Essential Attributes Of A Good DJ?

[yong]

i dont understand how djs can get excitement from djing when they have either

A. got a computer program to essentially mix for them
b. using cds and setting all the tunes to the same speed

massive fail!

by playing the right tunes, obviously!!

i don't care if you're working your ass off to beatmatch on vinyl if you're playing shite records!

Thing is though, vinyl DJ's tend to pick their tunes much more carefully than your average CD/MP3 DJ who can just click 'add to basket' and add another 90p to their account.

but that wasn't the argument presented was it? you're making the assumption that persons who choose to buy vinyl automatically have better taste in records to buy, and have better taste in when and how to play them.

[spire]

Dubs vs Known tracks
I like to hear tracks I've not heard if it's a DJ I know will have good tunes - but if I go to see a DJ that I don't know, and they play entirely tracks I don't know, and they all turn out to be a bit crappy - it's pointless. It helps to have a point of reference, a hook,, a riff - something to hum along to. I like to recognise some tracks. Sure if you're Mala, or Loefah or whatever - people are coming to see you, and hear your top secret unheard dubs - but if you're a Joe-punter on the decks, there's no harm in playing stuff I might know. Variety is key I think. Too obscure, and you've lost me. Too familiar and I get bored.

I agree with pretty much ALL of that. A friend and I run sound for a dubstep night every other Tuesday and theres been a couple dj's who at first i was glad werent just playing all the harder agressive (insert your own stereotypical artist here) tunes back to back. FFWD 30 mins into the set, i havnt heard one tune i recognise (and im pretty on top of things, definitely a nerd) and theyre all pretty boring to me and i try to get into whatevers being played. I dont understand how these guys get booked so often, nobody shows up to see THEM, but theyre consistently opening for bigger names.

ANYways. Enough of my complaining.

[1017_duck]

had no idea kids pitch shift tunes for easier mixing..? that's just pathetic
agreed with DFRNT, sound advice.

[captaincrazy]

Remember where you areThe crowd wants to know if you're enjoying yourself - they didn't come to see someone stand and look like they're checking their email, or mixing in their bedroom.

You saying when you're mixing in your bedroom you don't have it!? I've had some of the best brock outs while mixing by myself at home

[Sexual_Chocolate]

had no idea kids pitch shift tunes for easier mixing..? that's just pathetic

[Sexual_Chocolate]

Remember where you areThe crowd wants to know if you're enjoying yourself - they didn't come to see someone stand and look like they're checking their email, or mixing in their bedroom.

You saying when you're mixing in your bedroom you don't have it!? I've had some of the best brock outs while mixing by myself at home

HAHA. i was thinking the same thing when i read that comment.

PLUS, love seeing a dj get funky behind the decks, i know im in for a good night when the djs gettin hype in the box

[AntlionUK]

pitch shifting cd's is for arseholes.

nothing wrong with using cdj's though.

explain

As in pitch shifting tunes so that they are all already at the same BPM *cough*C&S*cough*

[1017_duck]

Remember where you areThe crowd wants to know if you're enjoying yourself - they didn't come to see someone stand and look like they're checking their email, or mixing in their bedroom.

You saying when you're mixing in your bedroom you don't have it!? I've had some of the best brock outs while mixing by myself at home

HAHA. i was thinking the same thing when i read that comment.

PLUS, love seeing a dj get funky behind the decks, i know im in for a good night when the djs gettin hype in the box

I think you've both misunderstood/exaggerated what he's saying a bit.

[JensMadsen]

For me:
being original
tight mixing
progression through the set

[spleen]

For me:
being original
tight mixing
progression through the set

tight mixin is a must imo...although playin sum wheel worthy dubs can redeem a poor mixin situation (considered its not THAT poor)

[abstractsound]

if you dont pitch shift tunes to mix, you can never change your bpm, and you will be boring.


cheers on the sarcasm and solid advice from dfrnt

[1017_duck]

if you dont pitch shift tunes to mix, you can never change your bpm, and you will be boring.

i think what they're saying is kiddies load up a song on the computer (or cdjs, i don't know how they do it) and reset the BPM.

unless i've got this all wrong. hopefully i do cause that is just shameless..

[DFRNT]

Ableton seems to remove the need for beatmixing.

One one hand I think that's good - since the DJ isn't going to fuck too much up in the way of mixes. On the other hand, it certainly removes the beatmixing skill somewhat. SUre there's still cue timing, and making sure you bring it in right - but if you're not having to match it, and adjust it all the time, it seems to be less effort.

The other point though is that if you're using Ableton, I'd expect more than just one tune in to the next - I'd like to see an Ableton DJ do more with the tracks. Get a midi controller in there, start re-arranging stuff, building it up abd breaking it down and stuff - use the software to its full extent. Don't look at it like an easy way out, but more like a way of taking your mixing and DJing to the next level.

Personally I don't trust laptops and software in a club environment - I've seen it go way wrong too many times. DJs missing their slots, awful crossovers between DJs, inexplainable problems with things like tempo, booting up - connections, sound levels - all sorts. I know if I turn up with vinyl or CDs, they go in or on the machine - they play, and 9 times out of 10 it works. No booting up, worrying about memory or any of that - since the machines - CDJs, turntables are designed with DJing in mind - a laptop isn't designed with 1 use in mind.

Interestingly, I wonder if there are laptops designed JUST for DJing - built for that environment. Maybe there's an opportunity for a product...

[hellfire machina]

Timing is everything imo, having the confidence to recreate the arrangement of a track on the fly, good selection, crowd interaction, knowing your enviroment in terms of what you play, taking risks and generally loving it as much as the people that have paid to come see you.

[Shum]

playing ALL of the next DJs dubs/bangers before they can

[abstractsound]

if you dont pitch shift tunes to mix, you can never change your bpm, and you will be boring.

i think what they're saying is kiddies load up a song on the computer (or cdjs, i don't know how they do it) and reset the BPM.

unless i've got this all wrong. hopefully i do cause that is just shameless..

resurrection

the only thing i can think of that is a bit over the top in this aspect would be recording a track into a DAW, then pitch shifting up or down to desired tempo and re-bouncing it, so you can use the track at the new key which would be your "home" tempo in this regard..

or time stretch it so the key doesn't change.



and DFRNT you are on it with the ableton thing. you can take it to the next level, but most don't. going back and forth track to track in ableton and just dropping FX is quite the easy way out. get 3-4 tracks going

[fractal]

Selection and being brave enough to resist tempo/genre cults

[Basic A]

if you dont pitch shift tunes to mix, you can never change your bpm, and you will be boring.

i think what they're saying is kiddies load up a song on the computer (or cdjs, i don't know how they do it) and reset the BPM.

unless i've got this all wrong. hopefully i do cause that is just shameless..

resurrection

the only thing i can think of that is a bit over the top in this aspect would be recording a track into a DAW, then pitch shifting up or down to desired tempo and re-bouncing it, so you can use the track at the new key which would be your "home" tempo in this regard..

or time stretch it so the key doesn't change.



and DFRNT you are on it with the ableton thing. you can take it to the next level, but most don't. going back and forth track to track in ableton and just dropping FX is quite the easy way out. get 3-4 tracks going

DAW thing is what there talking about.

[logic pro]

Making sure the audience enjoy themselves and giving them their hard earned moneys worth and doing the music justice.

this. and being sober enough to maintain the quality.

[sonar]

basically selection and mixing skills, you don't have to be amazazing but good enough to carry off a half decent mix and get the phrasing right. You can normally get away with a quick 8/16 bar mix or even a cut as long as it's in phrase.