MAESTRO B - “Textures”

August 17 2008

Category: Mixsets

In “Textures” I start with some deep latin sounds, which move towards some nice up-lifting vocal tracks with a latin feel. I then hint at a discohouse sound before cutting into some good, chunky electrohouse. This set represents the type of journey that I believe a DJ should work to produce. In a Live situation, the mixset journey is derived through a combination of audience feedback and DJ choice. This means that the pathway through a live set will vary more than in a studio set recording. I think one of the challenges for a DJ is to produce studio sets that without an audience to feedback from. Its this challenge that leads me to believe that a studio set needs to have a sense of purpose. It needs to have a structure, which will provide build-ups, anticipation, and release. In this way it mimics what would happen naturally in a Live setting.

“Textures” - by Brent Silby aka “Maestro B”

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Maestro B presents Loca // eDestiny @ Heat Rave

August 16 2008

Category: Events, Mixsets

Heat Rave ran on August 8th this year. It was a sell out event, with an up-for-it crowd keeping the dance floor energy high all night. I started the night with a house set, which ran for around 90 minutes. For around 60 minutes in the middle of the set, I was joined by DJ Loca (who I have been training) for a back-to-back session.

I came back on later in the night to play a hard-house set back-to-back with another one of my training DJs, eDestiny. The energy from the dance-floor and general feeling in the place was uplifting and positive. All the funds from this event went to support the White Elephant Trust, which promotes events and activities for the “all-age” market in Christchurch city.

Here are both of the sets I played. The second one is hard-house, so is not the usual style for this site. But I thought I’d put it up, nonetheless.

Heatrave: House set - mixed by Maestro B b2b DJ Loca

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Heatrave: Hard House set - mixed by Maestro B b2b eDestiny

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Sahin Meyer - “Shoe Gazing”

August 14 2008

Category: Mixsets

Sahin Meyer - Husband and wife duo Linda & Shy Jacobs have been Djing together as “Sahin Meyer” for the last year. Individually they have been Djing since 1999, but come from complete different backgrounds. As well as their huge success in South Africa, they have also played separately in India, Mauritius and Istanbul. Last year the couple relocated to London and have played at The Cross, Whitehouse, Turnmills, 54 and Ministry of Sound.

Sahin Meyer’s “Shoegazing” is a beautifully relaxed set, which starts with deep, melodic sounds–light on the vocals. The third track changes the mood somewhat and shifts the set into more definitive dance sounds with a more serious feel. As the journey continues the mix develops, and introduces more complex rhythms. This continues to the end. Technically the mixing is perfect, and track selection fits consistently with the overall feel of the set.

As far as mixset structure goes, I enjoyed the fact that the set started with a specified sound and then progressed to a change of mood. For completion, a return to the earlier sound would have been good. That would have given us a resolution to the anticipation that is built in the main body of the set. I firmly believe that a set (like an individual song) should contain a build-up of anticipation then release. The build-up/release cycle can occur several times during a set, and it is a feature that makes a mixset a self contained musical artifact.

Thanks to Sahin Meyer for the mix. Enjoy…

“Shoegazing” - by Sahin Meyer (Linda and Shy Jacobs)

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MAESTRO B - “Our Belief”

August 3 2008

Category: Mixsets

In “Our Belief” the journey begins with a wonderful piano piece, which I cut from “Found Love” by Double Dee. I run it for about a minute before cutting to the first track of the set. The set starts with a good solid house track before moving into electrohouse with a recent remix of “I Believe” from Happy Clappers. The mood moves towards some nice vocal/funky house sounds, which make up to middle section of the mix. We then come to a dramatic re-entry to electrohouse with “Freed From Desire” (this track also served as an entry into electrohouse in my last mix). The set then concludes with a reprise of the piano progression used in the opening.

“Our Belief CD” - mixed by Brent Silby aka “Maestro B”

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