Short transitions, intro tracks, and cutting and slams.

you can get most of the stuff you are looking for from Promo only. Or try Djcity.

Thanks streetfighta, can you elaborate a little more on those mixing techniques? Do you have an example mix or youtube vid or something?

friend. first get the music you need.Second study your music. Once you hear what you have to work with your dj instincts kick in

thanks, that is really not helpful.

If you're looking for top 40 that you can beatmatch you want funkymixes aka ultimixes. For standard tracks you're just gonna have to slam slam slam most of the time. Some tracks you can grab enough right at the beginning to make a loop and mix it in. You'll quicly realize why air horns and other short samples are often used to mask the fact that radio mixes of top 40 songs are hard to mix any other way besides slamming. Good Luck!

Thanks man, good advice. Where can i find funkymixes or ultimixes? I'm looking into djcity or a similar record pool, can i find them there?

how about not taking gigs your not prepared to handle #jussayin

^^ +1

Thanks, you guys who spend more time making snarky comments on this forum than making music are really pathetic. Why would you even comment on this if you have nothing constructive to say, #gofuckyourself

L.A. radio DJs almost never use this technique, which makes me thankful that i grew up not having to listen to that NY *bomb drop* *bomb drop* *bomb drop *airhorn x5873987345* *yell on the mic* slam the next song in mixing style....

SethSC: hip-hop/top40 have a pretty simple structure, most songs (not special extended intro versions) will leave you 4-8 bars in the intro before the vocals come in. Also, most choruses are 4-8 bars as well, so use the verse as time to beatmatch then drop the intro at the beginning of the chorus and then mix out as the chorus is finishing..

SethSC,

I was in your situation before. When I transitioned from doing House -> top40s/hip-hop/rnb, it was very awkward and difficult. Took me more than 3 months to really get it down.

My first gig doing hip-hop/top40s was soley on CDJs (before I started using Serato). It was for my friends birthday. Although the crowd had a great time and all, I look back and knew I was terrible. Couldn't beatmatch them correctly so I usually ended up slamming it in (used to beatmatching with the the kick drums). Never realized BPMs were all over the place. Had no idea about DJ intros from records pools. This was also before tops40s started becoming dance/house (which would've been easier).

I had nothing to lose, because it was friend's party and I was doing it for free. Your situation may be different.

Your time allotted for beatmatching will be shorter. Plus people general have a short attention span so you shouldn't be playing the whole song unless its current hit, or past hit.

I hope you DO have knowledge of what's good on the radio these days.

more tips. check out the playlists for mainstream & urban radio stations in your area (ie b96 and WGCI) then get a pool subscription, find intro versions to those most popular tracks.

Thanks P Dot and Kepik, I'm just helping out a friend with this hip-hop/top 40 gig but I think it always helps to practice playing different styles of music. Although I play mostly dubstep and uk house, I listen to a lot of rap and hip hop as well.

Follow that advice.

You won't have your 32 bar intros that most EDM have. Also, some songs (particularly hip-hop) may have the rapper talking over the 4-8 bar intro. That could pose to be a problem with vocals clashing. Which is why DJ Intros/Mixshow edits are great.

Also, do make note of which hook/chorus are 4 bars so that you don't miss that opportunity to transition to the next song. Sometimes the hook can be 16 bars long so you have to wait for the 2nd hook before playing the next song. Set cue points on the intro for 8 & 4 bars just in case.

You could also set a cue point as a bookmarker to let you know when to mix out...but in the end, you should really know your song.

Thanks Kepik and streetfighta, I think dj intros and making my own edits for songs that have weird or short intros is key, and obviously knowing when to transition. You guys are really helpful. Much appreciated

lmfao, callin out the haters! Put em on front street!

Hey I have a dubstep UK house gig tommarow night can someone tell me what all the good tracks are and how to mix dubstep, you tran in on the woomm wooom not the wobble womp right

Facepalm.

I don't EVER slam tracks unless I am scratching something in, and even so it's VERY seldom and only if done just right. You CAN beatmix in the 4 or 8 bars you have allotted, don't let these guys tell you otherwise!

Your best bet will be to join a pool that has lots of intro/outro tracks, then go to the websites for the radio stations in your area and make sure you get everything on their current playlists. If you also listen to urban music like you said, also grab any of the throwback cuts from the 90s-2000s that you see and recognize. Liek some others already said, setting cue points at your mix-in/mix-out points could be very helpful for someone in your position.

Check out either the "Live at Club Galaxy" or "Mashup Teaser 2008" mixes on here - I am not the dopest DJ by any means, but it will give you an idea of how to put stuff together in 8 bars or less. :) Good luck!

www.soundcloud.com

uhh serato does have a looping feature....

:D

I don't understand the I'm a ____ DJ mentality. Hey Im having a party can you play some hip hop? Ohhh nooo Im an electro DJ.

Obviously you have your favorite genres and are the best at one or two but there are a such thing as other genres of music besides what you play lol, maybe you should have looked into them earlier.

bingo, the issue isnt with wanting to expand your range the issue is with accepting jobs outside of your capabilities THEN trying to expand your range. Its like being a great DJ then accepting a job as the new drummer for motley crew before you learn to drum

^^^ -or being the drummer for Motley Crue, and then trying to DJ...
oh wait :)

Hey Eric, did you know if your hand is bigger than your face you have a deadly disease?

BAMM!!!!!

Nosepalm

BAMM !!!!!

