The Art Of DJing

#1

Thought it’d be nice to get a thread going that focuses solely on the technical aspect of DJing, specifically DJ tricks and tips and ways to organise files, etc.

I obvs understand that you don’t want to share all (or any!) of your secrets, but nonetheless I think such a resource could be nice, based on the principle that we never stop learning.

#1: A while back I divided my club music files in two categories, named ‘Pronounced’ and ‘Understated’. The idea behind this is to make it easier in the heat of the moment to pick a tune that draws a certain amount of attention (think big melodies, classics, etc.) or to select something that doesn’t (think minimal stuff, drum workouts, etc.). There’s loads of smaller categories within these bigger ones too, but that’s basically it. This system is far from perfect, but right now it helps me to play with the energy flow in my sets.

#2

This is a very good idea - thanks for starting. I’ve recently started djing, trying to practice everyday etc. I currently just arrange my music in folders relating to their bpm, which was fun at first as I love to explore what cross-genre ‘conversations’ work or not. The other day I blended actress - maze with Kevin Jz Prodigy’s aggy vocal from mikeQ - feels like which was a lot of fun and might not have come about if the tunes were separated in different files. But now I’m accumulating so many tunes I get lost in the infinite when I come to mix the next track in. I’ve (somehow) heard mumdance has a set up like this (bpm folders), which I think was the initial inspiration. It now just makes me stressed af - I need order ha. Looking forward to seeing what pops up on this thread - for now I’m probably going to adopt something similar to your own system as described above. Thanks again.

#3

This podcast is a pretty good place to start - M.E.S.H. in particular does a pretty good job of showing what techniques are possible on modern equipment.

#4

Good thread. You should mention what hardware/software you use as well.

#5

Don’t own turntables, so actually learned to mix vinyl on my local radio station! CDJs kinda self-explanatory I feel :relieved:

#6

I’ve no tips to share here because I’m still an absolute novice BUT thought I’d chime in with another relevant RA podcast - where several DJs are interviewed about how they organise their music. The interview with Avalon Emerson is particularly good. I’m yet to put much of this stuff into practice but it’s full of good ideas

#7

Don’t plan too much in advance, but try to really know your records inside out. Not that playing a track you got sent an hour before thing.

However I stopped being interested I djing after CDJs/digital took over.

#8

Agree with the first bit of your comment :wink: Think CDJs have loads of possibilities tbh, but it’s definitely way easier (and less human?) than vinyl. Love to play vinyl, but unfortunately rarely encounter properly set up decks…

#9

Title of this thread is obvs nicked from RA’s series, this being one of my favourites:

The most recent one with Jane Fitz is also great!

#10

No that def a problem. There are in fact only problems and obstacles when it comes to vinyl, which kinda the thing about ut. It puts heavy limitations on you, and mostly I think it’s for the better, but I honestly don’t know anymore.

But really, I wasn’t trying to make this to yet another vinyl pro/con thread.

#11

Haha yeah, totally get what you mean! In the end it’s all about the music :relieved:

#12

heya, nice thread idea! i also love the ra pieces, the Dj bone was was really inspiring :slight_smile:

re: categorisation for digi music, i got into the habit of always preparing a folder for a specific gig e.g. BERGHAIN (lol jokin) but over time i’ve realised it’s quite limiting to do this. i found that i’d be paying less attention to the actual vibe of the room but basing my selections more on a preconceived notion of what the room would be saying which obvs aint gonna work if the crowd aren’t what you expected.

i think being comfortable trusting that you can be more spontaneous and navigate your genre/mood folders without needing some kind of ‘shortlist’; makes for a better set! maybe this sounds kinda obvious in writing, but maybe for newer djs reading this it will inspire you because i was scared not to have a gig playlist to fall back on.

this brings me onto another thing - and this isn’t a vinyl vs digi point.

i tend to download at such a fast rate that i’m constantly updating my folders and old tracks tend fall to the abyss and i totally forget to play them.

now this doesn’t happen to me with records because i feel i have a more of a ~personal connection with them and the sleeve art or something will stick out to me. i learned to dj on vinyl and branched out to digi in the last year and i love both, i just feel i could be better at maximising the vast access to music which digi enables. it would be good to hear if others have the same issue as me - letting older tracks gather dust - and whether you have methods to make sure you get the most out of your collection?

