Hey, I've been listening to the Jack2It station quite a bit lately, and am always surprised at the variety of house music.

I don't know about you guys, but I tend to buy quite a few DJ mix releases as well as singles. I was wondering if any other peeps besides myself have those "Celebrity" DJs that really influence them - I know a few for me are (In no particular order):

John Digweed - I've always liked his work, but the first mix by him that really got me was his dual disc release for the Bedrock series
Sasha & Digweed - Starting with the first triple disc release on the Renaissance label, up to their last, which I believe was "Communicate".
Nick Warren - I've always liked Warren, but his last few releases for the GU series have been stellar.
LTJ Bukem - My first real D&B purchase was "Progression Sessions 5" w/ MC Conrad and DRS. So many of my friends who listen predominantly to hiphop know nothing of the vocal pyrotechnics that can be found in D&B, Breaks and occasionally house. More than once when someone like this hears LTJ Bukem w/ MC Conrad they often want more and Progression Sessions 5 was released almost 8 years ago (ages in the world of dance music)!
DJ John Kelly - There were a couple of releasese called Funkydesertbreaks and Funkydesertbreaks 2. I originally picked up #2 at the suggestion of a now deceased CD store owner. It was one of the first DJ mix CDs I ever purchased, and I was hooked. It's pretty sketchy in terms of production and mixing value, but the tracks were great and I knew next to nothing at the time about mixing. He's fallen of the face of the earth as far as I know
Paul Oakenfold - I still love the GU Oslo release (I think it was one of their first)

There are several others, but each of the above had a release that at some point, mostly in the 90's, I really felt motivated to get into mixing.

Digweed and Warren are still the ones that continues to influence me. James Zabiela, Hernan Cattaneo and Danny Howells are some of my current favorites.

Who are your favs or most infuencial?

I've heard these guys live at one or more times. Their live performances have tended to be amazing and the most influential to my style.

Tony Moran--I'm particularly fond of his remixes as well as his compilation sets. Very influential to me in terms of his ability to manipulate vast orchestral sound with harmonic brilliance in conjunction with rhythm. He is a crack producer, and his live sets never fail to entertain.
Peter Rauhofer--Peter produced some amazing remixes several years back. Have also heard him in live performance--probably the most outstanding live performance DJ I've ever heard. Amazingly technical, brilliant in the contrapuntal rhythm department. Harmonies brilliant too. His live sets have a fluent forward drive that I think is unparalleled.
D:Fuse--This guy can weave the coolest sets with multiple turntables at once. He weaves his tracks together brilliantly. You have no choice but to dance when you hear him perform. Currently teamed up with Mike Hiratzka, and the teaming has brought a bright, Modern Progressive style to his work.
Ralphi Rosario--I think his best work was when he was teamed with DJ Abel. They called themselves Rosabel. Their work together live was outstanding, and they produced some amazing remixes, including some vocal classics like "Do You Want My Love" ft. Deborah Cooper. Rhythm, including tribal emphasis, is most outstanding.
Seb Fontaine--Seb has the ability to use dissonance to great effect in his performances. He makes you turn your head, wondering what the heck he's up to, until he turns the harmony right to where you hope it's going.

These are probably my biggest continuous influences. More recently I've become fans of DJs I've not heard live, particularly D. Ramirez, 16-bit Lolitas, Dennis Ferrer, Fonzerelli and Soul Avengerz. Additionally there are a whole host of new, up and coming independents that are quite refreshing, including a bunch of stuff in Eastern Europe like Snake Sedrick that I think is quite unique.

However, my oldest roots, in terms of influence, probably come from Trance and Progressive trance, with artists like ATB at the top of the list. This is probably why I steer and glue my sets together with a Progressive feel much of the time, and why I favor a strong orchestral feel in most of my work. Even though I barely touch Trance today (and would never turn back to it), I probably will never be able to get away from it, in terms of its influence. With House music, I've been able to incorporate all these tendencies, House being able to absorb all kinds of musical styles so very fluently over time.

DJ's who have influenced me most are:

Miguel Migs has created some amazing mixes. His In The House mix on Defected is a classic deep house set. His Nite:Life 03 mix CD contains some of the most technically gifted mixing i've heard.

Kevin Yost has done some quality jazzy house sets although of late his more atmospheric progressive mixes have been a little boring.

Jay-J has done some technically great mixes although his more commercial sound sometimes annoys me.

Terry Lee Brown Jr. has put out some great deep/minimal house sets. Any of his mixes are well worth checking out.

I second Migs and Yost along with Andy Caldwell, Rae & Christian, and Masters At Work.

M.A.W.'s Louie Vega did the Super Bowl's opening march last year.

