s been known to happen.
If one ever wished to possess the physical artifact, I’d suggest the * What Does It All Mean? (1983-2006 Retrospective)* set, which is readily available and has the advantage of being indexed, although the indexing is a little quirky.
When I first posted in this topic, I was thinking about mixes that I’d changed my earlier opinion of. A remixed opinion. Nothing To Fear had somehow finally impressed itself on me as the equivalent of Coldcut’s magnum opus, which to my mind will never be surpassed. Although I suppose being surprised by music is never bad.
In the time since then Adrian Sherwood’s Lee Perry-centric Time Boom X The Upsetter Dub Sessions has wormed its way upwards in my appreciation. Perhaps not quite to the level of the Coldcut or Steinski mixes, but close, within striking distance. One quality in its favour is that I believe it’s a genuine live mix. Both the others have some post-production as far as I know, although I would not be surprised if Sherwood’s had some pre-production that made his sonic assault possible. And it is a sonic assault complete with some slightly naff vocalizing from Sherwood plugging the then new Perry release Rainford. Never mind, I remixed my previously mixed opinion of the mix.
[an old Dimitri from Paris mix CD on Defected, for the record]
