"Can you mix?"

[Benny Smyth]

Over the last few weeks, I have had an increase (rather stark increase, in fact) of clients and potential clients asking me if I mix. I have a standard response of saying that yes I do mix a fair bit, however there are occasions where that is just no possible. Saying that, the selection of songs is far more important than how they are mixed together. I then talk about my club & bar experience to try and back up what I say.

Most seem to be happy with this response, however a lot of clients seem to still think that mixing is incredibly important.

Is this something that anyone else has experienced recently? Has it increased lately, or have I found a niche in the market where clients think that mixing is the be all and end all?

[DeckstarDeluxe]

Get asked this maybe once or twice a year however it's a small percentage of clients really. Not noticed an increase here.

That said having seen your setup I'd expect that would attract folks who would want more a club/dance experienced DJ than most setups (mine included) on here.

Before anyone jumps on it I'm not saying clients book based on equipment, far from it.

[musicology]

Nope, I don't get it. Just a funny little quirk with your enquiries at the moment I reckon.

[Pe7e]

I occasionally get asked if a particular piece of playout kit will be suitable for 'mixing', after further questioning what they really want to do is be able to eliminate gaps between tunes, which of course virtually all pro kit will do. I think Joe publics definition of 'mixing' amounts to beat matching and cross fading at most, which we all know is only half the story. I think your (very nice) set up is going to attract more enquiries from clients wanting the 'dance club experience' than the average mobile DJ, as others have already pointed out.

[leelive]

I believe mixing in key and similar styles is more important than beat-matching... at least for weddings.

[ukpartydj]

I believe mixing in key and similar styles is more important than beat-matching... at least for weddings.

I agree! Well it makes me happy to know, even if nobody else cares that the keys of both tracks match!

[ukpartydj]

I have a few mashups online which people stumble across and a couple of time I've been asked "Can you mashups live at our event". I unfortunately have to ruin the magic of it by saying each mashup takes me 5-8 hours to make and I no longer do them anymore! I rarely get asked about mixing to be honest but then I get people say we heard your mixes online so I guess they realised I could!

[funkymook]

Over the last few weeks, I have had an increase (rather stark increase, in fact) of clients and potential clients asking me if I mix. I have a standard response of saying that yes I do mix a fair bit, however there are occasions where that is just no possible. Saying that, the selection of songs is far more important than how they are mixed together. I then talk about my club & bar experience to try and back up what I say.

Most seem to be happy with this response, however a lot of clients seem to still think that mixing is incredibly important.

Is this something that anyone else has experienced recently? Has it increased lately, or have I found a niche in the market where clients think that mixing is the be all and end all?

Define mixing.

I’ve been asked once to twice over the years and when questioned all they wanted to know was if there were gaps in-between the songs or not.

[Jim - Scotland's Party DJ]

Nothing that's going to have me headline Creamfields but I can mix to a decent standard.

Did quite a bit of it tonight including a handful of ones that worked great that you wouldn't expect to go together and now I can't remember what they were :muppet:

A couple of weeks ago I got really self indulgent at a wedding where they wanted quite a bit of house and dance music and I ended up mixing a Mylo tune into a Bob Marley tune and it worked brilliantly :beer1:

[Shakermaker Promotions]

I'll mix sometimes but not all the time.
Sometimes something may come to me on the night and it may be something that I've never considered before but it works.
I've don't remember being asked if I can mix but I've had a few people come over and comment on a good one. I tend to try and do mixes that are a bit different.
I'm not great to be honest but I've never ever sat down and practised. A lot of people think that just because you use something like VDJ that it's easy and maybe it is but I have never really used it to it's potential so it's there as a back up for me. I do most of the mixing on the Denon.

[Excalibur]

That said having seen your setup I'd expect that would attract folks who would want more a club/dance experienced DJ than most setups (mine included) on here.
.
Neil, I think you're spot on there.
Do I get asked if I can mix? No.
Can I mix? No. Wish I could, but no. :o


Define mixing.

I’ve been asked once to twice over the years and when questioned all they wanted to know was if there were gaps in-between the songs or not.

Ah. :) Well now we've moved the goalposts back to my side of the pitch, suddenly I'm up there with the best of them. :D Gaps in the music? Heaven forfend!! :eek: And if for whatever reason, the unthinkable should happen, my trusty Sennheiser is always at hand to allow me to advise, inform, educate and entertain the punters with my dulcet tones, until I can restore the music. :D:D

[dicky]

Benny et al
Funnily enough this is something I have been playing with doing as i have been working a little spate of 16th and 18ths..... read on...