My first real taste of the mix/remix universe was Mark Farina - his Mushroom Jazz work REALLY impressed me...especially his build up, then release of tension and his seamless continuity between tracks.

Just as in a literary novel, Farina progressed from Introduction to Complications to Crisis to Cliimax to Conclusion....really nice Stuff.

Loving this thread topic...ok...Here goes:

Masters At Work [Louie Vega & Kenny 'Dope' Gonzalez] - Together, these guys have created masterpieces...separately, they have such distinctive styles, and toss up many flavors. They come from the old school, but still manage to stay current in my opinion. I've heard many of Kenny Dope's mixes...but I can't recall any one that stands out the most. With Little Louie Vega however, the one mix that I NEVER tire of is House Nation America. That was a double CD set with Erick Morillo. Vega's contribution was on the Deep soulful end...he had some deep tribal cuts along with juicy garage tracks...this was the mix that inspired many of my future mixes (I listened to this mix ALL the time...until I discovered Mixmeister...and started to make my own mixes).

Roy Davis Jr. - He mixes deep, funky, chunky, soulful House...there's no mistaking what he's spinning.

Miguel Migs - One of the things that I truly admire about him is that he produces the kind of House he spins...and it has influenced my mixes as of late...in ways I hadn't even realized.

Jay-J - He's in the same school as Miguel Migs, but still manages to be distinctive enough for my tastes.

Danny Tenaglia - His CD mixes have left me wanting...mostly because the majority have tended to be on the more commercial side...as well as being too "big room" (meaning too many tracks that get played in the much bigger venues which tend to emphasize mostly Diva Vocals with Progressive tracks that border on Trance or Eurodance). His live sets however are the stuff of legends...especially when it gets to the wee hours in the morning. That's when he pulls out the real gems out of the crates...for the REAL House lovers/Dancers. That's when the gloves come off and he puts it down. And he's not afraid to mess with any of the genres...but he's always careful to lay it down with logical love.

Erick Morillo - I love how he started off very Housy, and then moved onto the more Progressive, Techy sounds...without skipping a beat. And it's rather cool that he flows back and fourth. To me, his most influential DJ mix has to be the second half of House Nation America... It was the excellent high energy counterpart to Louie Vega's Deep, Soulful half.

Knee Deep - Those cats are always on the funky tip.

Deep Dish - Some people might feel like they've gone a little too "pop" when it comes to their spinning choices. But nobody can deny that they're still on top of their game...and some of their earlier mixes have inspired many...myself included.

DJ I.V.I. - No commercial releases under his belt to claim...but we've all heard his mixes here on MM Radio, and i've had the distinct pleasure of seeing him spin live, and receiving his mix sets before and after Mixmeister. He's been spinning for years...he goes way back (and he can back up that claim). Back around 1998-1999 I had the honor of getting acquainted with this fine fellow. When we first met I was just getting out of my Trance phase, and seriously getting back into House. He helped me get back into it in full force. One of the things i've always admired about IVI a.k.a. Ivan, is his lack of care for genre boundaries. He's fully aware of all the different flavors of dance music...but he doesn't let them stop him from putting together a slamming set, unfettered by genre snobbery....and he does this in a seamless fashion. He doesn't do this with the sets he submits here on MM Radio (mostly because our stations are more genre specific), but you can still get a glimpse of his eclectic tastes by visiting any of our stations. He's been one of my biggest influence over the years, and continues to be a source of inspiration to this very day...and I suspect tomorrow too. I wholeheartedly recommend to people to catch his sets on MM Radio...no room for disappointment.

I only want to say this:

I have listened to your mix "Beat 10 from Navarone (Reup)", but I haven´t found the thread about it
For me it´s decent to write something to a mix to what I have listened to. Thus:
"Beat 10 from Navarone (Reup)" has a very impulsiv power. Many progressive tracks, drifty, much dance - energy. House must be danceable for me! And this mix is danceable!

Perhaps my "Welcome 2008" makes a return on 14th january. It´s different! Progressiv, Voice - Funk, Deep, Electronic, Euro - Dance.
Hope you like it when you listen to it!

Greetings,

Holger / "DJ Mojito" / "Mojito".

Hey, thanks for the very kind words Mojito!

Here's the thread: http://community.beatmixing.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/906605445/m/8171032222

I hope you caught my "Courtyard" mix that was up on the end of year rotation, I was particularly pleased with that one.

With regard to current DJs, I'd say that Luke Fair and Hernan Cattaneo are among my current favs. . . they've consistently delivered good mixes, and kind'a stayed away from the mimialistic trend some other prominent DJs seem to have veered into. . Just good Jackin' House.