the tunes........or the mixing...?????

[davethedrummer]

which one do you go for most
or can you not have one without the other?

personally i would watch an elephant mix if he played decent tunes

[killarava2day]

I'd prefer an even competency in both fields. Although it's quite a rarity these days...

[dan the acid man]

the tunes are the most important thing to me, i've seen some really technically gifted dj's who have bored me to death just because they played the wrong tunes, also the way you build a set is important , for me its nice to see someone start off funky then go a bit harder, then bring it down a bit, then all out for the finish :dance:

[Si the Sigh]

Got to be a bit of both for me.

[serox]

would rather go hear som1 playing good records one after the other (not even long mixes)


than to hear som1 doing long. smooth mixes with records that put me to sleep.



PS: DTD was u at ToM party at weekend? if so, what did u think?

[Esox Lucius]

the music.

[Patrick]

Music every time.

[basslinejunkie]

the music/tunes are defo the most important part,but saying that if the dj is spoling the tunes with his/her mixing then i suppose it doesnt matter coz that would take the foucs of the music.

[FuK-NuT]

both....

id fuking hate to hear a dj play fat tune after fat tune while mixing on top of a washing machine...i think id have to start shouting at him/her!!

[serox]

yeh if they r having problems mixin. then just play the record to the end and put the next one on lol

dont ruin the records trying to mix

[greyscale]

id much rather soemone backspin ever tune into another if they were all of high quality, rather than watch a dj play bog standard tunes and mix superbly.

[dJpZ]

both are important, but it's easier to get some good plastic than good techniques. But as long u dont master this techniques dont do them on events, there's nothing worse, bedroom is ok for training, not events!

But if it's to link records only, i dont see the utility of having sl1200 and buying records, just get traktor, the free mp3's and use this auto-mix function.

[gumpy green]

Has to be both.

thers no point in playing good tracks badly or vice versa...

What you want is the finest tunes, mixed cleanly, with the djs own style, being REALLY creative and pushing djing to the limits.

If i saw someone playing good tunes but not even mixing them i would walk up to the dj booth and tell them they were shite and to give me a shot....

train wreaking the beats and i just walk off the dancefloor...how the fuk could you enjoy such noise????

[spiralx]

The tunes are more important, but if you've got bad mixing then it's a real distraction. Basically I'd rather have a competant DJ with wicked tunes than an excellent DJ with average tunes.

But a very good DJ can often use the mixer to completeley play around with what's playing anyway, creating something new from what they're playing. In which case technique can improve a lackluster tune...

[Tiptoe]

it has to be tunes but it really does annoy me if a dj can't mix that spoils it in a way for me

[gary_human]

Definiteley the mixing!

A good DJ can make bad or average tunes sound superb but a shit DJ or 'Elephant' can make excellent tunes sound 'shite'.

Anyway when i go out i wanna hear a new experience that ive never heard before. I want a good DJ to lock me into that techno groove so i can pound away on the dancefloor until my little techno heart is beating so hard and that the LOUD techno music has got me so locked and high that I need to stop in case I have an asthma attack or my lungs explode (as happened new years eve -thanks Aaron Lib!!)

Good tunes in the hands of good DJs are sonic weapons that detonate dancefloors.

Ps. I have only just found this forum as i got a job in an office now, and it is gggggggggggreat to share my geeky techno love with other techno freaks - Im glad i found my family ;)

[slacker]

The tunes are more important, but if you've got bad mixing then it's a real distraction. Basically I'd rather have a competant DJ with wicked tunes than an excellent DJ with average tunes

yepyep. It's all about balance, as with so many things in life.
gotta be good tunes, but can't be havin an awful dj either. bleeaurgh!

[AUYA]

Good tunes in the hands of good DJs are sonic weapons that detonate dancefloors.




Oh yeah!!!

[DJ Corbzy]

If I'm going to see a well respected DJ play for the first time I expect an equal dose of the finest mixing and most upfront tunes to warrant my respect, but aslong as they play good tunes in a party atmosphere, they are bound to please.

[romelpotter]

both, although the music is important, I love it when the dj starts to do tricks and shit and the crowd responds.

