mixing or track selection?

[shoobadoo]

I was listening to kosmas epsilon's january mix the other day and it really struck me how good the mixing was in his set. Every song flowed perfectly into the next. It really made me realize how much the mixing ability of the dj makes the set for me especially considering that i lose interest part way through most of the sets that i download. I was just wondering what everyone thinks about what's more important, the mixing ability of the dj or track selection?

[herre]

Re: mixing or track selection?

both!

[shoobadoo]

Re: mixing or track selection?

haha good answer

[feather]

Re: mixing or track selection?

Every song flowed perfectly into the next.

You need both good mixing and track selection to pull that off. Tracks that blend together because of the right keys or sounds, good long mixes so the transitions are seamless. But it's track selection that makes or breaks a set. I can put up with basic fade in / out mixing, but not lousy track selection.

[Aleks_B]

Re: mixing or track selection?

a good dj must be good at both, but i believe track selection is more important because anyone can learn how to mix, but putting together a set is not so easy and i think that programming is what makes the sick dj's sick!

[lilsensa]

Re: mixing or track selection?

^^Programming. Absolutely.

[asdf_admin]

Re: mixing or track selection?

Ingredients or cooking?

Seems like a pointless question. Both are equally important to complete a set.

Do ingredients make the food? Yes.

Does cooking it make it taste better? Yes.

[lilsensa]

Re: mixing or track selection?

^^Or the chef.

[Homskillet]

Re: mixing or track selection?

Sure both are important to make a set but if I had to choose one, it'd be track selection.

I can stand a wreck for 20 seconds just to hear a good song. However I can't stand a great mix for 5 minutes of shit.

[asdf_admin]

Re: mixing or track selection?

^^Or the chef.

Yeah. the cooking. lol.

[DIDI]

Re: mixing or track selection?

Interesting question , when I first got into this music I would have said track selection all the way. I still think it's the most important, same reasons as others have said, but I now really appreciate meticulous mixing! It's what makes the difference between a good set and a great set.

[jeffrey collins]

Re: mixing or track selection?

Dave Seaman's sets usually do that too. But the problem with programming all your sets, is you don't leave any room for improvisation in the tracks you use.

I was listening to the Seaman Renaissance 4 hour mix of recent, and one of the reasons it flowed so well was each track was not all that different in melody from the next, they were all pretty abstract with a standard one or two note bassline.

[fer_]

Re: mixing or track selection?

yeah both are equally important for me.
a true dj must know how to choose the right tunes and mix them well.

[scottpuig]

Re: mixing or track selection?

track selection.......for those of you that disagree ask yourself this
would you rather listen to garth brooks tracks seemlessly strung together or hot ass choons played in a very basic fashion
and sure the best mixers make the best dj's b/c at the end of the we all can play hot shit

[feather]

Re: mixing or track selection?

This might be a can of worms but with the advent of technology, people using cd decks, abletone live, final scratch, serrato, etc ... the shift or emphasis is towards track selection and away from mixing. As they say, anyone can / is a DJ these days, in the barest sense of the name, but who can program a set? And then there's your basic programing in which the set opens, builds, peaks, and winds down or ends on a banging note; and there's totally breathtaking and awesome programming in which the DJ takes you all over the place seamlessly, the sets don't progress in a conventional structure but within pockets of time, everything makes sense. Or you have sets that are layers upon layers of sounds. Perhaps between mixing and selection, selection is coming to the fore these days.