Mixing It
Encyclopedia
Mixing It was a radio programme showcasing experimental music. Its original remit was to showcase "crossover" music that blurred the established boundaries between genres . It was originally broadcast as a weekly radio programme on BBC Radio 3
but was axed in 2007 when controller Roger Wright
announced a revamped schedule.
The programme has since been broadcast by experimental radio station Resonance FM
, where it was first renamed as MIXINGIT. However, the BBC
objected as it had trademarked the title . The programme was then temporarily renamed as MyXINGIT. The following week, its new permanent title was announced: Where's The Skill In That? This is a favourite catchphrase of the programme, humorously said by the presenters to be a common reaction at production meetings when one presenter plays music that doesn't go down well with the other.
and musician Mark Russell
. It generally lasted around 75 minutes. The first programme was broadcast in 1990, when its regular running time was usually only 45 minutes. Its regular timeslot then was on Monday evenings, and since then it has been broadcast on Saturdays, Sundays, and most recently Fridays. It has been nominated twice for a Sony Award
. The show finished after 17 years on air on 9 February 2007 following Radio 3 controller Roger Wright's proposed schedule changes. A campaign by loyal listeners started in early 2007 to save the programme.
The programme's return on Resonance FM was announced on a message board post by Mark Russell . The first Resonance FM edition was broadcast on 28 February 2007, lasting one hour. A series began later in March, running until mid-June. The next series was set to begin in September 2007, but was delayed due to both presenters' other professional commitments. Mark Russell and Robert Sandall were also considering setting up a website and looking into the potential of producing podcast
s. On 16 April 2008, the programme returned to a regular Wednesday 9-10pm slot on Resonance FM . Robert Sandall died on 20 July 2010 following a long battle with prostate cancer.
. Most shows featured a session which was either a pre-recorded studio set or excerpts of gigs. The show sometimes went travelling and had visited Los Angeles, California
, Iceland
, Montreal
, Barcelona
, Brussels
, Edinburgh
, Berlin
and Chicago
for specials.
The show played a broad range of music and was a broad mix of John Peel
, The Breezeblock
and Andy Kershaw
as well as modern classical and improv
music. The two presenters have different musical tastes which made for a varied playlist.
A variety of performers have performed or been interviewed on this show. They include:
BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3 is a national radio station operated by the BBC within the United Kingdom. Its output centres on classical music and opera, but jazz, world music, drama, culture and the arts also feature. The station is the world’s most significant commissioner of new music, and its New Generation...
but was axed in 2007 when controller Roger Wright
Roger Wright (music administrator)
Roger Wright is an English radio administrator and arts administrator. He is currently the Controller of BBC Radio 3 and Director of The Proms....
announced a revamped schedule.
The programme has since been broadcast by experimental radio station Resonance FM
Resonance FM
Resonance 104.4 FM is a London based non-profit community radio station run by the London Musicians' Collective .The station is staffed by four permanent staff members, including programme controller Ed Baxter and over 300 volunteer technical and production staff.Until September 2007, ResonanceFM...
, where it was first renamed as MIXINGIT. However, the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
objected as it had trademarked the title . The programme was then temporarily renamed as MyXINGIT. The following week, its new permanent title was announced: Where's The Skill In That? This is a favourite catchphrase of the programme, humorously said by the presenters to be a common reaction at production meetings when one presenter plays music that doesn't go down well with the other.
History
Mixing It was presented by journalist Robert SandallRobert Sandall
Robert Sandall was a British musician, music journalist and radio presenter. He was best known for presenting, with Mark Russell, BBC Radio 3's Mixing It programme from 1990 until 2007. After ending on Radio 3 the show moved to Resonance FM in London, where it continued under the name Where's the...
and musician Mark Russell
Mark Russell (composer)
Mark Russell is a British composer whose works include music for the television series Cold Feet, Murder City and Kingdom. He presented Mixing It on BBC Radio 3 from 1990 to 2007, when the programme ended...
. It generally lasted around 75 minutes. The first programme was broadcast in 1990, when its regular running time was usually only 45 minutes. Its regular timeslot then was on Monday evenings, and since then it has been broadcast on Saturdays, Sundays, and most recently Fridays. It has been nominated twice for a Sony Award
Sony Radio Academy Awards
The Sony Radio Academy Awards , started in 1983, are some of the most prestigious awards in the British radio industry. They are run by ZAFER Associates in association with the Radio Academy...
. The show finished after 17 years on air on 9 February 2007 following Radio 3 controller Roger Wright's proposed schedule changes. A campaign by loyal listeners started in early 2007 to save the programme.
The programme's return on Resonance FM was announced on a message board post by Mark Russell . The first Resonance FM edition was broadcast on 28 February 2007, lasting one hour. A series began later in March, running until mid-June. The next series was set to begin in September 2007, but was delayed due to both presenters' other professional commitments. Mark Russell and Robert Sandall were also considering setting up a website and looking into the potential of producing podcast
Podcast
A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
s. On 16 April 2008, the programme returned to a regular Wednesday 9-10pm slot on Resonance FM . Robert Sandall died on 20 July 2010 following a long battle with prostate cancer.
Content and influences
The programme contains music based and concentrated on new and experimental musicExperimental music
Experimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
. Most shows featured a session which was either a pre-recorded studio set or excerpts of gigs. The show sometimes went travelling and had visited Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
, Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
for specials.
