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

[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