For Those Of Us Who Don't Mix And/Or Beatmatch

[WillieB69]

Galager's thread has sparked an interesting controversy. One that I've seen a lot of in the short time I've been involved with DJing. Mainly, whether or not you are a "real" DJ if you don't mix and or beat match your music.

Personally, I'm in the no mixing camp. (Or beat matching for that matter.) As an event DJ, I don't feel a need for it. Frankly, I don't think I've ever been to a wedding or company event where the DJ was wowing everybody with his/her mixing skills. As long as the flow of the music keeps people dancing and the DJ remembers to follow the itinerary, everybody goes home happy. Mixing just isn't a required skill here. Grandma just doesn't give a damn about some fool screwing up "Last Waltz" by mixing it with "Scream & Shout" by Will.I.Am.

Parties are a gray area. Mixing and beat matching are far more appreciated in this area but still not always required. For 90% of the parties around here, I could slap on the Deluxe Set of Lynyrd Skynyrd's Greatest Hits and have 20 drunks telling me, "You are the greatest f'ing DJ ever, dude! WWWWWOOOOOOOO!!!!! FREEBIRD!!"

OK, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but you get my point.

Now if you're going to be playing in clubs, then you'd better know your shit when it comes to mixing, beat matching, scratching and all the other little tricks. This is where it becomes important. This is when people REALLY want to hear some wild new shit. If you play the full 6 minutes of "Harlem Shake" unmixed, you're likely to get chased out of the club. Or at the very least, have a beer bottle thrown at you along with chants of, "YOU SUCK!!"

This is one of the two reasons I don't play clubs. (The other is because my insurance won't cover me if I play bars/clubs) I know my mixing and beat matching are crap and I wouldn't dream of attempting it in front of a live crowd. Give me an afternoon with a few tracks and Audacity and I can cut and paste some wicked shit together. I wouldn't even think about trying to do it on the fly though.

To me, you're a "real" DJ if you go out and get the job you were paid to do done. If you can't mix/beat match, don't take those gigs. It's really that simple.

[Dirtdog]

Willie Speaking the truth. Well put. I'm about to remix free bird right now

[DJzrule]

At a kid's party, an aniversary, or something of the like, no not necessary. Any of the events/productions I do with teens/college kids/weddings/etc... I'd look stupid if I didn't kno how to keep people dancing in time with the music. Would you just slam or fade say a slowish/R&B song into some housey/electro top 40? You'd probably get some looks from over here, since it ruins the flow.

I'm not asking every DJ to have perfect mixes down, but basic beatmatching is a must, otherwise its just sloppy. And most Top 40 stuff is around 126-132 BPM so its not exactly hard either.

[Sam Whitman]

I fall into both categories, I started as an event DJ and then worked into clubs now I do both and frankly beatmatching and mixing does help an event atmosphere, it is necessary? No not always and if it's what you do, then hey it's what you do but I don't consider that a DJ, someone who can beatmatch and beatmix but just chooses not to at an event, whatever, but if you just flat out can't, what are you doing that anyone can't? Anyone can put on an iTunes playlist or a VDJ autoplay or mixmeister or just fade song to song, hell I taught my girlfriend to do it, whatever, if you talk over it as an Emcee, you're an Emcee not a DJ if you do both you're a DJ and an Emcee but if you can't beatmix or beatmatch, I don't consider that person a DJ. And argument of knowing how to properly arrange a playlist doesn't work because I have a million friends that can do it.

[KLH]

To me, you're a "real" DJ if you go out and get the job you were paid to do done. If you can't mix/beat match, don't take those gigs. It's really that simple.

It really is that simple. Beatmatching doesn't make a DJ "real". Being hired as a DJ and delivering entertainment as such makes someone a "real" DJ.

During my gigs, I don't beatmatch until I've got a crowd on the dancefloor and I've settled upon the genre that the crowd likes. Until then, I genre switch and just sequence songs... Then they react to a song and genre... and I got 'em!

There's no need to stress over how someone entertains a crowd. Just entertain the crowd.

-KLH

[Dix]

Well, again, there are variations of DJing. Mixing is one, scratching is another. As I seen on the thread in question today, some mix while never scratching at an event. There are many ways to DJ for a crowd. As I stated earlier today, I have 20+ years behind the tables... Never have I scratched or mixed. I'm not being derogatory when I say that. Personally, I don't care for it but, it don't matter if I like it or not. There is a market for it, people ask for it, pay for it & DJ's play it but, that doesn't mean that there are no other alternatives to DJ or being a DJ.

The note was made that you cant be a DJ unless you mix... an I pod is for playing music. On the face, I can agree with that, somewhat. However, DJing is not just putting any ol' song on, behind just any ol' song. You have to know how to "Blend" your music. You got to know how to keep the crowd out there. There is an art to this just as there is for mixing or scratching.

Two DJ's can have the same 20 songs... one may sound like crap & the other maybe the best DJ you ever heard. Because of when & how he selects his music, & when & how he ends one & starts the other. Again, take the same two songs, if they aren't "Blended" at the right time, your going to have what we always termed as a "train Wreck". Its going to clash & spoil the song. By the time the crowd gets over the train wreck & gets into the song, you have a disturbance on the dance floor with no dancing going on. You have a transition of people, both leaving & coming to the dance floor. There is an art to knowing what song to choose & when to blend those two songs... and this is a continuous effect all night long. This is the basic principle behind a DJ's services.
An iPod on the other hand, plays music at random.... unless... a person is skillfully selecting each tune & placing them in a particular order. At that point, he becomes a DJ with an iPod. Otherwise its just an iPod playing music at random. Hence the difference between a skilled & unskilled DJ.

