The art of the mix is hard to define. There are brilliant sets that are composed of smooth transitions, harmonically matched songs, and rising tempos. Then there are equally brilliant sets which have none of the above - just an amazing selection of tracks, unheard-of edits, and a touch of magic.
At Pulse Radio, sharing mixes is at the core of what we do. Our website is teeming with sets across almost every genre of dance music, from every artist, and every part of the world. For this year-end feature, we asked the Pulse family to tell us about their favorite mixes of 2012. Thanks to the handy Pulse players below, you can listen to each and every one of them, right here. Christmas may be over, but the gifts keep coming. Enjoy!
Nicolas Jaar- BBC Radio One Essential Mix
"The Essential mix could be credited as the "godfather" of the mix series. The show's been running since 1993, spanning and representing dance music's mutations and evolutions in the process. Part of the Essential Mix's appeal is its ability to cover a range of artists - it's not strictly about four to the floor or progressive house these days. Inclusions have come from Calyx & Teebee, an awesome entry from Scottish beat pioneer Rustie, and my personal favourite (and probably everyone else's considering its position as EM of the year), Nico Jaar's excellent, explorative mix. After his superb album "Space Is Only Noise," the Chilean had a lot to live up to. The resulting set certainly delivers, demonstrating Nico's keen musical ear and ability to DJ, even though its a focus that may not have been seen before. Ranging from the likes of Villalobos to NSYNC, and The Field to Beyonce, this brave and superb 2 hour set showcases Nicolas' ambitious musical mantra and ability to take the arbitrary and join them together in fluid unison. Hopefully - on the strength of this - he'll turn out another mix at some point soon."
[Joe Gamp]
Thugfucker + Shaun Reeves Timewave(day)zero Podcast
"Hypnotic river of sound"
"In advance of Damian Lazarus'"Day Zero" 24 hour festival in Playa Del Carmen this December 20-21st Thugfucker and Shaun Reeves teamed up to put together this ethereal workout which we were very proud to offer exclusively to Pulse listeners the week of the show. Both artists prove their mastery of the eclectic here and provide us with something as suited to an afterhours, a pre game drink session or even-as I've found particularly effective-a helpful chill out aid when you need to relax on the plane. It begins with Jim Morrison's prophetic words that essentially forecast electronic music and aspects of its culture and then moves through various types of music that, while not particularly electronic, all feel relevant and worthy of our headphones and stereos. I have yet to play this for anyone who's not enjoyed it immensely and we can now offer it for download to assist with offline enjoyment. Cheers to 2013!"
[Alex Fish]
George Fitzgerald - Pulse 057
"The first Pulse podcast of 2012 was from George Fitzgerald and 12 months later it still sounds just as fresh. Forward thinking to the end, the mix features Trikk and U, two artists ubdoubtedly due for big things in the coming year, as well as MK's classic Jodeci dub. Pretty short at only 30mins long, I actually like the fact that it gets in, packs a punch, does the job and f**ks off. Here's to more big things from George in 2013."
[James Huxley]
Marco Carola - Music On Closing Set - Amnesia Ibiza 2012
"Very difficult to decide ... Maceo Plex pulse podcast is such a master piece ... Lee Foss' modern amusement had the most plays according to my iTunes .. But I'm going to have to go for some relentless straight up charging running marathons on the spot with the entire 5 part MUSIC ON closing set from Marco Carola ... BEAST ...
Special note too to Shaded for the most warped mix I've heard this year"
[Wade Cawood]
Dana Bergquist and Andreas Hansson - Oh! @ Ljunggren 21-09-2012 (Part 1)
"There were quite a few solid mixes that were all vying for my pick of best of the year. John Talabot's FACT mix was one, Michael Mayer's RA podcast another, but you can't argue with your itunes play count. This live mix from Oh! Records' two label heads, Dana Bergquist and Andreas Hansson, recorded at their monthly residency at Stockholm's Ljunggren restaurant, was the mix I eventually settled on, mainly because it made it feel like summer whenever I hit play. There's nothing particularly mind-blowing about the mixing, it's just a solid selection of feel-good, electro-tinged house that's excellently programmed."
[Henry Johnstone]
PillowTalk - Louche Podcast 068
"The trio that hail from San Francisco and call themselves PillowTalk are without a doubt one of the best things to happen in my 2012. Officially forming in 2010, the live trio give a fresh face to the underground house and techno scene we all know and love, adding their own style of disco and classic R&B vibes to everything they touch. Their podcast debut for Louche encompasses an immense variety of sound effects, beats and even a couple different languages. The originality in every minute of the live band’s mix gives one the unavoidable urge to explore what else the funky trio have to offer; their unmatchable flare was even enough to catch the attention of hot labels such as Visionquest, Life & Death and Wolf + Lamb."
[Emma Salditt]
Miike Snow - Essential Mix (15.09.2012)
"By far my favourite Essential Mix of the year, the duo of Karlsson and Winbberg (two thirds of Swedish group Miike Snow) produced a two hour journey through genres, and one of the most feel-good mixes of the year. From starting with Style of Eye's whimsical 'Norway' and ending with the assaulting bass of TNGHT's Higher Ground and DIM's 'Go', this mix has absolutely everything. There are tracks from Four Tet, Wolfgang Gartener, Brodinski, Flying Lotus and so many more. It's been on high rotation ever since it aired and I still find it as exciting and surprising as the first time around. Just superb!"
[Anneliese Pomering]
Tone of Arc - Fabric Promo Mix September 2012
"Tone of Arc's Fabric Mix wins it for me this year by far. Really driving mix -can't fault it. Definitely keep an eye on these two. Killing it!"
[Kristen Marconi]
Blond:Ish - Get Physical on The Bus @ Robot Heart, Burning Man 2012
"Blond:Ish bring back the amazing vibes of Burning Man to me whenever I hear this mix. With the perfect combination of haunting vocals and dancefloor rhythms, the set evokes the dusty, costume filled landscape of the Playa in an instant. It's great to see these girls take off, and this mix is a good indication of why they've been so successful. To more Blond:Ish, and Burning Man, in 2013!"
[Prab Kumar]
Cheers to 2012 - time to give this year a big hug for all the great moments, a big middle finger for all the rest, and look forward with beaming faces towards a bright, sonically adventurous 2013!
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