I have been a pro dj for more than 14 years. Lately I have taken a great interest in the remix services out there. There is such a history to it. Even my own career can be tracked through the use of various services which is interesting to me.
I first became a remix service user in 1993. It was an accident that I noticed the Funkymix #15 disc in the bag a DJ friend was carrying out of the club. At first, he didn't want to show me what he had... then suddenly, all his "tricks" were exposed. I'd always wondered when he had the time to "make" the awesome remixes his sets were kind of known for... and the rest, as they say is history.
I discovered Street Tracks not too long after and was fond of a small service from Sacramento called Direct Hit. Direct Hit was just getting their start. The first disc from them I purchased was #5 and I sometimes still use the Whitney Houston "Queen of the Night" mix.
Direct Hit bombed in 1999 sometime. I remember how sad I was when they didn't answer the phone anymore. If memory serves, they didn't immediately tell people they had gone under. I heard it from a friend, who knew one of the guys behind the service several months later.
Over the years many remix services have come and gone. Pro Mix, Prime Cuts, Wicked Mix and Euro Tracks come to mind. Of course, the first-ever remix service was Disconet which lasted from 1977 through early 1990.
Specialty remix companies have popped-up like Culture Shock, which focuses strictly on the Rock genre. And new services have made their way through the pack. Most notably Select Mix, which kind of stunned us "long-timers" with their acquisition of Hot Tracks last year and performed the only documented merger in the industry. Other newcomers include Method Mix, Blank, and Select Mix spin-off Full Tilt Remix.
Not all remix services are alike and in fact not all remix services are any good. I'm not the kind of guy to go around bashing people's work, but I've come to find that some of the newer services out there slap together whatever they can find for the sake of a release. Several of those exist today, and they're not mentioned anywhere in this entry. I'm going to try not to waste my time with it (or yours).
I do have my current favorites, and I'll get into that later on. I wanted to introduce a brief history of the remix services today - and shake your hand digitally - great to meet you by the way! I look forward to sharing what I know about remix services, past, present and future!
