View Full Version : Is DJ Promo that bad?
Bacchus
05-01-2005, 03:08 PM
I saw this video of DJ Promo @ Sensation Black
mms://83.149.66.2/Promo1-cqx
This guy does'nt even seem to mix the records. He fades out one record into the breakdown of another. Really now, whatsup with that?
World Class DJ???
Or was it just a bad night for him?
?
That's the best set I've ever heard from him..
btw I'm sure you knew but he spins hardcore, not hardstyle..
oh btw, you gotta know that beatmatching is severly difficult with hardcore vinyls cause the BPM's range from 150 to 200 .. hehe
Bacchus
05-01-2005, 03:34 PM
?
That's the best set I've ever heard from him..
btw I'm sure you knew but he spins hardcore, not hardstyle..
yes, i know... but it's a very slow set, and some tracks i even play in a hardstyle set.
Yeah, hardcore records vary. But, that's when you need to learn what records you can play at one point. When ever single mix is just a cross fade over, it's a tad dissapointing to see. :neutral:
Mirsha
05-01-2005, 03:43 PM
I'd disagree and say it's easier, I've certainly found that it's much easier for me to mix the fast schranz stuff accuraetly than the stuff in my crate when I'm using my mates records. My reasoning for this as someone who doesn't have beatmatching fully down yet because the records are playing faster mistakes in the tighter end of locking them down happen much faster so they become noticeable and you fiddle your slider to get them back in which leads to an overall solider mix.
Also in my experience most schranz tracks have a much solider sounding beat which helps me distringuish them in the ears, with someo of the tracks I mix you sometime lose the beat and have to fall back on listening to the highs.
DJTrubass
05-01-2005, 05:53 PM
all i know of promo is that hes a highly respected dj abroad, not heard much from him but i wouldent say hes playing at sensation if all he can do is fade tunes
K Front
05-01-2005, 06:27 PM
You should look at lunas set at sensation, oh dear!
Promo is a wicked dj. I havnt seen this video all the way through but i know he wouldnt just chop over a track without beat maching it for a reason. I play the same sort of gabba he does, slow and trancey and i know that most of it is very hard to piece together. But i think promo does it very well.
K Front
05-01-2005, 06:32 PM
Best set ive ever heard was from promo an producer brb. Amazing stuff..
Yoshimitsu
05-01-2005, 06:41 PM
oh btw, you gotta know that beatmatching is severly difficult with hardcore vinyls cause the BPM's range from 150 to 200 .. hehe
Why does that make a difference?
because if you start off with a song at 150 BPM and the next one you throw in is 190BPM you have to pitch it down on -20% or somewhat to make an equal beatmatch.
Sometimes the differences are TOO big to do actual beatmatching and the only way of making a smooth mix to the next record is by fading in and out
You will never have these problems with hardstyle where the BPM will always be somewhere between 137.5 and 150.
Winds
05-01-2005, 07:56 PM
If you cant match the beats because the song wont go slow enough. Then maybe it isnt supposed to be played that slow dude? Personally, I think its bad DJ'ing, if someone fades from one track to another without beatmatching. Just IMO though. :)
Bacchus
05-01-2005, 08:12 PM
If you cant match the beats because the song wont go slow enough. Then maybe it isnt supposed to be played that slow dude? Personally, I think its bad DJ'ing, if someone fades from one track to another without beatmatching. Just IMO though. :)
exactly my point.
Don't play a 190bpm track with a 150bpm track. Play a 160, and pitch it down, and build up to that speed.
I used to play much more hardcore, with hardstyle. And this set is no excuse. There's not ONE mix.
Promo is respected because of his records. He's respected because he's one of the top producers in the world. This video just proves how horrible of a DJ he actually is...and How much people will pay just for a name.
K Front
05-01-2005, 08:56 PM
maybe it isnt supposed to be played that slow dude? Personally, I think its bad DJ'ing, if someone fades from one track to another without beatmatching. Just IMO though. :)
Why is a track supposed to be played at a certain spead? my pitch sliders are all over the place when i mix. Gabba tracks are all over the place, some the same speed as hardstyle some nearer to speedcore. Play them however you want, theres no rules. Its not bad djing, if anything its good djing.