Suprisingly I find I can do it too.... (not very well every time, but sometimes absolutely seemlessly)

It's certainly a skill I would really like to learn - is there any way of doing that other than just playing around with it - one side of me says no it is an artform you either have or you don't, and the other side says the wheel has already been well and truly invented and it's a simple skill you can learn from reading a few tutorials, so why try to reinvent it. Comments please.

Funnilly enough (and I do believe this is related to the OP's question in DJ skills) after a few months back on the road now I am gaining a lot of confidence (especially in my musical selection/audience reading/presentation/mic/ and basic 'DJ' skills I guess) and I find myself seriously gravitating towards two areas I feel really really comfortable with, yet they are diametrically opposed......

One is northern soul/motown/70s soul scene which, if you like, is my 'roots' and the other, believe it or not is 16th and 18th' parties playing some really banging Future House, Drun n Bass and R&B tracks (where the mixing skills come into the equation).

So - Does that make me wierd, as DJs go? (that is actually a serious question guys would really love to read some views but it won't stop me even if I am wierd lol :p )

Honestly I really love playing (and hearing) both genres to equal effect - did my first proper Nothern Soul night last night to rapturous appluase at the end (will post a few videos ) and have a repeat booking from the venue/promoters already....

Then I have on three recent occasions started a night with all these 'kids' at a 16th/18tsh party thinking (most likely) who is the grandad on the decks, then at the end of the night they are giving me much respect ('that was sick, man.... etc') and the facebooks likes.... and already taken another booking for 200+ 18yr old in September on the back of the last one a couple weeks ago.

For some reason I find I am far more stressed playing to the general 'wide range of mixed musical taste' audiences on the same night who seem to be mostly demanding 'more of this' and 'less of that' over the entire evening than those who are 'all up for it' on a rave or northern night

Maybe that is for another thread though.... over to you, Peter :) (oh PS why do you wish you could do something that you are never asked for? And if my gut feeling is correct in thinking it's just another basic DJ slkill anyone can learn if they put some hours to it?)

Rich

[Pe7e]

One is northern soul/motown/70s soul scene which, if you like, is my 'roots' and the other, believe it or not is 16th and 18th' parties playing some really banging Future House, Drun n Bass and R&B tracks (where the mixing skills come into the equation).

So - Does that make me wierd, as DJs go? (that is actually a serious question guys would really love to read some views but it won't stop me even if I am wierd lol :p )

Honestly I really love playing (and hearing) both genres to equal effect - did my first proper Nothern Soul night last night to rapturous appluase at the end (will post a few videos ) and have a repeat booking from the venue/promoters already....

Rich

No, you're not weird at all, I started as a DJ way back in the late 60s spinning Motown / Northern Soul / Stax / Atlantic and the better UK chart releases (definitely no Freddy and the Dreamers, The Batchelors and similar rubbish) I suppose that must make me one of the oldest 'club' DJs on the forum, and back in the day, you really did have to be a club member to get in. These days I rarely do gigs except for the odd Northern soul night which I enjoy immensely. The other genres I'm most likely to find myself listening to for sheer enjoyment are Trance, Disco and 90s Dance which inevitably take me back to happy times and fond memories. I think I could still put a credible set together on these genres but I'm by no means a self proclaimed expert, and there's no substitute for in depth knowledge. I think virtually all DJs are music lovers, and as such have open minds to all music not just a tiny proportion of it.

[Nakatomi]

I don't remember ever being asked if I can mix, not even when I've been up for club jobs. Maybe some technical aspects were just assumed by the time I got to that point.

I've always strived to be 'mister no gaps' though & it still amazes me that even today people leave honking great big pauses between tracks. Yes sometimes you have to let the music (and the dancefloor) breathe a little but as a rule it should be about maintaining a flow imho.

In my last club job but one there was a general policy of playing a fast cut-up 'party music' set at the peak of the night. Some DJs invariably performed the same one to the extent they didn't even need to use headphones. Not me. I like being the DJ you can't set your watch by.

I don't know where the tradition originated, but I used to go to a big Rank club in Newcastle in the 80s where I'd be in awe of the DJ with four turntables & a helper loading & unloading vinyl for him. Sometimes you'd only hear a bar or two of a song & the crowd world go crazy. It's not a style of playing I'd go out of my way to replicate at a mobile gig though, but I do use certain aspects at a lot of gigs. Try doing that with just a mouse, ha!

