This set played at the historic EndUp in San Francisco for the Real Deal Party Feel by Listed, Living, and the Grass is Green
It was a party full of feels!  TYSM Gunita, Nikita, and everyone who made it happen.  DJs have the easy job at a party, but your work is not unnoticed.

Playing a dj set in between two live acts - Moniker and all-time fave Dubtribe - I wanted to bring the energy up in an appropriate way, bringing some vocal energy and funkiness but also winding back down before Dubtribe.

Of course I could do zero of this without the amazing artists who created these gems I blended.  

As time goes by I'm down to pretty much zero sympathy for DJs who hide their track lists because they thinking someone will bite their style - sorry but if you think that way I doubt your style is very worth biting.  Other people made the tracks, give them the credit they deserve.  Mixing is an art - but don't be ridiculous :)

Bite me all you want it, I take it as a compliment and we both know it won't make you Ben Annand :)

TRACK LISTING

1 Circles - Evren Furtuna

2 Nipia Feat Moggli (Mihai Popoviciu Remix)	Nicolas Duvoisin	

3 You Can't Take It - Col Lawton	

4 All Around Us - Reverse Logic

5 Sad To Think - Pete Moss, Onur Ozman

6 Blue Turtle (Lauhaus Remix) - Nicolas Duvoisin	

7 Coconuts - Lauhaus, Mario Franca	

8 Ludovic - Leonardo Gonnelli, James Dexter

9 Sacred Essence - Tenna

10 You Trip Me Out On 2 - Chris Simmonds, Private Funk

11 Hola - Christian Burkhardt

12 Don't Look At Me - Duwayne Motley, Col Lawton

13 Escalateher (feat. Hive71) (Terry Francis Dirty Boy Rerub) - Hive71, Jake Beautyman

14 House Brause (Toman Remix) - Christian Burkhardt

15 London Nights (Burnski Remix) - Dokta	

16 The Step Up (Burnski Remix) - Rossko (UK)

17 You - Franck Roger

18 Miso Happy (Col Lawton Remix) - Bobby Breezy, Scottie Soul	

19 How It Was - X brazas

20 Hopeless (JT Donaldson Remix) - Dirtytwo

See you next time San Francisco!  
Get those tracks, I'll have all-new music next time I see ya anyway :)

Next up for Ben Annand

Tropical 23-Year Anniversary PNW in Portland at Epicenter warehouse OUTSIDE area, October 1st, 2021

Tix:  https://tinyurl.com/trop23pdx

Ben Annand Live at the EndUp SF Sept 19 2021 at Real Deal Party Feel

Track List

1	Pion - Septembar (Ilias Katelanos Remix)	
2	Spencer Parker - I Love Nobody Else (David Labeij Remix)	
3	Davide Squillace, Guti - The Other Side Of Hustler 
4	Mauro Picotto, Riccardo Ferri - Bespoke (Julien Chaptal Remix)	
5	Mladen Tomic - Happiness 	
6	Oliver Lieb, Every - Feelin' (Summer (Brendon Collins) Remix)		
7	Dirt Crew - Sweeter
8	Okain, Hector - Tacos & Frogs
9	Daniel Poli & Rico Casazza - Soul Dance	
10	Gion - You (Harold Heath Remix)	
11	Tigerskin, Till Von Sein - 7477 featuring Till von Sein	
12	Carlo Gambino - Makes You Want Me (Al Bradley's 3am Deep Remix)		
13	The Messenger - From the Soul
14	Mihai Popoviciu, Toygun - Closer
15	Mia Wallace, My Boy Elroy - I Can Show You This (Julien Sandre Remix)	
16	Peter Corvaia - Wreck It
17	Marko Nastic - Meaning (Giuseppe Cennamo Night Mix)		
18	Marc DePulse - Westbalkon (Alex Q Remix Instrumental)	
19	Richard Empire - The Void (Sami Wentz Remix)		
20	Johan Ilves, Migova - Masquerade (Sebastian Davidson Remix)		
21	Hans Thalau - 005.1 
22	Sick Live - I Like That (DJ Haze Fuktup Dub)		
23	Javier Orduna, Inigo Oruezabal - Scent of a Woman (Gion in the Future Remix)		
24	Aga - Dark Skies
25	James Barnsley - Super Swinging Sounds (Andrade Remix)		
26	Dan Curtin - Its What You Wanted (Digital Exclusive)		
27	Flavio Folco - Documentary (Gery Otis Remix)		
28	Highest Sound Levels - Stars Flames During The Apocalypse (Rmx)		
29	Patrick Bateman - Club Queen (Billy Johnston & Gennaro Mastrantonio Remix)		
30	Luna City Express - Nut Talk
31	Jamie Anderson, Louis Osbourne - Electric Voodoo (Jamie Anderson Drums Mix)		
33	Moti Brothers - After Room		
34	C.e.l.l.u, Mad_Us	- Beginning
35	Ethyl, Huxley - Reflexions (Aybee Mix)		
36	Nivek Tsoy - Denied 	
37	Helly Larson - Walk Along 
38	Tigerskin - Miles High	
39	Jens Bond - The Faith
40	Peter Corvaia - Evening Influence		
41	Frank Donner, Matthias Naasner - Dream Come True (Rainer Weichold & Matt Keyl Remix)	
42	Skitish - Red Rose		
43	Einmusik - Jabloko 	
44	Ludwig Coenen - Frontline
45	Tanzmann & Stefanik - Basic Needs
46	Milton Jackson, Sei A - Jinzou (Manuel Tur Remix)		
47	Earth Dueley - More Like Everyone Than Anyone
48	Miro Pajic - Demon Kiss (Duky's Condemned Remix)		
49	Duky, Loquace - Sweet Temptations
50	Matt Star - Keep On Groovin (Mark Henning Remix)
51	Little Fritter - Fifteenth Avenue Funk
52	Nima Gorji - Music is culture	
53	Edmund - Inside Of My Head	

Live from the spectacular Desert Hearts 1 Year Anniversary at La Jolla Indian Reservation in Southern California, this set weaves deep house and tech house over 3 hours plus from 9pm to a little past midnight on the closing night of the festival.

It was an honor to play such an amazing event!  Thanks to the Desert Hearts crew - Kristoff, Mikey Lion, Lee Reynolds, Matt (Marbs), David (Porkchop), Ryan (Deep Jesus), and what must have been 100+ volunteers to make the party all that it was.  I don't think I've ever seen so much art at an event, super impressive feel and vibe around all the art pieces and deco elements present.  Everyone was buzzing about it.  Such excellent organization and signage everywhere, it was really a sight to behold.  Many people were shocked by the high level of production at this event and the only reason I wasn't is that I have been to the 2 prior Desert Hearts events and also collaborated twice with the crew as "Tropical Hearts" - so... I had a feeling about this one :)  My expectations were high, and were still exceeded...

Last I want to thank the DH crew for letting me extend my set in Treavor's absence (his flight from Canada was cancelled) rather than filling in with someone not on the lineup.  I am biased of course but I believe you made the right call :)

* Photo by Piak Boonlert

Ben Annand Live at Desert Hearts One Year Anniversary, November 10, 2013

My return to Moontribe after 4 years!  Hey it ain't so easy to pull off living in Oregon... but good news, my venue booking business has me in California at least once a month so far this year :)

Anyway, it was great to be back!  For a March Full Moon this was a little more intimate than I was expecting - still a few hundred people there on a beautiful Thursday night though!

Musically this is on the faster,(130bpm) harder end of my range.  I did also slip in some breakbeats at the beginning and in the middle.

A lot of people haven't heard me play this style, and I always get a couple surprised comments when I play like this.  It's good to keep people on their toes!

I'll post the track list soon, but it takes a minute, and I wanted to get this up before it gets late :)  

I had a really great time here, and I danced for hours.  It was the first time I'd been in front of a huge system since the pandemic, sounded so good out there!  

