Tsushima Masaki: The Mixes

New Mix: Silver Millennium Line ~A Night In Crystal Tokyo~

2011-12-12T00:14:00.000-08:00

I finally, really did it!

Truth be told this mix has been complete and sitting on my hard drive since Spring 2011, but I'm somewhat of a perfectionist when it comes to my mixes... and I'm also quite lazy. In English/Writing/Editing classes they always tell you it's best to review and edit your work after you've left it alone for a while, also it's good to get some second opinions. While I did get some feedback from a small circle of friends who got to listen to it early, frankly most of them shrugged and said "it sounds ok."
So anyway, here it is, listen to it on SoundCloud, give me your thoughts, share it with friends, let the world know I'm not dead. Sometime in 2012 I'll make the mix downloadable.
Enjoy!
Tsushima Masaki - Silver Millennium Line ~A Night In Crystal Tokyo~ by Tsushima Masaki

New trance mix should be coming out sometime this year

2011-06-06T00:10:00.000-07:00

I've begun working on a new trance mix... my first attempt at mixing trance since Trancient Moonscapes in 2003.

I'll keep you guys posted.

Chaptered versions of Crystal Tokyo and others...

2011-05-17T18:22:00.000-07:00

So... remember that post long ago when I said I'd make available m4b versions of Crystal Tokyo, Moonlight & Rain and Trancient Moonscapes? Well now I finally delivered!

DOWNLOAD LINKS
Crystal Tokyo
Moonlight & Rain
Trancient Moonscapes

Q. So what's the point of these new files?
A. If you happen to have an iPod Touch (like me) or an iPhone, you'll be able to skip through the different songs in the mixes. No more trying to remember "now what time does Salt Tank - Eugina (Michael Woods Remix) play at?"

Example!

Now on Twitter...

2011-05-17T18:00:00.001-07:00

So I'm now on twitter... I don't really think being on there or not will make a difference but whatever. I'm @TsushimaMasaki

I guess I'll be using it to update you on new mix developments... whenever those happen, ahaha.

Canada Line 2010 ~Olympic Gold Edition~

2010-03-19T10:32:00.000-07:00

OK, so after fighting off urges to add more tracks yet again to this mix, I've forced myself to leave this mix alone forever. If I do add more songs, it will be because I'm making a new mix.

The title was inspired of course by Canada's gold medal performance during the Winter Olympics (I'm Canadian). Actually I happen to live right in Richmond, where the long track speed skating events took place and I was 30 minutes away from Downtown Vancouver so I definitely felt the Olympics. I'll also be feeling the heavy bill our city and country will have to be picking up for this 17 day party too...

So anyway here we have my longest mix yet clocking in just under 100 minutes and 18 songs. This is (Deep) House/Nu Jazz, not my usual trance mix.

I usually make these mixes for travel purposes, so if you have long commutes or travel times, I hope this mix eases you through them.

There are two versions, an mp3 version and an m4b version. The m4b version is for people who happen to have iPod touches/iPhones that support chapters, that way you can skip the start of every track within the mix!

So tell me what you think, if I should continue mixing this style of music or if I should go back to good ol' Trance.

Also... let me know what your favourite track was.

Downloads:
mp3 / cuesheet

m4b (chapters for iPod touch/Iphone)

Tracklist:
1. DJ Kawasaki - The Galaxy
2. FreeTEMPO - Romance (April Set HBD Mix)
3. Masayoshi Minoshima - The Flower : Like The Fantasy
4. Jazztronik - Rita
5. Ginrei - Esquisse
6. Koda Kumi - Sora (Yukihiro Fukutomi Remix)
7. FreeTEMPO - Symmetry (Sound Around Remix)
8. Favretto feat. Anjee - Love's Theme (Love's Theme vs. Summernights House Mix)
9. Ryo Watanabe - Stargaze
10. Fantastic Plastic Machine - Love Is Psychedelic (Full Spoken Mix)
11. Studio Apartment feat. Terrance Downs - We Are Lonely (Studio Apartment Original Mix)
12. Akitaka Tohyama - Liquid Soul
13. Satoru Kosaki - Touch and Go
14. nomad foundation - When a love walk in
15. Studio Apartment feat. Stephanie Cooke - One True Love (Studio Apartment Original Mix)
16. Jazztronik - Nanairo
17. Studio Apartment feat. Chieko Kinbara, Shihoko Hirata - Life From The Sun
18. Lena Fujii - I Thought It Was You

Canada Line 2010

2010-01-17T17:53:00.000-08:00

So I went ahead and did it... I was looking at my music collection and adding new songs to it when some of them really jumped out and said "this should have been in Canada Line!"

