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I've been asked to do a set for my old school's sixth form party, and I accepted. Only problem is, I have no fucking clue how to mix at all. All I have is a load of vinyl to work with and a bit of knowledge of the decks (i.e. the knob to change the output to the headphones and the cross-fader), but the whole idea of beatmatching is a bit mad. Any help or hints would be appricated. Thanks |
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a) download some dj set b) play dj set on discman c) act like you know what youre doin d) save the day |
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Play gabba and nobody will notice. |
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stop caring about mixing and play some good music... otherwise it's just mindless trance and house mixed together. if the tunes are good enough, nobody cares if it mixes smoothly. |
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Zguru is right. You're unlikely to ge the hang of beat mixing down well in with only a day or two to practice (unless you're going to be doing all 130-135bpm house, in which case, you'll get the hang of it in 20 minutes ;-). This isn't a problem- you don't need to beat mix and in any event, the selection of an appropriate track is far more important. It's better to play a track thats sounds good after the previous one and keeps the mood going than one that just mixes well. Sure, if you can find a tutorial or someone patient enough to explain, try beat mixing, but if you're in any doubt as to your skills on the night, don't do it. Most people won't really notice if it's not done, but it if it's done badly, especially for any length of time, even people with just a casual interest in music will notice it and perhaps even start booing. Try to strike a balance with what you play too, if you're here, you've probably got slightly unusual (read "good") taste in music. Most of the kids at your sixth form won't have, and unlike folks at free parties/raves, a lot of them will have very closed minds with regard to what they like... Now, on one hand you might play an absolutely killer IDM set, that converts them all to Aphex Twin and Ae. Being slightly more realistic, even if one or two of the people like it and come up and ask what this is, a lot of them won't like it at all. With that in mind, try to play at least some music they'll like. I'm not suggesting you should do a set entirely of Britney, Steps, S-Club 7/whatever, but just show some sensitivity. More accessible electronica like Prodigy, Chemical Brothers, etc. always goes down well. Throw in a couple of more commercial/chart tracks you like/can bring yourself to play and that they'll of heard (Britney Spears - Toxic, Kylie - Slow, Kosheen - Harder, etc.) |
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Also, don't overesimate your control over the crowd (I fell foul of this the first couple of times I played out live); unless you're some superstar DJ and they've come specifically to see you, the crowd won't follow your every beck and call. Don't be suprised if they: Don't "put their hands up" when you tell them to on the mic (especially the boys- they love to be too cool to go with the crowd); leave the dancefloor if you push your luck with too wacky a tune (no playing Gantz Graf halfway through the set); and conversely, don't think you can whip them into a frenzied clubbing crowd in a couple of minutes. Perhaps my biggest criticism of new DJs playing out is that they (often through relying on a pre-constructed set) don't seem to notice/react to what the crowd are doing, even if they do a token 1/2 hour "building up" the tempo/atmosphere before dropping banging hard house/whatever. Don't worry if no one takes to the dancefloor for the first couple of hours- people tend to be a bit inhibited, especially amongst colleagues/school friends, till the alcohol enters their systems. Play reasonably inoffensive stuff and gradually bring up the tempo. Once you reckon they're ready, try getting a couple of them on the floor with a "great track" and build from there. In spite of all these warnings/suggestions, don't worry too much, you'll have to do fantastically badly to be dragged out from behind the decks and beaten by a crowd of angry partygoers. The worst that'll happen is they'll clear the dancefloor and that's nothing to worry about. Put a few tracks aside that'll get the girls back on the floor (the boys will follow) if it all goes tits up; Abba - Dancing Queen, Betty Boo - Where are you Baby?, etc. if you do accidentally clear the packed dancefloor in one go, you can get at least some of the crowd back that way :) Best of luck and let us know how it goes. |
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Great advice from Ceri there :) So is that your DJ name now? DJ Fuckpot? |
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Thanks. Well, I'm sort of 'known' as being teh chief music boffin there, so they probably expect to hear something different, but I don't really intend on playing any 'IDM' (man I hate that phrase). From what I have, my intention is to try and go through a transect of dance music, starting with late 70s to early 80s new york no wave punk-funk stuff, through some 4/4 rhythms into hip hop, and hand over to my junglist mate with some amen andrews (dont worry, im using volume 3) and soundmurderer. You're probably right about the mixing part, its two weeks away and I dont think I will learn even if I tried, but I'm looking for a comprimise between mixing and playing one after the other, i.e. not to kill the groove. And I haven't got any gabba, but I'm sure that i've got some hecker on 12" somewhere.... |
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DJ Bob Hoskins going mental in a dustbin |
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Yes, even if you're not going to beat mix, at least try to get the hang of "overlapping" tracks a bit. Just use the crossfader and/or upfaders to fade one out as the other comes in, even if it's just on the last/first 2/3 seconds. On some tracks where it's just a synth/vocal on the record playing out (or if you switch during a bit where the drum is silent or at least not the dominating element) you'll be able to get away with a lot longer. If you have access to decks regularly and have someone local who's a reasonably competent DJ, they should be able to show you how to beat mix to a passable standard (at least so you'll be able to try it on some tracks when playing out) within 2 weeks. If you really want to give it a go (and you don't know any local DJs) I strongly recommend book (it usually listed as "How to DJ: Properly"). Your local HMV/Virgin/Fopp may well have a copy (I've seen it carried in all of those chains). That has the best beat mixing tutorial I've ever come across. Remember there are plenty of DJs who get paid who can't beat mix (especially mobile and rock ones), so don't see that as the be all end all. Your set "rough plan" sounds good, you should have a blast. :) |
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Thanks man, I was sort of crapping myself/feeling excited about the set. I've seen that book around and thought about getting it but probably went for an album instead. Also, in an unrelated topic, do you know if the train services from Cardiff to Aberystywth are any good because I'm going to aber uni next year and I don't want to be stuck in the middle of a field for 3-4 years. |
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Beat matching tips from DJ SASKROTCH (THAT SEXY FUCK): Find a spot in the begining that clearly starts a new bar of the song (almost always a bass hit) Get the tracks close to the same speed by playing them together and shit (you know the obvious thing). When you get close, see whether the new track is too fast or too slow. If it's too slow give the record a push so both tracks start a new bar at the same time, then bring the speed up a bit. If the track starts getting out of beat, do it again. You can do the same thing if it's too fast by pulling back on the record a bit. Ha Cha Cha |
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Id love to be a Dj |
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oh joy |
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There are too many words in these posts. |
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Of coure, you can sum up the intricacies of the whole art of DJing in 2 lines... :P Spatchcock: RE Aber trains. I've not used them myself, but I have a few mates from Cardiff who went to uni there and they always used trains. If I see them around I'll ask 'em. |
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forget beat miixing for this (or any near future) gig, all the above is great info and the MOST important piece of advice is that nothing ruins a great track more than hearing another completely off-sync track come into it. ugh, many a times have i heeard (sic) a terrible (beatmixing wise) dj destroy the most beatiful tunes on this planet. so just play some good music, the end. oh yeah, Doc Martin once said that one of the best sets he ever played was done by using only ONE turntable only. |
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The art of dance music DJing. Play music people like and don't do anything that will cause them to have to stop dancing. |
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also "LOOK GOOD AS FUCK" |
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