On the 23rd of October, 2020, our first taste of freedom after our first pandemic lockdown, at the club Saturdays in Britomart, I returned to behind the decks for the first time in 6 years. Played 100% vinyl breaks bangers from the '98 to '06 period. It was great fun and importantly to me, it felt like an authentic set from me from that period. I recreated the set from the setlist for everyone who couldn't make it. Same deal as usual, done in one take, mistakes and all, it's all done live with no fancy editing tools. See if you can pick the mix where I was distracted by talk about food.  :P

Tracklist:
Old School Junx - Bomb Rush (Mob Records)
The Sweaty Hunks - Bump Ya Booty (East Records)
Soul of Man - Scatterbox (Fingerlickin)
Lee Coombs - Shiver (Plump DJ's remix) (Fingerlickin)
Jean Jacques Smoothie feat MC Chickaboo - Keep It Movin (Vandal Mix) (Plastic Raygun)
???? - On a Ragga Boot (White)
Soul of Man - Killa Brew (Killa Mix) (Fingerlickin)
The Doors - Hello, I Love You (Freeland remix) (White)
Will Saul feat Ursula Rucker - Where Is It? (Evil 9 remix) (Air)
Boogie Pimps - Somebody to Love (Christian J remix) (MOS)
Christian J and Dylan Rhymes - Party People (White)
General Midi - Further (General Midi's House Mix) (TCR)
Freeland - Smells Like Freeland (White)
Double 99 - RIP Groove (RIP Mix feat Top Cat) (Satellite Records)
Stanton Warriors feat Beatnuts - Shake It Up (Punks)
???? - Ga Ga Land (White)
SCAM - Put Your Hands Up (Deepcut)

One More Time: It's my set, one more time...

One for the heads. Touches of dub, prog and electro (not house) but overall this mix is very centred in a tech sound. One for listening in the headphones when you're working or when you just want to chill on the couch and keep that toe tapping happening. 

When I was regularly playing on the club circuit, I used to get a lot of gigs in side rooms to big raves, I used to consciously play a deeper, techier sound in these gigs to offer some respite and some headspace to those ravers who needed to take a break from the full blown madness of the main rooms. The title is a nod to that. Plus who doesn't need a little Headspace every now and then? Even retired ravers...

Tracklisting:
Headspace for Ravers: Tech Breaks
1.\  Beber – Juvenile Delinquent (Tectonic mix)
2.\ Chris Coco – Albatross (Christian J remix)
3.\ Red Star – Pretender Dub
4.\ Freeland – Heel & Toe (Evil Nine remix)
5.\ Unkle – Reign (False Prophet remix)
6.\ Evil Nine – Hired Goons
7.\ Motion Unit – My Mind
8.\ Scratch D v H-Bomb – The Red Pill (Apex remix)
9.\ Jack DeMarseille – Shake Your Body
10.\ Plump Dj’s – Move It With Your Mind
11.\ FC Kahuna – Hayling (Ils remix)

Headspace for Ravers: Tech Breaks

A weekend romp through some of my favourite tracks from the early 2000's tech-house scene. I used to live for this! Dark room clubs, lots of sweat, bumping up against warm bodies all night, dancing all night to the groove... enjoy!

Tracklist:
1./ Aaron Carl - My House (Testimonial)
2./ Halo Varga - Future
3./ Marshall Jefferson - Mushrooms (Mazi's Audio Soul Revamp)
4,/ Johnny Fiasco & Dizzy - Bottom's Up
5./ The Stickmen - Into Da Music (Dub Mix)
6./ Mr G - G's Strings
7./ Johhny Fiasco - Chicano's Groove
8./ Peace Division - Beatz In Peacez Vol 3
9./ Onionz & Master D - Synthetic
10./ Silicon Soul - Chic-O-Laa (H-Foundation Remix)
11./ Green Velvet - Answering Machine (Main Frame Mix)

