Board DJs - how do you source tunes? (WARNING: possible TUNE WEEDS)

Millsy

How do you find great music?

Personally I feel a lot of the skill of a DJ lies in the ability to find undiscovered gems, lesser known remixes and tunes from the past that fit into more modern sets. The stuff I play being of a lower tempo (sorry Dave), I often also experiment with pitching down 120+ tunes while locking the key to see what they sound like too. But how do you go about your tune sift in the modern digital era?

My current approach is to check my feed on SoundCloud first for anything new (including scanning mixes for stuff that fits my taste and sound). If I find anything I like it goes in my favourites or I ID using shazaam or ask the DJ direct if in a mix. I also then re-listen a few days later…does the tune still grab me? Are their parts I can mix in and out of etc? I also find ‘related tracks’ on SC is fantastic at finding some real standout stuff. I have never ever gone on beatport or similar and sifted through the new tunes in a category list. I honestly can’t think of anything more soul destroying tbh.

ScottBailey

Millsy (including scanning mixes for stuff that fits my taste and sound)

Pretty much this (on tracklist1001 or mixesdb) and relying on BP & Bandcamp feeds

Also just started using ‘Dig Deeper’ on Crates.co although it typically finds stuff I already have or already listened to and didn’t like. Maybe get one track a month through that.

Mad_Cyril

Millsy experiment with pitching down 120+ tunes while locking the key

Taking the key lock off when doing this mixes things up and can keep things entertaining.

Also seems to help with the sound, though couldn’t explain why

Along_the_Wire

Millsy Never really used SC for new tunes - definitely try that. I still sift through BP, but I can’t stand doing it and as a result don’t do it as often as I should / need to.

I find quite a bit on mixes from people on here and I’ve spotted you pitching down some tunes on your last mixes - there’s one you did with an Overmono tune (?) that was excellent - I can’t replicate that with anything for shit. Generally though, doing that has opened things up quite a lot for me - I like hovering around 120-124 tops.

Edit: Overmono - Everything U Need - Flox Edit

SM001

Beatport and Bandcamp. Although I use BC a lot more nowadays then Beatport. I follow approx 2000 labels/artists on BC. This culminates in approx 300 email notifications a week that an ep/album is out. It normally takes 2 hours a week to go through those releases and end up with approx 10 in the wishlist. I’ve trained my self over the years to go through tracks quickly, otherwise I just wouldn’t have the time. With Beatport i’d be lucky to end up with 1 or 2 tracks in the cart each week.
I listen to a fair few mixes each week where I may pick up a few tracks. It’s also a good way of discovering new artists and labels. The key for me is culling the labels/artists I follow every 6 months or so. I’ve found over the last year or two my taste has shifted.

Millsy

SM001 gotta say that sounds really arduous and time intensive mate. I find most of the stuff on BC etc gets a pre release on SC and easier UX to just scan though load of stuff in short order. I use BC as primary buying portal for obvious reasons (lossless, more money for the artist) but have never touched it for sourcing.

Dubman

SM001
Have you done any board mixes or have I missed them

SM001

Millsy gotta say that sounds really arduous and time intensive mate.

I have it down so it only takes me a couple of hours each week. Listening to the weekly Bedrock releases… now thats arduous!

whatever

I only play tunes that Ed posts. FML.

Smallman1

whatever I only play tunes that Ed posts. FML.

Now we’re talking!

Wasily

I have a modified hoover off Github that I point in various directions. Also follow a few people on here whose tastes align with mine. Use crates.co to scan Beatport once a day very quickly and like @SM001 I bang through the Bandcamp emails that I’ve got a smart inbox for every once in a while. Stopped using 1001 in favour of trackid.net as you can click, copy and paste links much more easily into whatever your searching for which is good if your trying to hunt multiple tunes off a set quickly. Inflyte for promos but there’s so much dross that I don’t check it that often.

whatever

Can’t really add anything much to what has been said already. Gave up using Beatport years ago for finding new tunes.

Bandcamp is my main tool, and like others said, I get deluged with all the label/artist/pre release stuff. I also follow some JC’ers on it which is a good way of getting pre-selected tunes.

I do like to check out mixes on HOR Berlin, Yoyaku In Store and Lot Radio to nick a few tunes because they tend to have a more diverse range of stuff played that is less mainstream.

Millsy

Mad_Cyril lol. The amount I pitch down can make Minnie Ripperton sound like Louie Armstrong, mate. Dangerous groundm

Smallman1

Millsy have stopped flicking through the ole dusty crates?!

Millsy

Smallman1 dusty digital servers nowadays, chief. Or should I say GRANDAD?!

erik

About 70% of what I play is promos with the majority of the rest coming from bandcamp, I also pick up stuff from Traxsource and JunoDownload, I rarely use Beatport unless I absolutely can’t find it anywhere else.

I never scan other people’s mixes for tracks and only occasional grab a freebie from Soundcloud.

I’m also a big fan of playing stuff at the wrong speed, 118 and pitch it up or 130 and pitch it down

Millsy

erik playing just promos is a bit limiting, no?

apyssjw

If I find a track I like on Spotify, then start a song radio , it will feed you tracks on a similar theme - which at times has worked brilliantly.

erik I rarely use Beatport unless I absolutely can’t find it anywhere else

I have a, possibly, irrational dislike for beatport - so do the same thing.

Along_the_Wire

Also like the new album thread a generally finding unusual tunes on albums generally.

Smallman1

I do my best to keep that thread topped up with humdingers!

RichM

I go through the bargain bucket section in Our Price, then car boot sales on Sunday morning

erik

Millsy not at all no, I get loads of them, 50+ a week, prog, breaks, techno, deep house.

I’m really fucking lucky I get so much great music on a weekly basis so I play it.

Homegrove

Mainly BP feed which I’ve honed down for 20 years soon (I think it started in 2005?) by adding hundreds of labels and artists. Then I try to find them anywhere else in this order Boomkat -> Bandcamp -> Bleep -> Junodownload. Only if all those fail do I buy anything on actual Beatport.

There was a time I had to limit myself to ten tracks a week, because that was the limit of what I can absorb so that I still know my tunes, now I struggle to find five a week I like. But in 24 years of DJeing I’ve never stopped buying tunes.

Millsy

Homegrove think I average around 10 a month mate. Just being selective as fuck as there’s far too much garbage that you’ll never revisit. I’ve also gone through my collection and whittled out stuff.