[ukpartydj]

I've always strived to be 'mister no gaps' though & it still amazes me that even today people leave honking great big pauses between tracks. Yes sometimes you have to let the music (and the dancefloor) breathe a little but as a rule it should be about maintaining a flow imho.

I remember being told that should never let the track "fade out" which in general is a good idea but sometimes if I've got another slow fade in track if you let one fade out and the other seamlessness fade in it sounds magical and can give that euphoric atmosphere! I do tend to find people will start to leave the dancefloor and come back up if I do this, so it's a risky game to play!



Sometimes you'd only hear a bar or two of a song & the crowd world go crazy. It's not a style of playing I'd go out of my way to replicate at a mobile gig though, but I do use certain aspects at a lot of gigs. Try doing that with just a mouse, ha!

A couple of weeks ago I did a wedding where the playlist said "The groom's favorite band is kings of leon, if you could play sex on fire after 10pm please" I got the sense that this was going to be THE SONG of the night, the groom was hanging out at the bar and I hadn't seen him dance much all night so I tried by above trick where I really slowed everything down at 10.30 (end was midnight) with don't stop believing (musical key of 12a) they loved it, but you can tell afterwards it feels a bit end of the night. Then looped the start to sex on fire (musical key of 12b) with a heavy low-pass filter so the tune is just barely recognisable and let Journey fade out by itself turned the wash lights down very dim and I slowly increased the low-pass filter letting the mids and the highs creep in very very slowly (brilliant track for this as it just builds on itself with every loop) they all go nuts shouting the grooms name and once he starts running to the dancefloor I unlooped the track turned the volume up and the low-pass filter off and strobe light on - Flipping magical, they went absolutely nuts better than I could ever imagine and I couldn't have had a bigger grin on my face.

And that right there is why I mix music, because when it works well- you feel epic!
I had a similar experience mixing Stevie Wonder right in the middle of a trance track (think it was Sandstorm, Darude).

[Casual77]

I'd be delighted if someone asked me if I could 'mix' and I'd know I was DJing at the right kind of gig for me.

Its nice and easy doing quick cuts between radio edits but for me its far more satisfying doing a long, harmonic mix between two songs in compatible keys, especially when you can tease in elements of the upcoming song and build up noticeable anticipation on the dancefloor. Unfortunately, outside of dance music, its not generally that easy to mix a lot of music for more than a couple of bars.

[Nakatomi]

I'd be delighted if someone asked me if I could 'mix' and I'd know I was DJing at the right kind of gig for me.

Its nice and easy doing quick cuts between radio edits but for me its far more satisfying doing a long, harmonic mix between two songs in compatible keys, especially when you can tease in elements of the upcoming song and build up noticeable anticipation on the dancefloor. Unfortunately, outside of dance music, its not generally that easy to mix a lot of music for more than a couple of bars.

It's not always desirable to either in a mobile situation. And 12" versions of a lot of older tracks are either too different to the ones people are familiar with or they're simply too long. I mitigate the latter with preset hotcues but it's still limiting.

If you're not using software with full beat grids like Serato.or Ableton, human timekeeping on tracks can make things er, fun.

As for it being nice & easy to cut or chop between tracks, if it was that easy every DJ & their dog would be doing it! In some regards a chop or slam mix is harder to get right than a long running mix. If your timing is even just a bit off... Eeeew. Worse still if the key is off.

A few DJs I know don't use headphones or a controller, or even an eternal soundcard. They just drop tracks into the autopilot list & let it do the work. Awful, but they get away with it.

[Casual77]

It's not always desirable to either in a mobile situation.

I'd go as far as to say it seems to be rarely desirable. Most of the younger generation these days seem to only want choruses and don't have the patience for 12" versions of songs (I've just realised I sounded like my dad typing that).

I think I'll always try to do a bit of proper mixing when I get onto the Calvin Harris/David Guetta/Swedish House Mafia stuff but that probably betrays the fact that I'm more of a club-style DJ rather than an out-and-out mobile DJ at the moment.


As for it being nice & easy to cut or chop between tracks, if it was that easy every DJ & their dog would be doing it! In some regards a chop or slam mix is harder to get right than a long running mix.