[DJ Tomi]

i think that a good DJ is some1 that has both

yeah u may be able to mix seamlessley but if ur tunes and set is boring then it will get very boring

and u have an amaizng tune selection and some of the tricks you cud do are shit hot but if u cant mix your set wont sound smooth at all and the atmosphere will go

there is nothing worse ina club wen the DJ keeps making mistakes in a mix liek wise there is nothing worse than a boring set either

thats my opinion anyway :)

[technonasty]

The DJ has a big influence.....hence why techno albums tend to be a bit of a nonstarter. There are a few dj's that do it for me while the tracks that they play on their own wouldn't be completely up my street....Sims and Carola are two examples I can think of. Give me a bunch of straight loops that I can layer and chop to create combinations of my own....Hawtin and DE9 being the pioneer of this style. Don't think I've added much to the conversation but had to have my tuppence worth ;)

[Analbumcover]

Tunes everytime...

Far too many times have I watched someone layer 3 or more dull loops over the top of each other to create their own uniquely dull loop, normally whilst looking smug about their latest multi deck mix...

If it had to be one or the other, I'd happily go for a one deck dub system stylee "selector" sticking on quality tune after quality tune...

[MARKEG]

hey technonasty i've deleted your avatar - can you make it smaller next time?! thanks!

[anx]

Tunes everytime...

Far too many times have I watched someone layer 3 or more dull loops over the top of each other to create their own uniquely dull loop, normally whilst looking smug about their latest multi deck mix...

If it had to be one or the other, I'd happily go for a one deck dub system stylee "selector" sticking on quality tune after quality tune...

yea but who wants to listen to techno from beginning to end? not me. techno is a genre that i feel has to be mixed properly or else it sounds like crap.

so i think its gotta be a combination of both. a good tune can sound like crap if its mixed horribly....but a crappy tune...it still sounds crappy even if the dj can mix it really well.

[MARKEG]

both are equaly as important to me. if i want to 'listen' intently to techno i do it at home or in the car and listen to the whole track. if i'm in a club i want to listen to the experience as a whole. that means i can't be hearing lots of mistakes in the mix. unfortunately when you dj, you get very critical. and a bad dj just ruins my night.

[Louis Theroux]

How many Djs are there that are good mixers but the music they play is shit? If you don't like the music you don't listen to the DJ, the music is the most important.

If the Dj is not good at mixing they will eventually get better, its not brain surgery.

[Metadog]

i'd rather hear a shit dj playing good tracks than a good dj playing shit tracks
;)

[dJpZ]

as long the word "both" was told xx times, i think we have the response :neutral:

[SlavikSvensk]

i really miss the days when djs were more adventurous with what they played. i mean, first and foremost, a dj must play tunes that resonate with the audience. secondly, they must do it in such a way that average songs sound good, good ones sound great and so on.

i think the one of the best dj moments i've ever heard was jeff mills mixing "move your body" into "pump up the jam." super cheese but just straight-out mad.

[dJpZ]

I dont sleep behind my hits i am a DEEJAY

[slavestudios]

i find the two inseperable... as the techno 12 becomes a pure tool, mixing ability & record choice blend.

imo :lol:

[anx]

How many Djs are there that are good mixers but the music they play is shit? If you don't like the music you don't listen to the DJ, the music is the most important.

If the Dj is not good at mixing they will eventually get better, its not brain surgery.

yes but dj's should be learning how to mix at home, not at the friggen club

[SlavikSvensk]

How many Djs are there that are good mixers but the music they play is shit? If you don't like the music you don't listen to the DJ, the music is the most important.

If the Dj is not good at mixing they will eventually get better, its not brain surgery.

yes but dj's should be learning how to mix at home, not at the friggen club

funny about that...

[anx]

:?:

[death on a stick]

the music is more important than the mixing.

[spiralx]

i really miss the days when djs were more adventurous with what they played. i mean, first and foremost, a dj must play tunes that resonate with the audience. secondly, they must do it in such a way that average songs sound good, good ones sound great and so on.

i think the one of the best dj moments i've ever heard was jeff mills mixing "move your body" into "pump up the jam." super cheese but just straight-out mad.
This is why I love hearing Jerome Hill play out... you never know what he's going to play next. Techno into reggae into hip hop into techno into ragga into 60s skipping tunes :D

[Buttman]

As I say about everything:
Why settle with only one when you can have both?

