Beatmatching...is It Relevant Outside Of Club/dance Music?

[Reverandfunk 0]

Using a 10 second cross fade does the trick for me....

 

I still maintain that as a mobile dj where the punters are there for a knees up, they couldn't give a monkeys about mixing. i dont mix because i dont see the point, does that make me a fake dj????

 

Seeing as i have 30 plus gigs for 2008 already and the feedback I get from people is I'm the best Dj they have had then mixing for me isnt an issue lol

[Revelationroadshow 0]

At one time I would have said no to the beatmatching/mixing thing however having read the article that Brian prepared for the BPM seminar I now try to choose tracks that blend together better. I have done a few quite decent mixes which do help to keep the dance floor moving. Having said this when playing 60's tracks it ads to the nostalgia with a bit of a break or dip between tracks. I think as has been said many times we are all different as DJ's. I would love sometime to go out to a gig with another DJ and watch his/her techiques from behind the decks as I am sure I am in a bit of a rut as far as track selection is concerned.

Brians article has definately made me more aware of mixing/blending tracks. :thanks:

 

And this, gentlemen, is the correct answer!

[C.S 0]

Using a 10 second cross fade does the trick for me....

 

I still maintain that as a mobile dj where the punters are there for a knees up, they couldn't give a monkeys about mixing. i dont mix because i dont see the point, does that make me a fake dj????

 

Seeing as i have 30 plus gigs for 2008 already and the feedback I get from people is I'm the best Dj they have had then mixing for me isnt an issue lol

 

 

Nobody has said that you are a fake dj and in my book anyone who gets up and entertains a group of people has my respect but this topic was on mixing or beat matching. The original question was good but unfortunately it turned to something negative. Basically my attitude is the same, perhaps you dont need to mix but i can promise you it helps you understand the music a bit better and helps you improve musically. your programmingwill improve. i djed for 15 years before i learnt to mix and it took me ages(still practice at least 3 hours a week) and i regret i didnt do it sooner. I have worked a lot with agencies had my own ,supplied clubs\nightclubs with many different types of djs and to be honest i would never employ a dj who could not mix or was not at least willing to try. Why ? because the attitude that as a dj i am so good i dont need to learn to mix is an arrogant and selfish one. I understand that at most weddings you dont need to mix but if you get the chance to learn i am sure you will not regret it.

[Andy Westcott 0]

I would wholeheartedly agree that learning at least the basics of beat mixing/matching is a useful skill and enhances your understanding of the structure of dance music, but I still defend my position that it is largely unnecessary at the kind of gigs I, and many others on here, do. That doesn't mean you shouldn't do it - merely that it is unnecessary.

 

OK, I do occasionally do parties for 20-somethings, and here I like to mix a handful of the nineties classics together, but in the main I find it unnecessary.

 

And Chris - this bit:

"Waiting anxiously for the next track to start ?"

 

Let's straighten this one just in case...

I don't wait until there is silence (not intentionally anyhow!!) before I fade in the next track; What I mean is that you can see that the audience is aware the track's ending is imminent, and are anticipating the next track. My point being the argument about playing the track in its entirety, rather than cutting it off.

 

Having said that, I do sometimes like to land the first beat of the next track squarely on a fading beat of the previous and quickly toss the cross-fade over, but you have to use the right tracks for this or it'll sound silly, especially if you get the phrasing wrong.

 

Ultimately, there is no right or wrong answer here, as gigs just vary too much to have one solution.

[expresbro 0]

The original question was good

 

Glad to hear it

 

Enjoying the banter all the same. It's a bit like the "discussions" that happen on Photography forums whenever the question of Jpeg versus RAW comes up.

 

My personal view is that any new skill learned can only be a good thing..whether you use it a lot or not..

 

Plus I'm a bit OCD when I take an interest in something..like to know as much as I can about it... :amen:

 

[NRG Roadshow 0]

I do try and find tracks with similar BPMs most of the time, but I believe that track selection is more important for a party DJ.

Sometimes tracks will mix together even if the BPMs are quite a lot different by carfully sellecting the mix out and the mix in point of the next track, I quite often do chop mixes as it keeps it nice and simple.

