If Is The Middle Word Within The Word Life

In the 1990s, the Essential Mix on BBC Radio 1 was exactly that. Launched by Pete Tong in 1993, it's still going to this day and whilst I'm not going to pretend that I've stuck with it, over a thousand shows have literally provided a Who's Who of mixing majesty.

 

Smith & Mighty delivered one of the greatest Essential Mixes ever way back on 24 November 1996. This in a year that featured other excellent sets from Armand Van Helden, Goldie, Slam, Richard Fearless, Carl Cox and Andrew Weatherall. 

 

What is so great about Smith & Mighty's 1996 mix is that it showcases much of their own music and productions, including Massive Attack's first single, Any Love, a Top 10 hit with Fresh 4's Wishing On A Star, aliases More Rockers, Jaz Klash and Blue & Red, as well as new material such as Seeds, which inspired today's post title, but didn't see an official release until 1999. Forty - count 'em, 40 - tracks down the line and you'll barely notice that two hours have passed.

 

This set seems to be pretty widely available on Soundcloud and Mixcloud, but possibly from the same source as most postings seem to have a few minutes missing at either end. The link below is 192kbps but the full two hour Essential Mix.

 

1) Any Love: Massive Attack (Massive Attack)
2) Walk On: Smith & Mighty (Three Stripe)

3) Mix Me Down Maestro: Smith & Mighty ft. MC Kelz (Three Stripe)
4) The Time To Rhyme: The General (FFRR)
5) Wishing On A Star: Fresh 4 (Ten)

6) Anyone: Smith & Mighty (Three Stripe)
7) Irrational: Receiver (Swarf Finger)
8) The Look Of Love: The Wild Bunch (4th & Broadway)

9) Seeds: Smith & Mighty ft. MC Kelz & Tammy PAyne (White Label)
10) A & R Man: Wilks (White Label)
11) Love To The Power Of Each: Dub Ghecko (Dub Head)

12) Killa: Smith & Mighty (FFRR)
13) Blessed: Blue & Red ft. Freddie (Acetate Pressing)
14) Unity: Blue & Red (Acetate Pressing)
15) Don Anything: Blue & Red ft. K.Oil (Acetate Pressing)
16) Baltimore Remix 2: Tamlins (Acetate Pressing)
17) Baltimore Remix 3: Tamlins (Acetate Pressing)

18) Heavens In: Smith & Mighty (Acetate Pressing)
19) Ghuraliya: Bally Sagoo (Columbia)
20) Rainbows: Virginity (More Rockers)
21) New World: Flynn & Flora (White Label)
22) Off The Edge: Jaz Klash (White Label)
23) BQE: Jaz Klash (White Label)

24) Same: Smith & Mighty (More Rockers)

25) Higher: Smith & Mighty (More Rockers)

26) Another Day: More Rockers (More Rockers)
27) Sound Boy: More Rockers (More Rockers)
28) Show Love: More Rockers (Acetate)
29) 162: More Rockers (Acetate)

30) Nightfall: More Rockers (More Rockers)
31) First Time: More Rockers (More Rockers)
32) Frush: More Rockers (Acetate)
33) Das Ya One: More Rockers (More Rockers)
34) 1 2 3 Break: More Rockers (More Rockers)
35) Talk Is Toy: Silent Poets (Acetate)
36) Than The Haze: Jaz Klash (Acetate)
37) Bibo: More Rockers (Acetate)
38) Cure: More Rockers (Acetate)
39) Down In Rwanda: Smith & Mighty (More Rockers)
40) Bass Speaker: Flynn & Flora (White Label)

Essential Mix, 24 November 1996: Smith & Mighty (2:00:06)

 

Buy Smith & Mighty albums on Bandcamp:

The Ashley Road Sessions 1988-1994

The Three Stripe Collection 1985-1990 

Connected Sequences 1985-1992

Smith & Mighty albums released on !K7 

RSD (Rob Smith) on Bandcamp  

There's a great interview with Smith & Mighty from 2018 on the Vinyl Factory website.