Advanced Technique Mix

Franck Sinatra - Miss Kittin & The Hacker
from The First Album on Gigolo Records (2001).

Me and Guiliani Down By The Schoolyard - !!! vs. LFO
from Me & Guiliani Down By The Schoolyard EP on Warp Records (2004).

S.Ghael's mix site.

I don't know exactly what makes something electro or electro-clash or electro-punk/rap/disco for that matter. However, I do know that quite universally whenever I hear things that have been identified as belong to those catagories I dislike them. Take for instance the two tracks I posted today...I don't like them and would pretty much never listen to them, except for the fact that are part of S.Ghael's mix Advanced Technique.

S.Ghael's mix can be downloaded for free in all its greatness from his site, which I have given above. Go ahead and get it, I'll wait. Two reasons why I directed you to his site instead of providing the mix for DL here: 1. The site is pretty integral to the mix itself and S.Ghael has brief input about each track in the mix. and 2. It is better to get the mix complete instead of just a snippet. Additionally, this mix was put together in Abelton Live and many tracks were extensively remixed and edited. You can argue until you are blue in the face about the merits of this kind of software mix compared to the more traditional mixer and two turntables, but S.Ghael was able to relize things for his mix here that would not have been possible with the more traditional technique and I know for a fact that he had fun doing it. Besides from his site you can download some of his previous mixes, which are mixer + decks affairs. I recommend them all, but especially Southern Comfort, which is a minimal techno mix that I love and is possibly the only mix ever made that is perfect theme music for both vegetable chopping and high speed police pursuits.

Full disclosure, S.Ghael is a very great friend of mine, but I believe I can still be objective about this mix. It is slightly industrial techno with some of what we'll call for this post electro-clash, and frankly I don't like many of tracks on here at all. But the whole is much better than the sum of its parts, and I really like this mix and have finally put my finger on why. Even though I've never done anything harder than full calorie Wild Cherry Pepsi this mix generates a strong desire to score some coke and hit the orgy circuit with Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise. I feel like I need to take a shower after every listen. And that's the point really, this mix generates a very specific and unique feeling and vibe in me whenever I hear it. And it is something I don't get from listening to more of "my type" of music. New experiences and new ideas are always welcome.

But this isn't about me, it is about us. And we have more listening to do and a lot of thanks to give S.Ghael for opening minds.