Yeah, I suppose it was a bit flippant of me to say it is 'easy'. At least with 12" dance tracks you can rely on having a drum beat right up to the end of the track whereas I've been caught out a few times with unexpected endings on some of the radio edits I've played recently. I guess it is more important to know your music when you're doing shorter mixes between radio edits.

[Nakatomi]

I'm not sure the preference for 7" versions is just a young persons thing, but I get what you're saying & I agree. Heck, even on a lot of recent singles punters don't recognise a song from the intro because it doesn't get played on the radio in full. Uptown Funk is one example I can give. so now I cue it to come right in on 'this' instead :lol: One gig, the floor almost cleared during the intro, but they all ran back when they realised. The fickle sods.

[Excalibur]

Maybe that is for another thread though.... over to you, Peter :) (oh PS why do you wish you could do something that you are never asked for? And if my gut feeling is correct in thinking it's just another basic DJ slkill anyone can learn if they put some hours to it?)

Rich
Same reason I have some kit I've bought, and never used yet. The day may come when it's vital to make the event a success. May. If it does, I want to be ready.



I've always strived to be 'mister no gaps' though & it still amazes me that even today people leave honking great big pauses between tracks.
I too try very hard to avoid awkward gaps, and it amazes me when people leave silences between music. Filling them with sparkling and witty banter, yes. Silence no.


- Flipping magical, they went absolutely nuts better than I could ever imagine and I couldn't have had a bigger grin on my face.

And that right there is why I mix music, because when it works well- you feel epic!


And that's why I wish to learn something about mixing. There's a big difference between not having gaps, and joining them up properly.


Mind you, I once had a DJ cover a booking for me because I had a timing clash with another one. I arrived soon after he'd started, and he was mixing up a storm, I was impressed beyond belief. The customers weren't. Their bums were glued to the chairs. I took over as planned, he got paid his full fee for half a gig, so he was happy.

I started shoving on all the stuff I usually did, and they all got up and danced. Every aspect of a DJs skill has a time and a place.

[Nakatomi]

Same reason I have some kit I've bought, and never used yet. The day may come when it's vital to make the event a success. May. If it does, I want to be ready.


I too try very hard to avoid awkward gaps, and it amazes me when people leave silences between music. Filling them with sparkling and witty banter, yes. Silence no.



And that's why I wish to learn something about mixing. There's a big difference between not having gaps, and joining them up properly.


Mind you, I once had a DJ cover a booking for me because I had a timing clash with another one. I arrived soon after he'd started, and he was mixing up a storm, I was impressed beyond belief. The customers weren't. Their bums were glued to the chairs. I took over as planned, he got paid his full fee for half a gig, so he was happy.

I started shoving on all the stuff I usually did, and they all got up and danced. Every aspect of a DJs skill has a time and a place.

I've taught 3 people how to 'mix' (beatmatching mostly), all women btw, and they picked it up surprisingly quickly. (I walked into a bar in Newcastle once & thought I recognised the lady DJ.. she'd got herself a spot in a top bar long after I'd jacked it all in). If you have a reasonable sense of timing it's not necessarily hard, but practice is essential. I practice mixing even now for at least an hour a week generally. Learning to adjust the speed of one tune to match another is the first thing you need to be able to pick up IMHO. Yes our fancy programs all have 'sync' buttons to do this feat by magic but it doesn't always work. I dunno if the program you use automatically lines up a cue point right on the first beat, but I generally bring all my cue points up on the first beat.

A tip I can offer here while you're learning is to have one deck playing a nice long tune, and set the pitch control to somewhere but don't look! Load up the same tune as the one on the first deck. Then try to get the speed of the 2nd track to match the first... it'll be tricky as hell at first but eventually you'll begin to be able to interpret which deck is ahead of the other.. and before you know it you'll be appearing on Brighton Beach in front of a million people :D Oh yeah, and to start with you'll need to practice with music made on machines ;)

Other techniques like cutting & slam mixing (a cut is a 'chop' directly between 2 tunes & sounds like an abrupt edit).. What I call a 'slam' is where the last beat from deck 1 overlaps the first from deck 2 - a daft example would be say, going from the outro of The Wonderstuff's 'Size of a Cow' into the intro of Elvis' 'Jailhouse Rock'.. may not 'work' in reality but you can maybe see what I'm getting at. I can recommend some of Ellaskins' tutorials on Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/user/ellaskins) - when he's not banging on about conspiracy theories he's a good learnin' watch for mixing tricks, especially for sequencing older tracks.

