During the summer of 1996, we started to plan the mixed compilation PJ Mix. It was the first of it’s kind in Sweden, done together with a major label, Virgin Records. They hade prior to this release, released some mixed compilations before, but all on import, and none was yet to hit the charts. The project was done together with Janne Lundqvist who was working at Virgin at the time.
This was also a sad wakeup due to all bureaucracy and competition in between different record companies. I pretty much now what I’m after in regards to songs and overall sound on this record, but I’m told that I might not receive permission to use all the songs I want. I’m putting together a list of 60 songs, to be on the safe side and we start to approach all the record companies. After the process, we are left with 20 songs, that is ok to use, and they seems to have been randomly selected. I’m stuck with a lot of reservs and songs that I myself would never play as a DJ. But with all this policy we had to stick with the stuff we had. Sad, but true.
The policy went so far, that songs that even Virgin themselves was in control of, was denied, to not interfere with their single sales. This compilation launched with both radio and TV-commerials and it ends up selling as expected and I’m here and now the first Swedish DJ, to have a mixed compilation on the sales chart, top 5. Ever!