If the BPMs are vastly different it can interupt the flow of the floor though, but somtimes its possible to chop from a slowish bpm to a fastish bpm as long as the mix in and mix out points are in the right place.

Its also Pretty easy with Traktor to see where the beats are on screen so that makes it better for me.

 

Well thats what I find anyway, but its porbably wrong as I aint been mixing properly for that long, but whatever Im doing it seems to work ok most of the time.

I didnt used to bother with mixing at all, but thanks to Brian and Marcs seminar at BPM, I have been having a go at the things taught, and Im enjoying my DJing much more now, gives me more of a challenge than just playing tune after tune after tune.

 

I also like to to "tasters" of whats coming up next....

For example....

Venga Boys - Boom Boom Boom

(It has a part in the middle where the track goes almost silent for around 5 seconds)

I use this gap to drop in the begining vocal of the next track which is....

Aqua - Doctor Jones (where she says "sometimes the feeling is right, you fall in love for the first time")

The gap in Boom Boom Boom is perfect for the vocal of Dr Jones to slip into.....

 

Seems to work very well, is that a bad thing to do?

 

 

 

[Danno13 0]

One thing I hate about these kind of debates on forums is that alot of people seem to assume that beatmixing is only for dance music.. but of course thats rubbish!

 

Plenty of 70s and 80s classics lend themselves perfectly to beatmixing.. prime example is Rose Royce - Car Wash.. how many of you play this from the first note? How many play it from where the tune kicks in (and it becomes immediatley recognisable)? Or how many use the intro (or even part of it) to smoothly mix it into the previous track?

 

The two last options will most of the time keep the floor better, but the last one sounds alot more impressive when done well. Whatever the function (and weddings especially) you'll have people in their 20s and 30s that will be used to hearing seamless mixes and they will notice!

 

I think we're alone now, Billie Jean, I wanna dance with somebody, Chain reaction, December '63 .. are all other good examples for where the same can be done. And of course the IDFLD into Rock DJ mix... (and into Stayin' Alive if you want) Oh, and one I found the other night Walk this Way (which has a long drawn-out outro...) into Valerie (Mark Ronson version)

Edited January 9, 2008 by Danno13

[expresbro 0]

 

Danno...I suspect that a lot of DJ's probably do that kind of thing without ever calling it Beatmatching..even I do that when I'm messing around with different tracks on the PC at home.

 

But what is confusing me a little is that beatmatching/mixing to me means that the BPM's have to be the same or very close? Sometimes, as NRG said above, tracks can have totally different BPM but still mix together quite well.

 

NRG .. I love the idea of dropping a bit of one song into the middle end of another as a teaser. I've heard that done a few times and it really sounds good to me. Must try out the two tracks you mention.

 

I've done something similar with Justin Timberlake's Sexyback and Britneys Spears "Gimmee" and it sounds pretty cool.

[4zzz 0]

I love to learn new stuff all the time and mixing around tracks is fun to do.

 

I think there are a lot of great remixes of old classics which give an old classic a new lease on life.

 

It gets quite boring to here all tracks for there full length.

 

I like a lot of the chopping done by Soulwax and 2 Many DJ's, Oakenfold etc it gives you a lot of

inspiration to try new things.

 

2 many DJ's have a great mash up of Dreadlock Holiday with Independent Woman into 9-5 by Dolly Parton. Have played this mix at functions with a good effect.

 

You don't have to be a club DJ to try something new.

 

The articile here by Brian was very good.

[NRG Roadshow 0]

One thing I hate about these kind of debates on forums is that alot of people seem to assume that beatmixing is only for dance music.. but of course thats rubbish!

 

Plenty of 70s and 80s classics lend themselves perfectly to beatmixing.. prime example is Rose Royce - Car Wash.. how many of you play this from the first note? How many play it from where the tune kicks in (and it becomes immediatley recognisable)? Or how many use the intro (or even part of it) to smoothly mix it into the previous track?

 

The two last options will most of the time keep the floor better, but the last one sounds alot more impressive when done well. Whatever the function (and weddings especially) you'll have people in their 20s and 30s that will be used to hearing seamless mixes and they will notice!