Bloodynose

Mouthy punk. Seth said he has a gig "coming up", he didn't really spell it out but I'm guessing its not "coming up" after six or seven months. I was giving him some shit he could throw together in a few days. I was trying to be cool and friendly and helpful and offer him any help I had to offer. You were being a smart ass punk. He said he's a house dj. Just in case you're not familiar house mixing includes WAY more than 4 or 8 bars. And if you're SO experienced in top 40 and hip hop and pop why don't you know that it takes a good bit of time to pick and choose mixes and set cue points and loops and shit? What the hell is with people? Keep your mommy and daddy self confidence issues at home and let somebody actually try to help this dude out, damn. I hate to go off, but all the mouthy bullshit I get in here.

Watchwww.youtube.com

Welcome to the Serato forums? #ifuckinglovehashtags

whoever started this thread is getting backlash because he wants to learn "how" to play certain songs when he really should just focus on getting the songs and learning the music...

if you played exactly what a crowd wanted to hear for 4 hours straight theyre going to fucking love you no matter how you mix it. regardless of what you guys say, song selection is the most important thing...

once you can please a crowd for 4 HOURS STRAIGHT without playing any song you personally like, or some weird shit that clears the floor or kills the energy, once you can actually do that then worry about beatmatching your funkeemix 4 bar transition tracks and shit

and it is hard as hell to do that most djs new and old cant

Benny comin in with the assist.

+ 1

learn to count. you don't get easy 8-32 bar intros.

also, why would you take a gig where you not only don't have the music, but you also don't know how to mix it?

I swear some of yall cant mix at all. All this bad advice on getting a funkymix and ultimix and looping and air horns and slamming is just poor advice. Im not trying to hurt anyone's feelings but if you need to ask how to mix a certain genre you should not be playing it point blank. If you cant mix you shouldnt be DJing period. Mixing is skill that you can apply to any genre but not every genre is mixed the same. You need to learn the music and learn how to mix. This is ridiculous.

pretty much.

I give up.

Seth, you can't do it. Don't listen to anyone trying to give you helpful advice.
Just quit. Give up. You can't mix. I can't mix. Nobody but Remy can mix. It must be true because soo confirmed it. Getting any funkymixes or ultimixes is bad advice. The run of funkymix that has spanned over a decade and the fact that funkymixes get radio airplay means nothing. Remy has over-ruled all of that. Using band aids like air horns and whatnot and slamming if you're in a time pinch is a bad idea. In fact, you should never take a gig if you don't have at least 10 years of experience in mixing the particular genre for the event. Just call and cancel and tell them that they need either Remy or soo to throw their party. Just quit.

"This is ridiculous."

I hope for your sake you're able to skip over most of the Rotting Aborted Fetus kicking around in this thread, because the truth about your upcoming gig is plain and simple:

The people in that crowd won't give a rat's ass about mixing, technique or really anything else besides that you played whatever song they liked. Play the hits (and a few recurrents), amuse yourself trying to make them go together smoothly/creatively if you can, but remember "pop is not a musical form".

DJMark is correct. Try to have fun and mix the most popular songs you can find. Watch the crowd's reaction and act accordingly. The rest is pretty much based on luck and external factors.

Oh, by the way... if someone here says you should not accept (paid?) gigs you aren't prepared for (which is obvious from your first post), then that's not a "snarly comment" but down-to-earth reality. You need to understand that many people here take DJing quite seriously, and are offended if someone accepts a gig, is totally unprepared for it, and then tries to compensate by leeching off the experience of others. Imagine someone agreed to design a website for $1000 without knowing HTML, CSS, Flash or Illustrator, and going to some forum to get some help. It's just not professional at all.

I remember when "House DJs" couldn't steal my hip-hop gigs cause they weren't in a hip-hop record pool or didn't want to spend the money. Now they can download whatever they need, watch waveforms, trainwreck phrasing, play the 3rd verse, and still get paid.

yes

add "celebrities" and "rick people's kids" to the list

I remember when black people were 3/5ths of a person, a gallon of gas was 10 cents, and you didnt have to worry about safe sex

money talks, bullshit walks. If someone is offering a paying gig and you need the money but the gig is out of your element then your going to try to get it done and a quick way to get it done is to come out here and open a discussion like this one to get advice. That's cool with me. Get that paper !!!!!!!

DAMN YOU RICK PEOPLE!



see I remember when there was a bit more of a sense on community in the scene - someone offered me a gig I didn't have the tunes or experience to do, I'd pass it off to someone I knew knowing that I might get the favour returned.

I guess in this economy tho, people are looking out for #1.

would you take a job as a chef when you only know how to bake? If you want the gigs, maybe have a little respect for the music, artform and the potential clients and actually learn the music and style before accepting the gig. No one's saying you need 10 years experience to play a gig - most are just saying that if you have to ask on a message board how to mix a certain style, you probably shouldn't be taking the gig.

also, it's one thing to ask advice on a style or music - but when you preface it with "I just accepted a gig on which i have no idea how to do" - that's when you're going to get rightfully shit on.

BTW if anyone is looking to get a house built for them I'll do it. I just got a book on building houses and posted on a few home improvement message boards. Message me if youre interested. I'll give ya a good price.

^ I'll do it for $100 less. I don't have the book, but I'm sure I can just ask y'all on here for some pointers.

+1

and when you wanted to learn how to play a new style, you would hang out with a fellow dj that could teach you, watch him, play a few tracks while he went to the bathroom, etc.... we need more dj mentors!

DJ'ing: Super duper serious business

Y'all crack me up.

I'm a PROFESSIONAL DJ.

I have resources. I will use them to provide answers to issues that I may have questions about.

A mechanic may NOT EVER have worked on a '78 Chevy Impala...

But he SHOULD BE RESOURCEFUL ENOUGH to research whatever the issue is, and work it out.

