Behind the Curtain - Mixed by DJ Mono

There are three kinds of break mixes: 1)Break mixes that mix all the same samples that we've heard a million times over on the initial break mixes we first heard. (2) Break mixes that mix music that is so obscure that the music selection flies over the heads of most listeners. (3) Break mixes that mix breaks most of us recognize, but not the usual breaks we've grown tired of hearing. I'd label this mix as #3. Props to DJ Mono for crafting an excellent mix that I found refreshing and enjoyable.

DJ Mono Presents: Behind The Curtain - The Original Samples by MonoZH

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Agreed, too many "break mixes" currently, this though does stand out. Many thanks for the upload.

Eric Nord said...

Sorry... gotta rant...

All DJs who make "break" mixes like this need to listen to J.Rocc's Supreme 2 mix (or Sex Machine, or Syndromes, etc.) and take some notes.

Some observations.

1. No matter how good the selections are, playing 00:15 second snippets back-to-back = buzkill x 73.

2. Mixes should be listenable and have some momentum, some direction, and a vibe or a statement.

3. With all this easy peazy DJ technology, there is no excuse not to have some edits, drops, juggles, rewinds, airhorns... whatever.... something to suggest that a human being made this, not an itunes playlist "genius".

4. Good blends. For hip hop DJs mixing breaks, you NEED to have some crazy showcase blends. Again, use the technology right in front of you to push the limits. Blending with Traktor or Serato is not hard. And these breaks are BEGGING to be cut, blended, juggled, and skratched.

5. Quantity of songs. More than 30 tracks in a mix is too much! Do more with less. That's how all this started.

A big irony here is that early hip hop DJs took a few recordo just the opposite: play as little of as many records as possible.

The only time quick-mixing is appropriate is if everyone in the crowd is already familiar with the music (and hopefully hasn't heard it recently). For example, it's cool to be at a show and have the DJ do a between-sets mix of classic hip hop to get the crowd hype.

But for recorded mixes... shit, this quick-mix stuff is strictly for the diggers. Everyone else is just annoyed.

Eric Nord said...

That one paragraph should have read...

"A big irony here is that early hip hop DJs took a few records and stretched them out as far as possible. Now a lot of DJs do just the opposite: they play as little as possible of as many records as possible."

Chris Loos said...

I like the part where he tears up Daft Punk and plays all their source material.

Chris Loos said...

@Eric

I really enjoyed the mix. I could care less what you think makes or does not make a good break mix. Your opinion is just that...your opinion. You're entitled to it, but next time keep it to yourself rather than trying to school others who don't necessarily share your tastes.

Eric Nord said...

The reason why the music on this mix is good is because the artists who made the music thought CRITICALLY about what they were doing.

I never said I didn't like this mix. It's a good mix. But it could be a lot better. I think the DJ is capable of a much better mix. Why not encourage that? It's called critique, and it's how artists improve.