September 7th, 2010

Essential Archive

Even finding a full list of the Essential Mix archive was a hard task, let alone coming across the goldmine:  every single mix available to download!! Got about 500 hours to spare? Head here.

The BBC’s Essential Mix series is a bona fide staple in the diet of dance music fans. The 2 hour show, broadcast every week since 1993, has seen a serious hall of fame pass through, from Carl Cox to Carl Craig, Massive Attack to Major Lazer. If you’re too young to know what it was like being a fan of dance music in the pre-internet era, this is an education. As the rave scene in the UK started to fizzle, a newer innovative dance scene started to emerge but couldn’t really find its way into the mainstream. Radio 1 (or rather Eddie Gordon) brought the underground to the fore, every single Saturday night. 17 years on and the show presents no signs of losing its influence; 2010 has already seen Four Tet, Simian Mobile Disco and Mixpak affiliates Buraka Som Sistema get on the 1s and 2s.

Some Essential recommendations: The first ever show with Pete Tong (1993), Ashley Beedle (1998), Freddy Fresh (1998), Jeff Mills (2004), Daft Punk (1997), Unkle (2004), Flying Lotus (2008).