Mixmag
Encyclopedia
Mixmag is a British dance music
and clubbing
magazine
. It styles itself as "the world's biggest selling dance music magazine", with an Audit Bureau of Circulations (UK) audited circulation of approximately 21,250 (01 Jan 2010 - 31 Dec 2010). Launched in 1982 in the United Kingdom
, Mixmag covers dance events, and reviews music and club nights.
— the DJ mailout service. The first cover was Shalamar
, the first editor DMC’s Tony Prince and the first advertiser was a company called Technics Panasonic.
When house music
began, editor and DJ Dave Seaman
turned the magazine from a newsletter for DJs to a magazine covering all dance music and club culture. Mixmag covered acid house
, the subsequent rave
era, the rise of superstar DJs and Ibiza. The magazine claims to have coined the terms superclub
and trip hop
and to have launched the first legal DJ mix tapes, the Mixmag Live series. Later Mixmag, in association with their original publishing company, DMC Publishing, released a series of CDs under the "Mixmag Live" heading.
Mixmag reached a circulation of up to 70,000 copies during the height of the popularity of acid house
, was later sold to EMAP
Ltd. in the mid-1990s, and then bought by Development Hell, the company that also owns The Word music magazine, in 2005. Development Hell relaunched Mixmag in May 2006 with a revamped design. Editor Andrew Harrison told the Press Gazette
that staff had previously "focused the magazine very tightly on a young clubber, a very committed hardcore nutter clubber and we thought that wasn't necessarily the right way to go. Mixmag is now a magazine for the entire world of dance music, whether you like hard boshing music that's quite druggy, or chill out music, or you're someone like me who likes to keep in touch with the music but has grown out of clubbing. This idea that dance music is a kind of minority interest, a bit like ska, is wrong." In 2007, Nick DeCosemo became editor.
In 2001, the magazine teamed up with Virgin Records
to release a double album
titled B!g Tunes. In the album were forty two dance songs selected "the best" by Mixmag themselves.
Mixmag carries a covermount
mix CD each month by a different DJ or artist. These have included Richie Hawtin
, Sven Väth
, Erol Alkan
, Tom Neville, Smokin' Jo, Ferry Corsten
and DJ Touche. Soulwax
released This Is Radio Soulwax
into the magazine in 2006.
The tropical edition of Mixmag has also organized promotional events for the music industry with artists such as James Zabiela and The Vagabundos (Cadenza). It was the official media partner for Creamfields Brazil (2011) and Armin van Buuren's Brazilian 2011 Carnaval Tour with 10 sold out events. The Brazilian issue is published bimonthly with a mix of South American and international content and have extended distribution to main venues and events.
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
and clubbing
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
. It styles itself as "the world's biggest selling dance music magazine", with an Audit Bureau of Circulations (UK) audited circulation of approximately 21,250 (01 Jan 2010 - 31 Dec 2010). Launched in 1982 in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Mixmag covers dance events, and reviews music and club nights.
History
The first issue was printed on February 1, 1983 as a 16-page black and white magazine published by Disco Mix ClubDisco Mix Club
Disco Mix Club is a DJ remix service founded by Tony Prince which began as a radio show in 1981 on Radio Luxembourg in the UK. Prince helped popularise a new style of DJ mixes using the turntable as an instrument. DMC started operating as a remix service in 1983. They started producing remix...
— the DJ mailout service. The first cover was Shalamar
Shalamar
Shalamar was an American music group, primarily of the 1970s and 1980s, that was originally a disco-driven vehicle created by Soul Train booking agent Dick Griffey and show creator Don Cornelius. They went on to be an influential dance trio, masterminded by Soul Train producer Don Cornelius...
, the first editor DMC’s Tony Prince and the first advertiser was a company called Technics Panasonic.
When house music
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
began, editor and DJ Dave Seaman
Dave Seaman
Dave Seaman is a British dance music DJ and record producer. He was formerly a member of the DMC Publishing, and editor of music magazine Mixmag. He formed one half of Brothers In Rhythm with Steve Anderson, doing production work for Pet Shop Boys and Kylie Minogue. He has since founded Audio...
turned the magazine from a newsletter for DJs to a magazine covering all dance music and club culture. Mixmag covered acid house
Acid house
Acid house is a sub-genre of house music that emphasizes a repetitive, hypnotic and trance-like style, often with samples or spoken lines rather than sung lyrics. Acid house's core electronic squelch sounds were developed around the mid-1980s, particularly by DJs from Chicago who experimented with...
, the subsequent rave
Rave
Rave, rave dance, and rave party are parties that originated mostly from acid house parties, which featured fast-paced electronic music and light shows. At these parties people dance and socialize to dance music played by disc jockeys and occasionally live performers...
era, the rise of superstar DJs and Ibiza. The magazine claims to have coined the terms superclub
Superclub
Superclub is a term used to refer to a nightclub owned and managed by a dance music record label, such as The Haçienda club, which was owned by Factory Records...
and trip hop
Trip hop
Trip hop is a music genre consisting of downtempo electronic music which originated in the early 1990s in England, especially Bristol. Deriving from "post"-acid house, the term was first used by the British music media and press as a way to describe the more experimental variant of breakbeat which...
and to have launched the first legal DJ mix tapes, the Mixmag Live series. Later Mixmag, in association with their original publishing company, DMC Publishing, released a series of CDs under the "Mixmag Live" heading.