So what did I do? I re-recorded Canada Line to include these songs. Right now I've sent out a pre-release version to a couple of friends to get some feedback. I'll release a final version once I'm satisfied.

Possible new mix and maybe podcasts, Crystal Tokyo gets a facelift

2009-12-27T03:25:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to anyone who still reads this blog or happens to come across it. I just want to update my situation.

But first I'd like to say thanks for all the compliments and kind words over the years. It's hard to believe that even in 2006 people were still asking me about Crystal Tokyo. No one really asks anymore, haha, but I'm glad a lot of people enjoyed my mixes. So to all you guys I have some good news!

I might be making a return to the mixing scene, as I have my eye on a DJ Mixer I want to buy. This will make mixing so much easier (not to mention more fun!) as I would actually be able to play with the track EQ and some effects.
Only problem is my "new mixes" will be full of old tracks, I haven't kept up with trance music at all so I've stagnated.

I got an iPod Touch for Christmas and it's really opened the world of podcasting to me. I never really paid attention to them in the past but since I've got the iPod I've been on an electronic music podcast downloading spree.

I'm going to be seeing Gareth Emery on Jan 1 in Vancouver. I seriously had never heard of him until a saw an ad of his gig in Vancouver. I've listened to a couple of his mixes and I think it's gonna be great. I saw Ferry Corsten in July and it was a dream come true, he's the guy who got me into trance music in 1999 and 10 years later I see him live!

So if all goes well I'll have a new mix to present to you, it's tentatively called "Intelligent Control". If I were to compare it to my other mixes I think it'd be closer to Trancient Moonscapes and Moonlight & Rain. I know a lot of you guys want me to go back to the Crystal Tokyo style, I hope I'll be able to put out a Crystal Tokyo II out for you guys...

BUT in the meantime check this guy out Sorasu: http://sorasu.blogspot.com/
His Tranquil Sessions are great and I recommend his Summer Repose Volume One, I've had it on repeat. You can get his podcast mixes from the iTunes store as well.

And speaking of podcasts, I've given Crystal Tokyo, Moonlight & Rain, and Trancient Moonscapes a technical facelift. If you use iTunes or listen to your music on iPods, I've just made m4b format versions of these mixes which includes chapter selection. Basically so you'll be able to skip to a specific track in the mix. I'm currently not at home (I'm with my family for the holidays) so I'll upload these new versions of the mixes in January.

You can find the current versions in the posts below from mediafire, and don't forget to check out my Canada Line set.

I'm also thinking of putting my mixes on an rss feed and podcasting them if I start doing them regularly enough, but I may be getting ahead of myself.

New Mix! Canada Line

2009-08-04T22:14:00.000-07:00

For the download link, just scroll to the bottom of the post.

New mix is out, ~~and unfortunately it's rather short, 6 tracks in all, just like the "unfinished" Scenic Route. I guess I just don't have it in me to make 12 track/70 minute mixes anymore.~~ I guess I still have it in me, 11 tracks at 54:54.

Anyway, this one is called Tsushima Masaki presents Garden City Sessions - Canada Line ~~~Blueprint~~~
Actually it's Canada Line ~Scenic Route~ now.

Why did I name the mix this? Well, I live in Richmond, BC (part of Vancouver), and Garden City is a road and area in Richmond, also, it just sounds good. The Canada Line part is because today it was just announced that the new subway/rapid transit service Canada Line will open in two weeks (August 17). The Canada Line connects Richmond to Downtown Vancouver and Vancouver International Airport (YVR) via train. A very big deal for not just us living in Richmond but people travelling to Vancouver via air.

I basically just put this mix together all in ~~one~~ two days. ~~I may expand on it some day, that's why it's subtitled "Blueprint."~~

The mix is in the same vein as Kyoto Sessions - Scenic Route, as it's house instead of what I used to mix, trance. Scenic Rotue was actually never completed, as I only mustered 6 or so tracks in that mini mix, I suppose Canada Line ~Scenic Route~ is the completed version.

Every song is produced by a Japanese electronic artist, as was the case in Scenic Route. Scenic Route and Canada Line are meant to be samplers to Japanese style house and Nu Jazz (Electronic Jazz). I suppose I should have named it Japan Line though, ahaha.