Professionals do that all day, every day.

Also, it is UP TO THE CUSTOMER, to do RESEARCH to verify that the person that they are asking to PROVIDE A SERVICE is reputable.

It's as much their responsiblity as it is yours as a PROFESSIONAL to bring the best to the table.

Whoa there! Wasn't trying to piss anyone off bro. I was just saying that it IS possible to mix without having to slam tracks... and in fact, it's usually easier than mixing EDM since you aren't riding mixes for 32 or 64 bars or more. Yes, there are exceptions to this rule. No, it really doesn't matter in the end at a lot of venues as long as you are playing the right tracks. No reason to get all bent out of shape! I have done lots of EDM sets and many more open format sets, there are definitely differences in how each are mixed, no argument there. Just saying it isn't going to be as hard as he is thinking it will be. If he can do long EDM mixes and keep them in time, 4 bars on a hip hop track should be EZ.

This is ridiculous, thanks for the helpful advice for those of you who made constructive suggestions. The rest of you, just stay online and keep these internet forums going full of worthless comments and debate who the 'real' dj's are.

lmao

Nuff said Eric, thanks : )

+1

How many of you who have IT jobs have googled an issue.

-1

Djing is a priveledge not a 9-5 you should know.

:D

Man, Google IS our knowledgebase...

Man, Google IS our knowledgebase...

www.logobird.com

TRUTH

lol

SethSC you're about to make an attempt to take the training wheels off and take your first baby steps toward being a real DJ! It's the same as DJ'ing tech house, or dubstep, you can beatmix, most DJ's do because it's the easiest, it will just be harder than what you are used to and you have to actually be creative. Practice, practice, practice. Best of luck to you, put in work son, and I hope it goes well. If all goes well you're about to open your mind musically for the first time and start to really have fun with dj'ing.

ROTFL @ this thread - I'll give one piece of advice that helped me 20 years ago when I had to transition from spinning real House music to mainstream and rap/hip hop.

In rap and hip hop - the beat is carried by the snare or clap and (usually) NOT the kick! It took me months back in the early 90s to ignore what I learned mixing 4/4 House and Techno - once I adjusted and learned that I was good.

Also check out www.idjpool.com - lots of rap/pop/top 40 (with Dj intro and bonus beats) plus a lot of the Dance stuff that u already play.

"REAL Dj's Help Dj's" #DjLaw. Thanks for asking this question bro! I'm actually going thru the same situation right now. I learned how to play and currently only play House music. I have my 1st Club gig March 31st & the promoter just informed me since I am the opening Dj, I have to play a variety of Top 40 & Hip Hop!? Not only did this cause a problem for me because I don't know how to mix that style of music properly, but I don't even have the music!? I have a few similar questions, and would greatly appreciate any recent info/ suggestions/ updates

Does anybody personally know of any Dj's or have any or Mixes on Sound Cloud I could check out to give me a better example of how to mix Hip-Hop & Top 40??????????
(Really Good Stuff Though)

Does anybody currently have a djpool subscription to a really solid website? (320 kbps .mp3's only)

Thanks in advance.This my 1st post btw. I just started Dj'ing in December of 2010, and have made 2 mixes since then. I like to play Big Room House. Would greatly appreciate some feedback, Good or BAD.

Check Me Out on soundcloud: DjDRTY

www.soundcloud.com

Mixing 8 bar intros all night is the fastest way to bore your crowd to death...

In my experience Hip Hop crowds like the "oh that's my song" aspect of going out especially with older cuts so its more than okay to scratch and cut some songs in

Everything in moderation... mic play, cutting songs, blending songs and 8 bar intro's

I have a mixtape posted on my soundcloud if you wanna get a feel for how hiphop and other snare leading genres mix together

www.soundcloud.com

Wow! Some of the posts here are like WHOA! Chill! hahaha

I wish back when I started someone would've helped me. Unfortunately, I had no one and I had to learn on my own. I made a lot of mistakes along the way. Simple mistakes that could've been avoided if someone would've been there to help me.

To make up for it, I've helped a lot of DJ's through out the years. I've given DJ's their first break, their first club gig, I've showed DJ's how to mix, I've gotten DJ's residencies, I've showed them how to edit music, how to edit videos, and the list goes on. And not once, have I ever asked for anything in return. I don't see a point of putting people down like a lot of you have in this post. Seriously, some of you need to grow up.

Seth & DRTY I'll send both of you guys a PM in a bit when I get to work. I play in three scenes, the EDM, the hip hop, and the Latin scenes. so I can help you guys out. Check your PM's in a few.

+1,000

LOL @ "real Dj's help real Dj's...it's a Dj law" when you've only been Djing 4 months. You haven't even had your first gig yet and now when you do it's one you don't know how to do. Sounds like you're not ready.

Call me an asshole or whatever you like, I really don't care. Real Dj's tell it like it is.

I'm curious to know if all this advice (and criticism) given to the OP helped him out at his gig...

As a matter of fact, I already had my first official gig. A Conde Nast Publications private event and it went great. It was prior to my 1st post and It helped me get my 1st club gig.

It actually got switched to today April 2nd, THANKS FOR ALL THE HELP

Here is the link to my 1st flyer
www.flickr.com

............................



You're Right! Everyone Else Is Wrong! RIght? No.

You're just a half-assed "DJ" taking work away from people who actually give a shit about the craft of being a Real DJ (no air quotes needed).

He specifically stated that he is a Tech-House/ Dubstep Dj. NOT all Dj's are WORK HORSES.