 

I think we're alone now, Billie Jean, I wanna dance with somebody, Chain reaction, December '63 .. are all other good examples for where the same can be done. And of course the IDFLD into Rock DJ mix... (and into Stayin' Alive if you want) Oh, and one I found the other night Walk this Way (which has a long drawn-out outro...) into Valerie (Mark Ronson version)

 

I agreee with that Danno......

Dont think anyone has said its just for dancemusic, if they have I aint read it.

 

I dont think its just for dancemusic, and now Im learning the ropes as to how to do it Im trying to mix a lot more than I used too....

I just think that somtimes its more important to select good tracks and the mix to be slightly off, rather than selecting the next track just because it mixes nicely....

 

Of course in a perfect world its nice to get the perfect next track and get it to mix in from the previous track........and thats the bit Im learning more about everytrime I go out and have a play LOL

 

NRG .. I love the idea of dropping a bit of one song into the middle end of another as a teaser. I've heard that done a few times and it really sounds good to me. Must try out the two tracks you mention.

 

Theirs a few others that I have found that its quite easy to do this with too........

I gave a taster vocal of Basshunter - now your gone (the start vocal) but I cant remember the track I was playing at the time that had a quiet bit in it.......but it worked and I loved the way it sounded.

 

I also like the reaction you get from the crowd the "OMG aint heard this for ages" reaction.....then you carry on playing the previous track just to make um wait for it LOL

 

So does anyone else do this?

 

 

 

Edited January 9, 2008 by NRG Roadshow

[Revelationroadshow 0]

I agreee with that Danno......

Dont think anyone has said its just for dancemusic, if they have I aint read it.

 

I dont think its just for dancemusic, and now Im learning the ropes as to how to do it Im trying to mix a lot more than I used too....

I just think that somtimes its more important to select good tracks and the mix to be slightly off, rather than selecting the next track just because it mixes nicely....

 

Of course in a perfect world its nice to get the perfect next track and get it to mix in from the previous track........and thats the bit Im learning more about everytrime I go out and have a play LOL

Theirs a few others that I have found that its quite easy to do this with too........

I gave a taster vocal of Basshunter - now your gone (the start vocal) but I cant remember the track I was playing at the time that had a quiet bit in it.......but it worked and I loved the way it sounded.

 

I also like the reaction you get from the crowd the "OMG aint heard this for ages" reaction.....then you carry on playing the previous track just to make um wait for it LOL

 

So does anyone else do this?

 

I do the "tease" a lot these days.

 

Was playing at a marquee wedding back in the summer - 250 people crammed onto the dance floor. Actually can't remember the track I was playing, but I teased the intro to "Dub be good to me" - the "Jack fly boss walk jam nitty gritty, your listening to the boy from the big bad city..." over the top a few times until one of the partygoers truned around and yelled "play the f@@@@@@g track" - and smile all over his face.

 

I love that!

[Reverandfunk 0]

Before i go and have a lie down I still maintain that as a mobile dj as opposed to a club dj I personally see no point in mixing. But that is just my personal opinion.

 

Thank you and godnight lol

[analyst 0]

one of the partygoers truned around and yelled "play the f@@@@@@g track"

Yes, that's exactly what I feel like too.

The "smile" was not meant to be an engaging one, I suspect.

[C.S 0]

Lets just agree to disagree because i think using a mic is pointless :bouncy:

[superstardeejay 0]

 

I also like the reaction you get from the crowd the "OMG aint heard this for ages" reaction.....then you carry on playing the previous track just to make um wait for it LOL

 

Nah I find this sort of DJ very annoying indeed!!

 

;-)

 

[mattydinx 0]

my 2p in this one is that all 'forms' of DJing should be adopted, just in varying amounts - depending on the function. My main clientel (16-30s) generally speaking prefer the 'more music, less talking, approach - mixing included, whereas discos for an older generation - they seem to prefer the interaction between the DJ and the crowd - and i'd suspect any mixes i do would go un-noticed anyways!

