- Beetz Magazine
Melissa: Guest Mix and Q&A
IN CONVERSATION W/ MELISSA
Favourite track(s) of this mix and why?
Each track is my favourite in its own way. I’m very particular over the music
I showcase and generally won’t play a track in a mix or at an event unless
it’s one of my favourites from my collection. I feel like I have a duty to my
audience!
I haven’t been mixing for very long (about a year and a half), so everything
I play is a reflection of what I’d like to hear if I was listening to someone
else play. I still think of myself as a spectator, but it just so happens that I’m
stood behind the decks.
The reason I’ve chosen these particular tracks is because they represent
the sound and tempo that I like; they’re all 140 bpm and they have the sub-
bass frequencies and wobbles that I love. I tend to choose a mixture of
what I call “bass-face” tracks (e.g. Verify Me VIP) and ones with a beautiful
melody (e.g. Fire and Ice). I also love blending old school tunes with new
ones.
This mix includes tracks from artists such as Hebbe, Bengal Sound, Vex’d,
Caspa, Ternion Sound, Rez, Boylan & Slimzee and Seven. It’s very rare
you’ll catch me playing a live set without dropping a Caspa tune!
A Manchester DJ/producer you're watching at the moment?
Rare Groove – they’re a duo consisting of two artists called Channell and
Zar. I first noticed them playing live streams on Bloc2Bloc, where they were
mixing liquid drum & bass and playing 100% their own production. They
both have great energy and their tune selection is on point.
When I’m not mixing dubstep/dub, I’m generally listening to liquid/minimal
drum & bass, so these guys are right up my street! I have a feeling they’ll
go far in the music industry.
What's coming up for you this year?
I recently released a guest mix for Peachy Events, a Sheffield-based label
which promotes new artists via their Peachy Podcast series. I also have a
few other guest mixes scheduled for various radio shows, a couple of which
are based outside of the UK. Although the 140 scene is fairly niche, it
seems to have a really wide international reach.
I’ll also be playing more live streams on Bloc2Bloc, a Manchester-based
radio show which showcases new/upcoming/established local talent. I think
it’s good experience playing to a large audience, and it’s also a great
opportunity to play back-to-back with my peers. I’ve previously played
alongside Killamanjaro, Indika, Senncoria and Kali - all smashing the music
scene at the moment, whether it be on the production/DJ side. Big shout
out to Jack Banner for making it all happen!
I’ve got a couple of events in the pipeline. This weekend I’ll be playing for Lovely
Dubbly at Joshua Brooks, where I’ll be supporting Dub Smugglers and Sappo. The
one after that is for The Wasted Kollective (a night that I’m a resident at which is
really pushing the 140 scene in Manchester at the moment) at Hidden on 17 th May,
where I’ll be supporting J-Kenzo, Youngsta and Cimm.
I’ve been blessed to have supported some of my favourite producers and DJs in the
industry over the past few months, such as Egoless (Hit & Run event), Caspa,
Hatcha and Kloudmen (The Wasted Kollective 2nd birthday) and LX One and
Biome (Shift debut). I also ended up playing back-to-back with Commodo at a
Worried About Henry event, which was pretty spontaneous and a lot of fun. That’s
one of the things I love about the dubstep community – no hierarchy, just pure family vibes.
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