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Originally Posted by beat you down  before tweaking everything comparing everything to everything, no end, i guess some sort of hierarchy is a must. |
Usually, there are some elements of the tracks that are stand-out; either as part of the feel/groove or musicality that really don't beg to be changed. By continuing to give them the "starring roles" in the mix, you can start to make clear choices as to where you need to create "room" for those elements.
One way to check if you're focusing on the right things is to mute the tracks that you believe are mostly "filler". You should be able to maintain all of the "hook" of the song. (Of course, those elements might change in the bridge/chorus/change.)