Hope to be back for more soon  :)

Ben Annand Live FMG March 2022

My Full Moon 29-Year Story  

Alright alright I’ve got a new set for you and it’s part two of the infamous Moontribe 29-year kimono set that I previously may have made some waves about but hey, Tropical is my party, waves and kimonos for the win!

Why am I posting part two first?  A few reasons, some background first.  This set had many challenges. I made a great playlist for it from my entire collection, did everything except export to usb, and then my logic board failed the next day.  Bye bye playlist!

So I rebuilt, as we do.  But with limited time my rebuild was limited to the last year of music, as well as some brand new music.  On top of that, I had convinced myself that my sets at Teleport and Moontribe were at exactly the same time - 10pm to midnight.  I think I told like 30 people this too :)  And of course I made my playlists - even the old one that disappeared - based on the 10-12 time frame

Sunday morning I look at the directions email and my set is listed at 6:00-8:30pm.  I thought it had maybe been changed on me then checked my message thread and I’ve just totally made up the 10-12 thing :) 

Point is that close to summer solstice 6:00-8:30 is a daytime set into sunrise while 10-12 is night-time ascending energy - they are drastically different energetically.  

So I made another new fricken 29-Year playlist based on my music of the past year, daytime into sunset.  I decided both ahead of time and on the dance floor that this Moontribe needed some trippy desert house music so that was the first hour.  

I’m releasing this second half first, because it’s a little more along the lines that I had intended my set to be, and more diverse musically as it ranges from minimal to techno to tribal to broken beat and a bit progressive.  It’s the more unique half and more distinct from what I already have posted on Soundcloud too.

I will release the first half next Thursday, and then they will also flow together in correct order fro my Tracks section :)

Thank you Rithers for the lovely mastering job!  

I think I’ll be back at Full Moon in August, not 100% sure though - here is what I can officially announce is coming up:

July 22 Stone Junction Bar, Garberville, CA 
July 24 Eudream Campout, Oakridge, OR
August 5 Dubtribe, Garth and Ben Annand, Los Angeles, CA
August 10 Dance Klassique, San Diego, CA 
August 19/20 United Undivided, Denver, CO
August 22 Space Taco Tuesdays, Pomona, CA 
August 26/27 Utopia Festival, Salem, OR

Ben Annand - Moontribe 29-Year - June 2022 Part 2

Here is part one of the infamous Moontribe 29-year kimono set that I previously may have made some waves about - this part is on the house side but trippy for the desert...

This set had many challenges. I made a great playlist for it from my entire collection, did everything except export to usb, and then my logic board failed the next day.  Bye bye playlist!

So I rebuilt, as we do.  But with limited time my rebuild was limited to the last year of music, as well as some brand new music.  On top of that, I had convinced myself that my sets at Teleport and Moontribe were at exactly the same time - 10pm to midnight.  I think I told like 30 people this too :)  And of course I made my playlists - even the old one that disappeared - based on the 10-12 time frame

Sunday morning I look at the directions email and my set is listed at 6:00-8:30pm.  I thought it had maybe been changed on me then checked my message thread and I’ve just totally made up the 10-12 thing :) 

Point is that close to summer solstice 6:00-8:30 is a daytime set into sunrise while 10-12 is night-time ascending energy - they are drastically different energetically.  

So I made another new fricken 29-Year playlist based on my music of the past year, daytime into sunset.  I decided both ahead of time, and on the dance floor, that this Moontribe needed some trippy desert house music so that was the first hour.  

You can find the second part of this set - which is more minimal/trippy/breakbeat - one track down or at this link: 

https://soundcloud.com/ben-annand/ben-annand-moontribe-29-year-june-2022-part-2

Thank you Rithers for the lovely mastering job!  

I was back at Full Moon in August last week!  Waiting for that recording :)

Coming up this week

August 19/20 United Undivided, Denver, CO
August 22 Space Taco Tuesdays, Pomona, CA 
August 26/27 Utopia Festival, Salem, OR

Ben Annand - Moontribe 29-Year - June 2022 Part 1

This studio mix spans my 18 years of buying music and mixing it together, an interesting blend of vinyl 12-17 years old, and digital all purchased the last day of January 2014, a day before recording on one take.

This set was a unique challenge as it was mixed on one Technics 1200 vinyl turntable, and one CDJ 2000.  Here's the tracklist, note that odd numbers are newer, digital tracks, while evens are vinyl classics:

1	Inside Me (Original Mix - 2013)	Emilia Majello, Giuseppe Cennamo

2	All Deities Feat. Rekha (Original Mix - 2002) Highway Robbery Project
	
3	Digital Beings In Love (Original Mix - 2014)	Ynnad Zeugnimod	

4	Break Free (Original Mix - 2000)   Pete Moss

5	New Order (Original Mix - 2013)	Pablo Bolivar, Mastra	

6	When I Fall (Weekender Remix - 2000) A:xus

7	The Light  (Robert R. Hardy Remix - 2014)	David Devilla, Elisabeth Aivar	

8	You Feel That? (Original Mix - 1998) DJ Rasoul

9	Lost Soul (Original Mix - 2009)	   Alex V	

10	Driftin’ (Original Mix - 1999) 	Dj Rasoul and Miguel Migs

11	Space Funk (Original Mix - 2008)	Microstar

12	Beachcomber (Original Mix - 2001) 	Wyatt Earp

13	Ascent (original mix - 2013)	Damolh33	

14	Power to the People (Original Mix - 2001)   The Timewriter

15	Now You Are (Original Mix - 2013)	David Devilla, Elisabeth Aivar	

16	Get in the Music (Original Mix - 2000)  Fred Pace

17	Frog Pond (Moodtrap Remix - 2013)	    Stefano Esposito
	
18	Sensibility (Original Mix - 2002) 	Chorduroy Music

19	Been Here From The Start Feat Sara Z (Da Sunlounge V2 Remix - 2013)	Da Sunlounge, Sara Z
	
20	You Know Why (Original Mix - 2002)	BRS

21	Who Will Comfort Me (Guti Summer Loving Remix - 2014)	Wally Callerio, Poncho Warwick	

22	Nu Boogie (Vincenzo & Alexi Delano Reboogie 1- 2002) An-2

23	I'll Be (Amberstar Remix - 2013)	Full Intention	

24	New Jack Infection ( Original Mix - 2002)	Rhythm Plate

25	Better (Da Sunlounge Dub Remix - 2014)	Short Bus Kids, Kelly Hayden	

26	Smokin’ Daughter (Ogi B Remix - 1997)	Jeep Grrlz

27	Neverending (Addex Remix - 2014)	Dave Pad

28	Lazy Smoke (Original Mix - 1997)	New Century Soul

29	Endless Love (Original Mix - 2013)	Onofrio Conte	

30	Me & You (Original Mix - 1998)	Al-Faris & Andrew Wooden

31	Let Go (Original Mix - 2013) Vincenzo, Aram		

32	In the Streets (Original Mix - 2000)	Free Soul



Back and forth between vinyl and digital is not the easiest thing to pull off; in live sets I've rarely tried to mix vinyl and CD at all and when I have I have usually played a few of each in sections to minimize the transitions and variations in sound levels/quality.

But this mix is one-for-one vinyl to digital, an accident caused by the realization that I only had one working stylus and couldn't get anyone on the phone in Pro Audio at Guitar Center :)

Add to the challenge that my decks are set up 2x4 style in two different coffins facing opposite directions, so that I have two CDJs on one mixer, and two 1200s on another mixer wired into the first (see picture). And two sets of headphones that I had to switch every track.  I made some funny videos of it :)

For all the challenge, the mix came out really well and I am kind of in love with it. It was a ton of fun and got me back in touch with my vinyl and a skill that not everyone has these days ;) Musically the current deep house melds well with the deep house of yesteryear since it borrows on a lot of the sounds albeit with improved production technique. But classic is classic for a reason so the older tunes will have you dancing just as much.