I hope I haven't let anyone down, expecting another trance mix. I think the days of mixing trance music are behind me. I tried and failed last year to re-spark the Crystal Tokyo flame.

Then again, I bet not too many people still remember that little old mix that appeared in 2003.

I usually provide tracklists and cue sheets with my mixes for easy listening... but this time I think it's more fun if people try to piece together the songs I used. I'm thinking tracks 2, 3, 6, and 7 will be the hardest to ID.
Download: Tsushima Masaki presents Garden City Sessions - Canada Line ~Scenic Route~

New way to download Crystal Tokyo!!

2009-07-16T08:13:00.001-07:00

I don't know why I didn't think of this a long time ago... use some download site like rapidshare or megaupload to host my mixes... Especially since I can't seem to fix my torrent tracker.

Anyway, I'm in the process of uploading Crystal Tokyo, Moonlight & Rain, and Trancient Moonscapes, as well as a little hidden mix to www.mediafire.com

I hope this enables more people to listen to my mix, but thinking about it now Crystal Tokyo is already 7 years old...

Crystal Tokyo
Moonlight & Rain
Trancient Moonscapes
Scenic Route (Unfinished)

It's getting harder and harder...

2008-10-28T22:09:00.001-07:00

Everytime I try to pick up mixing again it gets harder to get back into. My main gripe is I can't find a good enough program with suitable EQ control. I mean sure there's traktor/pcdj but if I'm going to be mixing like that I'll need to get a MIDI controller to handle the knobs.

I'm thinking of going for a CD DJ solution but those are pretty expensive. Silver Millennium is on hold for now.

Silver Millennium Phase 1

2008-07-28T21:55:00.000-07:00

As I type I am integrating some new tracks to my new mix, so I just thought I'd like to let everyone know that it's not a DOA project (and I mean dead on arrival, not that crappy fanservice fighting franchise).

I'd say I'm 3/12 tracks into the mix. I will not be providing a tracklist this time around, not immediately anyway, I'll let some smart ears figure out what track is what.

Possible sequel to Crystal Tokyo

2008-07-21T23:20:00.000-07:00

Well guys, I've started planning on a new mix in the same vein as Crystal Tokyo since everyone seemed to love that.

It's going to be called Tsushima Masaki - Silver Millennium ~a look back at Crystal Tokyo~
I'm not going to be reusing old Crystal Tokyo tracks but it's gonna be in that same uplifting trance style with some vocals. If anyone gets the name reference, then they're a fan of a certain something.

No promises on when it'll be released. It took me 6 months to make Trancient Moonscapes after all, and I put Moonlight & Rain on hold for a long time as well.

Kyoto Sessions

2008-07-11T23:41:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, it's the retired mixer Tsushima Masaki.

Recently I was very motivated to try my hand at mixing once again, this time doing house instead of trance. Unfortunately I realized the software I was using could no longer cut it so I had to abort my mix unfortunately.

It was going to be titled Tsushima Masaki presents Kyoto Sessions, basically to differentiate between Trance (Tokyo) and House (Kyoto).

My main problem is effective EQ use and I think I'll have to buy a mixer if I want to get back into the mixing scene.

Here's where you can get the concept version: http://masakism.mine.nu:10240/ Btw, you can still get my older mixes via that link.

It's called Scenic Route.

Let me know what you think, if I'm encouraged enough maybe I'll consider getting a mixer and doing this for real. And yes, I know some of the transitions suck, I'm not that good anymore :/

Overdue update

2006-07-11T21:41:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, I know no one really reads this blog, but I'd just like to say that the only reliable way to get my mixes now is via my BitTorrent tracker @ http://masakism.mine.nu:10240/torrents/Tsushima+Masaki%27s+Mixes.torrent?2360F3B94A09E75E4CFCD7ADE2DF03C732271843

Most of the links that hosted my mix via http have expired now. I'd like to thank everyone who provided bandwidth for my mixes, I'm grateful.

A little update on myself... I'm not doing much right now except working at a minimum wage job. I'd like to make it clear that I am no longer an active trance dj. My final official mix was Trancient Moonscapes completed on the eve of 2004. Over these past two years (it really feels much longer than just two years) I have kind of grown out of trance music and electronic music in general. I'm still a fan and I still enjoy it, but I am no longer looking for new tracks, it's just a passive interest now. I know that probably disappoints people, but we all go through phases in life. Hell, I'm even losing interest in anime (probably my #1 interest).

