dominic said:besides -- what's the point, really [...] a mix is only interesting when heard the first time around
Hmmm, personally I don't feel that way at all. Certainly nothing beats the visceral thrill of the live mix, warts and all. And I agree with you that white elephant commercial DJ mixes, at least in part, sounded the death knell for 90s dance culture (altho I think it was more symptom than cause).
But surely the quality that defines a "classic mix compilation" is precisely that you can listen to it over and over again, and it still be interesting? And I thought the point of this thread was to try and identify some of them.
Anyway, in my last post on this subject I totally forgot to include Jeff Mills Live at the Liquid Rooms - nuthin' smooth about it, and all the more glorious for it