There's also a 'free course' (by which I mean they'll take your email address & try to sell you courses) on how to be a digital DJ which includes mixing tips.. over at digitaldjtips.com.

[dicky]

A few DJs I know don't use headphones or a controller, or even an eternal soundcard.


Is that like an everlasting one?


Interesting chat this, for me at least... there are some things I have been doing as a matter of course without even an inkling they had a definition

cutting (a cut is a 'chop' directly between 2 tunes & sounds like an abrupt edit) - i've pulled this feat off on several occasions on recent 16th/18th birthdays and it worked absolutely superbly if you get the tempo and timing right - So much so that I had a big grin on my face for doing it - I didn't even know the technique even had a name.... but IMHO do it right and as a DJ you'll feel like you are 'on fire'. Certainly I got on a big high from doing it and it's one of the reasons that I love playing Future House & RnB to young audiences ;)

'slam mixing' where the last beat from deck 1 overlaps the first from deck 2 - I'm doing this all the time (on various forms of music) thanks once again for putting a name to this technique

What I find more difficult to make work properly is the longer overlapped mixes...... but someone once told me it's a matter of matcing the tempo and being able to count to 16. Is that about it? Plus some patience and practice?

Regards leaving 'gaps' between records and 'talking on the mic, announcing the next record, etc'................ this technique though it appers to be somewhat dissed on here, works very very well (and is almost expected of a DJ?) on the Northern Soul scene (and possibly other genres). From my personal experience that is....... limited though may well be.

Rich

[Nakatomi]

Longer mixes do need the speed of each track to be matched or it will sound abysmal, also known as a 'train crash'. For this, the ability of DJ gear & software to adjust the playback speed without affecting the musical pitch has been a godsend - not only do you have to watch out for the beats being in sync, but the musical key has to be compatible or it'll sound a mess if you don't restrict yourself to only crossing tracks over during drum breaks.

As Peter said earlier, all kinds of DJ technique have their place. If the style you use isn't compatible with the circumstances where you use it, it's probably not as big a disaster as playing the wrong tune at the wrong time, but it can work against you. An example would be the fast-cut-up style of party mix I used to do every night in a club - were you to do that at a wedding for example, you run more risk of it alienating guests who wanted to hear the whole song all the way through. Though some would consider cutting off 'Come On Eileen' at the break just before the final build-up as just punishment for its fans :P

You probably shouldn't mix or even segue (pronounced segway if the term is new to you) between tracks during a strict tempo style section or event. BTW a segue is your basic 'playing 2 songs back to back very close together', but not an abrupt change like a chop or cut. As for NS, wasn't that scene where mixing was born? I think I remember reading that somewhere. But then, from what I know of NS, a good few songs have different dance styles associated with them so a pause in the music would be natural to have.

I've found in one place I play that sometimes guests like to give a track (or me? I go with the track) a round of applause so when I sense this is happening I don't just plough straight on into the next song, I announce it first.

I don't think there are many hard & fast rules to apply here except this: Don't put any one technique above the others. Context is absolutely vital.

[Excalibur]

Regards leaving 'gaps' between records and 'talking on the mic, announcing the next record, etc'................ this technique though it appers to be somewhat dissed on here, works very very well (and is almost expected of a DJ?) on the Northern Soul scene (and possibly other genres). From my personal experience that is....... limited though may well be.

Rich

Appearances can be deceptive. ;) While it's generally regarded as perhaps being " out of fashion ", it's widely acknowledged as being one of the important DJ skills to have in your repertoire.

When is it needed? On the store launch in Blaydon, where the manager came out halfway through the day, and said he couldn't understand how I could keep talking for so long, and how well I'd done it. ( And before some smartbottom jumps in, yes I did play music in between my little discourses. ) We'll draw a veil over the very young trainee DJ who gave me the benefit of his many days ( by the looks of things ) experience in Radio, and suggested I chat less. Two days later, we all got memos saying som folk were just putting the music on autopilot, and not speaking to and interacting with the customers. Cue one smug Old Git, and one doubtless equally younger soul residing North of the Border, with whom I'd been having a discussion on this thorny subject.

When is it not needed? When my client asks me to keep it to a minimum, and concentrate on keeping the dance floor full. Her glowing feedback suggests that I must have managed to bite my tongue sufficiently.

