By now, the average Earmilk reader knows at least three things about a great mix:
1. The first is that an accomplished DJ will use songs that you would never expect to hear, yet uses them in a way that completely works with the overall mix.
2. The second is that a successful mix involves the listener: taking them gently by the hand, and guiding them through a tasteful assortment of genres and artists. (If the average mix is at least thirty minutes, they had better be tasteful.) When the songs are accurately chosen, the mix is fully capable of evoking a range of emotions within the listener as well.
3. And thirdly, an accomplished DJ is able to pass time with so much stealth and precision, his/her listener won't be able to understand how 57 minutes and 20 seconds could have possibly passed already.
This brings me to DJ Franchise, who expertly fulfills all three with his newest mix, 1000 Count. You might remember him from here, where I featured his Muse Mix, featuring the likes of Toro Y Moi, Two Door Cinema, Passion Pit and Kanye West.
I've listened to all of Franchise's mixes by now but 1000 Count is what made me think this DJ has some legitimate sixth sense about my musical affinities. Has he been tracking my musical tastes since the 7th grade? That or he's just really damn good at what he's doing.
This "DJ" (mad scientist, is more like it) takes a Goapele cover of Sinead O'Conner and spreads it over a sample of Kanye's Runaway, for crying out loud. One minute it's that, the next it's Bilal covering Radiohead. I mean, c'mon. For fear of spoiling the entire mix, I'll restrain myself from mentioning several other gems found on this mix.
But trust that if you have even the slightest hankerings for groups like The Knife and Platinum Pied Pipers or artists like Musiq Soulchild and Frank Ocean, you'll play this mix more than four times.
In the words of Franchise, the goal of this mix is to encourage listeners to "keep an open-minded ear and challenge yourself to discover a taste for something unconventional." Challenge most gladly accepted.
[soundcloud url="http://soundcloud.com/dj-franchise-ktl/dj-franchise-1000-count"]
DJ Franchise – 1000 Count by DJ Franchise (KTL)
Blowing up in 3…2…1…
