Ending The Year With A Boom - Prepare Your Speakers For Some Big Beats

Now that Christmas is over, its time to prepare for the upcoming New Year and what better way to end 2007 than with a mix of the best in bangin' electronic beats.

As my biggest influence in electronic music, I've compiled and mixed the best tracks from four of the biggest names in the big beat genre: The Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim, Prodigy and The Crystal Method. I remember the first time hearing "Block Rockin' Beats" from The Chemical Brothers back in '99 and that was when I've decided to get back into mixing and DJ'ing.

Big beat tends to feature distorted and compressed breakbeats at moderate tempos, usually between 90-140 BPMs, acidic synthesized lines, and heavy, repetitive loops. Big beat is like drum n' bass' retarded cousin, both sharing frantic breaks, heavy bass, and an odd "jittery rhythm," but the former tends to have more simplistic loops beats than the latter.

The Chemical Brothers, formed by the duo of Tom Rowlands and Ed Simmons, were the pioneers of this electronic dance genre and were known for their high-quality live sets with the use of MPC samplers, Electribes, and the ever so popular Kaoss Pad Effects processor.

The Prodigy, another English band, known for various styles ranging from rave, hardcore to industrial, looks more like that of a live act with members, Liam Howlett, Keith Flint, Maxim and Leeroy Thornhill.

Fatboy Slim, the only single act of the four, is Norman Cook, former bassist of the 80s band, "The Housemartins," reinvented himself as one of the best DJs in the world and a well-known big beat producer/artist.

Lastly is The Crystal Method, which is the only American act in the group, consisting of the dynamic duo of Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland, and considered the pioneers of this genre in the US. They have a very distinctive musical style, which features hard hitting "big beat" percussion, driving synthesized baselines and often distorted synthesized lead tones.

Today's set comprises some of the four's best original tracks and remixes.

Tracklist:

1) Come On Beats Version 2 - Moby vs. The Chemical Brothers (Beatmeister's Method Rockin' Bass Mash-Up Mix)

2) Rock The House - The Chemical Brothers (Prodigy Remix)

3) The Roof Is On Fire vs. Hey Boy Hey Girl - Rockmaster Scott vs. The Chemical Brothers

4) Not Another Drugstore - The Chemical Brothers (Planet Nine Mix)
5) Don't Stop - Freestylers (Fatboy Slim Mix)

6) Block Rockin Breaks - The Chemical Brothers (Counterfeit Beatz Mix)

7) Breathe - Prodigy (Erick E Re-Edit)

8) Right Here, Right Now - Fatboy Slim (Carrison Vs. Scorpio Mix)

9) Hey Boy, Hey Girl - The Chemical Brothers (2006 User Friendly Mix)

10) Outta Space - Prodigy (Autobots Mix)

11) Praise You - Fatboy Slim (46th Street Mix)

12) The Salmon Dance - The Chemical Brothers (Herve Mix)

13) Girls - Prodigy (2006 Rogue Elements Remix)

14) Slash Dot Dash - Fatboy Slim (Act Of Dog's Hack Dot Slash Mix)

15) Galvanize - The Chemical Brothers (H.A.B. Electroplate Mix)

16) Crystalized - Crystal Method (Extended Mix)

17) Electrobank - The Chemical Brothers (Album Version)

18) Everybody In The Place - Prodigy (Act Of Dog's 3 Oh Frenzy Mix)

19) Setting The Firestarter's Sun - The Chemical Brothers vs. Prodigy (Beatmeister's Dreamtime Mash-Up Mix) - another mash-up from yours truly

Link... MyBlockRockinBigBeatMix - The Beatmeister

Here's to an explosive year ahead!! Happy New Year!!!

Happy Holidays From The Beatmeister

Would just like to greet everyone...

A Very Merry Christmas and A Peaceful and Prosperous New Year!!!

Revival of The 80s - The Killers MegaMix

Here's a quick and short mix, which I did a couple of days back. Just to pay homage to my favorite band at the moment, The Killers, I tried to compile and mix 5 of my favorite tracks from them.

Their sound, which is irresistibly tuneful with tracks rooted in the hooky aesthetic of Eighties icons like The Cure, Duran Duran and Depeche Mode, yet crackling with the bitchy urgency of 21st Century paranoia. Brandon Flowers (keyboardist/lead singer) weaves deft synth countermelodies around vocal lines along with dandyish melodrama.

As quoted from Flowers, "I would rather not be known as an Eighties revivalist," but those are undeniably some of my main influences, especially keyboard stuff like Depeche Mode, Yaz, Erasure and OMD. There are a lot of string pads on our music. That's the Pet Shop Boys in me. I love every one of their songs."

Now for the tracklist:

1) When You Were Young (Jacques Lu Cont Remix)

2) Somebody Told Me (Mylo Club Mix)

3) Mr. Brightside (DJ Strobe New Romantic Club Mix) - my ultimate fave Killers tune

4) Read My Mind (Gabriel & Dresden Unplugged Mix)

5) All These Things That I've Done (2007 Supercalifragilistic Remix)

Link... The Killers MegaMix - The Beatmeister

As requested, here's an alternate link via MediaFire... The Killers Megamix - The Beatmeister

Now this is what I call, "The Revenge of The Synth!"