This is what I don't understand about this forum. People expect everybody to play EVERYTHING. That's like getting mad at a cook for only cooking sushi if he works in a sushi joint. Not everybody is a jack of all trades, nor should they try to be if that's not their lane.

Exactly my point about him taking work away from DJs who are in that lane.

i feel some of yall but for the most part dude don't listen to this negative guys. check it...i started out mixing ol skool chi town house music and thats how i learned how to blend and beat match first...being that i'm a late 80s baby and my personal preference is real hip hop and r&b i brought my skill from one area into the other...

usually with most hip hop tracks, pop or other wise all it takes is being creative...i dont always have clean intros and most song arent dj friendly but over the years ive developed a technique of blending, chopping, and using casual effects like hold echo for smooth transitions for short beat match situations.

typically whats popular these days is a mixture of rap, rnb, house etc so its really finding what you know is going to keep the hype by developing smooth transitions in your sets...its a challenge at first but as djs in my opinion versatility is what its all about...i can go from old Gangstarr to a PTO track to Jamie Foxx to a Keshia to a LMFAO to a Jay-Z song all at one gig and keep the crowd moving...ppl are music lovers and if you capture your crowd with good music you'll have fun and they will to...it's all about feeling your audience out...

+1

Well said....

1++

This post is an example of why I trend to only have rookies as friends because a lot guys & gals who have been doing it are so negative. I have my 10+ years in but I'm still open to help and learn from anyone. But its messed up how negative remarks have been posted up and dude was only trying to reach out. Lol sad

really, if people put the same amount of effort into helping out fellow Djs as they did bashing them and putting them down, then there would be a lot more competent djs than there are now.

Really, if more people put some actual effort into learning WTF it is they're spinning, then there would be a lot more competent djs than there are now.

this

isn't reaching out for help "putting in effort"? maybe he doesnt know any other djs, maybe he is actually using the amazing research tool called the internet to jump start his self teaching

Thats what I did.

hell with all this technology if it wasnt for the internet i would have loooong way to go with this technology...id probably still be bringing six crates to gigs and running all around town trying to find promo 12"s

those were simpler times - at least then when you didn't have the records to play (and consequently were practicing at home beforehand), you wouldn't be doing things like accepting gigs for playing house music when all you had was hip hop or vice versa.

true. there were gigs where i was requested and i didnt have major portion of the music in those days and i can't even lie...i'd used my booking fee to go out & get as much of the key tracks as i could. difference was i was knew the music, just didn't have access to it. but if it wasn't for taking a loss financially in those times i couldnt have gotten my foot in the door to go from just spinning one genre to the next. the key with it all is it is damn near impossible to be successful if you don't know the music, not having access is one thing but if you dont learn it...your screwed...so that is where reaching out like Seth did is crucial so you can make that leap into other generes...cant down him for trying to better is craft. i say help him out, put him on so he doesnt fail at it, because im sure he could teach me something about tech or dubstep i have no idea about because it isnt my format...

I find it troubling the sheer amount of "DJ's" coming on these, and other similar forums asking for tips and advice on how to mix, what tracks to play, techniques etc. While I am all for having a solid community of DJ's that can help each other in certain areas I find it pathetic that the most fundamental and basic requirements of being a DJ seem well out of reach for some people. There is NO excuse whatsoever to be asking some of the questions I read on here on a daily basis, especially with a world of information right there at your fingertips. If you are just starting out then fair do's, a bit of help is not much to ask for but seeing as you are already taking gigs then you lose all sympathy.

The DJ game is srriously wack these days.

I feel the same way but there is a lot of talent out here. Just a lot of bs to sift

Yeah, but the sheer amount of DJ's that are out there that are way below average is terrifying. I am kind of losing all interest in it.

I also find it disappointing how people just expect to be told how to do something - what happened to experimenting? learning by doing? If you can mix one genre, you can pretty much mix another - it just takes practice and experimentation.

With the resources available online i terms of articles and tutorials + plus the relative ease in which to attain the music (legal or otherwise), all it takes is a day to get the tunes, and a day or two to play around with said tunes, but for so many, this smaller piece of effort can't even be done to actually *work* at being a dj.

If I have a gig in a style i'm not too familiar with or am out of practice with I get my hands on the music and I actually practice playing it. The OP would learn and retain way more if he just grabbed a bunch of tunes off a pool, and spent a couple hours jamming with the tunes instead of coming on here and asking how to mix it.

Which makes it all the more sad that the gig had been accepted at all.

This is just an extension of being a microwave - accepting gigs before you're ready for them.

Yeah, but the sheer amount of DJ's that are out there that are way below average is terrifying. I am kind of losing all interest in it.

i feel you Alkemy trust me..

so yea i can feel dj_soo as well...

all valid points i just hate seeing ppl fail at if they are serious it...but i get where yall are coming from i just hope ol boy seth there gets it together

besides who reads or tries to actually work at anything these days lol

"practice, we here talking about practice. not a game practice!" - iverson

I am working on an intro track for a group that I am with (Knights Of Boom). When I do something like that I listen to the beat non stop for hours, rack my brains for scratch phrases that will fit the beat, search high and low for certain acapellas just to get one word, record it all, go back and tweak basses, trebles etc. The whole process takes about -4 days. But when it is done, it is so rewarding that I havnt had it spoonfed to me by other people. The same thing applies to my DJ'ing. This is most definately the fast food generation of DJ'ing. They want quick solutions, time saving on corners that cant be cut. It might sound like I am bitter lol. Its just I am stuck on this track and have had little sleep, and then I read this thread!

+1

Yea I like that..."l fast food generation" lmao

if you are even a little bit serious about your craft, failing at a gig or two will not stop you from pursuing the craft. In fact, you will learn way more from your failures than anything else.

