The fine art of Djing, holding a dance floor, it's all about the energy of the song, whatever the genre, you gradually build the energy up through the night, the minute you drop a lower energy song, people will suddenly remember they need to get a drink at the bar or go to the toilet and the dance floor will empty for a bit. My dance floors were always rammed from start to finnish
Well the any genre thing is not entirely true, heavily depends on the actual genre/style/venue/people/event. In an underground dark techno event if you come up with trap and raggeton songs or pop crap, people would boo the f out of you :D
Never ever play the same track twice is my opinion, especially if it worked the first time. It will not work the second time trust me. Unless it was another Dj that played it at the opening of the show and you play 4 hours later then its ok
@@DirtyDiezel yes, true, a packed pub, about 300 people, I kept getting requests for it all night, the sexy birds didn't seem to tire of it (end of summer 2019) I didn't care if the non dancing blokes (who just stood around, and were there for the women) got irritated
Great information guys :) When you mentioned you were announcing a new course i thought it was gonna be the DJ Angelo one. Any ballpark on when that will be going live?
Hannah Wants had great advice. Find pairs that work well together, either proven in live sets or practicing. Its an easy way to fill up an hour. My problem is paying too much attention to harmonic keys. If I don't know whats next, I look at keys and if I still haven't decided I panic. Great video. Cheers homies
Check out our article on Fuzzy Keymixing Peter, it'll help you expand your choice of next tunes even taking into account the key: www.digitaldjtips.com/2021/01/fuzzy-keymixing-the-new-way-to-dj/
My personal technique is to put 100 tracks into a playlist of the right genre and then sort them by key and keep everything harmonic. I feel like tools such as related tracks in Rekordbox are going to make playlist curation redundant with how good they are getting though.
Great point about telling a 'story' with a mix where appropriate, taking the crowd on a journey. The legendary Larry Levan made this a core principle of his sets for many years. My favourite story (though I'm not sure I'd have enjoyed it!) is when he played at the Ministry with only a few records and took things 'a bit far'. Apparently he played Finally (the Ce Ce classic I would think) non-stop for an hour or so, and when he eventually moved on the crowd all turned to each other and said 'finally!' lol.
@@digitaldjtips I's a bit sad also because he wasn't in a 'very good place' at the time and he'd sold/given away/had stolen all his priceless records by then (SO many unique cuts and pressings) in the US before he came to help tweak the MoS sound system in 91/92, so only had a few records, but that was still quintessential Larry! As you know in his prime he'd play a series of songs that might be totally different genres, but they told a story (e.g. a love story) and part of what he was loved so much for, talk about a dancefloor and club completely under the spell of the DJ! Alas I'm a bit too young but many great stories of Larry stopping his sets to go get a ladder to polish the disco ball in the middle of the dancefloor himself or to rearrange the speakers slightly. Absolute legend RIP
At Home nightclub in Manchester in the early 90s Jeremy Healy played a house remix of Smells Like Teen Spirit which went down OK. Straight after he mixed into the original Nirvana version and the place literally exploded! 🤯 Was a great night!
So many good points today! What a meaty session! A small record selection sounds great but tunes are like GAS (or even worse). As a teacher I understand there is always the one student in a thousand who can turn up and know everything (geniuses). For everyone else (me included) it takes work!
As someone who primarily mixes dubstep/riddim it doesn’t really matter cause everything basically pops off 😂 however for bigger shows I pre-prepare my set so I know it’s perfect
I just purchased my first 2-deck controller the other weekend and mixing dubs seems about just dropping the tracks at the right time, and with riddim you can just slightly bring in the next track lol it’s kind of mind boggling at first but practice is key I guess. And really everyone just headbangs or dances to the chunez 😃nowadays. But I have noticed you have to pay more attention to filtering/ choosing the next track in a sequence so it’ll sound right and not all over the place, it’s a whole new chapter to understanding music/dubstep/djing.
We recommend "packing a crate", which was the only option we had when we first started DJing :) Obviously now it's digital and weighs a whole lot less. Think about your venue and what's going to be expected of you then select twice the amount of music you need for the gig (4 hours for a two hour set for example). That way you've done your homework but you're free to make choices in the moment based on who is in front of you.
@@digitaldjtips I'm going to apply this to "packing a folder". And speaking of knowing my venue ughh I will never forget dj'ing at a bar and opening with Kansas' 'Dust in the Wind'. It made everybody depressed LOL
Hi Phil can you help me with connection I bought Mackie profx10v3, I want connect my pioneer ddj 1000 to Mackie and from Mackie to amplifier l don't know which channel on the Mackie to connect my amplifier ?
As a dancer or party/club goer, you don’t give a damn about the DJ code of gradually building energy...you literally want to hear bangers all night, if the headliner gets pissy with an opening DJ for going too hard then I hate to tell you, the headliner is underwhelming
Very sage advice about it being harder online without feedback. And as for making mistakes...anyone got an hour? :-D My worst was when my hat fell off when I was putting my headphones on and hit the play/pause button and stopped a track live. There's a video of that somewhere...
