Obviously you've got to match the tempos and some songs will clash, but do you normally use a standard for which songs to mix in to each other or do you normally just beatmatch any two songs that don't clasg?
for me, i mix anything that comes into my head. when i hear a beat i automatically start singing an acapella to the rhythm, from there it is straight to the drawing board or straight here to see if i can actually find the pella
I have somehow learned to sing harmonies, so that's basicly what I do, and sing it to whatever song I like, and suddenly a harmony might remind me of a song that sounds similar, and then I try singing that other song while listening to the first one:P
Saves me alot of time of beatmatching and pitchmatching, when I can check by singing, first:)
Last edited by alda on Wed May 14, 2008 9:49 am; edited 1 time in total
If you are a beginner I would recommend practicing with songs of the same genre and similar bpms. This will give you a feel for what sounds good and what doesn't.
Once you've tried and tested this it really depends on your technical abilities and your "ear".
Every Dj is different and it all boils down to what we think works well together and hopefully we pull it off (sometimes we don't!)
If you are going to be playing similar genres of music I would recommend learning each song inside out. This may be boring but it will definately give you a lot more of a creative streak when it comes down to your live sets.
If your going to be playing a variety of different music then it really is a hit or a miss. In my opinion, you just know what works and what doesn't, if that makes any sense? lol
In my experience, choosing and mixing different types of tracks succesfully just comes to you at that point in time, there is no 100% fool proof way of doing it before your set.
What I would say is NEVER plan a full set before you play. I did this the first time I ever played to a crowd! Although it went ok it just sounded robotic and it was not the type of venue where you can't play requests for people as there next song was an hour down the line in your set list! lol (learning curve)
This may be ok for big names to do at large events but in your average joe club it's not the best preperation.
By all means, have your records, cds, mp3s in an order that you think go well but don't get lazy and stick to that order.
Nowadays I simply turn up with my tunes, unprepared, STILL very nervous, have a couple beers, put on the cans and go for it! lol
There are many factors that will affect your choice in music but again you can't really prepare for this so learn as much as you possibly can about each of your tracks.
Something worth remembering:
Until you get that "big break" you are there to play to the crowd, the crowd is not there for you!
As far as DJing and Mashing up goes, I find the key signature every track I like. This helps me see at a glance what songs are harmonically compatible. This is more useful for mash-ups but it also helps with certain long blends while mixing. Otherwise, I just know all of my tracks so certain rhythms, melodies, basslines, and vocal phrases will pop out to me and remind me of other appropriate tracks.
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