Obsessed With Precision: MJK's Threedeck Mixing Connects Dubstep, Grime And Techno
One mix that stood out to me for its use of three decks was the Ilian Tape mix, where you feel like you've assigned a different mood or genre to each CDJ.
I'm really proud because this was the first time I really put my heart and soul into using three decks and it turned out exactly as I wanted. I plan all my sets by blocking. Whenever I'm on a radio show, it's completely spontaneous, but based on the best parts of what I did in two or three hours of jamming. I often find little bits of inspiration when playing live, so I think it's also important to create a spontaneous mix that you think about and see how it works, even if you've set aside two hours for it. among them are extraordinary moments.
I am a great planner, but I believe that planning should be done spontaneously and freely so that I can deviate from these traffic jams if necessary.
Often I like to speed up songs by muting the main CDJ beat and making it faster. Lately I've been trying to turn it down and see how it sounds when it's slower. I love giving new context to the works.
In this mix, I played "Footcrab" at 120 bpm. I always liked "Footcrab" but never played it, for no reason, but now on 120 it's a very different song and does a very different thing. That's what I love most about DJing: sometimes you can flip a song.
Often these things don't look good. I'll never tell you which songs don't work, but I can play thousands of songs and play them at any BPM and you'll get nothing.
Do you think it's boring to play with two decks because you are a three-deck wizard?
I always like to play with two decks, for example on Tasha's show we always play with one deck. You can definitely enjoy both. I think the best thing is that whether you're playing two, three, four, five, or six games together, the path between each game is critical.
You can still do amazing things with just two pieces. When I was a kid, my favorite sets were definitely performed with just two songs. For me, I like playing three decks now because I'm a very impulsive person and I can go in that direction.
One of the most surprising parts of your set was the use of pulse faders commonly used in grime DJs to fade songs quickly, albeit in 4/4 technique.
It is also the result of trial and error. When I write a lot of particles, it is the power of the wig, of course, sticking to General Court, sticking to Grandmixxer, sticking to Neffa-T.
When I created particles, it was very technical. Drain, cut into pieces, stir quickly. Basically, I just play eight bars and create a new song, giving it a different signature to change what I hear.
I think I'm still waiting that long, but because I have more instruments now, more 4/4, I can really create grooves. I can do more than just cut two dirty songs, and it's a little more fun.
There's a different rhythm.
Yeah, I think the good thing is that the education I got about playing grime and mixing it up like that meant it was natural for me to try the same techniques when I first started playing techno.
I only realized the extent of this when I saw DJ Bone's attack mix. If you haven't seen it, don't hesitate, it's absolutely brilliant. Ski told me about it when I was in Munich and I was really shocked, I was like, "He plays techno like shit." A lot of the old techno guys were doing what Neffa-T is doing now, they were playing Juggle and they still had the same songs.
It's great to see there are similarities between the two cultures. There is recognition that people can and do do what we are trying to do. I was like, “Yeah, I want to do this flexible thing, I want to try this thing!”
You are now officially a Rinse FM resident.
Yes, I'm very excited, especially because I'm very proud of the first performance. I'm b2b Zed Bias... I never imagined something like this would happen. They say don't meet your heroes, but this is crazy. There was a lot of chemistry and I just had fun with him and showed him all the Zed songs I had. I said, “I want you to know that it took me a long time to get this,” something I've been asking for and has been bothering people for years.
He was even surprised when I drew it. Having someone like that and talking about all the songs we love so much was one of the best feelings, and most importantly, the show was amazing. And so on at all levels, including vocal and personal. It was an extraordinary spectacle.
Besides Zed Bias, you have also played B2B with re:ni and Tasha. Is there anyone else you'd like to star alongside on your show?
Of course. I have a special situation where I can come to Rinse FM and invite someone I've always wanted to play with. I want to make my show a place where you can come and do whatever you want, participate in things I would never do, and do things I would never do. I still want to do a lot of two-hour solo shows, but yeah, I can't wait for guests to come.
“Zenkers” is definitely someone I want to play with. I wanted to ask questions of some of the other people on the show, but I don't want to spoil it...you'll have to. I definitely need to do part two of my B2B with Tim from Tim and Barry at Rinse , we appeared together on their NTS show a while ago.
What can we expect from MJK in the future? You just became a full-time musician, right?
Yes, maybe four weeks! My job is to listen and play music. I hope it lasts forever. It is a huge privilege, especially considering all the current challenges, that I can do it.
My B2B with Neffa-T at The Cause was just announced and I'm very excited about it.
Production-wise, when I worked on Patchworks Vol. EP 1' with Skee was the first thing I'd done in a long time. I want to organize my space so that I can do things on my own and also do things with other people.
I really wanted to explore different styles of music and find my usual producer bag. I don't have time for that because I have to work at least 40 hours a week. I don't have that excuse anymore, so it'll be fun to see what I can do with this free time.
I continue to work seven to four hours because my job is very difficult, I am very busy, very customer-oriented and have to deal with a lot of people. I have a lot of responsibilities, I can't work part time, it's hard for me to be replaced by someone else. So a lot of times when I have a show, I have to go back to work. When I did the cover, I was working and luckily I got off work early enough to come and do it.
I've had many sleepless nights and would do it again in a heartbeat. I've done a lot of sanding over the last year. I would prepare the talk during my lunch break at work, and then I would go and give the talk. It happened non-stop and I got very little sleep, but the beauty of it is that I am where I am because I never turn down an opportunity.
Even though I like to complain and people always complain about their work, I am very lucky. I'm in a privileged position all the time, but it takes a lot of work. When I started, I loved doing it and little by little things started to improve. After moving to London, the only gig I played that year was seven straight hours at b2b2b2b with Victor, Oblig and Ski Mask at the White Hotel [in Manchester].
They must have given Ski a place to stay or asked him to perform and he just chose me, Oblig, and Victor to play with him. We just did it and there was no real enthusiasm or anything. I don't have a radio show. That's a great B2B format, but I don't care. There's nothing wrong, and even then I'm very lucky.
Lastly, how would you describe your blend?
I'd like to think of this mix as a mix of all the sounds and experiences I've had so far. I've been working on this for some time and have discovered and explored new insights about playing at a slower pace while still maintaining the same context as when playing at my normal pace.
I always try to find the perfect balance in every set or mix, and even though I know it doesn't exist, I still really enjoy the ride. I think that's what describes it best: it's a snapshot of my musical journey and a reflection of what I'm working on.
'Patchwork Vol.1' is out now via Mandatory Records and can be purchased here.
Tibor Heskett is a digital intern at Mixmag, follow him on Twitter.