But i do agree the beats should be matched to get an even flow. Unless the mix is done well.
DJTrubass
05-01-2005, 08:59 PM
Gabber can often be very hard to mix, if there is a 50bpm difference then that dosent mean the tune isnt ment to be played as it could be a perfect tune to progress a set..
K Front
05-01-2005, 09:02 PM
Don't play a 190bpm track with a 150bpm track. Play a 160, and pitch it down, and build up to that speed.
Why?
Promo is respected because of his records. He's respected because he's one of the top producers in the world. This video just proves how horrible of a DJ he actually is...and How much people will pay just for a name.
I wish i could see this video but i cant on this pc. But the mixes ive heard from him before have been top notch. I would definatly pay to see promo probably more than any other dj, his tracks are amazing in my opinion and with his sets i know i will always here tracks ive never heard and probably will never hear again.
Winds
05-01-2005, 09:02 PM
Didnt mean it like that. What I meant was, if you cant adjust the pitch fader enough to get the beats matched because the tracks are out of range, so you just fade them across instead. Thats what I think bad dj'ing is. Going from 150 to 190, in 1 track just seemed like a hell of a difference. Without building to it, if you know what I mean?
K Front
05-01-2005, 09:06 PM
Sorry baccus, i miss read your post, i didnt mean to say 'Why?' to that. I agree 190 bpm into a 150 bpm track is abit extreme. I thought you ment a 190 bpm track pitched down to 150 bpm. :P
DJTrubass
05-01-2005, 09:07 PM
tbh tho, ive heard many a north tape when djs have made complete mumbles of there mixeds and the beats are all over the place and they can some times basically just cut one track out, thing is when u hear gabber being played you tend to forget about ur usual 4/4 make ur mixes perfect and bend the rules, the type of people into it dont seemed ass bothered anyways as long as the djs drops some phatt tunes and has a generally good set who cares :twisted:
K Front
05-01-2005, 09:08 PM
Didnt mean it like that. What I meant was, if you cant adjust the pitch fader enough to get the beats matched because the tracks are out of range, so you just fade them across instead. Thats what I think bad dj'ing is. Going from 150 to 190, in 1 track just seemed like a hell of a difference. Without building to it, if you know what I mean?
I agree with that mate, if the they just faded it out because they couldnt get the pitch right and not planned it at all then that is bad.
bachus how many sets have you heard of dj promo's??
I personally love promo's sets! but its each to their own though! and im curious to see if this statement has came from listening to more than one set or from over a period of time.
If you cant match the beats because the song wont go slow enough. Then maybe it isnt supposed to be played that slow dude? Personally, I think its bad DJ'ing, if someone fades from one track to another without beatmatching. Just IMO though. :)
Take a look of the tracklisting of that set. He mixes highspeed tracks together with slower tracks, that's the way it is with hardcore. Sometimes you need to brake down a bit to give the audience a rest.
Furthermore it's a very commercial audience which makes that you CANT pound at 200BPM non stop. It would tire the crowd out.
I think he did an excellent job that night
Bacchus
06-01-2005, 03:22 PM
bachus how many sets have you heard of dj promo's??
I personally love promo's sets! but its each to their own though! and im curious to see if this statement has came from listening to more than one set or from over a period of time.
i've heard a few. Most of them have been studio recorded, but never live.
Bacchus
06-01-2005, 03:31 PM
If you cant match the beats because the song wont go slow enough. Then maybe it isnt supposed to be played that slow dude? Personally, I think its bad DJ'ing, if someone fades from one track to another without beatmatching. Just IMO though. :)
Take a look of the tracklisting of that set. He mixes highspeed tracks together with slower tracks, that's the way it is with hardcore. Sometimes you need to brake down a bit to give the audience a rest.
Furthermore it's a very commercial audience which makes that you CANT pound at 200BPM non stop. It would tire the crowd out.
I think he did an excellent job that night
Personally, I don't think that's an excuse. I say that it's a cop out for bad DJ's. When a trance DJ does this, he's laughed at. But it's okay for a hardcore DJ? Anybody can play a bunch of good tracks together, then just fade them at the break down. Heck, that's what the first DJ's did.