It's all a matter of judging the event and the crowd correctly. Sounds simple, doesn't it? :whistle:

[yourdj]

I have had people that have mentioned mixing, but not many. They are usually bedroom DJ grooms that have no idea at all about formal functions as they have only really imagined themselves in clubs or at friends parties. No bride has every asked and they usually have a better grasp on theses things. :)

I beat match, merge tracks using loops and in key with a bass/volume drop, usually for about 10-20 seconds of the track, which is a smooth transition, between the music. Works wonders for differing genres etc. I would do it it for 90% of tracks and actively search for the same percentage using the BPM. If there was a dance set, then i would mix a bit more than billie jean into blurred lines (for example).

Being able to mix is one of my/our 10 UPS's. Main thing is "No dance move cheese" or "will you talk over the music" but thats my market. I think I will actually do a little promotional video showing the difference between the two is in order - e.g. gap in the music and blending or "mixing" as people do not really know the difference, which is why they do not ask.

[funkymook]

I think I will actually do a little promotional video showing the difference between the two is in order - e.g. gap in the music and blending or "mixing" as people do not really know the difference, which is why they do not ask.

I think most people know the difference between a gap and no gap between songs to be honest :)

[Benny Smyth]

Being able to mix is one of my/our 10 UPS's. Main thing is "No dance move cheese" or "will you talk over the music" but thats my market. I think I will actually do a little promotional video showing the difference between the two is in order - e.g. gap in the music and blending or "mixing" as people do not really know the difference, which is why they do not ask.

At the risk of sounding thick, what's UPS? The only UPS I know is uninterruptable power supply, which I suspect is not what you meant here. :lol:

Did you mean USP?

[dicky]

As for NS, wasn't that scene where mixing was born? I think I remember reading that somewhere. But then, from what I know of NS, a good few songs have different dance styles associated with them so a pause in the music would be natural to have.




Hey Juski you are not far off there mate - but it was actually the Modern Soul scene initially 'created' at the Blackpool Mecca Highland Room, which in the mid 70s was pretty much the only Modern Soul club in the UK, that spawned 'mixing' in the UK.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_soul

It is said that it was the DJ's Colin Curtis & Ian Levine who pioneered the technique, but as I was there in the crowds most weekends at the time I can say it was Colin who did hte mixing, Ian mostly (and still did the last time i heard him play a few years back) like to talk between records

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_Curtis_%28DJ%29
In 1973, after the closure of the Golden Torch, Colin began a weekly residency at the Blackpool Mecca’s Highland Room soul nights and was joined by fellow DJ and collector Ian Levine in a partnership which lasted until 1978. Hitherto, the Northern soul scene had been a revivalist movement built around obscure US recordings from the 1960s which conformed to a certain rhythmic and vocal template. However, the Curtis/Levine duo are noted for successfully introducing contemporary styles of African-American music such as Disco, Funk and Jazz Funk onto their Highland Room playlists and, as a result, the creation of a split in the Northern soul movement which led to the parallel Modern soul subgenre.[6] Levine and Curtis are also credited with being amongst the first DJs to introduce mixing to British nightclubs. This technique, which had been pioneered by DJ Francis Grasso in the clubs of New York City, enabled the DJ to create a non-stop sequence of records.


There is an interesting read somewhere by Ian Levine called 'Does The talking Have To Stop' that discusses the origins of mixing but I can't find it. :(

Also for anyone vaguely interested in the Rise of the Modern Soul and Disco scene in the UK there is another superb article on the net somewhere called 'A Northern Disco' that documents the rise of disco music from the Northern Soul scene via the teaming of Levine/Curtis at Blackpool Mecca and the Highland room. Can't just find that one either :confused:, maybe when I have a bit more time lol

One thing I am most proud of in my life, I was part of that scene from my mid teens to early 20s, when most of my mates were listening to Showaddywaddy and Racey, and I was there to experience these events without realising at the time in actual fact they were 'historic' in the development of dance music.

Rich

[Benny Smyth]

Also for anyone vaguely interested in the Rise of the Modern Soul and Disco scene in the UK there is another superb article on the net somewhere called 'A Northern Disco' that documents the rise of disco music from the Northern Soul scene via the teaming of Levine/Curtis at Blackpool Mecca and the Highland room. Can't just find that one either :confused:, maybe when I have a bit more time lol

I'd be very interested in that. Since House music became disco's 'replacement' after the disco scene was forced out of the mainstream and back into the underground clubs in New York and Chicago, I would find that very interesting.

