Dominique Keegan shares infamous Plant Bar’s coolest & loudest memories in a mixtape.
Everyone in the NYC clubbing scene is probably familiar with Dominique Keegan’s name. One of the coolest dudes, owner and founder of Plant Music, excellent DJ and curator, Creative Director at Kobalt Music and also co-founder (with Marcus “Shit Robot” Lambkin) of the Plant Bar, one of the loudest clubs from New York’s past nightlife. Dom travelled back to the golden era of this infamous club and mixed up a selection of his favourite tracks dominating the dancefloor. Warm up those dancing feet and read our interview with Dom, the man behind the best vibes in the Big Apple.
@erhanokuroglu started dropping mixtapes just a week ago but his selections have already made a big impression on us. Going through a wide range of genres, we picked one of our favourites to share with you. This party mixtape is filled with the finest of electronic music has to offer, hip-hop, bass music, chillwave and even some deep house.
Do you feel like taking a little trip without leaving the comfort of your home? @artifakt72’s dub-soaked, psy-ambientish downtempo mixtape is a mystical experience that will definitely take you to places and exercise your aural senses. Just lean back and take in every sound this dubby meandering has to offer.
The Los Angeles-based record label is back with a crispy future bass mixtape.
Good news, everyone! DIM MAK, the Los Angeles-based influential record label and music lifestyle brand is back with their second mixtape. This time they’ve mixed up some of their crispiest and most powerful recent Future Bass releases. With a back catalog hundreds of records deep, a history of legendary live events, and a fully formed clothing line, DIM MAK continues its global mission of promoting boundary-pushing music and culture. Push play and get lost in DIM MAK’s energetic world, by any means necessary.
We are super excited about welcoming Joaquin Jimenez-Sauma aka @jjsauma as a new member on Pacemaker. An exceptional DJ, producer, label owner, sound designer, lecturer… and the list could go on! Being a master of everything music-related, there is a lot to learn from him even by just listening to his mixtapes. Here is a warmly recommended afterhours selection that will keep your party going at least until the sun rises again.
@tbyh2o is another new member of our community and having only posted two variations of the same mixtape, we can already make assumptions about his exceptional skills. When it comes to picking tracks and mixing them to perfection, he’s a keeper. Check out his first #house mixtape, filled with marvelous grooves and some of the biggest names in the game like Julio Bashmore, Hot Since 82 and DJ Koze.
Label Worx debuts with drum & bass essentials. We’ve also got the best of electro house and dark techno!
Label Worx is a UK-based company providing a wide selection of services specifically designed for independent dance labels. They provide a solid platform that enables creative minds to efficiently manage many areas of running a record label leaving them more time to concentrate on the music. They heavily support Drum & Bass and Breakbeat music, and their debut mixtape for Pacemaker consists of an essential Liquid Drum & Bass compilation. Push play and dive into the smoother side of DnB!
In the beginning there was @raadnatrix and he had a groove. From this groove came the grooves of all grooves. While one day viciously throwing down on his box, he boldly declared: “let there be house”! And house music was born. He is the creator and this is his house, but he is not so selfish, because once you enter his house, it then becomes your house and your house music.
@darktechno_lo is a highly promising new member of our community, especially if you’re into the darker and deeper side of techno and harsher industrial sounds. This brutal debut mixtape got a strong concept and harmonic mixing while showcasing the best of underground techno. Perfect for a weekend rave!
Boost your summer with the best house vibes, great excuse to turn up the volume!
Matt Saint Will, the captain of Arrivals Records is a zealous producer, curator, DJ and label owner. He dropped his latest EP ‘Notes from Los Angeles’ a few weeks ago, which also inspired him to mix some of his new tracks with a handful of summer essentials. The result is a glimpse of what Los Angeles might sound like, an hour full of pleasant house vibes, a great excuse to turn up the volume.
Knighthood is usually granted for a great public service and it’s becoming more and more common in the entertainment industry as well. Sir Anthony Hopkins, Sir Elton John, Sir Paul McCartney and the list could go on. However, there is someone you may not have heard of… yet! @sir_gabriel, the knight of Pacemaker, guardian of the finest electro mixtape, ruler of grooves. Check him out!
You won’t easily find this mixtape by searching for its title in Pacemaker, so let us give you a helping hand here. @ericcvillanueva is a fervent servant of electronic beats and one of his latest sonic getaways is the perfect combination of techno, deep and tech house with a touch of tribal. Top, top, top selection!
French grooves with Kitsuné, proper house injections, crazy roller coaster rides
Kitsuné always delivers the hottest tracks, essential groove drops and sensual rhythms are guaranteed once you get drawn into these French gourmet selections. Their fifth guest mix for Pacemaker was created by the electronic duo Millesim who themselves had already accumulated a quite impressive discography on this excellent label.
“Not everyone understands house music. It’s a spiritual thing, a body thing, a soul thing.” Eddie Amador’s classic line may have been overused throughout the years but that doesn’t make it less valid or less relevant, on the contrary. And let us show you someone who understands: say hi to @romrom who blew our minds with her very first mixtape.