Most good DJs know exactly what tracks to play within in 10 seconds of hearing a track....the art of it is knowing when to bring it to the boil and then let is simmer......I’m talking about club DJs of under ground music and pub or wedding DJs ....just play the both tracks together and your ears will tell you whether it’s in key.I’m talking about the likes of digweed , guy j , pole folder DJing not some goon who is mixing beat it , and uptown girl lol
I won’t lie it sometimes feels like people do treat it as a “job” or that being a dj nowadays means your “cool” and famous or whatever which is why I hate how it’s come a long way, it’s lost it’s true meaning from people just jamming out and having fun in a small garage or even a venue to everyone just pulling there phones out and recording the small pieces and trying to seem “cool” but at the end of the day it’s all about knowing what your doing it for and knowing your keeping true to the art of djing. Also yeah we’ve come a long way with inventions and tech to the point where a kid can even mix but soon they’ll all not ice that there’s tiers to being a expert and pro and that it’s not about doing it for “clout” or looks it’s about knowing what your doing and building skill to play harder instruments etc.
DJs being displayed prominently is the expectation these days, nothing wrong with getting involved with the crowd. Obviously the venue/crowd is a big factor in whether that's expected or not
Experience is the answer... With time you get better at picking tracks!
Definitely true as well :)
The fine art of Djing, holding a dance floor, it's all about the energy of the song, whatever the genre, you gradually build the energy up through the night, the minute you drop a lower energy song, people will suddenly remember they need to get a drink at the bar or go to the toilet and the dance floor will empty for a bit. My dance floors were always rammed from start to finnish
Well the any genre thing is not entirely true, heavily depends on the actual genre/style/venue/people/event. In an underground dark techno event if you come up with trap and raggeton songs or pop crap, people would boo the f out of you :D
Knowing when to bridge the energy with well-placed filler songs is also part of the art. You can't over do it with wall to wall bangers
if you ever get stuck, MJ- Billie Jean always works... anywhere!!!!
Yep, back in the day Gary Glitter would be a winner too, lol
Classic!
GREAT point having someone come play ur stuff. My friends would ALWAYS play the mix I never did & I discovered some great stuff that way
Nice one :)
Never ever play the same track twice is my opinion, especially if it worked the first time. It will not work the second time trust me. Unless it was another Dj that played it at the opening of the show and you play 4 hours later then its ok
100% agree you ain't no Dj if you play the same track twice unless they ask for a rewind as it's playing.
I played Dance Monkey 8 times in one night, if the dancing women want it, they get it!
@@stuungar3390 Maybe at a wedding or bar, but not a real club or rave
@@stuungar3390 where I am from people would straight laugh you out of the venue!
@@DirtyDiezel yes, true, a packed pub, about 300 people, I kept getting requests for it all night, the sexy birds didn't seem to tire of it (end of summer 2019) I didn't care if the non dancing blokes (who just stood around, and were there for the women) got irritated
Great information guys :)
When you mentioned you were announcing a new course i thought it was gonna be the DJ Angelo one.
Any ballpark on when that will be going live?
We'll let you know as soon as we can :)
Hannah Wants had great advice. Find pairs that work well together, either proven in live sets or practicing. Its an easy way to fill up an hour.
My problem is paying too much attention to harmonic keys. If I don't know whats next, I look at keys and if I still haven't decided I panic.
Great video. Cheers homies
Check out our article on Fuzzy Keymixing Peter, it'll help you expand your choice of next tunes even taking into account the key: www.digitaldjtips.com/2021/01/fuzzy-keymixing-the-new-way-to-dj/
My personal technique is to put 100 tracks into a playlist of the right genre and then sort them by key and keep everything harmonic. I feel like tools such as related tracks in Rekordbox are going to make playlist curation redundant with how good they are getting though.
Nice one Ralph, it's all about finding what works for you
Great point about telling a 'story' with a mix where appropriate, taking the crowd on a journey. The legendary Larry Levan made this a core principle of his sets for many years. My favourite story (though I'm not sure I'd have enjoyed it!) is when he played at the Ministry with only a few records and took things 'a bit far'. Apparently he played Finally (the Ce Ce classic I would think) non-stop for an hour or so, and when he eventually moved on the crowd all turned to each other and said 'finally!' lol.
Great story lol
@@digitaldjtips I's a bit sad also because he wasn't in a 'very good place' at the time and he'd sold/given away/had stolen all his priceless records by then (SO many unique cuts and pressings) in the US before he came to help tweak the MoS sound system in 91/92, so only had a few records, but that was still quintessential Larry! As you know in his prime he'd play a series of songs that might be totally different genres, but they told a story (e.g. a love story) and part of what he was loved so much for, talk about a dancefloor and club completely under the spell of the DJ! Alas I'm a bit too young but many great stories of Larry stopping his sets to go get a ladder to polish the disco ball in the middle of the dancefloor himself or to rearrange the speakers slightly. Absolute legend RIP
At Home nightclub in Manchester in the early 90s Jeremy Healy played a house remix of Smells Like Teen Spirit which went down OK. Straight after he mixed into the original Nirvana version and the place literally exploded! 🤯 Was a great night!