^^^This rite hurr. Man look, a PROFESSIONAL DJ will do what they have to do to cater to their client. Whether it's learn a new genre, dress to match the wedding party, or ask cats on the internet for their OPINION and advice...

That's nothing but SMART BUSINESS.

Some of y'all are such crabs that you need to be in a Fishtank at Red Lobster.

So back in the day Johnny, if you were spinning and some DJ was looking into your record bag to see what tracks you were playing, would you just call that smart business?

That's smart business for him, annoying for you.

That never would have happened...so I can't answer that. Nobody BUT ME touches MY wax.

But to entertain your question, if it was a DJ who wanted to LEARN the GENRE I was playing, it would be in their BEST INTEREST to look, ask questions, and practice.

Y'all act like you don't take bits and pieces from how other DJ's perform.

It's the SAME THING.

There are certain areas where asking for help is a no brainer but if your asking....

1: "How do people mix this kind of stuff where the tempos vary a bit from song to song, and the tracks are very short when you can't really beatmatch the songs?"

Really?.

And 2: "Also where is a good place to get high quality hip hop and r & b tracks (like beatport or something for mainstream music)."

Its the internet, it aint hard to find mainstream hip-hop and pop for christs sake.

I just hate the lack of work ethic nowadays, its beyond lazy.

you could if he was trying to get a job at a burger joint and could only cook sushi, which is what this kids doing

that's the thing though, he can already cook one type of dish, so give him some burger specific tips and be done with it, I say

mmmm... sushi burger! ...aggghlggg
*drooling in Homer voice

I appreciate all the helpful comments. All anyone really needed to say was - 1) join a record pool & 2) be creative and deal with transitions on a song to song basis. I figured it out, I'm not a noob dj, I have a solid residency at a good club and I've been playing out for years. Sorry I don't know a lot of mainstream or hip hop djs, thats not my scene hence why I tried to reach out to other people on the forums. Saying 'don't play a gig you aren't prepared for is so counterproductive. Dj's are musicians and if there is no musical community then its all for nothing. This isn't a scratch battle. I am actually helping out a friend for a charity event, not taking a veteran dj's club job.

Alkemy & M-bezzle, you can both kiss my ass. If you guys are such good dj's you wouldn't have to hate on internet forums.

Crane Bloodbath battle II

It aint called hating son...Im a grown man who has an opinion. And if you were any sort of DJ you wouldnt ask such pathetic questions on a DJ forum. Step ya game up.

Just make sure someone sends him an essay with tips on how to blend tracks that dont have loooong intros. We know he struggles with tracks that vary in tempo and are short therefore harder to beatmatch. SMH!

And if you were any sort of DJ. You would be at least the littlest bit humble. I mean come on BRO!
static.funnyjunk.com

You have a solid residency but had to come into a dj forum to be told to join a record pool and be creative........sigh

I am humble. And I have had had good interaction with a lot of people on these boards. One thing I cant stand is DJ's wanting to be spoonfed. What type of DJ in this day and age, with a solid residency, asks for places to find Top 40 Hip-Hop & pop music!. Then asks how to mix it!

Im sorry, that aint right in my book and if I come across as an ass for saying it, so be it.

Its not counterproductive its fucking smart! Counterproductive would be accepting a gig u cant handle, showing up and winging it, and looking like a chump in the process! smh...

+1, i have a degree in computer science but i heard they are looking for an experienced neurosurgon at the hospital near me so i think im going to go try and get that job, does anyone here know anything about repairing a brain hemorage....i know the pointy end of the knife goes into the thing you want to stop bleeding and ive cut cantalope before but how do you make the bleeding stop? Sponge??

ALRIGHT! THIS IS GETTING FUN NOW!!!

lmao

Heres a hint to whoever wants to counter that one, your gonna need to go straight to a NAZI example

Forget NAZI'S I got u beat!
So Im a porn star who usually does guy/girl or guy/girl/girl scenes only but theres an opening for a guy/guy scene next week...any one got any pointers for.....you kno....
















sphincter relaxation?

ibtl!

ask mr. cee

hiyyyooooooo

Is Mr. Cee the new Dale?

Straight Up and Down, there was never any negativity needed on this discussion. Nobody was asking for opinions, just help. You either had it, or you didn't. Any Dj's that wasted their time posting negative comments should have taken the time to promote themselves instead. Posting a link to their personal soundcloud/mixcloud/website and shown how their doing it. Whether your a Real "Dj" or not isn't based on what questions a DJ asks or what he writes on forums. Its his ability to rock the crowd, beatmatch and seamlessly mix music together.

Anybody can sit behind a computer screen, get on a forum with a "Dj Username" & judge/ put down other Dj's. It takes a REAL Dj to post a link to their Mixtape and show anybody asking for help HOW TO DO IT. Only then after can they comment who's real and who's not.

I gig 3-4 nights a week come see me live whenever your in the Lou. Tonight, tomorrow, next week, next year I'll still be holding it down!
Oh n I'll post a mix for you in a bit.

Word.

Who are you dude? Seriously, you've been Djing for 4-5 months and telling other Dj's how to handle themselves and what there is and isn't a need for? You don't know shit son. Lots of new and inexperienced Dj's come here and get plenty of help and rightfully so because they know their role and have the right attitude. But when cats come in and expect shit, they get met with a different response.

Watch me post in a forum full of House heads saying "I got this gig coming up, but I don't know any of the music, can you tell me what to play and how to play it" and see what kind of attitude I'm met with. House heads are some of the nastiest, elitist pricks you've ever met when it comes to outsiders and other genre Dj's walking into a spot with zero knowledge for something they take very seriously.