 

One of my favourite selection of tracks for a bit of a mix are

 

Fatman Scoop Feat. The Crooklyn Clan - Be Faithful

Run DMC - Walk This Way

Clock - Oh What A Night (December '63)

House of Pain - Jump Around (Minus the intro)

The Macarena

Robbie Williams - Rock DJ

MVP - Rock Ya Body (Mic Check 1 2) (Sample)

 

Other mixes include:

 

Rednex - Cotton Eye Joe (Bootleg mix i was given from a DJ at Galaxy Radio)

with a mix-in sample of Hayseed Dixie - Fat Bottom Girls in the bridge.

Mixes into Love shack pretty well too.

 

Billie Jean - Mixes with just about anything! - but for disco's, S Club 7 - Don't Stop Movin'

 

One of my faves (not cause of the tracks, more because the mix works so well!)

Kelly Clarkson - Since U Been Gone (Galaxy Dance Radio mix - Another freebie i got)

Charlotte Church - Crazy Chick

Mixed so that as kelly sings the last "since you been gone", the snare kicks in on crazy chick, and the song begins - really effective.

 

[Andy Westcott 0]

Quote CS:

"i think using a mic is pointless"

 

WHATT??

Only real DJs don't have to use the mic...

 

Sorry. smile icon

 

About beat-mixing oldies - have a go with Edwin Starr's 'Contact' - the 12 inch version. See if you can keep that in sync!!

 

If you can, you are quicker on the shift than I am!

[NRG Roadshow 0]

Nah I find this sort of DJ very annoying indeed!!

 

;-)

 

Oi Oi!!!!

 

I dont do it all the time, if I did then it would be annoying I agree.....

Just somtimes to tease, its good too tease LOL

[C.S 0]

Quote CS:

"i think using a mic is pointless"

 

WHATT??

Only real DJs don't have to use the mic...

 

Sorry. smile icon

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do stand up and plenty of interactive stuff at mobile gigs,just dont use a mic as i prefer to turn music off !

And yes real djs dont need a mic to do gigs they can manage without them if neccessary

[Swingcats 0]

Just try to play tracks which work together, same era, similar beats but not match perfect. Mobile environment. :joe:

 

eg steps 5 67 8.... Cotton eye joe..... boots for walking. ... whatever...no complaints yet

 

Headphones, got some, :shrug: never use um.

[Reverandfunk 0]

I also have headphones and never use them lol

 

My motto being when one track ends another one starts.....

 

 

[D.X 0]

If I did a mix of some tracks and uploaded it somewhere for folk to listen to would the mods allow that ?

 

I do this on many other sites and it's never a problem but I'd like to know beforehand if it's not worth me bothering.

[dh140770 0]

Mixing and beatmatching on a mobile disco for me is relevant. Personally though I am doing short mixes, whacking the fader over fairly quickly, but keeping the BPM the same and not crashing the vocals. This is for all styles of music. I tend to use Radio mixes even of the dance tunes now.

 

Back in my 20's (a while ago!), I used to do long beatmatches on 12" records, but that was in bars that were geared up to 12" mixes and dance music.

 

I tend to use the mic to talk to the crowd if they are not dancing, and then concentrate on the music once I have a floor. I guess I have a tendency to talk slightly too much, which i need to work on, but i'm definately not a Peter Kay DJ.

[expresbro 0]

If I did a mix of some tracks and uploaded it somewhere for folk to listen to would the mods allow that ?

 

I do this on many other sites and it's never a problem but I'd like to know beforehand if it's not worth me bothering.

 

On my travels through the archives here, I've come across just such posts..where the mixes were uploaded at a low bit rate...and I for one would love to listen to some mixes...those old ones are long expired :Thumbup:

 

[brianmole 0]

About beat-mixing oldies - have a go with Edwin Starr's 'Contact' - the 12 inch version. See if you can keep that in sync!!

 

If you can, you are quicker on the shift than I am!

Eeeeaaaassyyyy.... That's what loops are made for! Ideal for tracks like this which used a drummer who cannot keep time! Just loop the 4 beats before the bassline kicks in, do your mix, drop the loop et voila, job's a goodun!