I even put a little thought towards which records I should bring for this weeks set – but I think the first hour got off to a bit of a shakey start. I’m not sure, because I haven’t given it my usual Monday morning second listen yet, but I’m pretty sure the second hour was mixed a little better than the first hour. Some nights the mixes really pull together and other nights I just can’t hold the mix right to the bitter end – and believe me, more often than not I push the mix as long as it can go. Not always in my best interest, but short mix DJs never really earned my respect the same way a long mix does. 

I’m working on building a solid base of records to work with right now, so you’ll probably hear some of these tracks again. I’m trying to work in a couple Platipus Records and a Couple Eve Records – which often have such distinctive sounds that it’s hard to mix them seamlessly with tracks from other record labels. 

Sure enough – I’ve only listened to part of the first hour but I’m not very thrilled about it. Right from the get-go I started with a bad mix and that just set the tone for the first hour. It’s too bad because the first mix was going quite well for 3-4 minutes. But all it takes for a great 4 minute mix to go bad is the last 15 seconds. Growing up as a kid I used to hear ‘Close only counts in horseshoes and hand-grenades’ and sure enough – it’s easy to get close. 

I’m also not very happy with the phrasing of the first set. I’ll maybe post something more in-depth another time – but basically (and I’m not even sure if phrasing is the right term) after you get good at matching beats and have it figured out that you have to line up the down-beats – you extend that whole concept to ‘phrases’ of a song. It’s like lining up the first beat of a 32 or 64 note segment on both records. If you can do that then magic can happen!

Here’s an example of what proper phrasing sounds like. Download this week’s podcast and listen to the mix between 1:35:23 and 1:37:35. Once you can phrase your mixes like this it’s practice, practice, practice until you can do it every time. (Easier said than done!)

Richard suggested suggested this was his favourite Trancendance set. I’ve only just started listening to it but anything that starts off with the ripping floor-crasher ‘Generate the Wave’ by Dave 202 is worth posting. So I dug up the podcast and here it is for all to enjoy.

Caddyshack returns after many weeks off for this week’s extended 3 hour show on BC Day long weekend. Smiley Mike plays an all Platipus set for the first hour. Caddyshack plays the second hour and then we tag team for the final hour – playing two records each.

Smiley Mike’s Platipus playlist

POB featuring X-Avia – The Awakening (Quietman Remix) – 1997
Jamnesia – Get Busy – 2002
Libra presents Taylor – Anomaly – Calling Your Name (Original Mix) – 1995
Art of Trance – Easter Island (Cygnus X Mix) – 1999
Chromium – Chrome (Terra Ferma Remix) – 1997
Universal State of Mind – All Because of You (Mindsweeper Mix) – 1996
Libra presents Taylor – Anomaly – Calling Your Name (Forth’s Remix) – 1996
Patrick Reid – Goose – 2001
Star – Rock Rose (Chab Mix) – 2001
Union Jack – Cockroach or Yeti (Can’t Remember) – 1997
Union Jack – Two Full Moons and a Trout – 1993
Quietman – The Sleeper – 1997

This week I did set aside the Nukleuz records and laid down a fairly deep trance set including a few well-known trance classics. All in all the set went pretty smooth. Being a perfectionist I can hear every wobble but there were really no major mistakes.

Both the first hour and the second hour start with the same track which is written and produced by Nick Hook & Martin Sharp and released on Total Music Records – but then each set goes in its own direction.

(Note: there is some back and forth mixing so some of the records below are played more than once)

Partial track listing (First Hour)

First Life – The Feeling the Day Before – Total Music Records
Jon the Dentist – Analogue Storm (Part 1) – Intensive Music
Transa – Supernova – Xtranova / Hook Recordings
Opus 808 – Don’t Turn Away (EFO Remix) – Xtranova / Hook Recordings
Smudge & Smith – Near Me – INCredible
Doran vs. Joshua Ryan – Unreal – Crush Recordings
White Label
Chac feat. Chilli Gold – 7 Years (Grinder Vox for the Box Remix) – Tonkin’ Music Test Pressing

Partial track listing (Second Hour):

First Life – The Feeling the Day Before – Total Music Records
Trigger – Rollercoaster (The Traveller and Quest’s Ectopic Beats Remix) – Viscious Vinyl
Morris v Rogers – Girl from the Green Dimension (Main Mix) – Pitch Black Records
Dumonde – God Music (Euphonic Mix) – Bulletproof Music
Max Graham – Falling Together – Hope Recordings
Paul van Dyk – We Are Alive (Breathless Mix) – Deviant Records
Outdare! – Live Today (Parks & Wilson’s Annexe Dub) – Test Pressing
Plastic Gangsters – The Yin, The Yang… The Young (Corrupted Parts Hard Mix) – Nukleuz Records
Sidekick – Respond – Test Pressing
Spider & Marc van Bekkum – One (Original Mix) – 2Play Recordings
Breeder – Twilo Thunder (Beetlejuice Version 4) – Rhythm Syndicate Recordings

This week’s Trancendance podcast is a full 2 hours of Nukleuz records mostly featuring the handiwork of Hard Trance genius Nick Sentience. It’s not a perfect set but it felt like there were more good parts than bad parts. It might not make it into the featured podcasts widget but I say it’s worth a listen.

One of my complaints has always been that it’s hard to find DJ mix CDs (back then it was mix tapes) that captured the high energy non-stop beats that I heard at raves. The mix tapes I found were good – they just lacked the relentless energy of some of my favourite DJ performances. This set is pretty relentless so hopefully a few of you will come out of it like I did – wondering were you are!