You're only 5 posts deep in this forum, why don't you take a step back before you start copping an attitude with cats who have been there, done that and seen enough of these lazy ass Dj's to last a lifetime before you start commenting on shit you don't know with only 2 gigs under your belt.

Its always new dj's who get all butt sore over criticism for asking how or what tracks to play. Look a lot of us have been doing this for a looooooong time way before there were online record pools, internet blogs and torrents so we actually DID WORK to build our record collections/generes and hone our skills. Its kinda a slap in the face to expect to just hop on a forum and be handed the goods. Especially when this is the gazillionth time its happened.
Ill drop a link when im out of my 9-5.

^ +1000

C'mon Son, Post your LINKS. Then talk.




Seriously? You write a whole paragraph but cant find the time to write a simple

www.BLANK.com link???? OK.

Damn, I guess you are right. I didn't know "Mainstream Hip Hop & Pop" Dj's were so hot headed. I'll make sure to watch what I say next time I'm around one. #LMFAO

LOL ima own u b4 days end....WORD IS BOND!

See what I mean, disrespect for a form of Djing as if a monkey could do it, yet expecting to be told how to do it.

Shots fired!

Man, y'all BUGGIN!

That's what I wrote. Like most of us we got into Dj'ing by listening to our personal favorite Dj's and we turned it into our own style. I just wanted to hear some really good Mainstream Hip-Hop/ Top 40 mixes and get a better feel for it, develop my own style and work from there. Personally I am surrounded by nothing but house Music Dj's so I turned to a forum/ internet to get some advice. The promoter told me last minute I was only allowed to play top 40 and hip-hop after I accepted the gig. I admit I thought to myself "how hard can it be?" surprisingly I picked up quick in under two weeks. I rocked the opening set so good that the promoters let me play my style of music towards the end of the night and EARNED my 1st residency. Thank You to all the people who helped and supported this discussion with positive energy and comments. KARMA

You guys are really losing touch of reality.

Chances are, if he can WING IT, nobody would care, and who would REALLY think he'd look like a CHUMP? Another DJ? And how many OTHER DJ's would likely be in attendance?

C'mon son.

Don't have the man, hate the GAME...IT'S ALL F*CKED up...

Like I said, today's "HipHop" is GAWBAGE, and I play it when absolutely necessary...

How do I prepare?

I go onto Hot97, check for the top 10 on the playlist, go to Digiwaxx, download it, and most times, it would be my 1st time playing the jawn...

No practice...
No plan...

Just "Wing it" and I'm getting more gigs than I was in the last 3 years.

Blame the game, I'm just glad I don't have to PAY for this mess...

Anybody that wants to listen to a really good TOP 40/HIP-HOP/Electro House mix needs to check out DJ SID VICIOUS
@

www.djsidvicious.com


Download and wait for the HIP-HOP about 28 min in POPPIN!

That I can dig, but like i said so many times you see cats coming in with the wrong attitude about it, it gets annoying to see time and time again. Like I said, if I went into a forum with a bunch of House heads under an assumed name and pulled the same kind of shit i would be met with way worse than what you got.

When you come into a forum, your first time and start telling people what they need and needn't do is when you're going to get some "hold up, wait's"

Besides DJing, I work in schools. As a teacher, the most annoying thing in the world to hear is "I don't get it." I understand that's the way you feel, but no one can help you if you don't explain WHAT you don't get. Obviously, that requires meta-cognition that not everyone is comfortable with in 3rd grade, but here on this forum are a ton of people who spent at least $500 + on becoming a DJ... many of us have spent 100 times that amount and years and years as well. So for those who want to improve (all of us) it is incumbent on us to ask specific questions that show what we've tried and not tried if we expect to be taken seriously. For example, instead of "how do you mix where the tempos vary a bit from song to song, and the tracks are very short when you can't really beatmatch the songs?" try "I'm struggling to make a transistion between track A & track B sound good because of the short intro. Here's what I've tried. What works for you guys?"
Those of us who have been around for a while have heard (and asked) a lot of dumb questions. I was lucky enough to ask them in person, and usually the person I had asked I had developed a relationship with (hell, usually I just carried all their shit), so they knew I was trying to get better and where I was coming from. On the internet, we do not have the luxury to know where you are coming from, and too often people then defend their "dumb" question by exaggerating their experience, which makes many of us less likely to help. (no offense to OP, but those questions are rather basic if you've played before). Then again, many of us assume positive for questions, but not everyone does. The OP (and many many many others—this is not just about this post) just shouted a question into a room of 500+ people they don't know. Of course there will be stupid/annoying/foolish answers, but that is human nature (and way worse on other forums!)
Lastly, there are a lot of types of DJs here on the board. Some of us are jack of all trades mobile guys, some of us are hard core truntablists that have been luggin crates since '82, but we all see the game through our lens. As a guy who has worked for years in the hip-hop/dancehall scene, if you ask how to get into my genre cause you got a gig and I am beggin to get one, I will take it as a lightweight insult. Where many of us live, club gigs are how we eat and that is a very competitive game. For all we know your "gig" may be for 12 seventh graders, but of course I'm imagining the new residency that I DIDN'T get and the weird DJ nobody knew who did. So of course there will be salty replies, put yourself in our shoes. I also try to do the same... imagining me as the 13 year old who has two copies of "self destruction" and wants to learn to beatmatch and juggle asking a basic question... but if common sense tells me that they are waiting to be spoon fed a popular job as opposed to really learning to express themselves through music, then no I'm not gunna help. And yes, I might clown you.
Sorry for the long post!

