A bit later then promised, but here it is: my little tribute to the legendary X-Mix DJ mix series. This series had a huge impact on me as a kid growing into techno and house music. Laurent Garnier's X-Mix-2 was the first DJ mix I consciously listened to when I was about 11. I remember that I was totally drawn to those CGI videos done for the mixes which were telecasted in MTV Party Zone in the mid-90's. So I bought the VHS tape of X-Mix-2 and, since I liked the music so much, the CD as well. And what an education that was! Underground Resistance, Kenny Larkin, Derrick May, Carl Craig, Laurent Garnier, Planetary Assault Systems, Mike Dearborn and Sven Väth, all there in one mix, blended together in fluid, long transitions that created a DJ set that can best be described as narrative (the short animated abtract stories on the tape only enhanced that impression). If I had to name the biggest influence on my developement as a DJ, it would certainly be X-Mix-2.
I kept buying all the other issues in the series, which continued to surprise me with great mixes and inspiring record choices. I consider every of the mixes a masterpiece in its own right, and almost all the tracks used in the mixes are fantastic and didn't grow old a bit, showing the sense of timelessness the involved DJs expressed in their playlists. I spent years hunting down all the X-Mix vinyl compilations and even longer to find the best of the tracks from the mix CDs which were not included on the vinyl compilations. Naturally it wasn't quite easy to come up with a selection of those about 130 tracks I have on vinyl now, and the list of the stuff that just needed to be in the mix kept growing and growing. I also saw no reason to exclude the first X-Mix by Paul von Dyk by the way (yeah, oldschool trance! ^_^). So this went into almost four hours again, but well, if you have a project that comes from your heart you're not open for compromises. 
I tried to keep the mixing a bit oldschool in the style of the CDs, so only two decks this time. Still, it was incredibly difficult to get all those tracks into a current mix, since the sound of the 90's was much less homogenous than the sound of today. Gives you some respect for the artists who made the old mixes.
By the way: the only reason I didn't play Bernard Badie's "Time Reveals" is that the repress came out a month too late and I didn't want to pay 600€ (!) for the original pressing. So go & buy Mojuba 10 for some more X-Mix feeling!
The series:
1993: Paul van Dyk presents X-Mix-1 – The MFS-Trip
1994: Laurent Garnier presents X-Mix-2 – Destination Planet Dream
1994: Richie Hawtin & John Acquaviva present X-Mix-3 – Enter: Digital Reality!
1995: Dave Angel presents X-Mix-4 – Beyond the Heavens
1995: DJ Hell presents X-Mix-5 – Wildstyle
1996: Mr. C presents X-Mix – Electronic Storm (X-Mix 6 in playlist)
1996: Dave Clarke presents X-Mix – Electro Boogie (X-Mix 7 in playlist)
1997: Ken Ishii presents X-Mix – Fast Foward & Rewind (X-Mix 8 in playlist)
1997: Kevin Saunderson presents X-Mix – Transmission from Deep Space Radio (X-Mix 9 in playlist)
1998: Hardloor presents X-Mix – Jack the Box (X-Mix 10 in playlist)
Some facts about X-Mix:
The first issue, mixed by Paul van Dyk, was a label showcase of Berlin trance label MFS, and also released on that label. All later issues were released on Studio !K7. Unfortunately there is no unmixed track collection of X-Mix-1 on vinyl, as for all the other issues, which also made the X-Mix series into an important re-issue series for vinyl collectors.
All mixes were released in a video version and an extended CD version, so there's actually two different versions of every mix (except for X-Mix-1, where the video and CD mix are identical). Usually the CD version includes all the tracks from the video version plus some extra tracks, but sometimes different versions of tracks were used as well: L.S.G.'s "Blueprint" and Lemon8's "Model8" on X-Mix-3, and Tata Box Inhibitors' "Ribosomal" on X-Mix 9 being three examples. These differences are not credited on Discogs.
John Acquaviva's mix on the extended CD version is pretty much screwed up, with some really bad transitions. He did a much better job on the video version. So X-Mix-3 is the only example where I think the video mix is much better than the CD mix.
On some CD mixes you can hear, when you know the original tracks, that there has been some post-editing to make the mix fit CD-length. For example, there was a part cut out from Laurent Garnier's "Astral Dreams" on X-Mix-3, and the same again concerning Josh Wink's "Liquid Summer" on X-Mix-4. So some of the mixes aren't "live recordings" in the strongest sense of the phrase. There is also a heavily post-edited mini CD version of Ken Ishii's X-Mix that came along with the VHS tape.
