Knowing your music!?

[Red Kite]

I should add a lot of the time when I play I don't know the track that well. I don't think many DJs do. I find once the track starts I know what's coming but not how the track goes off the top of my head. You only need to know roughly how it sounds I think.

I wouldn't be too concerned about not knowing your tracks

I would, to be honest. Except of course, you're satisfied with mixing the first 8 beats of the new record into the last 8 beats of the old record while playing the straightest and most unproblematic minimal techno you can find. I agree, then you don't need to know your records.

If, on the other hand, you want to play some tracks with a little more adventurous arrangements, or just want to play parts of the tracks, or wanna make transitions that really create some magic that hasn't been there in the single tracks before, I suggest you study your records by heart and, most importantly, practise your mixing.

A good hint I can give: Before a gig grab all your records you wanna bring to the party and do some test mixing with them. Place the records that work well with each other next to each other, and remember the ones that didn't go along too well. You can also practise some more difficult mixes. I agree that you only learn to DJ certain tracks when you actually mix them repeatedly.

That doesn't mean you should enter the party with a pre-planned tracklist. Some tracks you really don't need to study before - the stuff usually considered a DJ tool (like Brothers' Vibe records and stuff like that). But it helps you to have a fundament to improvise on.

Strangely, all performing musicians use to practice their performances, with the exception of club DJs. Guys, it's really not a shame to know what you are doing!

[miroslav]

try this.

go through your stack of vinyl. pick up any sleeve. look at the image and the name on it.

can you generally sense in your head what it sounds like?

you should be able to in most cases. if not, you are potentially:
1. buying too much music and spreading yourself thin (as noted before)
2. not spending enough time practicing mixing your records, particularly in a more spontaneous "club mode"
3. not listening to enough electronic music in general and therefore don't have a clear sense of what to listen for and what to expect when you do play your tunes

It shouldn't be too hard for you to fix any of this, but you have to really love this stuff and be inspired by it to listen a LOT. If it's "work", you might want to look for a different way to spend your time.

[pantycontrol]

a friend of mine use serato/beatport and is a phenomenal DJ. always plays new tracks, great flow, solid mixing but never really knows any of his music all that much. i on the other hand use vinyl exclusively and have a really intimate knowledge of my collection. who is to say what's better?

[go]

i used to borrow alot of my friends records and i was never able to remember them. it wasnt untill i started buying them myself and remember when and where i brought them and how much they cost me and how pretty the art work was untill i truley started remembering what it was and what i was listening to.. each record has its own story, and its own sound... its like a little novel in my head. ha ;]

[miroslav]

one other thing I will say... there is clearly also a necessary art to being able to quickly "read" a track, even without knowing it, and being able to dj fairly well with it. I'm pretty sure that big DJs are traveling so much and constantly getting new tracks and promos by the hour that they can't always just take the time to get intimately familiar with everything...

you look visually for the breakdowns and where the beat comes in

you quickly listen to the intro, the breakdowns (esecially coming out of), and the outro so that you verify how the track "functions" and how the beats generally come in, go out, etc.

you let it fly later and methodically navigate your mix in relation to the breakdowns...and hope that the producer didn't do something completely fucked like restart the beat phrase on the 3rd beat :twisted:

[juhokusti]

one other thing I will say... there is clearly also a necessary art to being able to quickly "read" a track, even without knowing it, and being able to dj fairly well with it. I'm pretty sure that big DJs are traveling so much and constantly getting new tracks and promos by the hour that they can't always just take the time to get intimately familiar with everything...

you look visually for the breakdowns and where the beat comes in

you quickly listen to the intro, the breakdowns (esecially coming out of), and the outro so that you verify how the track "functions" and how the beats generally come in, go out, etc.

you let it fly later and methodically navigate your mix in relation to the breakdowns...and hope that the producer didn't do something completely fucked like restart the beat phrase on the 3rd beat :twisted:

+ 1. BTW, there´s a good example of a fucked up breakdown in Paul Brtschitsch`s (love that last name) track "Under" on Ostgut Ton. The track "skips" in the last breakdown so if you´re in the middle of a mix, you´re gonna have trouble if you didn´t know to expect it. Moodymann stuff is full of these surprises as well.

[Rochey]

I should add a lot of the time when I play I don't know the track that well. I don't think many DJs do. I find once the track starts I know what's coming but not how the track goes off the top of my head. You only need to know roughly how it sounds I think.

I wouldn't be too concerned about not knowing your tracks

I would, to be honest. Except of course, you're satisfied with mixing the first 8 beats of the new record into the last 8 beats of the old record while playing the straightest and most unproblematic minimal techno you can find. I agree, then you don't need to know your records.

If, on the other hand, you want to play some tracks with a little more adventurous arrangements, or just want to play parts of the tracks, or wanna make transitions that really create some magic that hasn't been there in the single tracks before, I suggest you study your records by heart and, most importantly, practise your mixing.

A good hint I can give: Before a gig grab all your records you wanna bring to the party and do some test mixing with them. Place the records that work well with each other next to each other, and remember the ones that didn't go along too well. You can also practise some more difficult mixes. I agree that you only learn to DJ certain tracks when you actually mix them repeatedly.

That doesn't mean you should enter the party with a pre-planned tracklist. Some tracks you really don't need to study before - the stuff usually considered a DJ tool (like Brothers' Vibe records and stuff like that). But it helps you to have a fundament to improvise on.

Strangely, all performing musicians use to practice their performances, with the exception of club DJs. Guys, it's really not a shame to know what you are doing!

Is this statement aimed at me?

[thomasjaldemark]

and hope that the producer didn't do something completely fucked like restart the beat phrase on the 3rd beat

haha i love to do little fucked up stuff like that in the middle of the tracks (or in the end).. gotta challenge dj's a bit