[The Overfiend]

Both. Djing is a talent. Not something you learn and do.
You have to develop your own class and style behind the decks.

[Kevin Gorman]

both go hand and hand really, I hate going out on a night and listening to a dj who can't mix a can of white paint, and the thing that confuses me is the same promotor books them again! even after hearing them do a crap set! this is confusing.

[AUYA]

shit dj playing good tracks or good dj palying good tracks?




i'd rather hear a shit dj playing good tracks than a good dj playing shit tracks
;)

[mindgame]

i find the two inseperable... as the techno 12 becomes a pure tool, mixing ability & record choice blend

i totaly agree with this - especially with techno - alot of it is monotonous so alot needs to be done with it, but i think its monotonous for that reason -

i mean once im on tehfloor im gonna dance if they are good tracks regardless i guess but it jsut irritates me to see a paid dj do 32 beat mixes - ill expect it form a newbie - or a trance dj -

overall were jsut dj's mixing other peoples music, so do as much as you possibly can - but it bugs me when im on the floor adn the dj does nothing with his mixes or his mixing/cuts are so predictable and timeable - and it bugs me even more to see these people getting booked -

[jonnyspeed]

I played out on saturday and was lets say a bit worse for wear and kept day dreaming and forgetting what was coming out of what channel - afterwards I was like - "hay sorry forks for the shit mixing" and everybody said they loved it and forgave me a few seconds of pots and pans and taking the wrong record off... twice. :) So I guess so long as its great tunes then people will forgive you for partying when you should be concentrating

[mindgame]

^^^^^^^^^
that is what saddens me though..it doesent matter what or who they book because unless if your a dj/producer or really know the music most people dont know anyway - sometimes its gets to the point of why even bother trying to put effort into it -

[anx]

were you real drunk or something?

:P

[SlavikSvensk]

okay, let me be radical for this thread...it's also THE ORDER in which you mix good tracks. one track may lead seamlessly into another in the hands of a good dj, whereas two great tracks may sound either boring or just plain awful back-to-back.

laurent garnier is the master of this, imo

[Dustin Zahn]

I totally agree. I'm sick of DJs who play nothing but the same shit for their whole set. I noticed last time I was in Belgium I went to this party which had Gardell, Slobodan, and Mark Williams (replacing Glenn Wilson live). Fort he whole night it was nothing but really beatin' Planet Rhythm/Compound style techno until Mark Williams goes on. I love this stuff but I can't do 3-4-5 hours of it. Once Mark Williams got on he played really cool stuff too but it was all Ingoma/Hardgroove style techno for his whole set.

The talent wasn't really a let down, because it's what they do and they do it well...but I could not believe there was no progression or direction in the music throughout the whole night! Maybe us Americans are pussies or something.

[jonnyspeed]

were you real drunk or something?

:P

Yep too many 'or something', lovely skunk and tooo many pretty people smiling at me ;)

[daviec]

Isn't good dj'ing not just about being able to beat mix, or pull off tricks, but about your selection of tunes, how your set flows, noting how people respond on the dancefloor and reacting accordingly?

I think good dj'ing implies good tunes, or at least a good choice of tunes. The tunes on their own might not be up to much but a good dj can make it an important part of his set.

I hate hearing a dj mess up mix after mix in a club. Anyone can make a mistake, that's OK with me and I usually have a laugh when someone messes it up, but the flow of things is very important to me and you can't get a good flow when it's constantly interrupted by crap mixing.

[SlavikSvensk]

does anyone else here remember when it was normal to hear techno djs drop house tunes in the middle of a set? when i first got into all this in detroit many years ago that was the norm. derrick may, kevin saunderson, stacey pullen, dj bone, eddie fowlkes, jay denham, you name it, the local guys who never really made it outside...they all did this. so did richie hawtin. guys from chicago would come down and you'd hear farley jackmaster funk after purpose maker. it was awesome.

techno is way too fragmented and polarized these days for my tastes.

[Bughead]

If you got the tunes and cant mix ( this is in a club environment) it can ruin your night, if you havent got the tunes and mix amazingly that can ruin your night.

