Damn Good Mixes

This will be part of a regular column of MMS that will mostly direct people to places where they can find great dj mixes.

Being a DJ or record collector isn't all VIP rooms and big fat paychecks; it's really supposed to be about loving music and being obsessed with telling others about it.

One of the best ways to do this is to make a mix. DJs make mixes all the time, they hand them out to promoters, people they like and anyone else while supplies last. Sometimes they sell them to recoup costs and maybe even supplement that meager living they're eeking out spinning at little bars around town.

The best do it for love and to show off an amazing collection. Mix tapes can be found everywhere but really good ones are hard to find. Commercially mixed CDs can be good but the underground--as usual--has the best. You don't have the restrictions of licensing, and now thanks to the web, you don't really have to pay for them either.

Check out the following links, listen, download them, buy them when appropriate, burn 'em for later and support the people behind them, because without them, you will be bored.


First off...
http://www.smart-music.net/mp3.html I love this site. Its tagline is "mp3 music free and legal" and that about sums it up. The best part is that the tunes are really good and not what you would expect. My favorite is R.E.M "I've Been High" with a mix by Herbert. I also downloaded Tiefschwartz "Acid Soul" which saved me time from having to encode my vinyl version. there's more of course but just check it out yo self.

http://1groove.icebergradio.com/shows/dirtyhousemusic.php This site has some good stuff with even better variety. Check out DJ Dan's breaks set at Monday Social in La.

http://live.basic.ch/main.htm Another good selection.

www.busquelo.org ("look for it" in Spanish) provides a site with one of the best selections you'll find.
Checkout the archives--damn.

http://www.mixoftheweek.com/ It gets even better. Mix of the week has so much good shit you'll flip.

http://www.beatonic.co.uk/beatonicedits/lyricsbeatonicedit.mp3 here's a sample from mix of the week's message boards.

http://www.stonesthrow.com/news/chocolatecity/index.html madlib mix uh oh...

http://www.smart-music.net/compilation_tokyodawn.html
and if you 'right-click' on the "play mp3" buttons you can download these mixes... some are okay.

http://www.djhistory.com/mixes/
This a great site especially for house heads who want to educate themselves. Check out the mixes section where you'll find unmixed compilations of rare disco records.

more:
www.garagememphis.com
http://www.guiri.dk/plenty_of_honey.mp3
http://www.freeflow.nu http://www.mbar.fi
http://www.catchthebreak.com/
http://www.sandboxautomatic.com/ unique stuff for sale. Don't miss this one.
http://mixomat.de/ Lots of good deep mixes.