Johnny, you've been playing Hip Hop your whole life, the sound may change but the foundation is the same. Much different animal than what is being discussed here.

Listen rookie im a WELL PAID dj whos in demand. I dont need to run around trying to promote mixes on soundcloud to prove my worth cuz Ive already proven myself LIVE in St Louis's best clubs. You can frequently catch me at www.sollounge.com www.riverfronttimes.com and at www.thebabylonstl.com where im the dj for all they're local artist nights. Im in my 4th yr of residency at my current fri/sat spot. Im typing this from my desk AT WORK which is why i havent posted a mix....BUT IM ALMOST OFF!

serato.com

Here you go. I spin strictly 90s Hip Hop and R&B. All of these mixes are all vinyl. Been collecting records for over 10 years, I have two monthly residencies in Toronto at the moment that I've been doing for two years each. I bought Serato three months ago, lugged crates for years before that.

soundcloud.com

I take DJing very seriously, so I get a bit pissed off when little microwave DJs want to be told all the secrets of the game without doing any work to acquire them.

Talent is talent.

lol

Ca$h I see u! Dope Son you took me back on the 90s mix with that Pete Rock then when you dropped Az awww man I gotta go get some of my wax outta storage. Now thats the era DJ we need not this bullshit cdj t pain playing shit lol no offense to anyone but really

HA! I Like how you call other Dj's rookie,but are clueless to the fact that there is a DJ Enuff who is on Hot 97 in New York + founder of the Heavy Hitters but yet you still use the name Dj Enuf. With that being said it sounds like your more the rookie.

. Im typing this from my desk AT WORK which is why i havent posted a mix....BUT IM ALMOST OFF!


Still waiting

lol dude I posted a link like 3 hrs ago!
serato.com

HA! I Like how you call other Dj's rookie,but are clueless to the fact that there is a DJ Enuff who is on Hot 97 in New York + founder of the Heavy Hitters but yet you still use the name Dj Enuf. With that being said it sounds like your more the rookie.
You need to work on your reading comprehension skills lil buddy... Said I diddnt know who Dj Enuff was when I started grafitti writing enuf when I was 14. which was 1997! Im well aware of biggies Dj Enuff. Funny the only ppl who have ever commented about the correlation are ppl from NY. Like Im actually trying to fame jack or something.

I AM NOT MAD AT YOU FOR THAT POST!

ALL VINYL?

I'm downloading now, and will give you my critique later...

You're correct, well, I started out playing "Regular Music", aka D-Train, Cheryl Lynn, went to breaks, then HipHop was born. From there kept the HipHop edge, but the music started to SUCK, but that's when House started to take over, and eventually we're back to this BS HipHop/R&B singsonggy mess.

My point is that is that I covered A LOT OF GENRES, as HipHop and House are at separate ends of the spectrum, and if I ONLY left the House Music to those who "specialized" in it, I wouldn't be as well rounded as I am now.

Music is UNIVERSAL, and A PROFESSIONAL DJ can make it work.

That's the difference, if you're NOT PROFESSIONAL or don't approach it in a PROFESSIONAL MANNER, you will fail.

If you're a PROFESSIONAL, you'll make it work, and SHOULD have the ability to apply their skills to help them conquer an unknown genre.

For example, I DON'T PLAY REGGAE for my OWN pleasure, but can KILL it for a crowd when needed.

The age of having ya boy that plays HOUSE for you, ya boy that pays REGGAE for you, and you only rocking HIPHOP are LONG GONE.

If thats the case if you are asking





comes into question

#justsayin

Here's a good example. I don't know SH*T about Dubstep. But I've heard it played on Stickam by a few of the DJ's on here...

You don't think that if I was approached by someone who wanted me to DJ for them, (assuming they think all DJ's can play anything), and wanted me to play some Dubstep for them for a decent amount of money, that I WOULDN'T come to a few cats on here and ask for pointers?

Of WHERE to get the music?

Of what the CURRENT BANGERS are?

Of what the ALL TIME BANGERS are?

Of any mixing techniques I should use? (i.e. let the majority of the song run it's course vs. mixing every 128 bars? Mess with the EQ a lot? Bring some pretty strobe lights to enhance the effect?)

On top of that, I"m pretty well respected here, so SOMEBODY would give me some honest opinions, JUST because of my PROFESSIONALISM and dedication to the art.

Hell, I've helped those who've asked "Behind the scenes" for stuff about Genre's I've played, and even gave them a boatload of tracks, ONLY because they were legitimately interested in the music that I THOUGHT was 'REAL MUSIC to me....

So, my thing was TO HELP because they were interested in something that I was interested in.

I think everyone here needs to chill. I didn't mean to step on anyone's toes, insult anyone's cred, take anyone's gig. Like i said before, originally I asked these questions because i'm helping out a friend and I wanted to try and play a solid set without just slamming between tracks or not mixing at all.

Sorry for the snarky comments Alkemy, you're tone seemed a little harsh. i was a little insulted that instead of offering advice people were just saying 'if you don't know already, then you should just figure it out'. Thats not helpful.

If you don't want to give advice, then don't respond to the questions posted. If you don't want to mentor, again just don't respond. Lets stop all the negativity here. Everyone has to start somewhere.

Also, why has this discussion gone on for so long lol. Lets talk about something else.

NAH! FUNK DAT!

BATTLE ALL OF THEM!!!!




































:D

Johnny, I've seen your videos, anything you play, you're going to try and be good at it, put in the effort. There's a difference. I'm an open format Dj, I can play full on House nights, full on Hip Hop, full on Dancehall, full on Reggae, full on Rock, full on Retro etc and so on. I've played Country nights! I was only able to pull it off because of my experience and all of the time I've put in to being good at what I do.

