dj nerves

[droid]

True for the most part, but I think that most people will forgive the odd bad mix as long as the DJ is able to keep the room moving. Personally I'd rather see someone energetically playing quality music with the occasional fuckup than an impeccably mixed set of dull as dishwater tunes. I've heard Jeff Mills flub many a mix both live and in recorded sets, while John Digweed has built his career on segueing flawlessly from one boring record to another.

That is a very good point, and even from a technical point of view, id prefer a DJ to take risks and occasionally fuck it up than just play a safe set...

I find it hard to get out of the DJ mindset though... I want great tunes and great mixing!

 

[IdleRich]

I think that everyone agrees to the point where it has become cliched that tunes matter more than the mixing - but if you've got the tunes it can then be improved by better mixing (depending on the style of music I guess). And I say that as someone who is really pretty ropey.

 

[droid]

I think that everyone agrees to the point where it has become cliched that tunes matter more than the mixing - but if you've got the tunes it can then be improved by better mixing (depending on the style of music I guess). And I say that as someone who is really pretty ropey.

Well personally i think that a really good mix is equal to more than the sum of its parts - so better - to really good mixing can radically change the way you hear certain tunes, if only for a brief moment in the mix... *


*depends on genre of course....

 

[IdleRich]

"really good mixing can radically change the way you hear certain tunes"

Yeah, when I do it you're thinking "I never heard that horse galloping through a washing machine in that track before".

 

[droid]

Yeah, when I do it you're thinking "I never heard that horse galloping through a washing machine in that track before".

LOL...

 

[bassnation]

Well personally i think that a really good mix is equal to more than the sum of its parts - so better - to really good mixing can radically change the way you hear certain tunes, if only for a brief moment in the mix... *

this is true, but there are far too many djs who focus exclusively on that aspect to their detriment.

i think its important for djs to occasionally forget that they are djs and listen to music as they used to, before buying decks. sometimes you don't hear what you need to hear when you are single-mindedly focussed on making a tune a part of something bigger.

 

[Woebot]

this has never been a problem really in the past, i mean it's generally not like playing an instrument but i've found that as my sets get more complicated and technical i just have a nightmare b4 the gig.

Bad beat mixing can be really embarassing somehow, i remember some poor bloke in a pub in Leeds sort of giving up coz it was all going wrong for him

Anyone else have the same problem? it's normally transferring yer skills from yer home setup to the gig that can cause mayhem.

i have a ritual for mixing.

first sit down quietly and roughly figure out the bpm of evertything.

second. get a cup of (camomile) tea. sit quietly and just relax for 10 minutes in front of the decks. breathe.

third. go for it!

works *quite* well for me.

 

[bassnation]

i have a ritual for mixing.

first sit down quietly and roughly figure out the bpm of evertything.

second. get a cup of (camomile) tea. sit quietly and just relax for 10 minutes in front of the decks. breathe.

third. go for it!

works *quite* well for me.

there was a guy on uk-dance who always recommended "going to the mix from water" - i.e. having a relaxing hot bath first!

haven't heard any mixes from you for ages matt, anything forthcoming?

 

[Woebot]

there was a guy on uk-dance who always recommended "going to the mix from water" - i.e. having a relaxing hot bath first!

haven't heard any mixes from you for ages matt, anything forthcoming?

im planning a mix as a last ditch attempt to get on the bill at bangface, a bhangra/ardkore collision, but seeing as how ive stopped contributing to all the mags my medja presence is now zero and i'd doubt i'd have the leverage to blag the gig without some kind of patronage....

....BUT still gonna do that mix!!!

 

[Edward]

I don't think Bang Face care about your media profile, they are cool down-to-earth non-trendy people!

 

[mms]

im planning a mix as a last ditch attempt to get on the bill at bangface, a bhangra/ardkore collision, but seeing as how ive stopped contributing to all the mags my medja presence is now zero and i'd doubt i'd have the leverage to blag the gig without some kind of patronage....

....BUT still gonna do that mix!!!

i'd love to hear this , especially in a mutant place like bang face.

 

[droid]

Before I forget - 'DJ Nerves' would make a great name for any budding DJ's out there...

 

[Catbwoy]

i'd love to hear this , especially in a mutant place like bang face.

Yeah, me too. Any chance of posting it somewhere? (when it's ready, obviously!)

