why are "mixes" appreciated by people?

continually i hear people say "hey check out my mix", or "that mix owns this mix", blah blah blah. first of all let me try to understand what a mix is. correct me if im wrong, but as far as i can see, all a "mix" is, is someone collecting a bunch of their favorite songs (by artists other than themselves), putting them all together, and claiming the collection of music as something they have put together, and something they own, and can share with people, as if it was something they created

"hey dude, i just collected an apple, a sandwich, a blunt, and richard d james album, and threw it all into a bag, shook the fuck out of it, and called it my own. i have nothing to do with the creation of any of these things, yet i claim ownership of the combination of all these things"

this is what i see when i hear people spouting about their brilliant "mixes". i can understand if you are a dj, and its your job to make mixes to show people. but what the fuck is this new thing, where people take a bunch of songs they like, put them all together in what they think is a clever oder of tracks, and give it to the world as their "mix"

cmon, what the fuck is that?

your life sure must be great when you can think about stuff like that

poop doodles

edit: realization of a mistake

I also hate chefs who don't grow their own ingredients.

so youre saying that all a mix is, is someone showing someone else great music, in a specific order of tracks?

if that is the case, then im not against it. i like that idea, and have done it myself

i think what im talking about is how people put a bunch of tracks together and claim it as something theyve created. i think thats kind of weird

xxx: well i dont know why you call this trolling but whatever floats your boat dude. so you are admitting that all a mix is a collection of songs? im not against this, i just want to understand it. if so, then im curious to understanding this new way of hearing music

i like the idea of collecting a bunch of great music into a small amount of time, but i dont like the idea of separating a small part (a song) of a bigger part (an album), many times over to create a new "album", of which the original artists had no intention, and in which the artist may possibly be against the separation of one of their songs from the album to which it belongs to

or something

I agree, ET should do a mix!

Yeah, ET should do a mix.

  xxx said:

... I'm gonna just tell you to listen to the "Exhibitionist Mix" by Jeff Mills available at your local shop or p2p (you better support Jefferson dammit!). You will hear 45 techno tracks spun down so tightly and intricately that it stops being just 45 individual tracks and more of a 1 hour movement of dance music--you stop being able to see the seams. You then realize that when you get to the middle, you're definitely not where you started and by the end, you can't even account for how you got there--imagine shooting through a colon as techno diarrhea and being splat against the bowl walls in a spackle of exhilaration. I've studied this mix like a priest does the Bible.

i love you

perhaps it is because its often a free sampler of tracks you would have otherwise never heard without paying for them

i read through that post again and thought. and i came to the conclusion that the act of collecting other peoples art into a new single piece of art of your own, is just as legitimate of a creation as a single song in itself.

thank you people, this is what i was looking for

i spent like 4 months creating a mix once for a girl once. i made sure each track followed on from the last, sometimes keeping in the same mood, sometimes making a bit of a break, and kept with the mood i wanted to produce at that moment. i'd put two tracks together and them listen to them in their entirety to make sure they fitted. then when i had three potentials i'd do the same for those three, etc. doing it like that took ages, but was well worth it.

and i made sure all the tracks were pretty new to the girl i was making it for, so it would introduce her to new things, mostly. it was much more than just a bunch of tracks put together. i'd put a lot of thought into why they were there and at what time. i was pretty happy with it when i finished.

i never listen to mixes anymore really, but used to be into them...i guess the skill comes from the smooth transition of one song into another, by beatmatching or creative "mixing" of the two songs to create a unique groove and pleasing amalgamation of sounds. also the choice of music used to create a flow and direction for a mix requires some thought on behalf of the person mixing.

are you speaking of mixing 2 songs on top of each other?

i mean the part where you said "beatmatching and create a new groove" part

becasue i have also identified in this world of mixing, a division between where people mixing tracks one after another, and a whole entriely different concept, which is placing tracks on top of eachother, or, playing at the same time

i hear you though

I hate mixes now. when i first started mixing over 10 years ago thats all that mattered to me, a good mix, now i just fucking hate them, i just think its because so many people are doing, mixing has grown at about 500 % since i started. I was like 1 in 5 people who mixed in my town now im sure there is 100s. Also digital mixing sucks balls, u dont even work up a sweat getting ur next record out, so if its done on traktor i will hate the mix whatever, but i would have to know that first.

The only time i will listen to a mix is in the car to keep the music flowing.

  ET said:

are you speaking of mixing 2 songs on top of each other?

 

i mean the part where you said "beatmatching and create a new groove" part

 

becasue i have also identified in this world of mixing, a division between where people mixing tracks one after another, and a whole entriely different concept, which is placing tracks on top of eachother, or, playing at the same time

 

i hear you though

wtf? are you serious? you know what DJ's do in a club - create a continuous flow of music by tempo matching tunes and seamlessly flowing from one to the other - this is a mix. just recording some random tracks you like is not. that used to be called a mixtape years ago and requires little or no skill. have you ever been to a club ET? you can't seriously tell me you don't know about mixing records together....

but man, that's only enjoying things others aren't enjoying. i'm probably a bit awkward too with popular books and the like, but stopping doing something you love just because others have also found out that they like it too is a bit ...

er, what?

  inteeliguntdesign said:

but man, that's only enjoying things others aren't enjoying. i'm probably a bit awkward too with popular books and the like, but stopping doing something you love just because others have also found out that they like it too is a bit ...

It this a me ?

i fucking hate ET

  David R James said:

  inteeliguntdesign said:

but man, that's only enjoying things others aren't enjoying. i'm probably a bit awkward too with popular books and the like, but stopping doing something you love just because others have also found out that they like it too is a bit ...

 

It this a me ?

yeah

  David R James said:

  inteeliguntdesign said:

but man, that's only enjoying things others aren't enjoying. i'm probably a bit awkward too with popular books and the like, but stopping doing something you love just because others have also found out that they like it too is a bit ...

 

It this a me ?

Well if it is...

I havent just stopped listen to mixes becos of a popularity contest, no no no. i still play out all the time and mix at home, but i dont listen to any tom, dick, or harry's mix cos its just doesnt mean anything to me anymore. I used to listen to mixes by the people who u used to look up to, people at the top of their game, and the few mates i new who used to do it. Also i only like traditional mixes with vinyl maybe with a bit of cd, because that is what got me into mixing and what i love to do. just mixing in ur computer just isnt...

yea it's kinda an art in it's own little way haha. And it's really fun cause you feel a personal connection through the music, as if not because of you the would never have been a combo of music like this. And people who are passionate about music can share it to others, you don't have to make the actually tracks to have your life revolve around music in some way or another remember! In no way does anyone take credit for the music in the mix, but there is certainly something to say about a well mixed set, that can sometimes transcend the music itself.

just go away you aids-ridden homosexual