Strangely, Daniel Bell, Jeff Mills and Robert Hood don't appear on any of the mixes.
The only track that appears twice is Plastikman's "Spastik" played by Richie Hawtin and Kevin Saunderson.
The X-Mix series ran from 1993 until 1998, when Studio !K7 cancelled it and only continued the increasingly successfull DJ-Kicks series, started in 1995. Ironically, the first DJ-Kicks issues that came out while X-Mix was still running, were very much in an X-Mix vain with DJs like Carl Craig, CJ Bolland, Claude Young and Stacey Pullen. Only after X-Mix was cancelled, DJ Kicks moved mostly away from techno and house into the realm of chill-out, downtempo and rare groove thanks to the immensly successful DJ Kicks by Kruder & Dorfmeister. Personally, I wish !K7 had stopped DJ Kicks and continued X-Mix instead, or at least invited some more techno DJs on DJ Kicks, because the series grows increasingly boring (to me).
The last issue by Hardfloor was basically a ten year anniversary to the acid house summer of love in 1988, including only acid house classics from that time and three original productions by Hardfloor (showing some influence from the DJ Kicks concept, which always featured one original production by the DJ). Since this is also a ten year anniversary (to the end of X-Mix), that means the summer of love is now 20 years ago, and that means I think I know what I'm gonna do next, hehe...
www.humaninteraction.de/public/red_kite-10years_without_x-mix.mp3Track listing
01 0:00 Ron Trent – The Afterlife [Warehouse Records 1990/ X-Mix 5]
02 0:04 Laurent Garnier – Moonbeam [Fnac Music Dance Devision 1993/ X-Mix 2]
03 0:07 DJ Skull – Don't Stop The Beat [Djax-Up-Beats 1993/ X-Mix 5]
04 0:11 Symbols & Instruments – Mood (Optimystic Mix) [KMS 1989/ X-Mix 8]
05 0:13 Chez Damier – Help Myself (reconstructed by Carl Craig) [KMS 1992/ X-Mix 4]
06 0:18 René Et Gaston – Merluche Ideale [Pssst Music 1996/ X-Mix 9]
07 0:21 Shiver – Ursa Major 7 [Shiver Records 1994/ X-Mix 3]
08 0:24 St. Vitus Dance – Mystic Vibrations [Peacefrog Records 1994/ X-Mix 4]
09 0:28 UR – The Final Frontier [Underground Resistance 1991/ X-Mix 2]
10 0:31 Sem – Phox [Electron Industries 1995/ X-Mix 7]
11 0:33 DJ Pierre – Box Energy [trax 1988/ X-Mix 10]
12 0:35 Phuture – Can You Feel The Bass [Hot Mix 5 1988/ X-Mix 5]
13 0:38 Jark Prongo – Spadet [Pssst Music 1995/ X-Mix 9]
14 0:42 Wink – Liquid Summer [Ovum 1994/ X-Mix 4]
15 0:46 Mike Dearborn – Deviant Behaviour [Djax-Up-Beats 1993/ X-Mix 2]
16 0:49 K. Hand – Flashback [Acacia Records 1993/ X-Mix 3]
17 0:52 Trancesetters – Neurodisco [First Impression 1994/ X-Mix 9]
18 0:55 Barada – Glue [Definitive Recordings 1994/ X-Mix 3]
19 1:00 Random Noise Generation – Hysteria [430 West 1991/ X-Mix 5]
20 1:03 Scanner – Mass Observation [Ash International 1994/ X-Mix 3]
21 1:06 Tronikhouse – Smooth Groove [Incognito Records 1991/ X-Mix 5]
22 1:08 LFO vs. FUSE – Loop (FUSE Mix) [Warp 1992/ X-Mix 3]
23 1:12 Strange Attractor – Gyroscope [Phono 1996/ X-Mix 8]
24 1:14 Kenny Larkin – Soul Man [R & S Records 1995/ X-Mix 4]