[Excalibur]

At the risk of sounding thick, what's UPS? The only UPS I know is uninterruptable power supply, which I suspect is not what you meant here. :lol:


Or the nice men in the brown vans. ;)

[Benny Smyth]

Or the nice men in the brown vans. ;)

Ugh! I hate UPS. God forbid that they actually deliver anything when they say they will. :rolleyes:

[mattydj50]

Or the nice men in the brown vans. ;)

And ladies (especially one like ours) ;)

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

its not generally that easy to mix a lot of music for more than a couple of bars.

Unless you use loops.

[yourdj]

Did you mean USP?

Thats the one ;)


Unless you use loops.

No more need for extended mixes. Looping is so useful.

[Nakatomi]

Funnily enough, I've just been to see a client (who won a win a wedding comp. & live virtually next door to me) & I was asked if I mix. HA!

I said I can, and do but not always, according to context but I *do* always try not to have gaps.

[Benny Smyth]

Thats the one

That does bring up a question: how can mixing be a Unique Selling Point?

[Nakatomi]

That does bring up a question: how can mixing be a Unique Selling Point?

It's a selling point for sure, but I'm not sure about the unique part. I think those who create a flow of some sort are still in the minority which is sad in some ways, but better for those who can & do.

The couple I talked to last night have been to 6 weddings in the last year & they said they didn't want the massive gaps between songs they witnessed at those weddings. There don't seem to be many who are able, or bother maintaining any kind of flow. That's been my own experience as a guest too. Well it's either been that or the DJ mixing away ignoring the guests entirely in one case.

That said, the couple are both musically minded. He was a bedroom DJ & she teaches dance & has mixes produced for her so they're very much in a minority among customers

[Andy P]

Your individual style of mixing tracks can be a USP. Because you mix it up with different methods and styles using looping, beatmatching and scratching etc. I would guess everyone will mix slightly differently.

Personally its never came up in the sales conversation for me, I just mention seemless transitions between the tracks

[scott23]

10 years ago i used to spend all my leisure time mixing and beat matching. My decks are technics 1210s and I have to say I was and still are brilliant at it. Played bangin techno, house electro all over the place from disused warehouses in france to big club night in U.K. I was even on a record label and my happiest moment was releasing my first track on vinyl .

Beat matching is a skill that took me 2 years mixing every day to get even good at never mind brilliant at.

I learned a few good lessons from this era. Main one is mixing isnt always about mashing up 2 tracks together or being able to beat match both. Its about a flawless flow of music and keeping the dancefloor filled with happy people enjoying along with you the music. One of my flat mates during that era taught me how to scratch and mix it different genres at different bpms- Which is bloody difficult!

Today doing mobile discos its a different ball game! I never beat match! I do however mix "a little" but I more importantly - do make the music match flawless and keep the dancefloor happy..

It sounds to me like your clients might be looking for someone like me 10 years ago lol. I sometimes get enquiries for 21st looking for a club style dj. I have a old friend whom I pass them onto. ;-)

[FEELTHEVIBE]

Ahh, glad I found this...

Very much related to my thread from yesterday.

Its nice to get a feel on what some of you guys do and how you do it.

Mixing is my strong point, its the talking on a mic I'm gonna have to get used to, not something I have really done much of but I'm confident I can pull it off.

I agree with Scott23.
Mixing is not just hot droping a track. The actual art of long transitions and making your entire set flow as it was just one track takes a lot of practice but extremely rewarding for those who are listening and the DJ him/herself.

Yep, basic starting point.
Count your 16 bars (sometimes 8, sometimes 32 but rarely either)
Beat matching takes a long time to learn by ear but if any of you have the urge to learn just keep doing it and after months many a year or so you will be to a level of performing for hours without any major error.

Music software had defo helped with this and if you wanted to skip the beat matching you can use sync. Or match the BPM or screen....
I might be cheating a little but give it a crack, you may surprise yourself and find you have a hidden talent of music manipulation you never had. It feels great too!

Everyone has there strong points, mine is mixing I guess and I'm hoping to take my knowledge and use it to enhance the entertainment I will be providing as a mobile DJ.

Its great to hear some of you on here have experimented with tracks that would not be classed as "Dance", I have toyed with things like ghostbusters and elvis plus lots of other stuff over the years. When it works its wonderful and people love to hear them because its something the probably have not heard before.