I hope you love this mix!

Ben Annand 1200 x 2000 Classic Currents Mix (Feb 1, 2014)

One of my most emotional mixes, this set was recorded Live at Subtract open Air party just outside of LA (Valley) in an absolutely chaotic time for me.  Two days after my only lover of 16 years and wife of 12 told me she didn’t love me anymore and I went to LA with my daughter to process it.  It was also my first time back in LA since moving from there in 2019, and first time seeing/staying with my family since the pandemic.  Unsurprisingly I had trouble keeping myself together in these circumstances.

So suffice to say there are a lot of feelings in this set.  It would have actually been yet moodier but there was a hiccup on start time at this party that changed my set (2nd in order and rt before Doc Martin)  from early-ish to peak.  But it is still an emotional journey, at least for me :) 

It's my break-up set, and those can be powerful.  I'll never forget DJ Heather's at Tropical 2-Year Anniversary in LA in 2000.  It was raw and full of feels and one of my favorites, but I didn't get approval to release, I think it was too personal.

I like to play with the mix of dark and light generally - being a positive person and eternal optimist I overall lean towards light.  This set of course a unique moment in time for me.  It starts more moody and breaks through into the light, also reflecting a transition from more techy opener Bellhop to housier Doc Martin, and a balance of hosts Subtract and Sublevel.  Yeah, I think about all these things :)

It felt so good to be in LA at the party, seeing friends I hadn’t seen in years, feeling supported and loved!  In a euphoric moment towards the end I actually caught air behind the decks - not too often my feet leave the ground back there the way I mix, but Armando Kroma thankfully caught this on camera.  It was the hopeful part of summer 2021 for events and everyone was feeling it -  soon after Delta variant kinda wiped things out again.  

So why didn’t I release this set earlier?   I actually tried.  I had it mastered by Brian Saitzyk, but tbh for about 10 minutes in the middle my attention to my levels was poor in all the emotion and excitement and I pushed the pioneer mixer a bit so there’s a bit of crunchiness that can’t really be mastered out.  

So then I re-recorded it.  I don’t like to do this, I like the way I mix live better, as well as for the live set really to be the live set.  But sound quality is a factor so I did the re-record.  But then never released it.  I also was planning to push the set so the Delta V perhaps another reason I paused on set release...

Maybe too much time just went by.  Maybe it was too emotional for me as turmoil in my life continued.  Things worsened in my marriage, poly definitely did not work, dating after 15 years and a pandemic neither easy nor the focus I really wanted.  I made a lot of progress getting my groove back and enjoying my life in 2022 until my mom became ill very suddenly June 2022 and passed in September. 

Anyway here we are, I am releasing things, moving on in my life and starting to feel my fire again.  

As such I am releasing this set!   This is the original live version lightly mastered for overall levels by Brian Saitzyk.   If the audio quality is compromised some for emotion that’s an accurate reflection of my state anyway, and it’s really just a little fuzzy in a small part of the set anyway.  So, live and raw it is!  

Big thanks to Anton for bringing me, Brian Saitzyk for mastering, Mikey B for commiserating with me, Doc Martin and Andrew Bellhop for playing great sets before and after me, and all my friends for uplifting me (literally this time!), and Armando for catching that moment I broke through into pure joy <3

Ben Annand Live in LA at Subtract/Sublevel Open Air with Doc Martin - July 31, 2021

PLEASE JOIN US FOR LIB 20 YEAR ON SALE NOW at libestival.com.
Many thanks to @Rithma for the beautiful mastering job! 

Lightning in a Botttle 2022 was my first big festival after the pandemic and it was HUGE - more than 30,000 people.  I played Thursday night and there were only 3 stages going and already 18,000 people there.  This set was played on the Junkyard stage to I don't know maybe 1500-2000 people - a secondary stage became pretty main, and the mains of course were nuts at this fest.

I knew exactly where was going with this set, coming out of the pandemic with pure unbridled euphoric house vibe on the edge of underground and mainstream.  People were freaking out, it was so so so lovely there I can't even tell ya ♡♡♡  

Incredible experience and before I go any further let me thank Jesse and Dede Flemming for throwing the whole shebang, and Patricio for curating the Junkyard stage formerly known as Favela Bar.

DJing is an art, or it should be.  I'm not just transitioning tracks, I am almost always playing with tracks together with very short gaps in between. I spend far more time in the mix of two tracks than out.  

DJing is also a performance, particularly at a festival, and to be honest I'm way more natural musically than as a performer.  I think the most important thing is how a mix sounds listening back - lots of the more 'showy' sets I can't get through live let alone listen to later.

BUT PERFORMANCE IS STILL IMPORTANT!  People want to see the DJ having fun, and that's not always natural for me.  

LIB has been a great confidence builder for me, my sets have steadily improved and my DJ energy even more :)  It's become home for me and I have a really nice following there after 5 years straight.

Much credit to the amazing sounding DJ booth provided by Todd Anisman of ChinoSound - who became Tropical's sound guru right after the first tome I played in 2016 - I felt my groove and put on at least a decent show along with a really nice house set.  

MUCH LOVE TO THE ARTISTS FOR THE TRACKS I WOVE TOGETHER - I hope you also listen and enjoy my art ♡♡♡  
Credit where credit's due, and bite my style all you want, it's super flattering and more importantly gives exposure to artists who likely get less than they deserve.  

Special shout out to Kevin McKay who I've been following since 90s Glasgow Underground - always one if my fave vinyl labels - for the peak moment in the middle of this set when the crowd absolutely exploded for 'Move Your Body'.  

And another to Christian Burkhardt for appearing the most in my track list - I guess you know who my favorite producer is lately :).
 
But really, really, all these tracks and artists are super great, please look up and support  

Track List LIB 2022:   Artist - Track (remixer)

1 - Mosta - Paeonia (Lauhaus Remix) 

2 - Milos Pesovic - Don’t Scream

3 - Lauhaus, Maria Franca - Physical

4 - Giorgio Moroder - Our Love (Christian Burkhardt Rmx)

5 - James Dexter, Artslaves - Play On

6 - Chris Wood, Meat, Christian Burkhardt, BMW - Music

7 - Jorjick Croes, Kenny Kelly - Alma & Cuerpo (Shawn Jackson Rmx)

8 - Chris Wood, Meat, Christian Burkhardt, BMW - Super Sync

9 - Christian Burkhardt - In Today’s World

10 - LouLou Players - She Calls (Extended Mix)

11 - Chris Di Perri - For You Homie

12 - Milos Pesovic, Greck B - Head (Saul Antolín Remix)

13 - Alan Fitzpatrick, Reset Robot - Phantom

14 - Adelphi Music Factory -  My People (Love Can Live Forever - (Mark Broom 4am Dub (Extended))

15 - Kevin McKay - Move Your Body (Elevation) (Kevin's Extended ViP)

16 - Christian Burkhardt - Enough

17 - Gerd - 12 Minutes She Danced With an Alien (Jaris Voorn Ruff Mix)

18 - Cristian Merino - Peace, Freedom

19 - Dennis Quin - Are Fundamental

20 - MANT - Subconscious (James Dexter Rmx)

21 - Rob Pearson - Better (Rob Pearson Rmx)

22 - Riggs - Sleight of Hand

Ben Annand Live at LIB 2022 Junkyard Stage

Here's to new beginnings!  This mix - titled 'Strength" is part 1 of a 12-part monthly themed studio mix series that I've committed to releasing this year. 

I mixed this set in October 2022, when I began feeling my strength again, in my amazing DJ Lounge in Eugene, Oregon.
The picture was taken on January 1st, 2023 at Bucerias beach near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

2022 was a huge challenge for me.  The best things about it were my DJ career thriving post-pandemic, my daughter of course, and other than those, just getting through it.

