mixing or track selection?

[Life on Other Planets AKA Johns]

Re: mixing or track selection?

track selection, programming and CHOONS.. all 3.. period.. How can u be a great dj without all 3 qualities. Programming is prob the most important and i suppose track selection come into play with that so i would say mixing skills. so knowing how to mix music is important 2. Just my 2 cents

[diegoff]

Re: mixing or track selection?

Both are very important, but if I have to choose, I prefer an excellent track selection, It doesnīt matters if dj plays them from the beggining to the end...

[BureOne]

Re: mixing or track selection?

Im going to say track selection as well. Anyone who dj's, should know how to beat match. Making a perfect set with seamless matching is always great and a bonus. But like people have said, if its full of crappy tunes, Im not gonna like it..no matter how perfect beat matched it is.

Take TLB and the Timewriter for instance. They mix well. Not like say uh, Digweed.

You can tell when a track is coming in and one is fading out. Sometimes its not perfect seamless transitions; where you can't tell when one track has ended or started... but their track selections is by far some of the best house tracks I've ever heard.!!

[Miroslav]

Re: mixing or track selection?

I agree with all the previous comments about the necessity of all of the components. My thing is...I feel like I still see too many DJs out there totally underappreciate the role that mixing plays in bringing a set to life. It's great that you have two cool songs and you don't train-wreck like a newb; now mix them in a meaningful way that says something new - beyond what the two tracks say on their own...

Don't settle for an endless score of those pansy-ass 15 second mixes on the "safe" beats at the outer edges of the tracks. My grandmother can do that. Don't bore me to tears by letting every song in your new full-length promo play out for like 8 minutes and you end up with like 9 tracks in the whole thing. I can play the tracks for myself. Get to know your shit and experiment - take a risk... I'm talking about striving for 1.5-2+ minute mixes where you integrate basslines, breakdowns and all the other little stuff and bring something to the forefront that wasn't there before...

That's what I really want to hear a DJ do: create movement across the set in the track selection and movement within with artful layering. All while making people in the crowd lose it. That's ultimately the only value you have to bring, whether you use vinyl, digital, or whatever else.

[hypoluxxa]

Re: mixing or track selection?

Anyone that's ever stood behind decks at a club knows that you better be able to do both, or your night is going to suck... Not just for you, but for everyone involved.

[Shpira]

Re: mixing or track selection?

I agree with all the previous comments about the necessity of all of the components. My thing is...I feel like I still see too many DJs out there totally underappreciate the role that mixing plays in bringing a set to life. It's great that you have two cool songs and you don't train-wreck like a newb; now mix them in a meaningful way that says something new - beyond what the two tracks say on their own...

Don't settle for an endless score of those pansy-ass 15 second mixes on the "safe" beats at the outer edges of the tracks. My grandmother can do that. Don't bore me to tears by letting every song in your new full-length promo play out for like 8 minutes and you end up with like 9 tracks in the whole thing. I can play the tracks for myself. Get to know your shit and experiment - take a risk... I'm talking about a world of 1.5-2+ minute mixes where you integrate basslines, breakdowns and all the other little stuff and bring something to the forefront that wasn't there before...

That's what I really want to hear a DJ do: create movement across the set in the track selection and movement within with artful layering. All while making people in the crowd lose it. That's ultimately the only value you have to bring, whether you use vinyl, digital, or whatever else.

I agree with Miroslav on this...when I mix I try to have about 1.5 min transition period depending on a track. Also make sure that the breaks all match perfectly. This assures that the mix is as smooth as possible and that there are no static periods to bring the crowd down.
I think track selection is very important (more important than mixing) as most people who listen to dj's in a club will not necessarily know much about mixing so they will have no idea what the DJ is doing...so if you have a good track selection you often will not have to try as hard to get the mixing right and if you have a perfect track selection u can practically fade from one track to the next...some may disagree but IMO Warren for example has often used good track selection to compensate for bad mixing.

[feather]

Re: mixing or track selection?

Well said Miro!

[Aleks_B]

Re: mixing or track selection?

yeah the safe mixers are boring. now that djs are poppin up everywhere. it don't make you a dj cause you can do safe abelton live mixes, thats childs play in all honesty.

[AntonyM]

Re: mixing or track selection?

Kosmas's latest mixes have been great builders.
Of Course diggers has it down
Been listening to Benz, Jaytech, and Derek Howell
realizing how some of this more techier music is lacking
that musical storytelling ability some of the prog style music contains. Some DJ's just have the desire to build their sets for that one track, could take two or three hours and then the rest of the night is a sonic blur and mental insanity.

[Simon Preston]

Re: mixing or track selection?

I feel one the of the key things that tells me how good a DJ is is how many times I keep turning it up just a little bit more. And by that I don't mean start making sets that slowly fade in volume throughout the mix.

[Life on Other Planets AKA Johns]

Re: mixing or track selection?

^^ jesus christ simon i just went on your myspace for the first time and who is this Calley chick.. i think the kinkmiester would love her

[feather]

Re: mixing or track selection?

Dude ... I'm getting deja vu ... didn't you comment on another forumer's myspace friend a while back?

[Simon Preston]

Re: mixing or track selection?

^^ jesus christ simon i just went on your myspace for the first time and who is this Calley chick.. i think the kinkmiester would love her

She's one of my best friends. Won't have you guys leeching all over her. lol.

[Steve Graham]

Re: mixing or track selection?

you have to be good at all of the above IMO.. as its been said perfect mixing with shite tracks doesnt do anyone any good.

a nice long (1.5-2 min) transition and not page turn mixing to me is important too.. i do notice these days some tracks dont give you much to work with in the beginning.. ie: jody wisternoff tracks the bassline tends to kick in VERY early, so know your music too.. loop that shit in the beginning. of course it depends on where you are in the set too, you might to slam that track in if the floor is jumping,

one more thing i think can be over rated is this "seemless" mix notion and not being able to tell when one track starts and when the mix is coming in and what not.. i think it depends on what genre your mixing.. for instance a chugging Digweed like progressive set, yeah, you dont really want to hear the transitions between tracks it jsut builds and builds, layer after layer. Having said that, I think the programming in sets by the likes of lawn chair generals, luke fair, steve porter, eli wilkie, etc is what makes them bump.. you see what i mean? when they drop basslines and are tweakin knobs..

there are no black and white answers for most of this stuff.. it mainly boils down to track selection and programming for me..
so long as you fix the mix if it is off a bit, which come on, unless you are on a lap top, you will be off at some point in a set, especially on a big system in a club.. dont just stand there looking at the mixer and decks like its their fault whilst the shoes are in the dryer (I've seen this in a club, lol) just fix it

[Shpira]

Re: mixing or track selection?

dont just stand there looking at the mixer and decks like its their fault whilst the shoes are in the dryer (I've seen this in a club, lol) just fix it

LOL yeah I know exactly what U mean