Five Tracks: Chrissy Murderbot

When we asked Chrissy to hit us with a Five Tracks, we didn't know what to expect. He's got the knowledge, but where would his head be at? We should h

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Chrissy Murderbot might be your favorite DJ's favorite DJ. And if he isn't, you might need a new favorite DJ. This Chicago spinner has been doing it since 1995, and has been called "a virtual walking encyclopedia of the last 30 years of dance music" by XLR8R. He has dropped projects on Planet Mu, and operates the forward-thinking imprint Loose Squares. His most recent project, GREATEST HITS *****, came out this week and is just as astonishing as anything else he's released.

When we asked Chrissy to hit us with a Five Tracks, we didn't know what to expect. He's got the knowledge, but where would his head be at? We should have known that his head would be where it always is - everywhere. We've got some throwback Chicago house, some vocal dubstep, vintage jungle, and a few other sly picks. And, no diss to anyone else who has contributed, but we love the way Chrissy attacked this: Like a DJ would. He's pinpointing intricacies many might not catch on first (or third) (or 18th) listen. Dude's a gem, and we're proud to have him dropping science on DAD yet again. Rock this, then grab his album. Then grab his DAD mix!

Rus De Tox & Teebone - "Selectors Roll"

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This tune was really influential to me; first heard it on the Drum & Bass Selection 3 compilation when I was about 12 and it just blew my mind. The mix of dancehall and R&B elements, the huge bass, and most of all the drum programming, which was just unbelievably forward-thinking at the time it came out. So much to learn from stuff like this.

Sylvester - " Need Somebody To Love Tonight"

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Sylvester is just the very best. A great song, beautifully delivered, with production that could stand on its own but never tries to overpower the song or the vocal. So many productions are trying to cover up or fix a flaw with the material or the delivery, but this one just lets the song do its thing.

Sinnamon - "I Need You Now"

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Here's another great example of just letting a really good vocal be a really good vocal. There's a part in the track where everything drops out and it's just the vocal (one of the dozen different iconically oversampled lines in this tune), and it just floors me every time. SO GOOD, and such a good example of how subtracting something from your track can be just as powerful as adding something.

Paul Johnson & Eric Martin - "We Live This Life"

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Another example of subtraction doing wonders for your track: every eight bars, the kick drum cuts out for three beats and that little squeaky noise pops in. That MAKES this track, even if you aren't consciously aware of it. SO HOT.

LV & Dandelion - "CCTV"

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Here's a more recent tune--a dubstep anthem (from when dubstep wasn't such a dirty word), that is also a really catchy song with meaninful lyrics. I love when artists make songs instead of just making tracks, naw mean? Additionally, this tune has some of the best, most subtle but also most devastatingly gut-punching sub-bass I've ever heard in any track, period. Well done.

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