The hardest things were that it was the first year devoid of hope for my marriage yet still living in the same apartment together the entire year, and that it was the year my mother passed - and those things were HEAVY.  

Hence the need for strength.  Dating for the first time after 15 years was a shitshow, and by summer what I already knew started to sink in hard - focusing on my daughter was a way better idea.  When my mom became very ill, it drove this point home further.

Just as I was starting to feel some strength, my mom lost the last bit she had left.  At first I relapsed badly into bad habits. She passed suddenly while I was preparing to come out to Connecticut, and I felt tremendous guilt when I didn't make it out to be with her at the end.

Although I took my mom's passing really hard, it was the catalyst for change I needed. 

I went from mid-September through the end of the year alcohol-free. I've had a few drinks in January but don't think I'll ever have a drinking habit like I did before.  I gave up herb early November and haven't looked back.  

I gave up these 'vices' without judgement but in the name of health, clarity, and productivity.  I wanted to stop getting in the way of myself and achieve my true potential.  I wanted to feel my strength again.

2023 will be a crazy year for me.  It's the 25th year of my party, Tropical, and the last one.  No one wants me to end it, and so this also takes strength.  I've given a lot through this event - in many ways too much.  

Of course I'm going a little nuts with it to the finale but I'm also showing restraint.  I want to respect the party and give it the finish it deserves, but I have much else to do and know all too well it gets it the way of really being able to focus on other things.

My DJ career is a constant hustle, and is back to being my main source of income.  That's not actually my vision but you also have to respect what's working. My venue booking business is growing slowly, largely because I'm limited by the other things. but I know it's my most sustainable future.

This is the last year I will work this hard.  It's the end of a decade I knew I would work really hard, and I want to respect the deadline I set to take a chill pill and be focused on other things including self-care, and my daughter. I'm still going to work real hard after 2023, but more efficiently and with more help.  And without the burden and risk of organizing events.

I started a bit early last Fall with increased self-care, sleep, and focus on Cerise - but with the onset of 2023 I'm also feeling the crunch of so many projects and goals.  Still I feel more balance than I used to. And that is also strength.

Well I can go on forever but I'm going to cut myself off.  I haven't said a word about the music on this mix this time, but that's ok, it speaks for itself.

I hope you enjoy the mix, and find strength in yourself this year and beyond!

Track list coming soon <3

Ben Annand 2023 Studio Mix 1 - January - Strength

If you don't like house with vocals swipe left lol.  This set for House Music Fridays so my musical direction was clear.  So again, if you don't like my vocals you can kiss my *ss-  just kidding you can check back for my Studio Mix at the end of March which will be minimal techno with a side of breaks :)

Big thanks to Matthew Brian for having me at House Music Fridays which was a super vibing night.   

A note on technique.  Vocal tracks are tricky and often have a lot of melody on top of the vocals so not the easiest to mix together.  For that reason, and others I made two playlists and alternated between more vocal, melodic tracks, and are stripped-down mixing tracks (some of these also have vocals). This creates the effect of coming out of vocals kind of bumping, then back into vocals which I personally love. 

I hope you enjoy this mix!  Next up for me, this weekend on the beach in El Salvador for Playa Mizata, next weekend in Northern CA (Humboldt County)for Electric Jungle at the Jam Arcata, and end of the month at Bug Out Campout 4 in Southern CA (Mojave Desert)

Just updated my schedule in my Soundcloud Bio, and will add a track listing crediting the artists her very soon <3

Ben Annand Live in San Diego March 10 2023 at House Music Fridays

I had a short but sweet time at Bug Out Campout 4: Garden of Dreams on day 8 and 9 of my Spring Break roadtrip with my daughter, Cerise.

This set went down at midnight on a pretty frigid desert night, did my best to warm people up with some break and then some techno.  Ok, fine, there's. little house in there too :). Something for everyone, hope you enjoy!

Overall one of my faster sets, starting at 130bpm and creeping up to 132 by the end. 

Many thanks to hosts Neil Bombshelta Black, Jason Deyarmin and Julia Daemia Styczynski for putting together a lovely event ♡

Definite highlight having Cerise bopping around to my breaks - she really has quite the dance moves!  She got cold tho and came and chilled for the rest of my set in back of the DJ booth while I moved more into techno.

Speaking of DJ booth, it was on point and I could hear great!  Sound system was proper for 1000, and decor and visuals were great too.  A lot of care was our into this little party, which of course is close to my heart ♡

Bug Out was intimate and fun!  I wish I had more time there but the time I was there I got to connect with some friends and some new people, all good vibes 🙂

 I hope to be back next year and stay longer- but it also  worked perfectly in this Spring Break adventure this time tbh.

BugOut Breaks And Techno (LIVE In The Mojave Desert 4 - 2-23)

Excited to release my set from LIB 20-Year Anniversary!  Every LIB experience for me seems to top the last.  

This year was special as I hosted Camp Tropical for the first time and had my daughter, Cerise, there for the first time since 2019.  And it was LIB's 20th year, and a brilliant one!

Huge thank you to the Flemming Brothers - Jesse, Dede and Josh and team for producing the Fest, to Patricio Motta for producing the Junkyard Stage I played on, and to Todd Anisman for the ChinoSound!

I always put a lot of effort into my LIB sets, and this year no exception but with the extra challenge of extra responsibility x 2 - organizing a Tropical group camp, and caring for my daughter, who made a few visits to the DJ booth during this set as well.

Honestly I did feel a little less focused that normal up there and wasn't sure how I was going to feel about my set when I got the recording.  I'm a harsh self-critic but I actually love this mix as much as any of the 6 others I've played at this lovely fest :)

Many thanks to the brilliantly talented producers whose tracks I mixed - here is the complete listing, tagged, so you can check their work <3

1. @Undo	 - Aliens Go Home
	
2. @Matthias-tanzmann, @francisco-allendes - Disco Mike
	
3. @Ddigglerofficial - Sunset

4. @Le_bigz (Big Al) - Smiling in the Sand (@tim-barnett-5 [Tim Tonal] Remix)
	
5  @A_los_martires (Cienfuegos) - Around You (@col-lawton-d90 Dub Remix)

6. @Okain - Locked

7. @Mihai-popoviciu-1 - Emotion

8. @Dinyadalonzo - Can't You See (@jameshopkinsuk Remix)

9. @kevinmckay, Notelle, Eppers - On My Own (@Joe-vanditti & Kevin McKay Extended Remix)

10  @Tuccillo - It's Not Over
 
11. @Francisdesimone - Efdies (@Kevinmckay Extended Remix)

12. @Djqmusic, @Finnmccorry - Speedy Gs

13  @Ralphsession  - Rize (@homeroespinosa Remix)

14. @Petebandit-f2f - Computer's Creativity

15. @Milos-pesovic - Pam Pam (@Juan-dragster-viveros Remix)

16. @Format-b-2, @Royrosenfeld - Human Dynamo 

17. @Paulcpaolomartini (Paul C, Paolo Martini) - Modulator

I definitely play with a certain aesthetic at LIB, which is to honor the crossing of the underground and mainstream in my own way.  I describe this set as banging and uplifting, with carefully chosen vocals.  I mean a festival is a celebration, and this just year 2 out of the pandemic I'm definitely favoring uplifting over dark.  

Ok, I do favor that generally, but same time I am processing some darkness over the past 2 years as I've experienced huge losses.  Last year's LIB I was processing the recent demise of my marriage, while this year I was processing the loss of my mom last September.

Recently in our West Coast underground music community we have lost some very special people and there's been a lot of sadness over that, especially this past week.  

