Inspired by the electronic music boom of the late 90s, MJ has been at the decks for over 25 years, developing his sound through the pioneering wave of ambient, downtempo, and progressive house that travelled from Europe’s underground scenes to major cities worldwide.
His passion for electronic music was ignited by legendary acts like Underworld, Chemical Brothers, and Massive Attack, leading him to pick up his first set of mixing equipment and begin experimenting with innovative ways to manipulate sound. Through years of careful listening and analysis, MJ has crafted an approach that respects the genre’s roots whilst continuing to explore new directions.
Having supported world-class artists including Sasha, John Digweed, Nick Warren, and Hernan Cattaneo, MJ has established himself as a respected figure in the electronic music scene. His recent win of Decoded Magazine’s Mix of the Month competition for August demonstrates his continued evolution as an artist.
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Meet our July Mix of the Month Winner - BarnowskyMJ’s mix is a 21-track journey weaving beautifully through downtempo, ambient, drum & bass, deep and melodic house. Not just for the sake of being eclectic, but because his selections and curation truly add to the journey in a coherent and valuable way. It’s clear that he put his heart and soul into this mix, and he delivered a beautiful work of art.
The mix will be aired on Golden Wings Radio, giving listeners the chance to experience the set that caught the judges’ attention.
How did you approach your mix from a creative and technical standpoint – what story were you aiming to tell, and how did that influence your selection, sequencing, and transitions?
Usually when I approach a studio mix, it develops naturally from the music I have gathered and sorted through during the prior couple months. Often, my surroundings and current season/weather tend to have an influence in what tracks sift into the mix I’m making at the time. From there it just develops organically with respect to a natural flow, and whatever amazing transitions happen to be blowing my socks off. Haha.
Were there any particular production or mixing techniques you used to maintain cohesion or enhance dynamics across the mix? For instance, did you favour long blends, harmonic mixing, or any custom edits to help the narrative flow?
From the very beginning, long harmonic transitions were completely mind-blowing to me. I used to tag all my vinyl after listening to them and using a pitch pipe. Haha. Amazing DJs like Sasha, John Digweed, Nick Warren, Dave Seaman, Hernan Cattaneo (this list could go on for ages) were my mentors and I would get ahold of any compilations and radio broadcasts to find new ways to emulate.
Eventually, with technological advances and being able to loop bars on the fly and use effects (sparingly) to create dissonance or atmosphere and ensure a cohesive journey, I was able to develop a sound I was consistently pleased with and implement different genres to keep things interesting. I’ve been making custom edits for a few years now when needed, but with all the amazing things that can now be done live, it can be as intense to discover what can come when you least expect it.
How have your musical experiences and influences shaped your sound?
When I began learning to mix, I quickly developed a love for melodic genres especially those with a following in areas abroad: UK, Netherlands, Germany, France, Italy, and Russia. It was a bit difficult to play these wonderful tunes in California at the time – I’d say most who lived here weren’t necessarily ready to jump far from their comfort zone.
The diversity of releases among amazing labels such as Global Underground, Fabric, and Balance opened my eyes to venturing out of my own comfort zone and delving into different genres that I would eventually find to have equal merit. After a few years of playing out and watching crowds react to tunes I championed, I would learn what will work regardless of genre and when I could break the rules a little without turning them off. It’s still exciting to see the reactions of people who love the tunes I play to this day.
Tracklist
- Ulrich Schnauss, Jonas Munk – Afterglow
- Afterlife – Speck Of Gold
- Luminous – Feel Safe
- Etherwood – Everything You Are
- CFCF – Re-Utopia
- Etherwood F. Thomas Oliver – See The Sky
- Ingrid Chavez – Justify My Love (Charles Webster mix)
- Hiroyuki Kajino, Atsushi Asada – Utopia
- Deividas Bagdanov – Champagne (Tim Green Edit)
- Modd, Lisandro (AR) – Raketa
- CamelPhat, Julia Church, Shimza – Embers (Extended Mix)
- Foletto, HOO – Make Me Feel (Kamilo Sanclemente mix)
- K Loveski, Nicolas Benedetti – Fashionably Late
- Jiminy Hop – Agmoli (Alex O’Rion mix)
- Nicky Elisabeth – Close To You
- djimboh – Sivonium (Extended Mix)
- Tomas Briski – Hyacinth
- Antrim – Dawn in Port
- Sebastian Sellares – Far From Home
- Marsh – Little Darling (Polymod Mix)
- Kamilo Sanclemente – Beautiful Shard
September entries are now open…. Find out more here.
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