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  • Mix Club - The Remedial Class

The internet has changed things on this front a bit too.

Consider back in the 90s, DJs might have a very similar sounding set for a good two or three months, having it evolve with new tunes appearing over time. Now, nobody can be seen to play the same tune twice and release schedules are mental busy. So way back when, DJs had more opportunity to get to know their records; swerve the key clashes, find the cue points, get a flow etc. Now things have to be a bit more instant, hence the leg work that goes into setting up mixes, and why some DJs have ‘human filters’ going through new music for them.

Put simply, DJs who prep sound better, but if you’re not recording it for other to listen to multiple times, don’t worry too much about it, just enjoy it.

vinnyt77 i’m in the exception the rule. because of where i live, my options are seriously limited. if two decent djs stroll through here in a year, that’s a big year, so i only go see guys play who i know are good. my experience djing ruined average djs for me, i need good records and technical skill or i struggle to keep my head in it.

the last great dj i saw was mark farina. green velvet a year an a half ago was ok, nothing special. kevin saunderson was phenomenal last time i saw him, danny howells a few years back. i just don’t get out much anymore haha.

      Had another great day just picking random records of a shelf and mixing them in with not a care in the world.

        303abuser I think the last time I saw a DJ whose phasing and mixing really blew me away was Ian Ossia, about 5-6 years ago. I think it’s partly the music of today - it just doesn’t seem to lend itself to mindblowing transitions in the way that records of 15-20 years ago did. At the same time though, it’s SO easy to be an ‘adequate’ technical DJ using modern tools and trickery, that a whole generation of DJs just don’t seem to have the knack of putting records together in a spellbinding way…

            vinnyt77 all good points. i think it’s a much different skill set than it was when everyone played records, i know it wasn’t the same for me.

              7 days later

              Changing the tempo settings to +/- 6 is a massive game changer for me - who knew?! Thanks @Amps.

              No drifting and was much easier and quicker getting things beatmatched properly - one positive I suppose is that it properly kept me on my toes before.

                Saw Ian Ossia at the last ever Renaissance at The Cross.

                He played b2b with Nigel Dawson all night and they were absolutely brilliant.

                Unbroken1 Also, and bizarrely, the colour when you have +/- 6 looks like some kind of warning that you’ve got it wrong.

                  I’ve been mixing a lot yesterday and today. I honestly can’t believe the effect of the tempo settings. It’s so much more reliable and consistent - so much more enjoyable.

                  Had grand ideas about a mix that meanders from about 110 through to 124 ish.

                  Today just mixed between 118 & 124.

                  Was liberating.

                  Not what I want to do but probably a good way to learn.

                  Steady lads you’ll be hitting the 130’s next. After that it’s full on nose bleed techno.

                    Dubman
                    My transitions are always roughly 200+, once I’ve expertly combined both bpms