Patrice Bäumel operates at the intersection of the emotive and the technical. A man who has an immense ear for melody and one who has produced some exhilarating tracks. Patrice Bäumel is a name to be revered. Many could describe him as an exceptional techno artist but at the heart of it all, his love for ambient electronica always shines through, especially on this feature mix for Balance.
“Rather than blending one record into the next, I wanted to blur the lines between DJ set and production and turn it into a composition in its own right” he says of his approach to this stellar mix. “But I wanted the result to be musical. I want the listener to totally forget about the nuts and bolts and just feel it. It was also really important to me to create something that is built to last, without any regard whatsoever for current trends.” He took the wise decision to largely opt for records from his collection that have stood the test of time already – “that way I knew that I had a lasting relationship with them and not just a brief fling” – ensuring an end product that won’t date any time soon.
“I wanted the mix to sound truly like me, show off my trademark sound with all its quirks and idiosyncrasies. I had to really sit down and think about what defines my style. My conclusion was that it’s a mixture of abstract, foreign sounds and super warm, trancey elements. All my music is a dance between these two polar opposites.”
At over an hour in length Patrice’s mix is something of perfection that brings the listener on a true musical journey that will in no doubt take your breath away, featuring some of the industries greats such as; M83, Jon Hopkins, Nils Frahm, Max Cooper and FKA Twigs to name just a few. The mix seamlessly blends together into one beautiful piece, with each track complementing the next with some exceptional melodies and rhythm. The whole affair was painstakingly arranged using harmonic matching, automation, transposing looping, editing and was finally passed through an analogue mixer to engender a crisp, tight aesthetic. “This was a pretty important phase. The difference between 95% and 100% is simply enormous. That, by the way, is something one should not underestimate with anything in life.”
“I hope for the mix to contain enough intelligence and emotion to be a worthwhile listen under many circumstances. It’s not all easy listening; some parts really have teeth. So by nature, the mix is not – and was never meant to be – for people with a low tolerance for music and sound that is outspoken. I didn’t want to dumb it down. I think it’s a great after-hour home party mix but I hope that it sparks people’s imagination and creativity in all kinds of situations.”
You can purchase the mix on iTunes here
Tracklisting:
01. Patrice Bäumel – Intro ***
02. Heathered Pearls – Ringing Temple (Decreased Version)
w/ Jon Hopkins – Journey
03. Kurt Baggaley – Former Self
w/ Christopher Bissonnette – Jour Et Nuit
04. Nils Frahm – Familiar
05. Throwing Snow – Clasp
w/ Vessels – Elliptic (Barkers & Baumecker Remix)
w/ Doubtingthomas – Casa De Bas Bun
06. M83 – Couleurs
07. Plastikman – Disconnect
08. Minilogue – Ahck (Jichael Mackson Remix)
w/ Bee Mask – The Story of Keys and Locks
09. DJ Hell – Hells Kitchen (Playgroup Remix) (
10. Underworld – Bird 1 (Patrice Bäumel Remix) ***
11. Guy J – Moderate
12. M83 – You Appearing
13. Barry Jamieson – Stars (Charlie May Low-g Remix)
14. Jesse Somfay – Lying In A Bed Of Myst (
w/ Stephan Bodzin – Wir (Max Cooper Remix)
15. El_Txef_A – Mugarrirantz (Dave DK Remix)
16. Throwing Snow – Lumen (
w/ FKA Twigs – Glass & Patron
w/ Kangding Ray – L’envol
17. Patrice Bäumel – Departure ***
***Denotes exclusive track
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