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dj RICK MITCHELL
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Click one of the four links below to learn more about dj Rick Mitchell
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dj Rick Mitchell
HOME: Atlanta RAISED: Columbia, MO BIRTHDAY: July 30 (Leo)
WORLDWIDE and RICK-T-FIED
Music that is RICK-T-FIED is music with an extra kick of energy; Memorable music that you'll find still pulsing through your mind long after the music has gone silent. It's music that Rick can spin one day, and know that fans will enjoy the energy tomorrow, next week, next year and into what Rick calls SPINfinity.
Rick enjoyed a huge hometown following when he performed live in Atlanta, and took his unique brand of RICK-T-FIED music to crowds worldwide over the past decade. Despite having retired from performing live, his catalog of mixed CDs and a steady stream of fan email serves as proof that his music and mixing earned Rick a special place with many people worldwide.
It's hard to define 'RICK-T-FIED' with words. Experiencing Rick's music on a dance floor is the best way to learn what makes his mixing so special for so many people.
That's not possible anymore since Rick's retirement, but lower on this page you'll find links to download some of Rick's remixes.
First though, the 'thought' behind Rick's mixing style and musical sound.
SHAPING THE SOUND: A SOUND PHILOSOPHY
While most dj's are content mixing from one song to the next and the next, it occurred to Rick one day that the limited number of dance mixes that came out each week forced a situation where every dj basically had the same songs and mixes to play as the next person. The only difference would be the order the songs were played. Rick describes dj's who get caught up in this boring cycle of mixing as "jukeboxes with two legs."
To stand out from the 'jukeboxes', Rick expanded his definition of a dj to include "using whatever resources are available to give people unexpected musical 'moments' on the dance floor. Rick was one of the first djs to spin exclusively with CDs and he traveled everywhere with two heavy Denon dual CD units which allowed him to have four CDs cued or playing at any given moment.
The CD players opened all kinds of opportunities for remixing music on the fly, looping beats or adding samples and accapella teasers from a hot new song to build anticipation for when Rick would fit the track into his night of music. The cd players gave Rick versatility, but it also demanded many more hours of preparation not to mention dramatically increasing the workload to generate a dance floor moment to remember.
Those "moments" had two goals: The best moments would spike the dance floor energy for immediate payoff. But more important was the goal of making such a 'WOW' impact on people that they had no choice but to talk about the 'moment' the next day, the next week, the next month and into SPINfinity ... and, even today through emails from fans, I continue to get proof that both goals were often achieved..
ENERGY FOR ALL, IRONY FOR A FEW
Rick would layer two or three songs that had similar messages, words or sounds that ultimately brought those on the dance floor to an unexpected or ironic climax or crescendo. Those moments of irony or juxtaposition added a whole extra layer of amusement for fans who like mental stimulation served alongside Rick's energized music. Rick earned a reputation as 'the thinking-man's dj' among some loyal fans who would come early and stay late just to catch as many 'mental moments' as possible.
'Moments' that worked extra well would evolve into involved RICK-T-FIED remixes and edits. A few examples are below. You can download and listen to the remixes by clicking on the appropriate download link.
The non-stop energy of Rick's mixing prompted people on the dance floor to wonder "Is he EVER going to give us a break?" The answer was usually "No." If a song had a long boring breakdown, Rick would mix around it or edit it out before arriving at the event to spin.
Even though Rick has not played a live event in several years he still receives a steady stream of emails from fans. Most messages are about "favorite SPINFINITY CD" that a friend borrowed and won't give back, or has been played so many times that it won't play anymore. Many also wonder why today's dance scene fails to satisfy people on the dance floor. The message below was sent to Rick in May 2010 (it has not been edited or altered in any way):
That email is possibly the most 'pure' proof that Rick's concept of SPINfinity is alive and well.
SPINFINITY= Music mixed one day is guaranteed to motivate listeners tomorrow, next week, next year and forever ... into "infinity"
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DELIVER THE NEWS OR DELIVER THE MUSIC?
Before playing music for people around the world, Rick brought a world of news to people through television. In fact, Rick has an Emmy Award from his years in television news producing and management.
Rick says the flow of nightly newscast and the flow of a night of music are very similar except that one tells stories with anchors and reporters, the other gets it's messages across with beats and creative placement of lyrics.
Rick's last job in television news management was with the long-time number one station in Miami (WPLG) where he served as Executive Producer in charge of the day to day news coverage and a newsroom staff of more than 75 journalists.
CAREER CHANGE
In the mid 90's Rick didn’t realize that he was at the beginning of the end of his TV career as word of mouth about his music earned him recognition among locals and caught the ear of some folks far far away. Suddenly, Rick found himself chosen as the dj who would open the legendary SALVATION NIGHTCLUB. A few months later he was flown to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil to spin a party.
Rick admits that it was that opening night at Salvation with several thousand people on the dance floor, and the trip to Rio that ultimately convinced him to try to turn his hobby into a career. | ||
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RICK-T-FIED WORLDWIDE
DIGITAL RICK: HEARD IN FAR AWAY LANDS ... OR AS CLOSE AS YOUR OWN CD PLAYER Over the years Rick produced a number of commercially released and promotional mixed CDs. At live events, Rick's mixing style brought new life, energy and meaning to popular dance music; On his mixed CDs, however, a person can truly appreciate Rick's attention to detail as he seamlessly weaves songs together with his unique style. As you listen, imagine that you're watching an artist paint a huge mural on a giant blank wall; As the artist adds paint and detail to the wall, a story and meaning slowly comes to life. Rick is the artist and his music and mixing style are like a brush and brightly colored paint. The only difference, is that you 'see' this masterpiece through your ears.
One of Rick's commercial CD releases was a mixed CD for the "Freedom Party" in Charleston, SC. Below is an excerpt from a review of the mix:
To learn more about Rick's mixed CDs visit the MUSIC section of this website where you can browse through details about almost every mixed CD Rick has produced.
Please note: You cannot download music from the database. The information is provided only for reference purposes. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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LOOKING BACK ... LOOKING AHEAD
Rick was spinning records before he could legally take a spin behind the wheel of a car. His DJ roots reach back more than two decades to a small radio station in Columbia, MO (KTGR 1600 AM) where he learned early on about the satisfaction of motivating and energizing others with music.
People sometimes comment that Rick's music can motivate them to dance hard enough to make it feel like they just worked out at the gym.
Perhaps that's because Rick used to teach aerobics many years ago.
A little known fact: Rick started teaching class only because he hated the music he was forced to endure as a student attending classes at his gym in Kansas City.
MAKE YOUR PARTY "RICK-T-FIED"
dj Rick Mitchell is now retired from music mixing and producing. He is no longer available for event bookings, however, he continues to maintain www.djrickmitchell.com as a 24 - 7 music and entertainment news resource for anyone with an internet connection.
If you need to contact Rick, just click one of the buttons below: The first one to send an email directly to Rick, or the second one to see other ways you can connect with Rick. | ||
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