Mr Trick Presents: THE ART OF THE MIX
MR TRICK PRESENTS: THE ART OF THE MIX

Mix MP3s, mix CDs, mixtapes... God knows there are plenty about. However how many truly stand out as mixes of creative genius; true artistic works in their own right? Not so many...

On Samurai's new channel "The Art of the Mix", Rhythm Incursions host Mr Trick hand-selects mixes that transcend being just a sequence of tracks. These mixes take a multitude of sound sources and meld them into one whole new work; less a mix and more a complex musical journey.

In a switch on Samurai's usual style, this isn't a radio show. There'll be no introductions, no voiceovers - just the mixes themselves. This isn't radio; its an audio collection. However if you view what is normally the tracklisting area for each show (the button marked with a question mark), you will see Trick's own notes on the mix, explaining why it was selected for inclusion.

The Art of the Mix: only the finest works for your delectation...

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Mr Trick Presents: THE ART OF THE MIX

Mr Trick Presents: THE ART OF THE MIX

To open proceedings on this collection of mixes, I thought I'd begin with a defining statement; a mix that summarises the kind of approach to mixing I wish to spotlight; one where a linear mix format is trashed in favour of constant collision and remixing, with the end result being not so much a collection of songs, but one piece of ever-changing moods and flavours, where nothing sounds just like it did originally. So, what better way to do that than to present me and Waxfactor's own magnum opus in this area: 'Up The Anti'. When we conceived this mix, it was basically going to be our "Be All, End All" mix - the last word on our own mix styles we'd been individually developing for some 8-10 years, and which was the common ground we bonded on to begin with. Taking influence from Mr Dibbs to the Psychonauts, Mixmaster Mike to Coldcut and Strictly Kev, Q-Bert to Prince Paul, 'Up The Anti' aimed to define our own musical tastes and spell out how we see music and the possiblities within it. We threw in every fuckin' thing we could: hard breaks, jeep beats, nods to the 60s, cheeky spoken dialogue, electronica touches, vicious dancehall... you name it, we worked it in there. We even found a spot for our good friend 2tall to throw cuts down like a man raging via his needles - check the end dancehall segment for that.

Let's not get drowned in hyperbole though; that's not the point of this. Purely and simply, I want to curate an area on Samurai where only the best mixes get through so that you, the listener, won't have to wade through an endless sea of mediocrity.

So, for now just crank up that stereo, get ready to throw down and let Up The Anti rape your speakers. You know it makes sense.

peace

Mr Trick
February 12th 2007

p.s. for what its worth, Up The Anti is available in stores still - so if you like what you hear and want it in full blasting stereo, just search the title in Google and pick your favourite retailer. Enjoy!

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When writing about the mix work of Marcus B, I have to restrain myself from descending into gratuitous use of superlatives, because to me the man's work stands as some of the finest ever created.

Quite simply, Marcus B helped define the mixtape as an artform in its own right. His tapes most notably Sunshine Ambassador and Scatterbrain helped blur the lines between a mix being a selection of other peoples work and a creative work in its own right. He even coined his own term for his work: Concept Pieces. Ask any mixtape heads about seminal mix works and theyll mention shit like Mr Dibbs Turntable Scientifics, Q-Berts Demolition Pumpkin Squeeze Music and Signifys Mixed Messages. Only the real true heads knew about Marcus B and his contribution though, as he remained the most slept on of the 1200 Hobos. These werent mixtapes; they were so much more. In fact they were a precursor to the likes of Kid Koala, who fused the mixtape aesthetic with his own ideas to create albums like Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Back when these mixes first dropped, it wasnt uncommon to hear the word Shadow used, as Marcuss work shares that same element of introspection coupled with ultra nice beats.

So, for your listening ears I'm delighted to present "Sunshine Ambassador", arguably Marcus's best work (and certainly his personal favourite, I believe). Customarily introspective, this is a truly affecting mix; a creative work that is beautiful, eclectic, original and downright inspired in its range and feel. Arrogantly I'd consider myself not bad at mixing, but when I hear this I feel I've got a long, long way to go...

Enjoy what I've been enjoying continually for some 8 years now.

Trick

Footnote: It took me 6 years to track Marcus B down, having sworn to find the guy and possibly attempt to reissue these mixes so people could realise what they'd missed. In 2007, Marcus is throwing down some mean guitar in a band called Sir Splendid - sonically a fair distance from this mix work, but excellent nonetheless. Until I got in touch, I think Marcus had long since consigned his previous adventures as a seminal DJ and producer to history. I'm delighted to say though, that in the conversations that followed my initial contact Marcus is not only writing and performing with Sir Splendid, but back on the beats trail. So, we've not heard the last of this lost legend - and I've never been happier.

Find out more about Sir Splendid at their MySpace page:
http://www.myspace.com/sirsplendid