Where to they get that awesome music from?

June 5, 2014 8:34 AM

Where do private DJs/stations for streaming music sites get their awesome electronic/dance remixes from??? Details inside.

I listen to Live365 streaming music from time to time - the electronic/dance genre. The "stations" are run by private people mostly it appears. A few of these stations have the BEST dance remixes of songs. Often I want to buy a copy of the remix but I can't find it for sale anywhere. I have managed to buy a few off amazon, but the pickins' are slim.

So where can I get these remixes? I know it's not the station DJ remixing these as the name of the "remixer" is not the same as the DJ.

Perhaps complicating matters is that I am anti-Apple and so ITunes is out.

So, any ideas?

posted by WinterSolstice to Media & Arts (11 answers total)

They make them, themselves. That's why DJ's are a thing. They find the mashup music and they have their gear and they spend hours upon hours putting it all together. They may have other DJ friends, and they swap their mixes. So call the station and ask.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 8:42 AM on June 5, 2014

Have you tried Soundcloud? It's where all my DJ buds put their mixes.
posted by jedrek at 8:49 AM on June 5, 2014

Response by poster: I won't thread sit I promise but really these are not remixes the "DJ" (who is really the station-manager- I probably should not have used the word DJ as that might confuse things) because for example one thing that was played was a remix of the Petshop Boys' Love Etc. (awesome song btw) which I found on amazon. Not remixed by that station manager.

These are not being remixed by the station manager. I am pretty confident about that. I know DJs make their own remixes - this is not that.

I should not have used "DJ" to describe the station manager.
posted by WinterSolstice at 8:50 AM on June 5, 2014

Best answer: Beatport is the go-to spot for commercial dance remixes. Soundcloud is where most of the non-commercial ones are.

With that said, a lot of DJs/etc have huge collections of unreleased remixes from artists and labels. In that case, your best bet might be googling the track/remixer and hoping to find a bootleg MP3.
posted by Jairus at 9:07 AM on June 5, 2014 [1 favorite]

The strength of a DJ lies in their selection, specifically in the depth/exclusivity of same. At a certain level, a prominent DJ will have many dubplates unique to their collection (or at least that have been extremely strategically distributed). Some will be done as favors by friendly or ambitious producers, others will be self-produced remixes (perhaps under an alias). Anonymity and aliases are a deeply imbedded part of electronic music culture, and producers typically have several over the course of a career. It's entirely possible that that BEST remix is the only one, and the DJ may well have made it.

Some of these, therefore, you just won't be able to find. They are secret weapons in an arsenal, and will be closely guarded (at least until some time has passed). That said, I know that many high-profile DJs keep an ear on hosting sites like Soundcloud, in search of something unique and new to add to their sets.

Although only connected producers will get access to the complete stems of an artist's original for remix purposes, it is possible to snatch enough of a track to make a remix (via acapella versions, or brief samples). Many of these can be found as easily as checking out youtube. Many of them will kinda suck, but there is the occasional gold. It's also not uncommon for groups to put out a call for amateur remixes, as part of a promotional push for a new record; while these entries might never be widely promoted (other than the winner), they are sometimes collected somewhere for fellow participants to enjoy. I know that when I've entered such competitions, my submission -- and everyone else's -- has been freely downloadable. If a DJ kept tabs on such contests, they could find a lot of serviceable material, I reckon.

I realize that you are making a distinction between DJs and the people hosting/running the programs in question. But I imagine that the line is blurring, and that the dynamic is similar, with presenters/stations using industry connections to secure exclusives, and a large group of lower-level producers eager to earn some cache/exposure.
posted by credible hulk at 9:45 AM on June 5, 2014 [2 favorites]

Back when people bought CD's, I used to buy collections of remixes by famous DJs and also compilations of remixes by a variety of DJs. They're part of the commercial market, but you may have to dig a tiny bit. I find that Spotify does list large numbers of DJ remixes for some artists. Maybe poke around there to see whose DJ styling you like?
posted by quince at 10:00 AM on June 5, 2014 [1 favorite]

I find a lot of really great remixes and mashups on Tumblr by following DJs I like. They often post or reblog other DJs who THEY like.

Also Big Name Fans on Tumblr so times have fantastic mega posts on their favorite artists that'll include remixes, instrumentals, demos, and vocals as separate files. These you can sometimes download as zip files or mp3s.
posted by spunweb at 10:20 AM on June 5, 2014

Best answer: I don't think Live365 is in a position to relay a lot of bootleg remixes. I'm not saying everything that flows through the site is licensed, but it's likely that the vast majority are. So, for official-but-obscure remixes, I would check Discogs for the general existence of things, then Beatport, Amazon, BandCamp, etc. for purchaseability. This is a "you know who the artist is" method. Beyond that, things get harder.
posted by rhizome at 10:28 AM on June 5, 2014 [2 favorites]

Yep, beatport for buying songs and soundcloud for exploring.
posted by So You're Saying These Are Pants? at 10:50 AM on June 5, 2014

Best answer: Hype Machine is pretty good for finding remixes as well.
posted by herbaliser at 6:14 AM on June 6, 2014

Response by poster: So helpful! Beatport and Hype Machine exactly what I was looking for! How have I not heard of these before? Thanks so much!
posted by WinterSolstice at 12:51 PM on June 6, 2014