I’ve lived in a few cities since college, and every time I arrive at a new one, I try to familiarize myself with its clubs, record stores and dance music scene. When I moved to Denver, I had an idea of what was to come. I knew the city generally resorted to high-volume, low-brow EDM — and there is a lot of that, all the way from the clubs on Broadway to the almighty Red Rocks. But I’ve been grateful to meet and get to know DJs with wide tastes and cheeky curiosity outside of that world.
Today’s guest mix for the Loops Podcast — the first in more than three years — comes to us from one of these curious-minded selectors. His name is Mitch Smith, a Denver transplant by way of Florida. At 28, Smith has seen dance music from a variety of perspectives, including working at a radio station and for a music distributor. I met him as one half of the Loudmen with WNGDU about a year ago at Everyday Pizza. That venue recently reopened as Stay Tuned, and it’s where the Loudmen will have their first residency, on the first Saturday of every other month starting March 2.
Mitch graciously sent me his hourlong mix, a sturdy and vibrant set of old-school Detroit techno and electro. There’s also a short Q&A below, so make sure to check that out. Now, here is the first guest mix of 2024, by Mitch Smith, for the Loops Podcast:
Where are you from, Mitch, and how long have you been DJ’ing?
Sup! I'm originally from Daytona Beach, Florida, but I'm now based in Denver. I lived in Miami for college and I always joke that you automatically become a DJ if you live in Miami long enough. I've been DJ’ing for around 8 years by now.
You’re one half of Loudmen with a stellar DJ from Denver, WNGDU. Do you have a guiding ethos when you play together?
We love anything that feels sincere to us. When I met Padi [WNGDU], we knew almost immediately that we'd start playing shows together. We're pretty open format and believe that the DJs should just be a component of a party rather than the primary focus. We always want to match the right vibe of the room and avoid burning people out. Even when we're banging it out, I think there's always a laidback attitude to what we play. We also love to be a bit challenging and provide unique programming, while always keeping it fun.
I know you have a residency coming up as Loudmen… any other gigs you’re excited about?
We've been really wanting a residency for a while now, and we couldn't be more stoked that it's going to be at Stay Tuned. It's going to be the first Saturday of every other month starting March 2. We're bringing out Bill Converse to kick off the residency, which is someone we've both been wanting to see/bring for years but never have had the chance to — this is his Denver debut!
We also just finished some shows in Miami, so we've been pretty busy coordinating those, and currently I don't have any other shows on the books beyond that. I would love to play in some new cities if I got the chance.
I’ve heard you play all sorts of different genres. What do they all have in common that you like?
I just love music :). But seriously, I'm not even sure I could explain what the common threads of what I like are. I have had experience running programming for a radio station and working for a music distributor which led me to being exposed to so many types of music that normally wouldn't have been on my radar. I want to make my mixes feel dynamic. I'm always fitting styles I love together however I can, which I hope you'll see in this mix!
You're constantly repping Florida and just got back from the Daytona 500. How was it being there? (Heard there was a lot of rain.)
I'll always rep Florida first and foremost. Living in Colorado has been a lot better for me and I wanna help build the scene here however I can, but Florida will always be what shaped me. I think it's important to rep Florida because the bad parts are focused on so much, but there are so many wonderful aspects and people from there that deserve love.
It's always surreal being back. It's a major culture shock vs. Colorado, but my family still lives there so it's nice to see them, of course. It was my first Daytona 500 in over 10 years and I'd be lying if I said I didn't have an awesome time.
Thanks for having me dawg, I hope everyone enjoys this mix! :)
Tracklist
benedikt frey - “anfang”
rising sun - “a lipper in the ocean“
cabaret voltaire - “ex”
elliptical headz - “the potion takes effect”
anatolian weapons - “region of fleeing civilians (anatolian weapons rework)”
astralasia - “rhythm of life”
psychick warriors ov gaia - “push”
modal - “get it”
donnacha costello - “real minimal”
model 500 - “no ufo's (luciano remix)”
bill converse - “private life tr-909”
dan curtin - “outreach”
morgan geist - “cables”
abstract thought - “consequences of cloning”
mc ade - “da train”
lerosa - “madrigale”
MCMLXV - “untitled 05”
sweet exorcist - “clonk bonus mix”
underground resistance - “eye of the storm”
It's the first guest DJ mix of 2024