The show played a broad range of music and was a broad mix of John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
, The Breezeblock
The Breezeblock
The Breezeblock was a weekly radio programme on BBC Radio 1 that premiered on 17 February 1997 and focused on electronic music. The show's earliest broadcasts were unmixed and featured individual songs, some of which were recordings of live sessions from BBC's Maida Vale Studio...
and Andy Kershaw
Andy Kershaw
Andy Kershaw is a British broadcaster, known for his interest in world music.His shows feature a mix of country, blues, reggae, folk music, spoken word performance from the likes of Ivor Cutler, and other music from around the world.- Early Life :Kershaw and his sister, fellow broadcaster Liz...
as well as modern classical and improv
Musical improvisation
Musical improvisation is the creative activity of immediate musical composition, which combines performance with communication of emotions and instrumental technique as well as spontaneous response to other musicians...
music. The two presenters have different musical tastes which made for a varied playlist.
A variety of performers have performed or been interviewed on this show. They include:
- Leafcutter JohnLeafcutter JohnLeafcutter John is the recording name of John Burton, a UK-based musician and artist. He makes frequent use of Max/MSP in his compositions. Much of Burton's style is based in computer music and use of samples of everyday sounds. However, he also has roots as a folk musician, and this influence...
- Seb RochfordSeb RochfordSebastian "Seb" Rochford is a British drummer who spans many musical genres.He comes from Aberdeen and has a large family of 2 brothers and 7 sisters...
- Maja Ratkjo
- MadlibMadlibOtis Jackson Jr. in Oxnard, California, known professionally as Madlib, is a Los Angeles-based DJ, multi-instrumentalist, rapper, and music producer...
- Yo La TengoYo La TengoYo La Tengo, sometimes abbreviated as YLT, is an American alternative rock band formed in Hoboken, New Jersey in 1984. Since 1992, the lineup has consisted of Ira Kaplan , Georgia Hubley , and James McNew .Despite achieving limited mainstream success, Yo La Tengo has been called "the quintessential...
- Brian EnoBrian EnoBrian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
- The Fall
- The MagnificentsThe Magnificents (Scottish band)-Biography:The group formed while its members attended the Edinburgh College of Art. After playing a supposed one off gig of Northern Soul covers for a friend's birthday party they began to write their own material and settled into a lineup of Tommy Stuart , Steven McGregor , Drew McFadyen and...
- Stephin MerrittStephin MerrittStephin Merritt is an American singer-songwriter based in Los Angeles , best known as the principal singer and songwriter in the band The Magnetic Fields...
- RadioheadRadioheadRadiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
- cLOUDDEADCLOUDDEADClouddead was a musical group consisting of the experimental hip hop musicians Doseone , Why? , and Odd Nosdam . Generally Drucker and Wolf provide the group's vocals while Madson produces the music...
- Bollywood Brass Band
- Zoviet*FranceZoviet FranceZoviet France is a prolific music group from Newcastle upon Tyne in north east England. While often dissonant and made of industrial textures, their music also falls into the ambient music category...
- Wevie StonderWevie StonderWevie Stonder is an absurdist electronic music collective, although some of them regard 'Electronic music' as simply a load of rubbish. 'Absurdist' didn't quite cover what they were/are up to, so they have in fact had to invent a new genre CACK Music and have now founded their own label CACK...
- An PierleAn PierléAn Pierlé is a Belgian pianist and singer-songwriter.-Career:...
- Kevin BlechdomKevin BlechdomKevin Blechdom, born Kristin Erickson, is an American experimental electronic musician/performance artist from San Francisco, California.-Life and career:...
- Regina SpektorRegina SpektorRegina Ilyinichna Spektor is a Russian American singer-songwriter and pianist. Her music is associated with the anti-folk scene centered in New York City's East Village.-Early life:...
- MatmosMatmosMatmos is an experimental electronic music duo originally from San Francisco but now residing in Baltimore signed to the Matador Records label. M. C. Schmidt and Drew Daniel are the core members, but they frequently include other artists on their records and in their performances, including...
- Max TundraMax TundraBen Jacobs, more commonly known by the stage name Max Tundra, is an English multi-instrumental musician, singer and music producer. His work is predominantly electronic music but incorporates non-electronic styles and instruments...
- SamandaSamandaAmanda Louise Marchant and Samantha Joanne Marchant , better known as Samanda are a female duo, consisting of twin sisters who first came to fame on Big Brother UK in 2007, in which they jointly achieved second place.They released their cover of Aqua's hit song, "Barbie Girl" on 8 October 2007 and...
- PJ HarveyPJ HarveyPolly Jean Harvey is an English musician, singer-songwriter, composer and occasional artist. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments including piano, organ, bass, saxophone, and most recently, the autoharp.Harvey began her career in...
- DeerhoofDeerhoofDeerhoof is a musical group consisting of Satomi Matsuzaki, John Dieterich, Ed Rodriguez and Greg Saunier.-Origins:In 1992, Greg Saunier, having recently graduated with a degree in music composition from Oberlin Conservatory of Music, joined a short-lived San Francisco quartet called Nitre Pit, on...
- BjörkBjörkBjörk Guðmundsdóttir , known as Björk , is an Icelandic singer-songwriter. Her eclectic musical style has achieved popular acknowledgement and popularity within many musical genres, such as rock, jazz, electronic dance music, classical and folk...
- Vicki Bennett
- Rechenzentrum
- A Hawk and A HacksawA Hawk and a HacksawA Hawk and a Hacksaw is a band from Albuquerque, New Mexico, currently signed to L.M. Dupli-cation. The band consists of accordionist Jeremy Barnes, who was previously the drummer for Neutral Milk Hotel and Bablicon, and violinist Heather Trost...
- Tanya Tagaq