@ILL SUBZ we weren't called cheesy quavers for nothing! Had the desired effect so I guess he just read the room.
Nice one Simon :)
I can't wait a day to listen to my mix. lol
Try!
So many good points today! What a meaty session! A small record selection sounds great but tunes are like GAS (or even worse). As a teacher I understand there is always the one student in a thousand who can turn up and know everything (geniuses). For everyone else (me included) it takes work!
Glad you enjoyed it Simon!
Bloody hell, at last something REALLY enlightening 👍👍👍
Glad you liked it :)
Great video! Insightful
No problem!
Such a good lesson. Thanks!
No problem :)
Great tips!!
Thanks!
As someone who primarily mixes dubstep/riddim it doesn’t really matter cause everything basically pops off 😂 however for bigger shows I pre-prepare my set so I know it’s perfect
I just purchased my first 2-deck controller the other weekend and mixing dubs seems about just dropping the tracks at the right time, and with riddim you can just slightly bring in the next track lol it’s kind of mind boggling at first but practice is key I guess. And really everyone just headbangs or dances to the chunez 😃nowadays. But I have noticed you have to pay more attention to filtering/ choosing the next track in a sequence so it’ll sound right and not all over the place, it’s a whole new chapter to understanding music/dubstep/djing.
Nice one :)
@@Astrid-vq3vx exactly! keep at it and eventually it will all "click"
Amazing tips man!
Thanks Andrey!
Bahamas in the Building
Thanks for watching!
What's wrong with Uptown Funk? Love Bruno Mars. lol
What are the thoughts on planning the entire tracklist versus selecting live as you play? I find selecting live much more fun, but done both.
We recommend "packing a crate", which was the only option we had when we first started DJing :) Obviously now it's digital and weighs a whole lot less. Think about your venue and what's going to be expected of you then select twice the amount of music you need for the gig (4 hours for a two hour set for example). That way you've done your homework but you're free to make choices in the moment based on who is in front of you.
@@digitaldjtips I'm going to apply this to "packing a folder". And speaking of knowing my venue ughh I will never forget dj'ing at a bar and opening with Kansas' 'Dust in the Wind'. It made everybody depressed LOL
Hi Phil can you help me with connection I bought Mackie profx10v3, I want connect my pioneer ddj 1000 to Mackie and from Mackie to amplifier l don't know which channel on the Mackie to connect my amplifier ?
As a dancer or party/club goer, you don’t give a damn about the DJ code of gradually building energy...you literally want to hear bangers all night, if the headliner gets pissy with an opening DJ for going too hard then I hate to tell you, the headliner is underwhelming
Good point Jay, it's easy to forget that a lot of clubs goers don't care about your carefully planned increase of energy lol
Yes definitely don't take too many tunes, having a rough idea of how you might think the crowd will be in that particular venue.
Yes 100%, do your homework!
🖤
😀
Very sage advice about it being harder online without feedback. And as for making mistakes...anyone got an hour? :-D My worst was when my hat fell off when I was putting my headphones on and hit the play/pause button and stopped a track live. There's a video of that somewhere...
Wow! Would love to see that video Ralph (sorry! lol)
@@digitaldjtips I did post the link, but it looks like TH-cam automatically deletes links in comments. I dropped it into your instagram inbox.
Cheers will take a look 😆
Dj Robbie: Hello Phil first time here.
Thanks for joining us!
Please show me the next step
What next step? :)
to avoid clashing, do not mix over vocals
Good one :)
The DJ's where I live know what to play next by copying other DJ's. It's mostly the hip hop and r&b dj's but it's a sad state of affairs
That's certainly one way to get inspiration!
Most good DJs know exactly what tracks to play within in 10 seconds of hearing a track....the art of it is knowing when to bring it to the boil and then let is simmer......I’m talking about club DJs of under ground music and pub or wedding DJs ....just play the both tracks together and your ears will tell you whether it’s in key.I’m talking about the likes of digweed , guy j , pole folder DJing not some goon who is mixing beat it , and uptown girl lol
There's room for all sorts here we don't put other DJs down :)
The Dj should be engaging with the audience, acknowledging them.
Back in "the day" in a club you would rarely see the dj. It wasn't about the DJ it was about the mfing music
I won’t lie it sometimes feels like people do treat it as a “job” or that being a dj nowadays means your “cool” and famous or whatever which is why I hate how it’s come a long way, it’s lost it’s true meaning from people just jamming out and having fun in a small garage or even a venue to everyone just pulling there phones out and recording the small pieces and trying to seem “cool” but at the end of the day it’s all about knowing what your doing it for and knowing your keeping true to the art of djing. Also yeah we’ve come a long way with inventions and tech to the point where a kid can even mix but soon they’ll all not ice that there’s tiers to being a expert and pro and that it’s not about doing it for “clout” or looks it’s about knowing what your doing and building skill to play harder instruments etc.
DJs being displayed prominently is the expectation these days, nothing wrong with getting involved with the crowd. Obviously the venue/crowd is a big factor in whether that's expected or not