Early Hours (DJ Mix)

For her contribution to our exclusive Early Hours series of laidback DJ mixes, electronic experimenter Bored Lord (aka Daria Lourd) “imagined it as the mix you listen to in the car on the way home after the rave,” she tells Apple Music. “The sun is rising and your ears still need some stimulation.” There’s a meditative simplicity to assembling a set of chill tracks, but striking the right mood throughout can take a fair bit of strategizing. “I mostly get asked to do more high-energy sets, so I can take my time digging for and collecting downtempo stuff,” the Oakland-based DJ/producer says. “I knew I wanted to hit a few genres and emotions along the way. When I thought about the feeling of leaving the party and driving into the sunrise, there were all these contrasting feelings that came to mind. I wanted to touch on the sadness and the excitement, the love and the loss.” Alternatively, she says, the mix “could be good for getting ready for your day because it very much builds and rises as it goes. In either scenario, it\'s meant to turn the apprehensive feelings into uplifting ones.” Hit play, and read on for Bored Lord\'s thoughts on some of the mix\'s key moments. **4hero, “Conceptions”** “The opening track off their nu-jazz record *Creating Patterns*. If you love that record, hearing the opening notes of this song just really gets you excited for the journey.” **Janet Jackson, “Together Again (DJ Premier 100 in a 50 Remix)”** “This is one of my favorite B-side mixes off Janet\'s singles. So many of my favorite dance tracks come off of those, but I saw a video of DJ Premier talking about making this track and the story is just really interesting. I think she did a whole different vocal take for this version.” **Larry Heard, “The Beauty of Celeste”** “It\'s just an interesting song coming from Larry. He really is insanely versatile, and this track is one of those great moments he taps into his melodic-focused spaces and lets the vocalist, Che, paint a picture. A few songs in the mix have this relationship with producer and vocalist, but this one is a gem to me.”