Mixmag reached a circulation of up to 70,000 copies during the height of the popularity of acid house
Acid house
Acid house is a sub-genre of house music that emphasizes a repetitive, hypnotic and trance-like style, often with samples or spoken lines rather than sung lyrics. Acid house's core electronic squelch sounds were developed around the mid-1980s, particularly by DJs from Chicago who experimented with...
, was later sold to EMAP
EMAP
Emap Limited is a British media company, specialising in the production of business-to-business magazines, and the organisation of business events and conferences...
Ltd. in the mid-1990s, and then bought by Development Hell, the company that also owns The Word music magazine, in 2005. Development Hell relaunched Mixmag in May 2006 with a revamped design. Editor Andrew Harrison told the Press Gazette
Press Gazette
Press Gazette, formerly known as UK Press Gazette , is a British media trade magazine dedicated to journalism and the press. It was first published in 1965, and currently has a circulation of about 2,500, although it had enjoyed higher circulations earlier in its history...
that staff had previously "focused the magazine very tightly on a young clubber, a very committed hardcore nutter clubber and we thought that wasn't necessarily the right way to go. Mixmag is now a magazine for the entire world of dance music, whether you like hard boshing music that's quite druggy, or chill out music, or you're someone like me who likes to keep in touch with the music but has grown out of clubbing. This idea that dance music is a kind of minority interest, a bit like ska, is wrong." In 2007, Nick DeCosemo became editor.
In 2001, the magazine teamed up with Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
to release a double album
Double album
A double album is an audio album which spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically records and compact discs....
titled B!g Tunes. In the album were forty two dance songs selected "the best" by Mixmag themselves.
Current content
In addition to the change in editorial tone, the relaunched Mixmag features a fashion section, larger size and, according to Mixmag, improved production values.Mixmag carries a covermount
Covermount
Covermount is the name given to storage media or other products packaged as part of a magazine or newspaper...
mix CD each month by a different DJ or artist. These have included Richie Hawtin
Richie Hawtin
Richard Hawtin is an English-Canadian electronic musician and DJ who was an influential part of Detroit techno's second wave of artists in the early 1990s and a leading exponent of Minimal techno since the mid 1990s...
, Sven Väth
Sven Väth
Sven Väth is a Frankfurt-based DJ who has produced an extensive range of work since his career began in 1982. From 1985, he was part of the band OFF which released the hit "Electrica Salsa" in 1986...
, Erol Alkan
Erol Alkan
Erol Alkan is a London-based electro DJ of Turkish Cypriot descent.-DJ and club promoter:In 1993, Erol Alkan started DJing in various Indie nightclubs in London....
, Tom Neville, Smokin' Jo, Ferry Corsten
Ferry Corsten
Ferry Corsten, also known under the alias System F, is a Dutch producer of trance music, in addition to being a DJ and remixer. He also hosts his own weekly radio show, Corsten's Countdown. He routinely plays at events all over the world with crowds in excess of tens of thousands. In 2009 Ferry...
and DJ Touche. Soulwax
Soulwax
Soulwax, headed by David and Stephen Dewaele, are an alternative rock/electronic band from Ghent, Belgium. Next to the Dewaele brothers, Soulwax consists of bassist Stefaan Van Leuven and drummer Steve Slingeneyer. They were first noticed after the release of their album Much Against Everyone's...
released This Is Radio Soulwax
This Is Radio Soulwax
This Is Radio Soulwax is a DJ mix album which was compiled and mixed by Belgian electronic band Soulwax, released in February 2006 as a covermount CD in that month's issue of Mixmag magazine in the United Kingdom....
into the magazine in 2006.
Mixmag Brazil
Since 2009 the magazine have a Brazilian version, as a result of South American's dance music market growth. The launch party was held in Pacha São Paulo (September 2009) for 4000 people with DJ Gui Boratto, after the last minute cancellation of Deadmau5 for the night. So far, the magazine have worked with Brazilian clubs and dance events such as Planeta Atlantida Festival, Ultra Music Festival Brazil, Reveillon Boutique Florianopolis, Warung Beach Club, XXXperience Festival, MOB Festival, Green Valley, D-Edge, Blue Coast, Anzuclub, Creamfields Brazil, Tribe Festival, Pacha and many others.The tropical edition of Mixmag has also organized promotional events for the music industry with artists such as James Zabiela and The Vagabundos (Cadenza). It was the official media partner for Creamfields Brazil (2011) and Armin van Buuren's Brazilian 2011 Carnaval Tour with 10 sold out events. The Brazilian issue is published bimonthly with a mix of South American and international content and have extended distribution to main venues and events.
External links
- Mixmag website
- Mixmag Brazil website
- Mixmag celebrates 25 years of clubbing BBC, 18 April 2008