There's a difference between our generation and what's going on nowadays. Yes times change and we have to respect that, and I'm usually geeked out by new technology rather than depressed about it, but I'm not going to have respect for some of the attitudes that this shit ain't worth their time to learn themselves. They'd rather just post up on a forum and ask for play by play playlists, when they should play it, how they should play it. Half of these people can't even Google shit for themselves anymore.

Originality is gone, the effort is gone, the love is gone (no Davd Guetta)

Anyway, I think this topic has said all it's gotta say.

THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11

^^sooooo true! Couldnt have said it better myself. When I started to dj it was purely for a love of music and the art of djing. I lugged crates of drum n bass all over the midwest just to play anywhere that would let me get on. Be it some 3 day festival at some side tent or 5 people in a closet. Diddnt make a dime. Diddnt matter. I wanted to move heads. Fast forward 10 yrs and I am now greatly reaping the benefits of all my hard work. Making $ doing something I'd still be doing for free if the $ wasnt there.
These dime a dozen 5 dollar holler microwave dj's dont have a love for music or the craft. They just want the bitches! (general statement not directed to anyone)

"back in the day i used to walk barefoot to school in the snow, uphill both ways".....everything used to be so much better.....sorry we weren't all born in the 70s. You guys have grandchildren because you sound like my grandparents.

Stop hating.

Back in the days we didnt have feet. You kids today.

Watchwww.youtube.com

2:30

Thanks man, I appreciate the feedback!

this isnt an old school vs new school argument its about giving a fuck about what you do enough to acutually DO something your SUPPOSED TO ENJOY in the 1st place without having someone hold your hand through the entire process.

No wander so many 18- 23 year old girls are hittin on me when i spin, the alternative is a guy their age whos going to be on the internet while shes naked on the bed asking a porn forum for advice and spending half the time arguing "So where do i put it?? Then what?? Is it supposed to be wet?? Wheres that at?? how many times to i do that? What if i cant do that many?? Whats this white shit?? NO I KNOW WHAT IM FUCKING DOING I HAVE A DEGREE!!!! FUCK YOU YOU PROBABLY NEVER GET LAID LET ME SEE SOME PICS!!!!!"

^^^YES! Awesome analogy!

Lol all of you r in the right business bc y'all r so entertaining lol

Thank you for that. But my point is that we DON'T KNOW if this guy is or isn't going to put in the work.

The reason why I say this is because, I PROBABLY would have approached this the SAME WAY.

As a matter of FACT didn't SMIZZLE just ask for the SAME TYPE OF INFO, but for Merengie? (sp?)

MUCH love was given to him, (and I need to get back in that thread cuz I NEED some Merengie (sp?) in my arsenal.

Some Spanish chicks came up to me last SAT and were like, DO I HAVE ANY?

And my dumb azz actually HAS IT on my main computer at home, don't know a LICK of Latin music, but felt like I could have done SOMETHING..If would have

#1. Paid attention to the advice given in Smizzle's thread and
#2. Moved that music to my laptop....which I'm gonna do tomorrow...

Okay here we go. Time to throw myself in front of the bus.

I've enjoyed listening to dubstep tracks for a while. And people have been pushing and pushing and pushing me to record a mix and drop a mixtape (so to speak) of it. I'm finally gonna have to cave and do it. So I got a bunch of dubstep songs but nothing I'm getting is very mixable. I'm getting the dubstep mixes of recent top 40 songs. Dubstep is somewhat of a house music format but most of what I'm getting doesn't have even enough of a beat at the beginning to make a loop and mix it in. Can I get a few helpful hints in the midst of all the shit I'm gonna get for throwing THIS in HERE? : )

Making an experimental mix of music you don't really play is one thing, accepting gigs when you don't know how to mix what the promoter wants is another.

So.... Do YOU play Dubstep? Do you know how to mix this stuff? It's just too close to house for me to bring myself to just slamming it. Ya dig?

not at all rob, dubstep is more like hiphop to me, where I do lots of loops and slams, check this mix i did not too long ago for an example:

www.mixcloud.com

Enough about the earlier hip hop comments, seriously people get a fucking life.

Rob, personally I do mix dubstep in a similar way to house, however the phrasing is a little different. I use gradual, extended mixes and blend them in slowly similar to house blends without many slams or loops.

Again, its a matter of style, but in many dubstep tracks you still get nice long intros, outros etc. Dubstep is a broad term these days so it may depend on what style of dubstep tracks you are playing.

soundcloud.com

nice mix. you're referring to more clasical-sounding dubstep while I was talking more about "brostep" stuff.

thanks man! Diggin your mix too!

can someone explain or send me a link of where to get these hip hop pool intros?

only sites ive ever used are beatport for EDM and itunes for commercial tracks? im really into my EDM but wouldnt mind playing about with some commercial stuff every now and then, always good experience to something different!

google.com

Www.idjpool.com
Www.latenightrecordpool.com

Not the cheapest but both have urban and dance stuff with consistent quality

serato.com

Hiphop, R&B, House, (progressive, electro, etc) Dance, Oldschool, Top 40 and soem 80's. Check the archived files on the left, just click on the month.
djbillyg.mypodcast.com

my two sources.
www.mymp3pool.com (intros)
www.promotionalcdsinglesv2.blogspot.com (singles)

i'm restarting this forum....

I started djing 4 years ago but there are still certain tracks that still have not been released digitally that I have that I had to pick up some vinyl for them. it's called investing in your music.

Biggest enjoyment for me as a DJ is "cratediggin" or searching for music n discovering new tracks