One of the very best tools for processing loss is of course music and dance - I hope this set brings you light and joy in these challenging times <3

Please give this set a listen, a like, and a repost if the spirit moves you. Your comments are always welcomed, and usually answered <3

Ben Annand Live at LIB Festival 20-Year - May 26, 2023

Recorded live midnight to 2am at Tropical's 25-Year Anniversary in Santa Monica

I need to out more sets out, here's a start <3

Tropical celebrates NYE in a hilltop mansion in LA, and is also preparing for April's total solar eclipse in Mazatlan, Mexico. Holla if you need info :)

Ben Annand Live Tropical 25 Year Los Angeles 11-25-23

Something a little different for ya.  Me at my moodiest.  In more recent years I apply tags to my tracks of different vibes so that I can organize my massive music collection better.  One of the biggest categories is 'Moody.'  

Of course a lot of people going out on Friday and Saturday night to my gigs are out to celebrate, so this category doesn't get as much play live as more funky upbeat rhythms.  As such it's somewhat underrepresented on my Soundcloud.

Well not anymore :). I'm dedicated to releasing more sets this year and I see this one as the start of a series.  Welcome to Ben Annand Moody AF :). 

The opener of this series is an opening set I played on a Sunday night from 9-11pm. It's actually just the first hour, 9-10.  It's ok to be moody when people are settling in :). It was also November just after the time change and loss of light... the beginning of the moody season in Eugene :)

An opening set is always interesting musically (or should be) because you get to start from scratch, and set the tone for the whole night.  So it's always a set that should be played with intention.

In this particular case, I was in a sensitive space because I had taken some really nasty criticism from the organizer of an event recently before.  I won't go into detail but it was very tactlessly and cruelly delivered.  So of course that affected my headspace both in terms of insecurity, and in terms of wanting to deliver a great set since I didn't entirely disagree with the criticism so much as I was hurt by the tone from a supposed friend.

So why am I telling you this?  Because this set is moody as fuck!  It opens with a lush vocal track that really spoke to me when my marriage suddenly went up into smoke. I find this track really intense so I haven't played it much but at home.   

The mix stays deep and moody, gradually building energy then wavering then building.  It's super trippy, a little dark/melancholy for me, but still house and totally danceable of course :)

So with all that said, I hope you enjoy this one and I will keep em coming!

Ben Annand Moody AF Vol 1 (Live at the Big Dirty in Eugene at Secret Sauce)

This is one of my best set recordings so how come I never released it?  

Only because I had released a set with similar vibes right before playing. 

This was a really fun winter party - in fact I had a rather sketchy drive home to Eugene in a snowstorm...

Been meaning to put this one out there for a while.  In 2024, I'm dedicated to putting out more mixes so here ya go!

Ben Annand Live at House Party Reno Dec 2019

And now for something completely different!  

132 BPM Progressive-leaning techno mix :)

I wasn't expecting to be left at quite this fast a tempo but I'm glad I was :)  Only my Moontribe mixes tend to get over 130 like this, so it was a rare chance to spread my wings.

Deseract puts on a really cool party and the space, sound, lighting, and deco were all on point here.  It felt super underground and all my friends had a great time here.  

Hope you like the mix!  I'd love to play more sets like this :)

Ben Annand Techno Progressive Mix - Live in LA at Love and Lore by Deseract

My most varied and ambitious set to date!  

Hope you enjoy AnnandEdance - I put a lot of thought, time and energy into this interpretation of Ecstatic Dance.

From 0 bpm to 67 winding up to 126 and then back to stillness

Ambient - Downtempo - House - Techno - Broken Beat  - Progressive - House - Ambient

It's an extended journey just over 3 hours so longer then normal Ecstatic Dance formet.  And more 4/4 than most Edance but there is broken house and downtempo and evena Drum and Bass track in the mix

Mahalo to Simon Smith, Paul Sykes, and Garden Temple for the opportunity!

AnnandeDance Ben Annand live 3-hour Ecstatic Dance Set, Garden Temple, Big Island, HI

This set from 04-14-24 really exemplifies my deep house curation and mixing style.  

For 6 months I've been digging through my collection, resisting the urge to buy new music and instead learning my 29-year music collection better.

Over that time, I went back through and labeled thousands of tracks by energy and feeling and created playlists from there.  

The overall energy of this mix is uplifting and dreamy, starting and ending more vocal. 

You won't know many, or perhaps any, of the tracks.

The tracks were mixed on CDJ 3000s.

Never synced, never looped, never wasting time with filters and effects with just one track playing.

Fully concentrated on blending two tracks together beautifully with subtle EQ-ing only.

It's so weird, I was thinking this was the best I'd ever done with my levels on a live mix, perhaps because I was being a good boy, carefully watching the decibel meter at Mars Bar :) 

I added the fade in and out in Logic and gave it a light mastering in LANDR.  There I got a message that my mix was lacking in dynamic range - meaning there might not be enough difference between the high and low levels of the mix - which on a live DJ mix, I am taking as a compliment 100% :)

Ok enough geeky DJ talk...
As always, I'd love to know what you think in comments <3

Huge thanks to Chris Phleck and Ryan Stubbs (Duserock) and the Watch Our Step crew for bringing me to San Francisco, it's such a fun and friendly crowd.

Another big thanks to David Kiely of Mars Bar for providing a safe and lovely space for people to dance.

Final thanks to Anne Plehn for the great photo capture!  IG: anneplehn

Ben Annand Live Mars Bar 04-14-24 at Watch Our Step

I offer my closing set from Tropical Oasis Retreat Kauai as an artistic expression given from perfectly within my element, with zero prep and purely emotion, intuition and experience guiding the flow <3  Please repost if you <3 this set!

1  Full Moon - Onofrio Conte
2  Mooca (Javier Orduña Remix) - Garance	
3  In&out  - Aga		
4  Chinese Row (Sven Tasnadi Remix) AVANCE, Daniele Travali
5  Maleika - Gorge
6  Breath Deeply feat. Moto - Dan Curtin
7  Moogy - Polder, Lauhaus, David Labeij
8  Edgy Dream - Tom Clark		
9  Julia Bursts - Pete Bones	
10  Perpetual Beginner  - Earth Deuley
11  Mobile - Dema, Alex Mine
12  Transitions (Gorge Remix) - Toygun
13  Musica - DJ Mouse
14  Voces de Africa - Von Georgi, Nick Hollyster	
15  Let Me Take You - Carlo Riviera
16  The Love Story Teller (Sascha Dive's Dark Energy Dub)	Davide Squillace	
17  Crutch (Pete Dafeet Warehouse Edit) - Recruit
18  Chuggernaut - Sean Collier
19  Into The Garage - Davide Cali	
20  Savannah - Indira Paganotto
21  Nothing Personal - Meeshoo
22  Closer (Da Sunlounge Dub) - Mood II Swing, Carol Sylvan
23  Killing Krazy - Addex - Killing Krazy
24  Dreams Are Blue - Nick Dare
25  Just for You - T.Garcia
26  Nalingi Yo (Luv Boutique Remix) - Nicolas Bassi
27  Paint On Desh (David Labeij Remix)	- Nick Daring
28  Bustin' Loose - Special Interest
29  Compromise feat. Zoë Xenia -  ACUMEN, Zoe Xenia		
30  Cat String Theory - Aziz

Other great sets from Tropical Oasis Retreat Kauai are coming out weekly on Wednesdays on the Tropical Soundcloud, please follow the page here:  @tropicalhouse

I am thrilled to announce I am now a full-time dj, and so very excited to finally be able to put my full time and energy into music! 

I will be working extra hard (and having extra fun!) bringing my best to a growing calendar of fun party happenings in 2018 :) Please get in touch on social if you want to help bring me to your city soon!

*Photo Credit, MikeyBLoveslife

benannandTORK2018closer

Ben Annand Live at Tropical Oasis Retreat Kauai - Closing Set Jan 29, 2018!