I mean, it would'nt be so bad if the DJ could count bars and cut the mix when the breakdown starts, but in this case, You can clearly hear the volume of the kick from one track slowly diminishing over the breakdown.
To me, that's a wedding DJ. If i'm going to hear a DJ do that, i'm expecting a 5 course meal and some Barry ****ing Mannilow.
Yoshimitsu
06-01-2005, 03:35 PM
agreed m8 well said
lukekendall
06-01-2005, 04:09 PM
If you cant match the beats because the song wont go slow enough. Then maybe it isnt supposed to be played that slow dude? Personally, I think its bad DJ'ing, if someone fades from one track to another without beatmatching. Just IMO though. :)
Take a look of the tracklisting of that set. He mixes highspeed tracks together with slower tracks, that's the way it is with hardcore. Sometimes you need to brake down a bit to give the audience a rest.
Furthermore it's a very commercial audience which makes that you CANT pound at 200BPM non stop. It would tire the crowd out.
I think he did an excellent job that night
Personally, I don't think that's an excuse. I say that it's a cop out for bad DJ's. When a trance DJ does this, he's laughed at. But it's okay for a hardcore DJ? Anybody can play a bunch of good tracks together, then just fade them at the break down. Heck, that's what the first DJ's did.
I mean, it would'nt be so bad if the DJ could count bars and cut the mix when the breakdown starts, but in this case, You can clearly hear the volume of the kick from one track slowly diminishing over the breakdown.
To me, that's a wedding DJ. If i'm going to hear a DJ do that, i'm
expecting a 5 course meal and some Barry **** Mannilow.
i agree totally mate
man_d
06-01-2005, 04:15 PM
Best set ive ever heard was from promo an producer brb. Amazing stuff..
haha.. North last year? I was there too and also go to see him at North the year before. He totally blew me away - I loved his stuff anyway but live he was amazing.
I won't have a word said against Promo - he saved my love for music.
DJTrubass
06-01-2005, 05:48 PM
hardcore is in a different reality to trance, cant mock it unless u realy have tryed mixing a 170 bpm track into a 220 bpm track when the faders dont ajust enough to even get close enough to match the beats
Voorheez
06-01-2005, 06:06 PM
Bacchus, I think you're a bit off mark with this one.
I just watched the video, and he doesn't fade out into the next song once as far as I saw. He's mixing the tunes, leaving them in and then dropping the outgoing tune as the incoming tunes breaks and drops the next bassline. You can see him mixing quite clearly in the video, so your viewpoint seems a little bizarre to me. I think I saw him drop mix once, which takes a lot of skill to do well anyway - and he most certainly does it well.
I'm not a fan of Promo, in fact this is the first time i've seen or heard him, and he seems highly skilled to me. Near every mix is spot on, the only one I could really hear that didn't quite work as he expected was at the 23 min mark, where a tune ends 32 beats earlier than he thought, but he still makes it sound pretty decent still. He mixes extremely fast too, which increases the chance of mistakes but I don't think I heard a single beat out in the whole set.
jesus
06-01-2005, 06:36 PM
shit that is some sick venue, i need something like that around here. anyone know where is it~?
jesus
06-01-2005, 06:46 PM
Bacchus, I think you're a bit off mark with this one.
I just watched the video, and he doesn't fade out into the next song once as far as I saw. He's mixing the tunes, leaving them in and then dropping the outgoing tune as the incoming tunes breaks and drops the next bassline. You can see him mixing quite clearly in the video, so your viewpoint seems a little bizarre to me.
yeha but he does that every mix which isnt actually mixing or is the simplest mix in the world, that even my sister can do ( she could actually and shes 14). also some of that music he plays is absolutly shocking :shock: . actually i couldnt bring myself to listen passed 17 mins it was that bad. and yes he does **** up almost every mix, well to me he does.
Bacchus, I think you're a bit off mark with this one.
