This latest mix from Hausu Mountain’s Mukqs is a collage of diverse sounds taken from the Chicago-based label’s extensive catalog of experimental music. Presented in “a collage fashion,” the Blorpus Editions founder used screamo samples, old-school video game music and asynchronous showers of stippled blips to challenge those expecting “a traditional DJ set with seamless beatmatching or transitions.” And with an expansive repertoire of sounds spanning an incredibly diverse set of genres and moods, it’s a thrilling, hour-long ride that will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat.
Listen to the mix and read what Mukqs has to say about it below.
Most of the music here comes from the Hausu Mountain catalog, but I was focusing on presenting everything in a collage fashion that doesn't quite stick to a traditional DJ set with seamless beatmatching or transitions. I was aiming for something more hallucinatory in its structure, using the CDJs as more of an effects processor and sound manipulator in addition to blending things together.
The HausMo tracks I went with here tend to be more on the beat-oriented side of our catalog, though there are some zoned-out selections too. A lot of the interstitial songs between the HausMo stuff come from video game soundtracks. My friend Kevin — who makes music under the name Equip — and I have a monthly DJ night in Logan Square in Chicago, so I've built up a large library of video game music for those gigs. But he and I tend to shy away from what could be called "chiptune" or the more bleep-bloopy side of video game music in general. We much prefer stuff from the PS1 / N64 / Dreamcast-era that could basically code as drum ‘n' bass, techno or IDM, though those tracks happen to be presented in racing games, futuristic JRPGs or mech games from that era. That's the sweet spot. So a bunch of that pops up in this mix. —Mukqs
Mukqs (a.k.a. Max Allison) is a Chicago-based musician, producer and label founder.