At long last, my first-ever downtempo set, created for Jessica Annand’s yoga class at Oregon Eclipse 2017 Global Gathering August 22, 2017

Infinite thanks to Symbiosis Gathering for the opportunity, and the artists below for creating the music I wove together with intention of coming out of darkness post-Eclipse at the spectacular Oregon Eclipse Global Gathering Aug 2017 :)

Special dedication to @HellyLarson who passed 5 days before this set was played and who produced so many of my favorite tracks including my wife's favorite - Wide Road - which appears here as track number 10.

1  Tibetan Sound Bowls - @KaruneshOfficial
2  Diving Dancer (Sofa Session Deep Mix) - @Klartraum	
3  Seasons Change - @KevinYost
4  Don't Mind Me - @Sinan-Kaya	
5  Eyes Of Gold - @KevinYost, @Guy Monk	
6  Lavender Mist (@Luna-City-Express Downbeat Remix) - @MartinezOfficial
7  Ornithine - @StephenJKroosOfficial
8  Swordfish - LunchBox	
9  Interlude - @Microstar-Music-Germany
10 Wide Road - @HellyLarson	
11 Space Time Delta - @NadjaLind	

This set was played the morning after the eclipse,  providing an uplifting soundscape specifically to Jessica Annand's yoga class, great for your yoga practice or any time you need your music to chill you out a bit.  

Musically this mix is a blend of ambient and downtempo, maybe some would call parts of it house lol but it does peak out at 100bpm so definitely completely different from anything I have released before

If you are a yoga teacher note that there is a bonus 15 minutes of chimes for savasana at the end

There were some technical issues with the live recording so this is a redo mixed in my home studio on 2 CDJ2000s on March 6, 2018

I am excited to begin releasing more studio mixes now that I work full-time from home, please stay tuned!

I'm also on tour this Spring!  Please check my Artist page for tour dates:

https://www.facebook.com/pg/benannandmusic/events

annandoregoneclipse

Annand Oregon Eclipse Yoga Set (Downtempo)

Proudly presenting my new favorite techno mix, live under the March 31 full moon 1am-230am.  Track List added July 2, 2018

1  		Argos (Takashi Watanabe Remix)- Mari Mattham	
2		Time And Again - Deepbass	
3		Solar Wind - K-Fel	
4		Stellar - Steve Parker	
5		Floating In The Cloud Of Venus - Steve Parker	
6		Marbled - Gian Paolo Mantovani	
7		Floating In The Cloud Of Venus - Steve Parker	
8		Haze - Mladen Tomic	
9		Utopia 2 (Tex Ture Remix) - Za__Paradigma	
10		Ejakulation - Jesper Dahlback, Nima Khak, Swedish Naan Boys	
11		Obvious - Damolh33	
12		Statik - Dani Sbert	
13		White - Noaria	
14		Twin - Bastet	
15		Camden Rock - Shin Nishimura	
16		The Night We Call It the Day - Chicola	
17		Highlands (Patrick Zigon Remix) - Bardia Salour	
18		xet 2 (original mix) - Damolh33	
19		Rod (Pjotr G & Dubiosity Remix) - Steve Parker	
20		Satellite - TKNO	
21		Manethon - Sebastopol
22		Senpu - Rennie Foster	
23		Feel It (Sian 's Numb Remix) - Sebrok, Tassilo	

I had not played a nighttime fullmoon in about 3 years and wanted to supply something really special.

For some reason most of the interesting new music I've found lately is techno, so I felt well-stocked for this event

I got a little more experimental on the mixing to make the mix extra-trippy, check the transition around 10mins for example

Hope you enjoy this rather intense mix from me.  As always, play it loud! Recommend you download it for a higher-quality listening experience ;) 

And please do me the favor of reposting this set so it can see maximum exposure here on Soundcloud <3

Bookings contact benannand@gmail.com and cc: gunita@listedproductions.com if out of Southern California area

annandFMGmarch 2018 (mastered)

Ben Annand live at March 2018 Moontribe 1am-230am (Trippy Techno)

Many thanks to the artists below for making beautiful music spanning 22 years, allowing me to wind this flow in front of the Feather River at the beach stage at Sunset Campout, and big love to @dj-Galen, @Solarsf and J-bird for having me there!  Also thanks to Robin Russell for the great photo! instagram.com/robinrussellsf
1 Light - @Patlac, Afra (2018)
2 Escape - @Moti-Brothers (2016)
3 26 (@Addex Remix) - La Rose (2014)
4 No Rush (@Matt-Prehn Remix) - @RichardEmpire (2014)
5 Come Get I feat. 6LDA - BRS (2000)
6 Lost In The Loft - Weekender (1998)
7 Bluenote - @DJ-Rasoul (1999)
8 Someone To Love (Mister J's Luv Cutz Remix) - @DemonRitchie (2004)
9 Someone To Love (Original Mix) - @DemonRitchie (2004)
10 Petalpushing - @MiguelMigs1 (2000)
11 Piso 30 (@G_Spice Remix) - @DjWady (2011)
12 The Fisherman (@David-Devilla & @Elisabeth-Aivar Remix) - @ZaVen (2016)
13 Better Day (Original Vocal Mix) - Presence (1997)
14 Equis Costa (Pete Moss Remix) - Fantasna (2012)
15 Silverlights (Flavour Mix) - @PhunkDiggaz (1998)
16 Dream Come True (@RainerWeichhold & Matt Keyl Remix) - @FrankDonner, @Mnaasner (2013)
17 Chicken Wind (@ChrisWood & @Meat Remix) - @JulesandMoss (2014)
18 Marana (Original Mix) - @Supernova (2011)
19 Day's With You - @LulaCircus (2011)
20 I Like To - @Sven-Tasnadi (2015)
21 That's Life - @JamesDexter (2018)
22 303 Nasty Groove - Joyce Muniz (@Joytoy) (2013)
23 Heart and Soul (@Addex Remix) - @IliasKatelanos (2012)
24 House - BRS (2001)
25 Makes You Want Me (@AlBradley3am Deep Remix) - Carlo @MrGambino (2013)
26 Aquatic Journey - @HellyLarson (2016)
27 Whispers - @PhunkDiggaz (1998)

BenAnnandSunsetCampout2018

Ben Annand Live at Sunset SF Campout 2018 - Belden Town, CA - July 28, 2018

My fave set of the 4 I played at Burning Man this year, this journey varies in style between techno, progressive, broken beat, tech house and tribal house!
*Photo credit:  Jacob Avanzato
Track list:
1		Mathematical Symbols (@albradley3am Deep Remix) - AlBradley, @Swaab  
2		Inward (Dub Mix) - @stankolevofficial
3		Dark Streets of Berlin - @ben_champell	
4		Relapse - Dani Sbert (@dj_dani_s)
5		Gridlock - L.K. (@lk-rec)
6		Equinox - @Noaria	
7		Revolutions Per Minute - @spiroskaloumenos	
8		Reportage Sur Moto - @nima-khak	
9		Neontrance - Tigerskin	(@dub-taylor)
10		The End Of Logic (@carstenfietz & Tobias Schmitt (@acrylnimbus)Remix)	- @briananeurysm
11		kullog (original mix) @damolh33	
12		Divergent - @aga-a-k-a-aziz	
13		Born Evil - @daviddurango
14		Heart Departent - miro-pajic
15		Juicy Chew - @martineyerer	
16		The Hidden Track - @jesseroseofficial, Dave Taylor, Put It On	
17		8th Of A Snake - @pbrstreetgang	
18		Another Zone - @folicstate	
19		Dry  Wet - @sinisa-lukic
20		Up to You - (@giuseppecennamo Remix) - @mannafromsky	
21		Crutch (@petedafeet Warehouse Edit) - Recruit	
22		Hula Hoop (@guido-schneider-3's Break That Brain Remix)- @evelinefink
23		Breath Deeply feat. Moto - @dan-curtin	
24		Ambition - Dani Sbert (@dj_dani_s)
25		There's enough for all of us feat. @michael_franti (@soinagawaofficial 12" remix) - @hardage	
26		Deep South - Rossano De Luxe	
27		Muuvin (@chriswood & @meat Muuvin & Groovin Remix) - @djleroi	
28		Resolution (@alberto-ruiz & @alexander-laurell-1 Remix) - Dani Sbert (@dj_dani_s) 	


This set was supposed to take place between 1 and 2am on Thursday night but was extended an extra hour - must have been dong something right ;)

Honk if you want more of this on the playa!  Or maybe don't honk if you're driving, but would sure appreciate Resposts, Shares, Comments, and Favorites.