Personally I go for the tunes....

[Col]

the music is far more important.

it is much more difficult to program a good set, than it is to mix without faults.

[Dustin Zahn]

I'd go for either or! Most people can't get either one of them!

[tekboi]

Track selection by far, though obviously the mixing has to be at least at a decent level. Its all about the music in the end but a little skill also has to come with it.

[mindgame]

Isn't good dj'ing not just about being able to beat mix, or pull off tricks, but about your selection of tunes, how your set flows, noting how people respond on the dancefloor and reacting accordingly?

I think good dj'ing implies good tunes, or at least a good choice of tunes. The tunes on their own might not be up to much but a good dj can make it an important part of his set.

I hate hearing a dj mess up mix after mix in a club. Anyone can make a mistake, that's OK with me and I usually have a laugh when someone messes it up, but the flow of things is very important to me and you can't get a good flow when it's constantly interrupted by crap mixing.

its both -
especially with techno - take track A and track B and make track C -
dont just blend the ends of tracks...
again we are mixing others peoples music to begin ..at least make it more interesting - i don tmind so much small screw ups here and there as long as htey are puttin galot of time into the mixes - otherwise its like woo hoo yuou can match 1 2 3 4 - whoopee..

i dont want to hear train wrecks over and over in attempts to pull off tricks but if your doing so much with a mix tha tyou screw up a lil bit i think its ok..if you can pull it both off perfect then even better..that is my goal -

[killarava2day]

Track selection by far, though obviously the mixing has to be at least at a decent level. Its all about the music in the end but a little skill also has to come with it.

Kinda like most of the club djs here...music is soo assesable these days. Who cares if you can't mix, it doesn't matter, you have the music...pffft to that. I know a few guys, whom have never seen a deck in a club and I know they'd pull off a set better than most...but they don't want to. They're dedicated, but I don't know, modest. Alot of so call DJs love to be at the top of the chain, cause that's where you fall in the chain of command in the rave scene eh?

[icb]

the music is far more important.

it is much more difficult to program a good set, than it is to mix without faults.

Totally agree

[DJPAUZE]

I think that what you will find is that most dj's who have been mixing for a while will be quite critical of mixing when it comes to djs.
For myself its a combination of music and dj skills. A dj who knows his music well and mixes flawlessly is an essential with me.
I dont know what it is but I hear every mistake so clearly when a dj sucks (joke)
And saying this, people who dont know mixing skills well, will tell you that they just love whatever tracks the dj will play as long as it makes them move their tooshy.

And by the way mr drummer you are at the top my list for mixing by far.

Peace
Pauze

[davethedrummer]

Good tunes in the hands of good DJs are sonic weapons that detonate dancefloors.


great quote gary
welcome to the club

[davethedrummer]

the music is far more important.

it is much more difficult to program a good set, than it is to mix without faults.

i utterly agree
when you are actually in the club
and you've got a good crowd and they really WANT IT!!
you have to keep that vibe going and mixing will not do it alone,
the tunes you select are totally important and knowing what to play next
is a gift that some have and some don't
anyone can learn to beat match, it is a mathematical application
of skill,

but what do you play next??

aaah now that requires something above skill

[TRB]

the music is far more important.

it is much more difficult to program a good set, than it is to mix without faults.

i utterly agree
when you are actually in the club
and you've got a good crowd and they really WANT IT!!
you have to keep that vibe going and mixing will not do it alone,
the tunes you select are totally important and knowing what to play next
is a gift that some have and some don't
anyone can learn to beat match, it is a mathematical application
of skill,

but what do you play next??

aaah now that requires something above skill

Patrick DSP typing...

I agree! This is how jon the dentist became so popular, because of track selection, because lord knows he can't even mix 2 eggs together.

-P.DSP at Charlies' house.

[anx]

thanks patrick! i've always wondered how he got so big!

[dtl]

JTD is big? Even now?

I think a all round good dj should have commited enough time and effort into the music to identify a good tune. And the next tune thing is really tough, coz you are in front of the punters, pumped with excitments and all.

Soberity is the key me think.

Eric.

[MrAcid]

good Djs needs good tracks , good tracks need good djs..etc