I just watched the video, and he doesn't fade out into the next song once as far as I saw. He's mixing the tunes, leaving them in and then dropping the outgoing tune as the incoming tunes breaks and drops the next bassline. You can see him mixing quite clearly in the video, so your viewpoint seems a little bizarre to me.
yeha but he does that every mix which isnt actually mixing or is the simplest mix in the world, that even my sister can do ( she could actually and shes 14). also some of that music he plays is absolutly shocking :shock: . actually i couldnt bring myself to listen passed 17 mins it was that bad. and yes he does **** up almost every mix, well to me he does.
all i can say if EVERY DJ mixed the same way & played the same tunes it would be a very sad & boring scene we would have!! I I suppose many of us should agree to disagree on this subject! I enjoyed the promo set in this video and i have enjoyed many others of his! I suppose its what makes the scene very interesting.
:roll:
all dutch hardcore dj's mix like that. there's no other way to properly mix hardcore.
the event is in Amsterdam, it's called Sensation
Bacchus
06-01-2005, 09:00 PM
Bacchus, I think you're a bit off mark with this one.
I just watched the video, and he doesn't fade out into the next song once as far as I saw. He's mixing the tunes, leaving them in and then dropping the outgoing tune as the incoming tunes breaks and drops the next bassline. You can see him mixing quite clearly in the video, so your viewpoint seems a little bizarre to me. I think I saw him drop mix once, which takes a lot of skill to do well anyway - and he most certainly does it well.
I'm not a fan of Promo, in fact this is the first time i've seen or heard him, and he seems highly skilled to me. Near every mix is spot on, the only one I could really hear that didn't quite work as he expected was at the 23 min mark, where a tune ends 32 beats earlier than he thought, but he still makes it sound pretty decent still. He mixes extremely fast too, which increases the chance of mistakes but I don't think I heard a single beat out in the whole set.
well, to each their own i guess.
I've got a few people who agree with me, and you've got a few who agree with you.
DJTrubass
06-01-2005, 09:41 PM
agree to dissagree init, :lol:
K Front
07-01-2005, 09:52 AM
yeha but he does that every mix which isnt actually mixing or is the simplest mix in the world, that even my sister can do ( she could actually and shes 14). also some of that music he plays is absolutly shocking :shock: . actually i couldnt bring myself to listen passed 17 mins it was that bad. and yes he does **** up almost every mix, well to me he does.
What sort of music do you usually listen to or mix?
K Front
07-01-2005, 09:55 AM
I've got a few people who agree with me, and you've got a few who agree with you.
Im with voorheez, come on lets all have a fight. :lol:
Yoshimitsu
07-01-2005, 12:56 PM
*bottles y fronts*
K Front
08-01-2005, 01:06 PM
:lol:
Voorheez
08-01-2005, 10:39 PM
I've got a few people who agree with me, and you've got a few who agree with you.
Does that really matter at all? I'm not really looking for a shouting match, or one group of people saying one thing versus another saying the opposite, I'm genuinely interested in how you came to your opinion - I was hoping for you to point out things I might have missed, mixes you thought were really bad perhaps...
Like I said before, i'm not a huge Promo fan out to defend him, I honestly thought I might have been watching a different video at times because I was expecting him to train wreck every mix or to play vastly different speed records, but I saw a very respectable set, at least to my ears.
Bacchus
10-01-2005, 01:41 PM
I've got a few people who agree with me, and you've got a few who agree with you.
Does that really matter at all? I'm not really looking for a shouting match, or one group of people saying one thing versus another saying the opposite, I'm genuinely interested in how you came to your opinion - I was hoping for you to point out things I might have missed, mixes you thought were really bad perhaps...
Like I said before, i'm not a huge Promo fan out to defend him, I honestly thought I might have been watching a different video at times because I was expecting him to train wreck every mix or to play vastly different speed records, but I saw a very respectable set, at least to my ears.
well, as mentioned before, it just seemed like every breakdown i heard had a "Boom Boom Bom Boom" that would slowly fade into a vocal sample or melody.
I did'nt accuse him of trainwrecking. I just thought his mixing skills were very minimal and simple.
Bacchus
10-01-2005, 01:42 PM
(i can't go back and bring out the specific samples as most my time online is at work, but when get a chance to sit down and critique it again at home, i'll post the details should you wish)
Voorheez
10-01-2005, 06:30 PM
Nah no worries don't go to too much trouble m8, it doesn't really matter to me, not that much anyway ;)
Do have another watch of it though, you might be surprised...
DJTrubass
11-01-2005, 09:37 AM
does the video stall for ne one but music carry on at points?