I am on tour now, please send a pm or email me benannand at gmail dot com to inquire about an appearance in your city!
Sept 14 One Tribe Moon vibe, San Francisco
Sept 21 Family Function/ Los Angeles, CA
Sept 23 Apparitions Festival, Baja, Mexico
Sept 29 Tropical 20-Year Malibu Mansion Oasis, Malibu, CA
Oct 7 Sunday Night Mass, Burlington, VT
Oct 13 Soul State 2-Year, Tropical 20 Year Tour, Las Vegas
Oct 19 Tropical 20 Year Tour, Seattle
Oct 21 Tropical 20 Year Tour, Eugene
Oct 27 Tropical 20 Year Tour, Vancouver
+ more tba, get in touch for more info!

Ben Annand live at Burning Man 2018 - Electric Oasis - BRC 8/30/18

This chill yoga set is the second festival collaboration of yoga teacher Jessica Annand and dj Ben Annand <3

Recorded 9am-1015am to the Yoga Sol stage at Lightning in a Bottle 2019 Thursday, May 9th

This class was titled "Vinyasa Flow with My Shadow' - a title originally intended pre-Eclipse at August 2017's 'Oregon Eclipse Global Gathering'   When our class was moved from pre to post-eclipse the concept changed so we resurrected the concept for our first collab at Lightning in a Bottle Festival.  (find the Oregon eclipse set here: @ben-annand/annand-oregon-eclipse-yoga-set-downtempo)

Special thanks to Martin Dragonfly, Jesse Fleming, and the LIB team!

Track listing coming soon :)

LIB 2019

Annand LIB 2019 Yoga Set (Downtempo)- Live to Jessica's 'Vinyasa Flow with my Shadow' class

Excited to share my set from the Woogie stage at this year’s Lightning in a bottle festival!  I hope you enjoy the flow <3

Big thanks to Jesse, Megan, and the LIB team for having me for a 4th straight year at LIB, and first on the lovely Woogie stage!

For future dj bookings please contact Melissa Cotugno at Listed Bookings - melissa@listedbookings.com 

I can’t thank the artists enough for the making the tracks I mixed for dancers here!  So the least I can do is give credit where credit it due!

1		Sleya (VieL Remix) -- Tibor Dragan

2		Who Are You (Viel Remix) -- Leah Kremer

3		Bowline (Gabriel I & Jamin Hernandez Remix) -- Alinep

4		Stanna guld -- Pete Moss, Jenna Lee, Jay Hill

5		Satellite -- TVA, le visionnaire	

6		For The Time Being (feat. Erlend Oye) (Burnski Remix) -- Phonique

7		Eridanus (Debal Sommer Remix) -- Yvel & Tristan

8		Lost In The Pads (Emiliano Martini Remix) -- Jonzz

9		Desinence (DJ Le Roi Remix) -- DZeta N' Basile

10		From the Soul -- The Messenger

11		To The Clouds (Soul Minority Remix) -- Stan Kolev

12		All Night Long (Steve Mag Remix) -- Sinan Kaya

13		Flux -- Mihai Popoviciu	

14		Elektron Dreaming -- Andromo & Chris Fortier 

15		Starlight -- Jiggy (IT)

16		Salty Banana  -- Lauhaus

17		Tres  -- Carlo	

18		Tribal Dance Pt. 2  -- Einzelkind, Christian Burkhardt

19		Unknown Places  -- Einzelkind, Christian Burkhardt

20		Unnamed 3 (Christian Burkhardt Remix) -- Darius Syrossian

21		Access To Joy (Luca Doobie Remix) -- Martelli

22		Kiss the Sun and Lick the Rainbow (Oscar Barila Remix) -- Robot Needs Oil

23		Changes -- Jiggy (IT)

24		Warning -- Andrade	

25		Masquerade (Sebastian Davidson Remix) --J ohan Ilves, Migova

26		Snow Globe -- The Shaker

27		Allure -- Frag Madden

28		Into My Heart -- Vincenzo

29		Tunnels -- Basic Soul Unit

30		Glow (Subsky Remix) -- Scope (Ric McClelland)

31		Made of Skin feat. Ellen Sunde (Adrian Barron Square City Remix) -- Volksfreude, Ellen Sunde	

32		The Void (Sami Wentz Remix -- Richard Empire

33		Wire -- Big Al, Bigz	

34		Feel My Love -- Susumu Yokota

Ben Annand Live at LIB Woogie Stage - May 10, 2019

Well well well It's my 100th mix released on Soundcloud and damned if it's not my favorite!

I worked unusually hard on this set for 3 reasons - 
(1) I wanted to play mostly new music and that takes more time to understand and prepare
(2) the multitude of great djs on the We Are All One lineup ignited my fire to stand out
(3) the massive effort to detail by the organizers on the event made me want to give something comparably special in my music. 
 
The result is something I'm truly proud of!  I've been adventurous with music lately and this mix is a textured journey including a lot of tripped-out minimal house and techno with some progressive and breakbeat elements.  There is a lot of melody which is tricky to work with.  

By the way, I don’t use “mix in key” and there’s a long explanation why but basically I learned to mix by ear and I often prefer a tripped out (though not quite dissonant) sound when mixing which can’t be achieved mathematically by always having everything perfect, but rather is obtained by careful experimentation and auditioning ;)  

For similar reasons I never use the sync button - electronic music is mathematical in many ways but it’s also programmed with swing so it doesn’t sound monotonous because too exact is not exciting.  Mostly the argument against sync is that it makes things too easy or is ‘cheating’ - but my reason is actually about the sound produced which I find too clean and sterile.  I blogged about this before.
 
There’s a portion of this set that’s mixed on 3 decks!  First time in years :)  Made me want to get a third CDJ at home to challenge myself more.

Huge thank you to MJ, Gambit, Justin, and the Soul State crew for bringing this group of DJs and dancers together and taking care of us so well in a very memorable first-year festival.  
 
So enjoy the ride, and be sure and look out for We Are All One 2020!

More immediately if you're looking to start 2020 with optimism, hope, and of course amazing location, production, and music, please join us outdoors near LA for Tropical Synergy 2020 New Year's Gathering:  https://tinyurl.com/NYE2020LA

If you love this mix, please do any of the following to support genre-bending underground music:
- Repost this mix on Soundcloud (#1 most helpful! and so easy!)
- Add this mix to your Soundcloud favorites and playlists
- Comment on Soundcloud where it really hits ya
- Share this mix externally on Facebook, or wherever you like

Please check out my other mixes on Soundcloud and my other links:

https://www.facebook.com/benannandmusic/ -- My Facebook Artist page is where I publish my written blog - Modern DJ Musings (MDJM) - every Thursday at 11:11am. Topic #36 comes out tomorrow.

https://benannandmusic.com -- My web site houses the MDJM archive as well as my bio, booking request and press kit, music, photos, and link out to Tropical's site, all on the top navigation

https://tinyurl.com/MDJMvideo -- My You Tube channel recently launched a video version of Modern Dj Musings which uses screen recordings to walk viewers through many aspects of my process for buying and organizing music, navigating social media efficiently, etc.

Warm gratitude from the bottom of my <3
Ben

Ben Annand Live at We Are All One Festival Year 1 - Las Vegas, NV - Nov 3, 2019

I'm on a techno kick in January and good timing because it's been a while since I put out an intense one like this on Soundcloud.