Totally crazy and unexplainable vibes are going on in @wolfless’ debut mixtape. Filled with various exotic trap, dubstep and other curious electronica, this mix is like taking a roller coaster ride with your eyes blindfolded. Expect some quirky surprises and push play after you’ve fastened your seat belt.
We asked Kono Vidovic, the host of Dirty Disco Radio to select 5 of his all-time house classics that helped him shape his taste. As a DJ, he enjoys playing music for people but occasionally he also likes to talk about it and express his feelings in a more verbal way. Writing about his favourites is a real treat but also a difficult task to get done. Let’s see his picks 😉
When you ask a DJ what his 5 favorite tracks at this moment or from the last year are, they can easily think of a few tracks they played a lot in their sets. Naming just 5 tracks isn’t easy, so I won’t be just calling my broad music knowledge. I’m combining this with my feelings and let them take control. You have to remember that house music is a feeling, so let my feelings speak to you through these 5 tracks.
1. Soulsearcher – Can’t Get Enough (1998)
The very first release on one of my favorite dance music record labels, if not THE best dance record company in the world. When Defected started 19 years ago, they released this track which instantly transformed into a chart-breaker in the UK. It was an instant success for the UK-based label.
The minute I heard and bought this track (at that time on vinyl), I fell in love with not only the track – which you never can get enough of 😉 – but also with Defected. Since then I started to follow the label, which was a big inspiration and helped me shape my own sound through the years.
This track still defines that summer feeling. House music vocals always had a great attraction to me as long as they were special, had something unique and powerful. Can’t Get Enough is a track which still works in a DJ set, depending on where you are and which season you are in. Just the thought of grooving to this track on a warm and sunny beach somewhere in Croatia, holding a fresh, cold drink… gives me the goosebumps!
2. Moby – Go (Woodtick Mix) (1991)
From the very first note, this house classic gives me the goosebumps. Moby has been a producer I followed from the beginning. Back in the days, he was already very exceptional in his sound. Back in the 90’s people lived and thought in boxes. Nowadays that is completely gone and it does not matter what you do as long as it sounds fat. Moby was a producer that certainly influenced the dance music scene with his sound. And for sure was a big inspiration for me creating my sound as a DJ.
3. Armand Van Helden – You Don’t Know Me (1998)
Armand Van Helden is a real mastermind, his catalog of produced music is proof of that. If you asked me to name 10 of my favorite house classics just from Armand Van Helden, that would be no problem. From those tracks, ‘You Don’t Know Me’ is one that always went with me in my record bag. Even now, I always have it with me on my USB.
What makes this track so special is the beat where claps and snares play the most important part. Together with the stabbing sample it creates a very unique sound that you don’t hear a lot. Once the vocals come in, you are grabbed and it won’t let you go. Not only the great singing but also the lyrics played an important role for me. It taught me that nobody really knows who you are, and that it’s up to you to get to know yourself first.
4. Jaydee – Plastic Dreams (1993)
A track that I consider not only as one of the most inspirational and well-known classics of all time, but also a track that made me very proud. The Netherlands have always played a big role in dance music and many great names in the scene come from our little country. Back then and nowadays still we deliver great artists. Jaydee was one of those artists who helped putting The Netherlands even more on the map as a leading house music country. Robin Albers a.k.a Jaydee literally turned the dance music world upside down with this track. What makes it special is that it shows that the beat isn’t even the most important part of the track and it’s still house music. The bells, the organ together with the beat, create a perfect atmosphere and are the infrastructure of one of the best classics ever. Depending on your audience, but when they are 30+ you can play this track in your set and believe me, you will give them a party to remember.
5. Shakedown – At Night
If you ask me what my all-time favorite vocal is, Shakedown ‘At Night’ will be the answer! Once again a Defected release which certainly proves their great taste in music. This track always and still goes with me wherever I go. Which is easy to say, now that we have mobile phones and Spotify. 😉 On the vinyl EP there was the original and a couple of remixes by Mousse T, Kid Creme and Alan Braxe. It also featured an acapella version, which I used a lot in my sets. The acapella is perfect for teasing your audience a bit before you mix in the original version. A lot of DJs still use the acapella, for example Roger Sanchez (well-known for his classic ‘Another Chance’, which is also a Defected release from 2001) uses the acapella a lot in his sets.
Shakedown – At Night is as they say with food: something you can wake me up for in the middle of the night.
The naughty DJ in me.
I guess it’s in the name Dirty Disco Radio, so therefore I’m playing it a bit dirty right now. I have been asked for 5 tracks, but to narrow down all these beautiful house classics to just 5 great tracks is a bit of a torture for a DJ. 🙂 And once I start talking about music and playing music, I just can’t shut up. So here are two more beautiful house music classics.
6. Harddrive – Deep Inside (1993)
Sometimes you have those tracks that are plain and simple but so solid. This is a track that grabbed me in the early days because of its solid groove with that characteristic sound. The vocals just complete everything and melt the whole track down as a very solid groover which still gets played a lot, in one of the many remixes or the original. Personally, the original is my favorite. If you are touching this track in a remix, it better be more than good and respectful to the original. The track was released on another major dance music record label. Strictly Rhythm was just like Defected, one of those house music labels that knew what house should sound like and influenced the scene with their releases.