DJTrubass
11-01-2005, 09:40 AM
i havent listened to all of it, but the majority of mixes ive heard have been perfectly beatmatched
Voorheez
11-01-2005, 06:28 PM
does the video stall for ne one but music carry on at points?
didn't happen for me m8
Luke Revival
12-01-2005, 06:02 PM
One of the best sets ive ever heard / seen was promo at Species in Manchester. He was top
Mindful
12-01-2005, 06:38 PM
I think that maybe some of you are missing the point.
The thing about Hardcore...speedcore....gabba and new school ect is that a set can range from starting at 140bpm move up to 200bpm then back down to 170 and so on its the nature of the music its not like most forms of dance where you keep that same pace and speed to your set its about rocking your socks off to whatever comes your way and most of these type crowds would find it very boring if the dj was just stood there keeping
his mixing nice and smooth.Its just not that high on the list to these guys and girls.
Promo is a qulity artist and deserves respect end of :rambo:
It seems that some of you are a bit quick commenting on somthing you seem to know nothing about.
Mindful
12-01-2005, 06:41 PM
Just cause you have a grasp on beatmathing dont mean you know it all.
This man is where hes at for a reason because hes quality.
K Front
13-01-2005, 09:17 AM
Wise words mindful. :clap:
It's like I said.. hardcore requires another way of building up mixes cause you can't go from <slow BPM> to <fast BPM> in a straight line.
You need to change tempo all the time, also because not all records are made to play at some of these speeds. I think the way Promo variates, combines this with beatmatching and his tunechoice is fantastic.
A.McHardy
13-01-2005, 12:41 PM
Yep thats all u need sum times just a little sly mix out aslong as it's always building in power and flowing in right direction...Lenny dee is a ****in master of this aswell.
Voorheez
13-01-2005, 04:57 PM
I'd say that the majority of the tunes in this set that he does are all around the same bpm, I didn't notice any chances in tempo really.
Voorheez
13-01-2005, 04:58 PM
Back on a hardstyle level, The Prophet drop mixes a lot - like I said earlier it sounds awesome when done well, but it's surprisingly hard to pull off (at least with vinyl anyway).
Barely Human
13-01-2005, 06:02 PM
I think that maybe some of you are missing the point.
The thing about Hardcore...speedcore....gabba and new school ect is that a set can range from starting at 140bpm move up to 200bpm then back down to 170 and so on its the nature of the music its not like most forms of dance where you keep that same pace and speed to your set its about rocking your socks off to whatever comes your way and most of these type crowds would find it very boring if the dj was just stood there keeping
his mixing nice and smooth.Its just not that high on the list to these guys and girls.
Promo is a qulity artist and deserves respect end of :rambo:
It seems that some of you are a bit quick commenting on somthing you seem to know nothing about.
Its amazing how many people have jumped in on this topic and havent watched the video :doh: If you watch the video, you will see that his set is pretty much a contant bpm all the way through, so talking about varying speeds of hardcore has **** all to do with this set. I have watched the whole of it, and it is quite a respectable set.
lol.. varying speeds has all to do with it.
You can't compare G-Shock - Demons or Nosferatu - The underground stream with tracks like 'phreak ya speaka' etc. HUGE bpm difference
I've seen it live btw
Barely Human
13-01-2005, 11:13 PM
lol.. varying speeds has all to do with it.
Not with the set that this guy was on about :crackup: The set, which this thread was all about, which has a link at the begining to, does not have a varied speed. It starts around 150, stays around 150 and finishes at 150. I am not disputing the fact that hardcore wildly ranges in speed, i mix enough of it myself, but the fact is people are arguing a point, which for this set posted, is not valid :doh:
I know what the problem is.
You guys havent seen part 2
mms://83.149.66.2/Promo2-cqx
Voorheez
14-01-2005, 05:57 PM
Why, is that one really bad?
Most of us are saying this is a great set!
No but the varying BPM's are mostly used in the 2nd half
DJTrubass
14-01-2005, 06:21 PM
No but the varying BPM's are mostly used in the 2nd half
part 2 is bangin didnt know these had part 2's hehe
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.1.11 Copyright © 2025 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.