Essential Mix Review: Dirty South welcomes world into the mind of Dragan at monumental point in career
While a huge faction of electronic music fans invaded Ultra Music Festival on its opening night, the rest of the world was treated to an Essential Mix from Dragan Roganovic. Coming off the release of his debut artist album, Speed of Life, and amidst a massive Miami Music Week, Dirty South finds himself at a monumental and an unprecedentedly unique point in his career. He’s captured a moment when the many facets of his musical mindset collide to reveal an even deeper artistry, and has packaged it in the form of an extra special Essential Mix for Pete Tong’s BBC Radio 1.
The beauty of Speed of Life is its representation of Dragan’s world that fans previously haven’t had the chance to enter, departing from the deluge of individual releases that has solidified his public image. On his two-hour mix, he brings both worlds together. Right off the bat, he presents this fusion gracefully, introducing himself with a mash-up of his album’s title track, “Speed of Life,” and the acapella from his popular Alesso collaboration, “City of Dreams.” In similar fashion, he soon after drops “Reset” with the vocal from his Miike Snow remix, “Devil’s Work.”
Artistic material from Speed of Life and demanded productions from Phazing records aren’t the only sides of his psyche revealed in the mix — in Essential Mix fashion, Dirty South provides exclusive, unreleased tracks and personal favorites. The first new record comes as his edit of “Blaze,” a forthcoming Phazing release from Those Usual Suspects. Following Dannic’s “Clobber,” we get a sneak peak at a future Size Records release — Ivan Gough, Steve Bleas, and Stevie Mink’s “Boom.” Presented with the vocal from Eric Prydz’s “Everyday,” he appropriately moves into “F.A.T,” an exclusive Pryda record premiered on Eric’s own Essential Mix.
Dragan next reveals that Nom De Strip has caught his ear, and debuts his forthcoming “Techno Satruday,” drops his remix of Deadmau5’s “Channel 42,” and continues showing the Mau5trap love with Tom Staar’s remix of Tommy Trash’s “Monkey See Monkey Do.” The rest of the mix was a power struggle between gems from his debut album and Phazing premieres, getting right into brand new music from Michael Brun with “Halfway” and from Ummet Ozcan with “Here & Now.”
Speed of Life takes over in the final lap of the mix as Dirty South moves through “Gods,” “Champions,” “Something Like You,” and “Until The End.” He wasn’t done yet, as he had saved his two biggest premieres for last — Jacques Lu Cont’s remix of “City Of Dreams” and his own edit of Ajax’s remix for Lumi’s “Taste Of Life,” both of which will see massive released from his Phazing imprint.
Two hours came and went as a delicacy as delicious as the Miami festivities that contested it. With his March, 2013 Essential Mix, Dragan puts all his cards on the table and gives insight into his musical mind — both the side we’ve come to love and the one that we’ve only recently met. The same mindset that we can assume he will bring all Miami Music Week long, performing as the multi-faceted electronic artist, Dirty South
Tracklisting:
Dirty South – Speed Of Life (City Of Dreams Acapella) (feat. Ruben Haze) – Speed Of Life, Phazing
Dirty South & Michael Brun – Rift (Evermore It’s Too Late Acapella) – Phazing
Those Usual Suspects – Blaze (Dirty South Edit) – Phazing
Dirty South – Reset (Miike Snow Devil’s Work Acapella) – Phazing
Dannic – Clobber – Toolroom
Ivan Gough vs Steve Bleas & Stevie Mink – Boom (Eric Prydz Acapella) – Size
Pryda – F.A.T – Pryda
Alex Kenji & Federico Scavo – 1234 – Hotfingers
Nom De Strip – Techno Saturday – Mau5trap
Deadmau5 & Wolfgang Gartner – Channel 42 (Nom de Strip Mix) – Mau5trap
Tommy Trash – Monkey See Monkey Do (Tom Staar Mix) – Mau5trap
Dirty South & Deniz Koyu – Halo (David Guetta, Sebastian Ingrosso & Dirty South How Soon Is Now Acapella) – Phazing
Michael Brun – Halfway (feat. Zashanell) – Phazing
Ummet Ozcan – Here & Now – Phazing
Dirty South – Gods (Extended Mix) (feat. Ruben Haze) – Phazing
Felix da Housecat – Silverscreen – White
Dirty South – Champions (Extended Mix) – Phazing
M83 – Midnight City (Eric Prydz Remix) – Mute
The Temper Trap – Sweet Disposition (Axwell & Dirty South Instrumental) – Glassnote
Sebjak & Marcus Shossow – Liceu – Size
Dirty South – Something Like You (Extended Mix) (feat. Rudy) – Phazing
DubVision – Redux – Spinnin
Dirty South – Until The End (Extended Mix) (feat. Joe Gil) – Phazing
Dirty South & Alesso – City Of Dreams (Jacques Lu Cont Mix) (feat. Ruben Haze) – Phazing
Lumi – Taste Of Life (Ajax Remix) (Dirty South Edit) – Sweat It Out
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