7. David Guetta Ft Chris Willis – Just A Little More Love
If you want to get to know David Guetta before he became that big superstar DJ in EDM and the very commercial side of the scene you should listen to his collaboration with Chris Willis who did the goose bump vocals for this beautiful electronic banger! What grabbed me mostly in this track? The lyrics. We should give a little more love. The electronic vibe that this track has is really special with a 4 x 4 kickdrum. Just like the earlier mentioned acapella of Shakedown – At Night. David Guetta – Just a Little More Love also has an acapella version on the EP. Perfect for teasing, pleasing and creating that loving house music vibe.
My end plea.
I really hope you enjoyed my selections for Pacemaker. If you did, feel free to support us by sharing this post on your social channels. I could continue talking about music, and I will do so in my weekly podcast called ‘Dirty Disco Radio‘.
Thank you for reading and listening. I would like to make use of the occasion to give you a personal positive message. Which is also the reason why I picked this last track.
Remember, that all this world need is:
“Just a little more love, Just a little more peace, is all it takes to live the dream. To walk hand and hand, we’ve got to understand. And one day soon, we’ll live in harmony.”
Let’s do some time travel and revisit some of the most legendary house tracks with Dirty Disco Radio.
Kono Vidovic, the host of Dirty Disco Radio is back with another special mixtape that invites you to do some time travelling yet stay in your comfort zone. Kono picked some of his favourite classic house gems and mixed them neatly in an uplifting and inspiring potpourri that will brighten up your day and night.
@capturingphi’s latest mixtape is one of the hottest selections on Pacemaker right now. Blending tech house with techno like a pro, our unstoppable groove master has once again proven that there’s no such thing as a bad party if you’re playing the right mixtape.
Now that the days are getting shorter and the nights are getting longer, you will need one more mixtape to feed the party animal in you. @mdmlnd mashed up some ripe deep house and tech house beats with some of the tracks playing simultaneously for several minutes.
Weekend warmup with some vicious vibes, WHOISJODY is back with another impressive deep house mixtape.
Our one and only WHOISJODY just released his new single ‘Grand Philly Hustle’ on Taylor Made Recordings. This was the perfect timing for yet another impressive deep house mixtape, setting a proper uplifting mood with his new single as the opening track. Give it a spin and hustle around these smooth summer vibes.
@incognito mixed up a mighty fine party mixtape by using tracks he discovered in other Pacemaker users’ mixtapes. The ‘❤️ track’ button is indeed magic! Here are your favourite tech and deep house heroes, lots of Spinnin Records gems, Hot Since 82, Weiss (UK), Adana Twins.
What places pop into your mind when you think about pools, beaches and parties? Probably something like Miami or Ibiza, right? @stevemodz’s massive deep house selection invites you to dance wherever you are and still feel like you’re attending the world’s best party.
Steve Aoki’s DIM MAK drops first mixtape, an extravagant selection of trap sounds
In 1996, Steve Aoki founded DIM MAK and developed it into an influential independent record label and music lifestyle brand. Responsible for launching the careers of seminal acts such as Bloc Party, The Bloody Beetroots, The Chainsmokers, Deorro, Keys N Krates and countless others, the independently owned DIM MAK has consistently pushed new musical movements via its staunch DIY ethos. With a back catalog hundreds of records deep, a history of legendary live events, and a fully formed clothing line, DIM MAK continues its global mission of promoting boundary-pushing music and culture ‘by any means necessary’. DIM MAK has now landed in Pacemaker and here is their first mixtape with an extravagant selection of fresh releases.
Here comes THE ultimate summer deep house mixtape. Let yourself be surrounded by these proper beach vibes even if you are nowhere near any water. Take a swim in the sounds of Bodhi, Drake, Lone, Lapalux and enjoy the perfect jazzy-sexy waves @wrangle mixed up for you.
Time to tap your toes and bob your heads, @modal is in the house and delivers the grooviest, housiest, danciest rhythms. Get ready to hear new music and some oldies from Tube & Berger, Todd Terje, Lindstrøm and join us in trying to figure out what’s behind the title of this mix… we want to be hulmeanologists!
Get ready for the summer with some funky beach vibes, deep and tech house.
@docholliday is a new member of our community and your prominent tour guide on this marvelous summer journey through house music. His funky mixtape really sets the bar high up with its proper beach vibes, a timeless, heavenly mixture of deep house and nu disco. Grab your sunglasses, let the sunshine in and press play!
Watch out for this techno lover from Gothenburg, Sweden! @ohedner’s loungetech selection is only 20 minutes long but what it lacks in length, makes up in quality. ‘Mjölk’ means ‘milk’ in Swedish and it contains free-range gourmet grooves with some of the most exciting deep and tech house tracks. Perfect for chilling on a warm day, embrace all these hot beats.
@billionbeatz posted his first mixtape in January and we had to wait quite some time for a follow-up. According to our ears, every minute was worth waiting. House-infused beats and massive techno vibes paired up with tropical drums. Get your summer grooves on!