The Future Used To Be Better

In the mid 2000's, Code was a scene. Based in the basement vault of an old bank building, circa 2004-2006, it had an intoxicating energy that was all it's own. Different to the Drum n Bass fueled passion of Fu or the Tech and House den that was Ink, and certainly much grungier than the Handbag House clubs on the waterfront, this was a home for the Electro House lovers and at it's centre was two of my all time favourite Djs, the incomparable Greg Churchill and Angela Fisken. The home of Aural Trash. There were also legends like Mark (Who?) Emerson, top resident and running the bookings was the stalwart, and genuine legendary scene veteran, Sam Hill, and then later came bursting in two legit star producers in Luke Walker & Dj Loki and finally later still came a young up and comer getting his start, Daniel Farley. I was lucky to play there a few times and they are among my most fondly remembered sets.

I had a random inspiration to record a new mix that was inspired by those sets. Now this is not to say that this sound is a representation of what Code was all about in this era, but it is representative of what I brought to it when I was lucky enough to be booked to play there. I used to love hanging out on the couches and taking in the mighty sets that Greg and Angela brought to the club at the time. It was like watching the metaphorical lightning in a bottle, happening before my ears and eyes. They didn't play straight Electro House, there were elements of Breaks, Techno and Ghetto Bass all fused together into a sound that was very "now" (then) but also with a toughness and edginess that people really responded to. When I came along, I wanted to bring my own take on that, which of course, was to shift the (record) needle more towards the Breaks. My true love. I could never get away with this kinda spectrum at a genuine Breaks gig, so it was a real pleasure to be able to indulge into areas that I also loved hearing loud.

Onto the mix itself, it was fun, I hope it comes across that way. It's main inspiration and vibe was a set I played at 5AM one Sunday morning in 2005 for a gig called Shock Rockers. I never used to play at that end of the night so it was firstly, if I am to be honest, a logistical challenge to make it to that end of the night relatively clear eyed and focused enough to play at the standard the club expected! But also, it was a fun opportunity to just plain get a bit nasty. So I started this off with a reference to the Code Queen Angela Fisken's amazing June '04 mix, which still is among my favourites of all time, she started that off with Rocker, so I have also done, but as is my wont, the Stanton's Breaks take on it of course! We have a couple of exclusives here, the first of which is an early version of Luke Walker & Dj Loki's Dirty Secret, that Luke gave to me as a demo of what they were working on, while I was working at the Newmarket Sounds store. I was blown away and I've always preferred this version, even after the properly mastered final version came out. Then there is Greg's unreleased version of Timmy Schumacher's first and biggest track, What's Down Low. I love this twisty, grinding acidy version of it. I played this cooooonstantly. So I am stoked to have included some true Code legends contributions to the scene and to local music! Add in a little techno, some rave, some all time classic Breaks and we got ourselves a stew going, baby! Finally I don't think this ever came out properly, but we finish on "Skanktuary", which is actually one of Adam Freeland's rock bootlegs, he did a few during this time (most famously - Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit, which is miiiiiighty and features on a couple of my other mixes), this time of The Cult - She Sells Sanctuary. If ever there was a sanctuary for the weekend ravers in this city to just get dirty, loose and wild and dance away all the shit of the working week without any fear of judgement, self aware or otherwise, it was Code. Enjoy!

CODE @ 5AM

This was originally recorded as a promo mix for my residence at Cassette 9. A night called Animals that I ran alongside Randomplay and Defcon One, which ran from 2010-2014 before I decided to retire from the game. Recorded in 2011, it is one I am particularly proud of and a good representation of what I was playing in that era. It is a dancefloor orientated mix of all kinds of beats and bass music. Heavy influences from the beatsier end of the spectrum like UK Funky, Breaks, Broken Beat and tough House. It's a fair example of what I was playing to the post midnight dancefloors in the early 2010's.