I would like to make another mix some day. Mixing has always been a sporadic hobby for me anyway. I was only a bedroom dj. If I do make another mix maybe I'd call it "Reminessence" or some lame mispelled homonym. I've always had plans on a "Crystal Tokyo Part II" but you know it's hard to top your first creation. I always felt that people enjoyed Crystal Tokyo the most while Moonlight & Rain and Trancient Moonscapes were sort of overlooked. Crystal Tokyo isn't even my favourite mix, haha. My favourite is actually Moonlight & Rain.

If you see someone named Timeless Enigma on the AnimeSuki and GameFAQs forums, or any other people named Tsushima Masaki or Timeless Enigma on the net, that's most likely me.

Anyway I just decided to update this, since people were probably wondering "when the hell is this guy gonna make another mix?" The short answer is "probably never." In my heart I hope I can make another one though.

Tsushima Masaki: Crystal Tokyo, Moonlight & Rain, Trancient Moonscapes

2005-02-08T23:33:00.000-08:00

Note: If you're just here for the mixes, just scroll down to the bottom of this post and you will find some links to download my mix sets.

I decided to write this because of a lot of the stuff flying around on the Internet about no one knowing who I was and things like that. I'm too lazy to make my own web site just to post this, so I decided since I never use my blog, I'll post this. I wouldn't expect more entries though.

The basics are I am NOT Japanese. I do like anime and a lot of Japanese culture, but no, I'm not ethnically Japanese or anything like that. I am actually African born in Zambia. Right now I live in BC, Canada. I read some comments on some Japanese forums and people suspected I was using a Japanese project name to stir up interest in Japan, that wasn't really my intention. My name was born from my MSN Gaming Zone nickname back in the late 90s and then it stuck as my Internet alias as "Timeless Enigma" Tsushima Masaki.

I made all of these mixes DIGITALLY. I wish I could use turntables and mix for real but this was the best alternative I had available.

The chronology of my mixes goes like this:

Crystal Tokyo (September 5th, 2002, Version 2 "Remastered" October 2nd 2002)
Background on the mix: The name of the mix matches the name of the futuristic utopia somewhere in the 30th Century featured in Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon, one of my all-time favourite anime and one of the main series that introduced me to anime and manga. The name sounded nice and catchy.
The original name of this mix was actually something like "Autumn Seasonal Sessions" or something like that. The mix actually started out with me helping out someone else with mixing, and as an example I mixed a couple tracks together and sent it over. Those tracks were I believe 1 (Far From Over), 2 (Liberation (Temptation - Fly Like An Angel)), 3 (Southern Sun), and 4 (Caught Me Running) and then it grew from there.

Moonlight & Rain (July 25th, 2003)
Background on the mix: I'll start off on the name again. This mix was named after the collection of stories written by Akinari Ueda. As a group the stories were called "Ugestu Monogatari" or in English "Tales of Moonlight and Rain." I had recently read the book at the public library and I enjoyed it very much. Moonlight & Rain was originally intended to be a 2 part set. One part would have been titled "Moonlight" and the other "Rain." They were each supposed to have different moods. I never got that far unfortunately (or fortunately?) and produced this instead. This mix took me a LONG time to complete. Here was the original tracklist intended.

Original Tracklist
1. Airwave vs. Rising Star - Sunspot (Original Mix)
2. Solid Sessions - Janeiro (Pronti & Kalmani Vocal Mix)
3. Blank & Jones - Watching The Waves (Moon Remix)
4. Sander Kleinenberg - My Lexicon (Full Length Version)
5. Lexicon 4 - Reach Me (Original Mix)
6. Indigo - Sensacion (Main Mix)
7. Armin van Buuren feat. Ray Wilson - Yet Another Day (Original Mix)
8. Signum feat. Katana - Moonflow (Original Mix)
9. Saints & Sinners - Peace (Oliver Lieb Remix)
10. Ayla presents Yel - Sun Is Coming Out (Pegelklub Mix)

(Un)fortunately mixing was unsuccessful between tracks 9 and 10 and I found it very hard to make it work. Then I lost all my work and had to start from scratch.

