PRINCE 19-Track DJ Mix – Long Nonstop Tribute Set // Mixed by Setsuo Morikawa

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This 27-track long DJ mix is my personal tribute to PRINCE — the artist who shaped my musical life more than anyone else. I created this mix not only as a fan, but as someone whose entire youth, identity, and passion for music were formed under the influence of his sound, his vision, and his spirit.

I first discovered PRINCE when I was in middle school. At that time, I had no understanding of genres or music theory. All I knew was that his music felt like electricity running through my entire body. The combination of funk, rock, soul, and something impossible to define instantly pulled me into his world. I didn’t have anyone around me who listened to PRINCE, so the discovery felt like a secret door opening just for me.

That encounter became the reason I picked up a guitar. I remember wanting a PRINCE-model guitar more than anything, but it was far too expensive for a student. So instead, I played my cheap beginner guitar every day — sometimes 12 hours a day — often skipping school so I could stay home and practice. Those long hours alone with my instrument were the beginning of everything I would later become. Every chord shape I learned, every phrase I tried to imitate, and every mistake I made felt like a conversation with the master himself.

PRINCE became my teacher, even though we never met. He showed me that music could be limitless. He showed me that an artist could be bold, strange, beautiful, spiritual, and futuristic all at the same time. He taught me that technique and soul are not opposites, but partners. He taught me that the guitar could scream, whisper, laugh, and cry. And he taught me the discipline of practicing until your hands stop cooperating — and then practicing a little more.

Even as I grew older and explored many genres and artists, PRINCE always remained at the center of my musical compass. Whenever I felt lost in my creative journey, I returned to his albums, his live performances, and his unstoppable energy. He reminded me that true artistry means refusing to be defined by anyone else. It means reinventing yourself again and again. It means loving music enough to bleed for it.

This DJ mix is a long-form expression of gratitude. Instead of focusing on big hits alone, I wanted to create a flow that represents my personal history with his music — moments of discovery, inspiration, heartbreak, ambition, and joy. It is not meant to be a definitive PRINCE mix, because such a thing would be impossible. Instead, it is my humble attempt to share the emotional landscape that PRINCE built inside me from the moment I first heard him.

Music has the power to save people. It certainly saved me. Without PRINCE, I would not have picked up a guitar. I would not have learned to practice obsessively. I would not have developed my own sense of identity as a musician. And I probably would not be creating anything today. His music was not just entertainment — it was a map for my adolescence, a compass for my adulthood, and a reminder that passion can shape a life.

If you are a longtime fan, I hope this mix takes you on a nostalgic journey. If you are new to PRINCE, I hope it becomes an introduction to the depth, warmth, and genius of his work. Above all, I hope this mix conveys even a fraction of the gratitude I feel toward the artist who changed everything for me.

Thank you for listening.
Thank you for supporting independent creators.
And most of all — thank you, PRINCE, for the music, the inspiration, and the endless purple light you left in this world.

Enjoy the mix.
Purple forever.


この27曲で構成されたロングDJミックスは、私にとってPRINCEへ捧げる個人的なトリビュートです。彼は私の音楽人生を誰よりも強く形づくった存在です。このミックスを作ったのは、ただのファンとしてだけでなく、青春時代・自分自身・音楽への情熱のほぼ全てが彼のサウンドとヴィジョンと精神によって育てられた人間としての気持ちからです。

私がPRINCEを初めて知ったのは中学生の頃でした。その当時、ジャンルも音楽理論も分かっていませんでした。ただ彼の音楽が全身を駆け抜ける電流のように感じられたことだけは確かでした。ファンクでもロックでもソウルでもあり、そしてどれにも完全には収まらない不思議な世界観に、一瞬で引き込まれました。周りにPRINCEを聴く友達はいなかったので、その出会いはまるで自分だけの秘密の扉が開いたような感覚でした。

その出会いが、私がギターを手に取った理由です。ずっと欲しかったPRINCEモデルのギターは学生には高すぎて諦めましたが、代わりに安いギターを毎日弾き続けました。毎日1日12時間以上弾き続け、学校を休んで練習してしまうこともありました。孤独にギターを弾き続けたあの時間こそが、今の自分に繋がるすべての始まりでした。覚えたコードも、真似をしたフレーズも、間違え続けた日々も、すべてが“師匠”との会話のようでした。

PRINCEは、会ったことがなくても、私の音楽の先生でした。音楽に限界はないことを教えてくれました。テクニックと魂は対立するものではなく、共存してこそ輝くことも教えてくれました。ギターは叫び、囁き、笑い、泣くことができるということも。そして、手が追いつかなくなるまで練習し、それでもさらに練習するという“本物の discipline”もPRINCEから学びました。

このDJミックスは、私なりの感謝の表現です。ヒット曲だけではなく、自分の人生に寄り添ってきた曲の流れを意識し、私自身の歴史が反映されるように構成しました。発見の瞬間、心が動いた瞬間、前に進む勇気をもらった瞬間――そうした感情の景色を並べたものです。PRINCEの“決定版ミックス”を作ることは不可能です。これはあくまで、PRINCEが私の内側に作ってくれた世界をほんの少し共有するための、ささやかな試みです。