Some of the older folk on here haven't really dabbled with it but I you have some decent software and some bumpy choons, give it a crack!!!

And if your really feeling brave, dust of the vinyl and do it old skool.

That is harder but way more fun.

17 years and now my decks are collecting dust.
No time or space to warrant them being setup, I'm not parting with them just yet though lol

[scott23]

Ohh this is a old thread eh?! 😃 I think its good you are wanting to beat match doing mobile discos and you may well find yourself with a specific clientele, which can make you stand out from others. However I have to say that most clients who book a function Disco aren't generally looking for Jeff mills or grand master flash 😉 your mic skills shall put you in better stead, than mixing agado into Elvis.

Also I would state that doing a 5 hour mobile disco to a mixed aged crowd is more challenging and takes a different type of skill than the 1 to 2 hour sets infront of people who are there for one style of music, ie house, techno etc. Different ball game! If I was yourself I would focus more on public speaking skills, using the mic with confidence and use your beat matching skills at the right times of the night.

[FEELTHEVIBE]

Ohh this is a old thread eh?!  I think its good you are wanting to beat match doing mobile discos and you may well find yourself with a specific clientele, which can make you stand out from others. However I have to say that most clients who book a function Disco aren't generally looking for Jeff mills or grand master flash  your mic skills shall put you in better stead, than mixing agado into Elvis.

Also I would state that doing a 5 hour mobile disco to a mixed aged crowd is more challenging and takes a different type of skill than the 1 to 2 hour sets infront of people who are there for one style of music, ie house, techno etc. Different ball game! If I was yourself I would focus more on public speaking skills, using the mic with confidence and use your beat matching skills at the right times of the night.

That's exactly my plan mate.
The mic is something I have not been to familiar with over the years so that's a major biggy for me, I'm sure with time like anything you get better at it?
TBH, I just want to get out there now! I have 95% of my rig but still waiting for some other bits.
Plus the huge mine field of of sourcing the the 1000's of tracks I'm gonna need to cater for all, and licencing (PLI and ProDub)

I'm itching to go! lol

[scott23]

Good luck pal. Its a big transition and shall take abit of getting used too. I read in here a while back that most club style DJs who transfer to mobile generally last about 6 months lol. For me I think if you can keep a crowd of edm fans bouncing one night, then a 80th birthday party with mainstream and classics the next, then that's the sign of a great DJ.
Just your old mates from the scene might give you pelters, when they find out your doing a children's birthday or christening on Sunday morning 😉

Whatever you do! Don't future price a job, steer clear of charity's unless they are going to pay full wack and don't become a £100 quid sid just to get some gigs.

Take advise from the guys who have been replying to your other thread aswel, they know what they are talking about!

[ukpartydj]

You definitely do get a feeling from the guests when you've done a good mix of two tracks they like though. It's like "ooooh where did that song come from" sorta feeling around the dance floor even if they don't say it :)

Trust me, you cannot mix all night with mobile stuff. You can try but then somebody says "what about this track which will go down great but doesn't mix well"...

[FEELTHEVIBE]

Thanks guys, I take all the advice very seriously that you and others have said.

This forum already in just a few days has been a great place for info regarding the mobile DJ scene.

I am in it for the love of all music.

I like everything mostly and enjoy making people happy and giving them a good time.
My ideas to some may feel foreign and unwanted but I am ultimately getting into this to give the customer what they want, not what I think is good.

I think I might of offended a few on my thread (if you have read it), I defo have not set out to do that.
But there will always be someone new with new ideas and a fresh look on things. I'm that guy today and I wont be embarrassed if I fail, because at least I tried.

[Shaun]

I am in it for the love of all music.


Love it for the pay first, and the love of music second. Even music lovers need to turn a profit. :d

[Excalibur]

I think I might of offended a few on my thread (if you have read it), I defo have not set out to do that.


I don't see offended. You've got enthusiasm and a bright idea. Excellent. How bright that idea is remains to be seen. Good luck.

[FEELTHEVIBE]

Lol Shaun, the money will be awesome too haha

Thanks peter, I thought you may have been one of those that I may have.
I am full of ideas at the moment, I have a goal and I'm all enthusiastic, maybe I'll witter away into nothing or maybe I wont.

Everyone thought steve jobs was crazy in the beginning PMSL

[yourdj]

How bright that idea is remains to be seen. Good luck.

:):);)