#13

Basing aesthetic choices on what the room “wants” is probably the least interesting way of playing music. I think artists should be able to prepare sets of what they want to play regardless of what they expect crowds to find good. Promoters have to make sure to create coherent line-ups that give all involved persons the maximum of freedom to express themselves as they see fit.

#14

i’ve djed for money since 2000, ill answer questions if you have any.

tip: if you use digital files an itunes(or most digital dj platforms), use the comments section(or another row and always label your tracks

(label with what?)
So, for me i do it like this in the commets row

HOUSE DEEP FUNKY SAMPLE MCDE 111
how it breaks down:
HOUSE – clearly the main genre
DEEP – is the main sub genre, but we all know there all kinds of deep house at this point
FUNKY – its deep but it has a funky or soulful sample
SAMPLE - it more sample based production as opposed to a synthier xox track
MCDE - it reminds me of motor city drum ensemble. this is less clinical and more personal. Sometimes i use something like ‘james murphy’ ala something he would play or if i was opening for him i would play. or ‘Burn’ what i would play at burning man or a burn event. Sometimes even ‘sunrise/sunset’ for timing

the 111 is a system that i use since i play lots of different gigs and also download a lot of music.
One 1 means im not really into it but im gonna keep it on the hd for a while
Two 1’s means its a solid track that will work within the main style of labeled
Three 111’s means it should work in any the main style and its a track that i can see playing out.

all of thes can change and sometimes i end up listeing to a 111 track and realize its not that great so i re-label the track.

All of these terms can be easily searched for preparation and on the fly suggestions

If you are doing electronic music, key labelling can be helpful thru mixed in key or if its integrated within the software (traktor/serato) and another way to further manage tracks and prepare playlists.

managing your music collection is tediious and boring, but if you are managing large amounts of files its a must. I’m at 41k files on HD, and over 40k+ are labeled.

I’m one of the most unorganized people i know but i try to keep this hella tidy. Otherwise it just sucks and you end up playing the same tracks

#15

Interesting point! I guess this has something to do with the distinction between performance/concert and party. I personally like it when DJs take their surroundings into account, because it makes for unique choices and different sets each time, not to mention the dynamic between audience and DJ.

Obvs I don’t mean yielding to the lads with their ‘fun’ requests, but taking into account the space you’re playing, the DJ before and after you, etc.

#16

I agree that artists should be able to play what they wish to and in my case I know have a specific sound which promoters book me for but unfortunately it doesn’t always work out that a crowd is ready for the direction you want to go in. For example, if a crowd were drifting in and out of the floor and not settling and I had planned on drastically changing the tempo then I would think twice before doing something so dramatic. I wouldnt say this was ‘uninteresting’, i think it’s more about having an awareness of what is or isn’t going to generate the response you’d want at the time.
The point I was originally raising was not so much about crowd-pleasing but more about being spontaneous vs playing a pre-prepared set, and I agree with A.V that this often results in a far more special atmosophere.

There’s no right or wrong though: for example my friend recently followed a hard techno set in a 400 cap room by playing a dancehall set and did so without batting an eyelid because that’s what they had intended on playing, and it worked. On the other hand, Objekt played drum and bass in the middle of a bass music party in berlin and cleared the floor so i guess even for top level djs there are times where it doesn’t work out.

Overall, i think being able to adapt to any crowd whilst not compromising your style is the ultimate goal. Having played a few larger gigs with less ‘headsy’ crowds recently i’ve worried afterwards that i should have played it more safe. i suppose you learn over time how to tailor accordingly so i guess i’m still getting the hang of it : )

#17

Completely agree with everything you just said!