Sutras

THE DJ MIX: AN INTEGRAL ART FORM

To some, a DJ mix might seem like little more than an iTunes playlist, a mix tape you made for your boyfriend in middle school, or the product of wedding DJs who are contractually obligated to play "Mony Mony", "The Chicken Dance", and the Black Eyed Peas everywhere they go. But to others, the DJ mix is something much more extraordinary. When done right, it can be a truly integrative art form—taking bits and pieces of our shared cultural reference points, and using technology as an instrument to transpose, transform, and recontextualize those pieces until something genuinely and unmistakably new emerges.

The DJ is so much more than a human jukebox who puts together a compilation of catchy tracks. It's about knowing how to fit those tracks together into greater and greater wholes—matching, manipulating, looping, and layering individual songs into a single seamless experience. At his or her best, the DJ is a musical maven, turning people on to new sounds and new genres while fighting the growing tides of cultural homogenization. It's an art of sonic ninjitsu, learning how to use turntables, MIDI players, or laptops to mix and match beats, keys, and melodies. And like any performance art, DJing can be a sort of 21st century shamanism, conjuring and shaping the states and experiences of entire groups of people by crafting the most unbelievably satisfying breakdowns, bardos, and transitions—creating a space for all of us to dance ourselves into oblivion.

Now to be perfectly clear, the DJ mix is still a subversive art form, and is often perceived as a threat to the status quo of the music industry—which, come on, kind of makes it a little bit cooler doesn't it? Although no small-time DJs like me have ever been harassed or sued for sharing their mixes for free on the internet, I have to admit the fact that this all exists in something of a grey area in copyright law. I do believe I am morally justified in sharing my art with you all, but there are some who would disagree. For more on this, check out this friendly debate I had with Ottmar Liebert a few years ago.

If you would like to connect with me on Facebook and receive updates on future mixes, here is a link to my dj rekluse fan page.

OTHER MIXES YOU MAY ENJOY:

Empty Spaces

An 80-minute musical meditation on silence, featuring Sally Kempton, Alan Watts, Alex Grey, and Ken Wilber. This is what my Dark Night of the Soul sounds like.

Dark Matter

This one of the more experimental mixes I've put together, playing with the tension between soothing and menacing, soft and jagged, glossy and glitchy.

(r)evolutions

A five-part hip hop soundtrack for evolutionaries. Sixty songs, two hours. Wake up. Rise up.

HeartbeatZ

Featuring over three hours of love songs spanning seven decades of pop culture, this is an expanded version of the set i played on New Years Eve at the second Integral Spiritual Experience event.

Sutras: an hour long synaesthetic journey through gross, subtle, causal, and nondual realms. Sonic tonic for your aching body, mind, and soul. Liberation upon hearing.

 
Part 1: The Vast Expanse 

Part 2: One Hand Clapping 

Download here 
(147 MB, 1 hour 1 minute)

Recommended Uses:

• Yoga
• Meditation
• Contemplation
• Early morning walks
• Late night drives
• Afternoon delights
  
  

TRACK LIST

Here is a comprehensive track list for the Dark Matter mix, complete with time-codes and purchasing links. If you like anything you hear in this mix, please support the artists by PURCHASING THE ALBUMS!

Part I

Nothing – Bill Laswell
Cat People - Cujo
The Vast Expanse – Alex Grey
Stormy Cloud - DJ Krush feat. Ken Shima
Easy Muffin - Amon Tobin
PG - Saul Williams
Black Mass - UNKLE
Come On Riding (Thought the Cosmos) - DJ Shadow
Dzogchen Meditation - Lama Surya Das
Lose Yourself (Instrumental) - Eminem
ISE Meditation - Sally Kempton
Come Together - The Beatles
Bittersweet Symphony (UNKLE remix) - The Verve
Moon in the Water - Underworld

Part II

The Sound of One Hand Clapping - Ken Wilber
Intro - The xx
Keep Me There - Nicolas Jaar
Dune Rider - Eat Static
Fake It Till You Make It - Banco de Gaia
Within You Without You/Tomorrow Never Knows - The Beatles
To Know You Are God – Alan Watts
Raghupati – Bhagavan Das and Mike D.
Pharaoh – Eat Static
I Against I (Instrumental) - Massive Attack
Another Brick in the Wall (Part 1) - Pink Floyd
Belle (dj rekluse rekalibration) - Stuart Davis
Honey (Markus Kienzl Dub) - Tosca
With or Without You - U2
Hello Goodbye - Lupe Fiasco