DJs With Mohawks

Tuner Control: Radiohead "Fake Plastic Trees"/Interpol "NYC."
From Air Raid Vol. 2 (Unbeknownst, 2004)

I used to make mad rock mixtapes in high school, like the old push pause type mixes from my CD player to my tape deck. There was something so satisfying about making them, from choosing an album title, selecting the perfect mix of tracks, and then passing them off to my friends, I guess there's no surprise that I eventually took a liking to DJing and buying records.

I feel like I've been waiting for a mix like Tuner Control's Air Raid Vol. 2 for years, and excuse me if there are a ton out there. I'm sure there are, but this is the first one that's been brought to my attention, and damn is it exquisite. I'm not sure about the exact details behind this project; whether it's a dude or a group of dudes or what. What I do know is that they use DJ fundamentals like mixing and blending to put together a solid, cohesive mix that spans punk, metal, rock, and indie. You got The Misfits, Operation Ivy, Fugazi, Pantera, Violent Femmes, The Strokes, Le Tigre. What? The track list is crazy, although there are some parts where it's confusing what exactly their intentions were, like layering breaks over songs or Public Enemy's "Bring the Noise" over Motley Crue's "Live Wire," which is cool, but these moments are so few and far between that it seems like they would have been better left out.

Oh well. Still a great listen and some great mixing like Sonic Youth's "Bull in the Heather" into Smashing Pumpkins' "1979" or Radiohead's "Fake Plastic Trees" (the Tuner Control Dub Mix is awesome) into Interpol's "NYC." Fine fine stuff, and judjing from the title I assume there's a volume 1. Wouldn't mind getting my hands on that one.