Tracklisting:
1/ Mista Men – Pantha
2/ Mr Tickle – Grinding
3/ Omar & Zed Bias – It’s So… (Zed Bias remix)
4/ MDCL presents Sy Smith – Truth (Seiji Vox Twist)
5/ Dekata Project – Your Number (Maddslinky Club Mix)
6/ Tomb Crew – Yaphet Kotto Stole My Steez
7/ Boddika – Syn Chron
8/ Pirate Soundsystem – Jericho
9/ Ruby Goe – Beat Breaking Boy (Stanton Warriors Remix)
10/ Computer Juice – Computer Juice (Seiji Refix)
11/ Pirate Soundsystem featuring Lady Chann – Run Run
12/ Malente and Jay Robinson featuring Yo Majesty! – Cherry Pop (Blaze Tripp Remix)
13/ French Fries – Senta (Jean Nipon Carnal Remix)
14/ Doorly featuring Lady Chann – The One
15/ Daniel Haaksman featuring Seguindo Sonhos – Hands Up

Animalia Vol 1: Animals presents Dj Dalai

Electroliner Promo Mix

Electroliner Mix

From the deeper techier side of New School Breaks. 100% vinyl from the  1998 - 2005 era.

Tracklisting:
1:/ Beber – Chief Rocka
2:/ General Midi – Daft Funk
3:/ LBJ – Funkers
4:/ Waveform & Crash – Systems Online
5:/ Peace Division – No More Subliminal Shit
6:/ Chris Carter – Echo Babylon
7:/ Ils – Cherish (Adam Freeland remix)
8:/ PMT – Gyromancer (False Prophet mix)
9:/ Evil 9 – Cakehole
10:/ Plump Djs – Dr Dub
11:/ Dj Technique – My Definition (Lee Coombs’ Old School Acid Breaks mix)
12:/ Freq Nasty – Boomin Back Atcha (Hybrid’s Music To Plough Fields To mix)

In the Side Room Vol 1: Deep Tech

A more uptempo affair. Designed to feel like the 1am - 3am period at a breaks gig in main room Fu, early to mid 2000's era. 100% vinyl and done in one take, so excuse the mistakes, just keeping it real. Seriously bassy business, the low end on Reclaim the Streets almost blew up my car stereo system!

Tracklisting:
1./ Aquasky v Masterblaster feat Ragga Twins – Loko
2./ Apollo 440 -Dude Descending a Staircase (Stanton Warriors mix)
3./ Soul of Man – Dirty Waltzer
4./ The Rogue Element – Let Me Breathe
5./ Jean Jacques Smoothie feat MC Chickaboo – Keep It Movin (Vandal remix)
6./ Krafty Kuts – Get Funky
7./ Move-Ya & Steve Lavers – Dopefreak
8./ Plump Dj’s – The Push
9./ Jammin – Hello
10./ Shut Up & Dance and Dj Hype – Reclaim the Streets
11./ Vigi & Flip – Freak Frequency
12./ Plump Dj’s – Creepshow (Freestylers ‘Raw as Fuck’ remix)
13./ Deekline & Wizard feat Yolanda, Spoonface & Amrick – All Your Love (Deekline & Wizard’s Club Mix (Booty Bouncers))

In the Main Room Vol 1: Party and Bullshit

Party set, lots of energy and big tunes altho I'd want it to be a bit tighter normally for a party set but hey, it was a lovely Sunday afternoon, what can I say? New School Funk was the name of a party Mat Randomplay and I did together a few times. We always played Tauranga's Buddha Lounge under that branding and this set is very much like one I would play there at peak time. Tracks are from 2001-2006. 