25 1:17 Naughty & Tolis – Timeless Groove [Ferox Records 1995/ X-Mix 6]
26 1:19 Fretless AZM – Bumbuphone [Holistic Recordings 1995/ X-Mix 8]
27 1:21 Octave One – Night Illusion [430 West 1996/ X-Mix 9]
28 1:23 Esser'ay – Forces [KMS 1994/ X-Mix 4]
29 1:27 R-Tyme – Use Me (Carl Craigs Piano Mix) [trance-Fusion 1993/ X-Mix 9]
30 1:30 The Innocent – Theme From Blue Cucaracha [Communique Records 1995/ X-Mix 8]
31 1:34 Lemon8 – Model8 (Lemon8 Remix) [Basic Energy 1993/ X-Mix 3]
32 1:38 Outlander – Vamp [R & S Records 1991/ X-Mix 9]
33 1:42 Bobby Konders – Let There Be House [Nu Groove Records 1990/ X-Mix 5]
34 1:45 Shake – Breathe Deeper [Frictional Recordings 1995/ X-Mix 6]
35 1:48 Guillaume La Tortue – Salinas [Music Man Records 1994/ X-Mix 2]
36 1:54 Nicole – A Small En-Trance To A Large Spectrum [Basic Energy 1993/ X-Mix 3]
37 1:59 Brian Transeau – Relativity (Carl Craig's Urban Affair Dub) [Deep Dish Recordings 1993/ X-Mix2]
38 2:02 Flare – N.P2.2 [Reel Musiq 1995/ X-Mix 8]
39 2:06 Tata Box Inhibitors – Ribosomal (One Take Mix) [Touché 1996/ X-Mix 9]
40 2:10 Surgeon – Atol [Downwards 1995/ X-Mix 5]
41 2:12 Phuture – The Creator [Jack Trax 1988/ X-Mix 10]
42 2:15 Cosmic Baby – Heaven's Tears [MFS 1992/ X-Mix 1]
43 2:20 Aux 88 – The DJ [Direct Beat 1995/ X-Mix 7]
44 2:22 United Future Organisation – Fool's Paradise [Mercury 1997/ X-Mix 8]
45 2:24 Nick Holder – Erotic Illusions [DNH Records 1991/ X-Mix 5]
46 2:26 Plastikman – Spastik [Plus 8 Records 1993/ X-Mix 3/9]
47 2:29 Secret Cinema – Timeless Altitude (Extra Altitude Mix by Speedy J) [Music Man Records 1994/ X-Mix 3]
48 2:32 Kenny Larkin – Track [Warp 1994/ X-Mix 2]
49 2:34 Richard Bartz – Style Wars B1 [Kurbel 1995/ X-Mix 5]
50 2:37 Damon Wild – Avion [Synewave 1996/ X-Mix 6]
51 2:40 Sunrise Society – Northern Lights [Pacific Records 1995/ X-Mix 4]
52 2:42 Hardfloor – Bodymove [Studio !K7 1998/ X-Mix 10]
53 2:43 L.S.G. – Blueprint (Version 2) [Superstition 1994/ X-Mix 3]
54 2:47 Lockstep – I Am [Soiree Records International 19??/ X-Mix 7]
55 2:49 Carl Craig – At Les [Planet E 1996/ X-Mix 6]
56 2:53 Ghetto Brothers – Pumpin' Bass Manoeuvres [ESP Records 1992/ X-Mix 8]
57 2:54 Sole Tech – Sole Waves [Detrechno 1994/ X-Mix 7]
58 2:56 Strand – Bloated (Juggernaut Mix) [Frictional Recordings 1996/ X-Mix 9]
59 2:59 Sleezy D – I've Lost Control [trax 1986/ X-Mix 10]
60 3:03 The Electric 10 – Ex-P.R. [Rough Cut 1996/ X-Mix 9]
61 3:07 Steve Poindexter – Work That Mutha Fucka [Muzique Records 1989/ X-Mix 5]
62 3:09 Humate – Love Stimulation (Lovemix by Paul van Dyk) [MFS 1993/ X-Mix 1]
63 3:14 Frank de Wulf – Drums In A Grip [Harthouse 1996/ X-Mix 8]
64 3:16 LFO – We Are Back [Warp 1991/ X-Mix 7]
65 3:19 Teste – The Wipe [Probe Records 1992/ X-Mix 3]
66 3:21 Minimal Man – Coyote Flux [trelik 1995/ X-Mix 6]
67 3:27 Galaxy 2 Galaxy – Journey of the Dragons [Underground Resistance 1993/ X-Mix 2]
68 3:30 Rhythim Is Rhythim – Icon [transmat 1991/ X-Mix 2]
69 3:36 Yoshihiro Sawasaki – Magic Dome [Sublime Records 1994/ X-Mix 4]