When I lived in Socal, Moontribe was the place I could play like this :)
But can't make that much anymore.  

I never would have thought I could get away with this set in Sacramento. But the Lost in Groove team has cultivated something special there.  And it was full moon!

Sacratechno!

Proof is in the pudding
If you cultivate a crowd with good underground music they will grow to love it
Be it house or techno or whatever

You just have to do it, don't pander to what you think people want
It might take a little time
But it's worth it

Thank you Lost in Groove for the bomb party!!

Ben Annand 2020 Techno Set (Live At Technosaic In Sacramento 1-11-20)

An absolute dream of a party with 48 hours of house and techno on Funktion One Sound in a beautiful forest setting!  The best Tropical party yet!  Many thanks to Desert Hearts crew for working together with us on this collaboration <3

Recorded between 12:30 and 2:00am on Saturday night, right in the sweet spot but there were many many sweet spots at this event and absolutely every dj played to a great crowd.  

I took things deeper, back and forth between lighter and trippier for this one.  Adnan's set last year showed that you could go deep with the crowd at that time and get great response so I paid attention to that, knowing we had lots of banging music in the night and wanting to break that up a bit.  

One of the top dj experiences of my life, I was totally comfortable here and finally found the perfect balance between my need to be technically on point with my desire to let loose and have fun!  It was so much fun!  I could go on and on but I won't.  

Enjoy the music!  <3 <3 <3

Ben Annand Live at Tropical Hearts Spring Festival, May 4, 2013

This set went down from 2-4 on a beautiful Sunday afternoon at the Palomar Hotel in San Diego, CA.  It is pretty mellow and deep but groovy, as you would expect poolside :)

The party had a great lineup including Dave Pezzner from Seattle, and Joeski from who I had last seen about 8 years ago in New York :)  Both played great sets and hopefully we see those on Soundcloud soon, they were also recorded :)

Many thanks to Cris Herrera and Bert Paluka for bringing me down to San Diego!

Ben Annand - Live at Innovation Pool Party - May 19, 2013 - San Diego - Palomar Hotel

Track List Ben Annand Live 10:30pm-12:30am at Esthetic Evolution Festival 9, Twin Springs Idaho, June 22, 2013

1) Alessandro Otiz - On Hypnotize (Steve Self Remix)  
2) Mad Us - Daspo (Andrea Colina, Victor Elle Remix)  
3) Martina Salsedo - Little Red Cap (MAD_US and Cristiano Cellu Remix)  
4) Mad Us - Little Helper 65-2 (Original Mix)
5) Marcelo Rosselot, Aldo Cadiz - Hospital Scape (Original Mix) 
6) Francesco Tarantini - Chiaia (Original Mix)
7) Kaan Moon - Resonate (Original Mix)
8) Jens Bond - Healer (Ray Okpara Dreamdub RMX)
9) Pherox - Lovers & Leavers (Original Mix)
10) Eveline Fink - Hula Hoop (Guido Schneider's Break That Brain Remix)
11) Pascal FEOS - Tranquilizer (Original Mix)
12) The Shaker - Rip My Corset (Original Mix)
13) Francesco Tarantini, Domy Beradino - Balearica  (FT Big System Mix)
14) Android Cartel - Programming Fractals (Original Mix)
15) Jesus Soblechero, A++ - Shooting (Matt Keyl Remix)
16) Alexi Delano - It's Me. Missing You (Javier Ferreira Remix)
17) Tim Xavier, Camea - Man Vs. Universe (Original Mix)
18) Egal 3 - Titlu & Poveste (Hector's Disfunktional Mix)
19) R2 - Red Night (Original Mix)
20) Tom Hades - Bamako (Original Mix)
21) Alex Under - Gorrenzo (Mihai Popoviciu Remix)
22) iO (Mulen), KIRIK - Debut (Marcman's Mestec Remix)
23) Rossano De Luxe - Deep South (Original Mix)
24) Pascal FEOS, Frank Leicher - Footer (Original Mix)
25) Snello - Medicine (Original Mix)
26) Snello - Elixir (Original Mix)
27) Spektre - Erase The Tapes (Jon Rundell Remix)
28) Marcman - Magiun (Original Mix)
29) Dany Rodriguez - Keep the Control (Tom Hades Remix)
30) Timmo - Selene (Original Mix)
31) Paul Ritch - Wonderland (Original Mix)
32) Parker, Bukowski - Terms Of Use (Original Mix)
33) Ph-neutre - Ph-neutre (D. Diggler Remix)
34) Powder Productions - Fire and Rain (Original Mix)
35) Tom Clark - Nubia (Original Mix)
36) Deny Doom - Liquid Walk (Original Mix)

An absolutely amazing event in it's 9th year, you can tell Esthetic Evolution is a muture festival by the sheer number of things going on there.  3 sound domes operating only at night and into the sunrise:  one low-tempo, one chill In the center), and one 4/4.  I played in the 4/4 of course!  During the day music is handled by different sound camps while the main systems rest - I think there were 4 of them.  In the chill dome during the day there was an awesome dance workshop which was really great and different.  

Other highlights were a huge glowing dinosaur (Brontosaurus?) roaming over to the techno dome and practically getting his head inside, flame controllers operable from behind the dj booth (you can see the torches on the sides the dome) and the 1500 fun people who we shared space with us there.  

One of my favorite events I've played at, I think you will like this bumping TECHNO adventure :)  Thanks much to Devin for bringing me, I know you love techno so this set was for you!  And thanks to everyone else who helped put this together, I know it's a huge amount of people working together to make something special like this happen!  Mission accomplished!

*Photo by Chiyona Dang*

Ben Annand Live June 22, 2013 at Esthetic Evolution Festival 9, Twin Springs, Idaho

I hope you enjoy my music and how I mix it.
For bookings contact benannand@gmail.com // gunita@listedbookings.com

Upcoming Confirmed Dates

Oct 7 - Infinite Energy (Tesla Coil Show and Dance Party) San Diego at 
Encore
Oct 20 Gorg-O-Mish Afterhours, Vancouver BC Canada
Oct 21 - Spooky Forest, Darrington, WA
Oct 27 - Howl 20-Year Anniversary, Portland, OR
Nov 3 - Tropical Tour Sacramento, CA
Nov 12 - Secret Sauce Sundays, Eugene, OR
Nov 25 - Tropical 25 Year Anniversary, LA, CA
Dec 31 - Tropical NYE 2024 - Elevated House Party in the Hills of LA
Biography:

In his zone from deep house to techno, Ben Annand pairs impeccably smooth mixing skills with a dynamic style that keeps the music moving, artfully playing with breakdowns and spending most of his time in the mix.

“For me, a great mix is the interplay of 2 unique pieces of music, creating something greater than the sum of the parts - and a great set weaves those mixes into a musical flow you can’t help but lose yourself in on the dance floor.”

Ben fell in love with dancing and rave culture in 1995, and learned to mix in 1996. Just 2 years later he became resident dj at the famed Moontribe Gathering, and started his own production company, Tropical. The first half of his career was mostly focused on DJing abroad, with 13 trips to Moscow’s Propaganda club, travel across Russia, Spain, and Mexico, an appearance at Wiggle at Fabric in London and two at the Labyrinth Festival in Japan.  

In more recent years, Ben Annand became a top West Coast festival DJ, and recently played a standout set at his 5th consecutive Lightning in a Bottle (CA). He has also appeared at Sunset Campout and Desert Hearts (CA), Oregon Eclipse (OR), Photosynthesis and Cascadia (WA), Shambhala and Motion Notion (BC, Canada).

As organizer of Tropical, he's donated over $32,000 to charity, hosted zero-waste events in Hawaii, and presented gender-balanced dj lineups.

Whatever his project,, Ben Annand is always contributing, and always thinking outside the box.

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