M.O.P. Mix 7 - A Cool Retro Mix by DJ MoProd

Ever since I started this blogging thing, my purpose was just to post my own mixes, so as to be unique from other music blogs. However, it came to a point that while I love sharing my own interpretation of the music that I love listening to through these mixes, I just thought it would also be nice to hear how others would interpret it in their own way by showcasing their work too.

So for today's post, am going to try somethin' different once more. For the first time, I will be uploading a mix not done by me, but by a fellow Pinoy DJ based in Houston, Texas by the name of DJ MoProd. If you're into retro mixes, you should give this set a try and you won't regret it.

Enjoy his smooth blending of tunes from Madonna, Depeche Mode, New Order, Pet Shop Boys, and a lot more of 80s stuff.

Now for the tracklist:
1. Borderline (12" extended) - Madonna
2. Ice Ice Baby (scratch ultimix) - Vanilla Ice
3. Bizzare Love Triangle - New Order
4. Silent Morning - Noel
5. Holiday - Madonna
6. Strange Love (maxi mix) - Depeche Mode
7. What Have I Done To Deserve This - Pet Shop Boys
8. We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off (extended dance mIx) - Jermaine Stewart
9. Boys Do Fall In Love (12" extended) - Robin Gibb

Link... M.O.P. Mix 7 - DJ MoProd

Would just like to greet everyone a very Merry Christmas in advance and enjoy the holidays! :)

Come On Beats Version 2 - Moby vs. The Chemical Brothers (Beatmeister's Method Rockin' Bass Mash-Up Mix)

As a primer to my upcoming mix, here's a sampler of what the next set would be sounding like. It's a mash-up mix from three of my fave artists in the bigbeat/electronic scene and the most influential for me when it comes to heavy, bangin' beats.

For this track, I laid over my favorite guitar riff from the classic Chemical Brothers' track "Block Rockin Beats" with the headbangin' beats of Moby's, "Come On, Baby" as remixed by another one of my favorite producers in the Big Beat/Breakbeat scene, The Crystal Method.

Enjoy my own interpretation of these 2 classic bigbeat tracks.

Come On Beats Version 2 - Moby vs. The Chemical Brothers (Beatmeister's Method Rockin' Bass Mash-Up Mix)

Here's to rockin' your world!

Would appreciate your comments for this one... :)

Pump It Up - Flashback to 90s Hip House

Here's my birthday treat to everyone... Another mix of old school 90s hip-house, also known as house rap, which mixes the elements of hip-hop and house music. I remember hearing this kind of music in the late 80s with the rise in popularity of M/A/R/R/S' "Pump Up The Volume", Bomb The Bass' "Beat Dis," and Hithouse's "Jack To The Sound," using heavy sampling with their tracks.

It later gained more popularity in the early 1990s with the emergence of hip-hop artists like MC Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock, Mr. Lee, Daisy Dee, and Heavy D and The Boyz combining their rap/hip hop style with house music.


But the group, Technotronic, was the most popular artist in this genre producing such hits like "Pump Up The Jam," "Move This," and "Get up," which were all on top of the charts. Soon after, similar artists emerged like 2-Unlimited, Inner City, Haddaway, Bizarre Inc. and a lot more, which paved the way for the "Techno" genre in early 2000.


Tracklist:
1) Jack To The Sound - Hithouse (Radio Edit)
2) Beat Dis - Bomb The Bass (Extended Dis)

3) Doo Wah Ditty - Zapp (Wicked Mix) - thanks to my buddy, DJ Lei, from PDDJs for this superb 80s funk track; I remember poppin' and lockin' to this funky tune!
4) Pray - MC Hammer (Street Tracks Remix)
5) She's Got Me Goin' Crazy - 2 In A Room (Crazy Remix)
6) Cantaloop - US3 (Ultimix)
7) How Bizaare - OMC (DJ Cuti Mix)
8) It's Tricky - Run DMC (Mixx-It)
9) Baby Got Back - Sir-Mix-A-Lot (Funky Mix)
10) A Bit Of U2 - Kiss AMC (Razormaid Mix) - first sampling of U2's New Year's Day I've heard
11) Get Down On The Dancefloor - MC Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock (Album Version)


12) Now That We Found Love - Heavy D and The Boyz (Prime Cuts Mix)
13) Pump Up The Jam - Technotronic (Mixx-It)
14) Crazy - Daisy Dee (Dizzy Mix) - thanks to Rene for this track; i remember this being included in the "Cool As Ice" soundtrack
15) Pump That Body - Mr. Lee (Extended Mix)
16) I Can't Stand It - Twenty For Seven (12" Extended Mix) - I still have my 12" vinyl of this track
17) Move This - Technotronic (DJ Gones Remix) - my fave Technotronic track
18) Get Ready For This - 2 Unlimited (Powerhouse Remix)

19) I'm Gonna Get You - Bizarre Inc. feat. Angie Brown (Extended Mix)
20) Good Life - Inner City (Eric Prydz Unreleased Mix)
21) Get Up (Before The Night Is Over) - Golbal Deejays feat. Technotronic (Tribalectric Mix)
22) What Is Love - New Groove Factory vs. Haddaway (Groove Factory Summer Mix) - memorable dance from Will Ferrell and Chris Kattan's "A Night At The Roxbury"

Link... MyPumpItUpMix - The Beatmeister

Enjoy another mix of superb retro dance tunes!!!