1./ Ils – Music (Evil 9 Punk Rocks Mix)
2./ Smells Like Freeland
3./ Evil 9 feat Toastie Taylor – Restless
4./ Soul of Man – Sukdat
5./ Stanton Warriors – Jiggle Dat (Full Length Mix)
6./ Booty Bouncers – Get Dirty Baby (Friendly Remix)
7./ Deekline & Wizard feat Yolanda – Why Don’t You
8./ Madox – Funkadelic
9./ JDS v Mihell – Purple Funky Monkey
10./ Aquasky v Masterblaster – Stay Fresh
11./ Humanoid – Stakker Humanoid (Plump Dj’s 2001 Retouch)
12./ Whiplash – Ghetto Tears (Phil Kieran Breaks Remix)

In the Main Room Vol 2: The New School Funk

In the Main Room Vol 2: New School Funk

Nostalgic, wistful, dark. Tech house with a side jouney into percussive rhythms. Put the headphones on, turn the lights out, find your space, dance. Tracks from 98-03 period, all vinyl.

Tracklisting:
1./ Danny Tenaglia feat Cevin Fisher – The Better Days
2./ Peace Division – Body & Soul
3./ Jay Tripwire – Deep Rumbler
4./ Akabu feat Linda Clifford – Ride the Storm (Mazi’s Audio Soul Revamp)
5./ Grant Dell – Sleeping Dub
6./ Solo & Logan – Damynatribe
7./ Joeski – Tribe
8./ J & S Productions – Te Quiero
9./ Indart, Chus & Ceballos – Buenos Beats (Chus Mucho Drums mix)
10./ Hipp-E – Primary Funktion
11./ Rob Salmon & Rob Rives – Body Talk
12./ The Mingers – Emancipation (Asad’s Silverlining Remingification) / Danny Tenaglia feat Cevin Fisher – The Better Days acapella

In the Side Room Vol 3: Do You Remember the Days - Tech House

Dj Dalai was rocking dancefloors in Auckland city between 2002 and 2014 but he lives a more quiet life in suburbia these days. Based in Auckland but never afraid to spread the love around his home country of New Zealand, Dalai quickly established himself as one of the Auckland breaks scenes leading lights, with an intelligent approach to set composition and a tight mixing style, he along with his regular cohort and partner in crime Dj Randomplay, became known for pushing a funky girls on the dancefloor friendly style while the breaks scene at the time was largely dominated by a darker heavier sound. 

He regularly played support slots for many touring artists, including: The Freestylers, Kid Kenobi, Evil 9, The Scratch Perverts, Deekline and Wizard, Rennie Pilgrem (who singled Dale out afterwards to the promoter for special praise on his warm up set - a career highlight), Napt, Koma and Bones, Dub Pistols, Drummattic Twins, Dj Hyper, Dopamine, Malente, gaining many plaudits and fans along the way. 

He started the brands: New School Funk and Insert Breaks Pun Here with Dj Randomplay, Tight Squad with Randomplay, Rob Knight and Mark Emerson, New Sound and also held a bi-monthly residency at Cassette 9 between 2010 and 2014 called Animals with Randomplay and Defcon One and then later just himself and Randomplay. 

After cutting his teeth as a host on small band radio station, Twisted fm, as well as being a regular guest and fill in host on the Lowpass radio show hosted by Page-3 on George fm. He eventually ended up getting his own show on George with Randomplay and Defcon One, also called New School Funk on Friday nights 8-10pm. This show ran from 2009 - 2010 before becoming one of the many casualties of the Mediaworks takeover. 

He played at Studio, Fu, Fu Bar (old and new), Zen, Ink, Code, Coherant, Morrison, Bacio, Asta, Coast, St James, Galatos in Auckland and regularly visited Buddha Lounge in Tauranga, Monkeyfeather and Catalyst in Hamilton and played one extremely memorable night at The Projection Room in Ohakune as a part of the Fallout Festival in 2007.

Following the decline of the Auckland breaks scene he moved into more of an wide ranging full spectrum sound with influences from, but not exclusive to, the Brokenbeat/UK Funky/Future Garage/Tech-House/Techno scenes in the UK. It's a sound that encompasses all his influences and experiences that came before and now he prefers to sum up simply as "Beats and Bass."

Stay tuned for more throwback mixes from the era Dalai was active. He will be periodically releasing different themed mixes to celebrate the good old days of Auckland's vibrant underground electronic music scene.

djdalai

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