Version 2 Tracklist
1. Airwave vs. Rising Star - Sunspot (Original Mix)
2. Solid Sessions - Janeiro (Pronti & Kalmani Vocal Mix)
3. Blank & Jones - Watching The Waves (Moon Remix)
4. Corderoy - Sweetest Dreams (Greg Murray Vocal Mix/Ferry Corsten Remix)
5. Sander Kleinenberg - My Lexicon (Full Length Version)
6. Indigo - Sensacion (Main Mix)
7. Armin van Buuren feat. Ray Wilson - Yet Another Day (Original Mix)
8. Signum feat. Katana - Moonflow (Original Mix)
9. Saints & Sinners - Peace (Oliver Lieb Remix)
Still missing a couple of tracks?

At this point, at about 3 am, I had just given up, and I had been ready to just burn it to CD and express my apologies to everyone who had been expecting a stellar Crystal Tokyo Part II (I still don't know how Crystal Tokyo got all that popular). I wisely decided to just go to sleep. The mix's name was going to be "Burning Up and Falling To Pieces" to illustrate my loss of focus and dissatisfaction.

That same day (about 9 am or later), I found myself mixing again. I needed to avoid the unsuccessful mixing of Oliver Lieb's Remix of Peace with the Pegelklub Mix of Sun Is Coming Out. The reason why this transition didn't work is because they were too different of tracks and I didn't give myself enough transition time.
So I thought "a mellow track to another mellow track", then the next track came to mind, and eventually, I finished off the set. And most of you know the final tracklist right?

The mixing between 10+11 is probably my favourite.

However... I still had the feeling that I had lost my way, lost the meaning of the mix, I didn't know where it was going, so I named it "Moonfall to an Unknown Destination." I had managed to complete it but I still thought I had lost sight of my original goal.

A couple weeks later, I said "You know what? I really like this mix, who cares if it's not what I planned", and I renamed back it "Moonlight & Rain."

The mix didn't have the same energy as Crystal Tokyo, as I put some more mellowed/chilled/melodic elements instead of straight melodic/uplifting. One of my friends had termed the mix "vocal chill trance," but this is definitely not a chillout mix.

I really concentrate on the opening and closing tracks, because I like a mix to start off right, and I want the listeners to feel as if the mix is complete, and they're not dissatisfied, thinking that something is missing). I try hard to make the opening special so that it's memorable. It doesn't have to have a bang (I usually start my mixes with calmer songs), just has to get the listeners into the mood.

On Crystal Tokyo, I put in the hardest remix of Seven Cities there was to end the set with a bang, as most people have heard the tune (it is one of Solar Stone's most widely known titles).

Trancient Moonscapes (December 31st, New Year's Eve, 2003)
Background on the mix: Well, you'd think someone would have something better to do on the eve of a New Year. There was a party going on upstairs but at the time I wasn't really in the mood. I had actually been holding off on this mix for almost 5 months, and I finally got it done on the 31st. My aim was to create something cooler. Like taking a scenic route to a destination. Unfortunately I believe only the first half of the mix exen came close. You'd probably notice that after track 6, more upbeat music came into the formula. I had actually run out of the mood I was trying to give out so I had to turn to more uplifting forms of Trance. The name of the mix was originally supposed to be "Live @ Chillaire Lounge" but I scrapped that. I don't remember where Trancient Moonscapes came from really.

So that is about it really.

Also, if anyone has a tracker of their own where they could host my mixes that'd be even better since I have a limit on how much I can upload per month.

As to whether I'll make a mix again... maybe in the summer.

Here are some links to people hosting my mixes:
Crystal Tokyo only @ (dead link) http://www.spinspoon.com/Tsushima%20Masaki%20-%20Crystal%20Tokyo.mp3

All mixes @ http://www.crazychomp.com/Tsushima%20Masaki's%20Mixes/
and http://ftp.dbnetworkz.com/tmasaki/
Special thanks to Jeff, the first poster on this blog for hosting all my mixes. Try not to hit his server TOO hard. I really appreciate you hosting Jeff!

Another special thanks to Ben who is also hosting my mixes. Now Jeff's server won't get hammered!

It'd be great if you downloaded from Jeff's site, then became a seed on the torrent below!

The TORRENT ftp://mixes:themixesofmasakism@masakism.mine.nu:3000
Please try not to leech and leave.
Btw, please, please don't use Internet Explorer for hooking into my FTP, since you need to be passive, and IE doesn't go passive, try Mozilla Firefox or Filezilla FTP client (which is 100% free) @ http://filezilla.sourceforge.net/

If you have a bit of bandwidth and want to host, let me know and I can add you to this list.