 

[micmack]

I can't beat match vinyl to save my life, consequently I focus what I think will be good to play next.

Sometimes this has worked, like the first time I djed I must have had beginners luck and I was asked to move to a bigger room downstairs due to people getting into it - I even had people dancing they're head off to a Pita track towards the end. Other times (majority has to be said) the crowd haven't got into it.

I really feel the difference has been how confident I've felt in myself and the tracks, but also if something in me is able to connect with the crowd, for example things like arrogance and ignorance wax and wane together.

Has anyone got any advice on short cuts to give the impression of beat matching?

I don't think I've got the time or patience to learn properly - it takes years doesn't it?

 

[wonk_vitesse]

I really feel the difference has been how confident I've felt in myself and the tracks, but also if something in me is able to connect with the crowd, for example things like arrogance and ignorance wax and wane together.

if you've ever seen Keb Dharge play you'll know that this is how it's done, he's a one man party machine, you just think 'yes this is the funkiest record ever , i must dance.' he just gets off his own records and works it.

 

[borderpolice]

I don't think I've got the time or patience to learn properly - it takes years doesn't it?

took me altogether maybe 40 hours of practising, starting from 0 musical skills, and abilities. it is not really that difficult. the key thing you gotta learn is to hear two different tunes at the same time and work out which is faster/slower. that seems daunting at first, but if you keep at it, it will eventually just click and suddenly seem really easy. everybody i know who tried learning to beatmatch eventually succeedded. i find listening to two tunes at a time so natural now that i sometimes listen to the radio on one ear while producing my own tunes (because it can be a tad boring hearing your own stuff for the 10000000000000th time, as happens during production).

just keep practising every evening for a while ... it'll work, don't worry!

 

[Gabba Flamenco Crossover]

In terms of increasing nerves, I find that stepping backwards onto the power cable and disconnecting the mixer halfway through a tune helps immeasurably.

LOL... and trying to take off the record thats currently playing, not the one thats just finished playing (I've done both).

Serious advice: have a few get-out-of-jail tunes that are lengthy, crowdpleasing and can just be dropped without any beatmixing. If you get into a real mess and start getting the fear, bang one of those on & spend 5 minutes having a beer & getting your head together. Grandmaster Flash's Adventures On The Wheels Of Steel is the grandaddy of have-a-breather type records, and the hip hop DJs I know all carry a copy for this very reason.

And a few nerves are healthy. Nothing on this earth is more dull than a DJ who's too far inside his or her comfort zone.

 

[micmack]

took me altogether maybe 40 hours of practising, starting from 0 musical skills, and abilities. it is not really that difficult. the key thing you gotta learn is to hear two different tunes at the same time and work out which is faster/slower. that seems daunting at first, but if you keep at it, it will eventually just click and suddenly seem really easy. everybody i know who tried learning to beatmatch eventually succeedded. i find listening to two tunes at a time so natural now that i sometimes listen to the radio on one ear while producing my own tunes (because it can be a tad boring hearing your own stuff for the 10000000000000th time, as happens during production).

just keep practising every evening for a while ... it'll work, don't worry!

Cheers, thats sounds very encouraging. I'll let you know when the penny drops.

 

[Asger]

Before I forget - 'DJ Nerves' would make a great name for any budding DJ's out there...

like me - will consider this!

 

[nomos]

i'm having a serious case of dj nerves right now. tonight i'll be playing out for the first time in over a decade. i think my strategy will be to down a couple of beers before going on (or maybe mixed drinks - don't want to be running to the toilet mid-set). it did the trick when i sang in a one-off band a few years ago. think i might keep half a valium on hand if things get too edgy though.

at the risk of being too anal, but in an effort to prevent blanking out at the decks, i've planned almost the whole thing out. i think this is wise for a first time out, especially since i'm playing mostly dubstep the beats can be pretty irregular. i'm trying to keep all but the easiest blends short and simple, though there are a couple i'm concerned about. glad to see woebot saying he writes down his tempos. i did that in the past but i wasn't sure if that was somehow frowned upon. most of the tracks are within a couple of bpm of eachother but some by shackleton and kode9 are a lot quicker and older ones by menta and slt mob are a few bpm slower. i really threw myself off while practicing last night when i realised that my decks go about 2% out of sync at +4. it totally screwed up my mental map of how the tempos related to each other. the good thing about it though was that it reminded me not to overthink the mix, just feel it and let the instincts take over.