Ok, this might not mean much to some of the freeform heads out there, but I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to next month. LTJ Bukem is, in my opinion, the best DJ in the business, and his mixing, track selection and set construction inspired me right from when I started listening to ambient/intelligent drum and bass as a 13 or 14 year old. Growing up in darkest Wales though, I never had a chance to get to any of his live sets at Dreamscape, Speed etc (plus I was too young, really), and so to finally get to see him play here in Tokyo, 13 or 14 years later, is amazing.
[Click down below to have a listen to my favourite Bukem set from back in the day]
I’m still in the very early stages myself, but things like his style of cutting between tracks, and long long mixes (always in key) are things that I’ve heard Bukem doing for over a decade, and have really inspired the way I’ve been trying to play at events – despite me playing a very different genre.
Actually, here’s one of the mixes that had an absolutely massive influence on how I thought about DJing, and it’s still my favourite DJ set ever. I originally heard it as part of his Radio 1 Essential Mix (in 1996, I think), but here is another version, without the lyrics of MC Conrad. Such an incredible set, the change of moods and progression is just amazing – plus it includes 3 or 4 of my favourite ever drum and bass tunes. Anyone with even the slightest interest in drum and bass should give it a listen.
The tracklist:
- Axis – Dusted
- G-Force – G-Force
- Jonny L – Untitled
- Phil Basement – A Jazzier Groove
- Jack Smooth – The Genesis Project (remix)
- Shogun – Together
- Ken Ishii – Stretch (Shogun remix)
- Universal – Live Session
- Voyager – Hypersleep
- Seba & Lotek – So Long