Any other activities the DJ engages in is an alternative to the basics of DJing. There are many variations & techniques a DJ can perform to call himself a DJ that distinguishes him from another DJ. A DJ that scratches might say, "Unless you scratch, you ain't a DJ". Some might say, "unless you use a disc (Vinyl or CD), you aren't really a DJ". All of that is immaterial. Its just techniques... period.

In 1982, I started in live radio as a "DJ" for 4 years. In 1987 I started as a "DJ" in a club for six years. In 2002 I started our mobile business. In all this time, I have never had anyone come to me & ask me when the DJ is showing up. I have never had anyone quiz me about how or why I was playing music... or why I wasn't mixing or scratching etc. Its all in who your playing for & what they want. But to say someone isn't a DJ because he doesn't use a specific technique is being unreasonable.

I guess I could ramble on but in the end, we are all DJ's here. We may use a different approach to our technique but as long as we keep our clients happy by giving them what they want, they keep paying us & keep recommending us.... we are doing what we need to do & being the DJ they expect & the "DJ" we need to be.

[Dix]

Would you just slam or fade say a slowish/R&B song into some housey/electro top 40? You'd probably get some looks from over here, since it ruins the flow.

I am really glad you mentioned that, cause it was a point that I intended to make. I'm not jumping your bones here but, I want to make that point right there.

Yes I can! I cant take any two songs you give me & I'll bet you, I can keep most of the people on the floor before, during & after the transition. When I worked the club, we played in sets of 3 slow & 3 fast. Sounds crazy don't it? Playing "that set in that club", took us from doing $30,000 per month to about that much per week. We had everyone from 21 - 70 in that club. It was the hottest club in Monroe for several years. It was the place to be. The three slow & three fast sets gave me the experience over a 6 year period to master that. I can go from Ice, Ice Baby" or "Hammer Time" to New Orleans Ladies or When A man Loves a Woman & not one person will leave that dance floor. Any three slamming songs you want to give me & any three slow songs you want to give me (as long as they are good recognizable dance songs) & I will show you what transitions is. And I can do that all night long.... everytime.
I think THAT constitutes calling me a DJ.

[WillieB69]

Would you just slam or fade say a slowish/R&B song into some housey/electro top 40? You'd probably get some looks from over here, since it ruins the flow.

No, I wouldn't just slam one genre into another. You find songs that transition from one to the other. That way you slowly change your vibe without sending the dance floor into culture shock.

what are you doing that anyone can't? Anyone can put on an iTunes playlist or a VDJ autoplay or mixmeister or just fade song to song, hell I taught my girlfriend to do it, whatever, if you talk over it as an Emcee, you're an Emcee not a DJ if you do both you're a DJ and an Emcee but if you can't beatmix or beatmatch, I don't consider that person a DJ. And argument of knowing how to properly arrange a playlist doesn't work because I have a million friends that can do it.

While just playing a playlist is easy enough, not everyone can MC and that is a big part of almost EVERY DJ's job. You gotta be able to work that mic and also know when to shut the hell up. I can say you're not a real DJ if you can't MC just as easily as you can say I'm not a DJ if I can't or don't mix. And really, even if you don't mix/beat match, you're still not just playing a playlist. You have to take into account requests by the audience and how to work those in on the fly as well. You have to make the transition for a spur of the moment request just as smoothly as the songs on your selected playlist. How many of your friends do you think could do that?

Oh, and you can say I'm not a real DJ all you want but I do have clients that would disagree with you.

[WillieB69]

Willie Speaking the truth. Well put. I'm about to remix free bird right now

I'd rep you for this but I gotta spread some love first.

[Sam Whitman]

No, I wouldn't just slam one genre into another. You find songs that transition from one to the other. That way you slowly change your vibe without sending the dance floor into culture shock.



While just playing a playlist is easy enough, not everyone can MC and that is a big part of almost EVERY DJ's job. You gotta be able to work that mic and also know when to shut the hell up. I can say you're not a real DJ if you can't MC just as easily as you can say I'm not a DJ if I can't or don't mix. And really, even if you don't mix/beat match, you're still not just playing a playlist. You have to take into account requests by the audience and how to work those in on the fly as well. You have to make the transition for a spur of the moment request just as smoothly as the songs on your selected playlist. How many of your friends do you think could do that?

Oh, and you can say I'm not a real DJ all you want but I do have clients that would disagree with you.

I won't disagree with you there, Mic work is important and I am sure you have clients that think your a great DJ but I don't define the term DJ nor do you or really anyone a DJ is what the client makes it out to be I guess, and no offense to you at all as this is going to be an agree to disagree type of thing, but the roots of DJing is beatmatching and beatmixing. Again, this something where I won't be able to convince you one way and you won't be able to convince me the other, it's just like democrats and republicans, its a difference of opinion. I won't knock you and tell you you're wrong and I won't tell you don't call yourself a DJ but in my opinion your more of an "event entertainer" than a DJ which really isn't an insult so don't take it as one.

I also don't consider guys like Guetta and Aoki DJ's because while yes they can beatmatch they can only really work their specific crowd. It's nothing against them, they are producers they don't work to play other people's music, they produce and perform their own, but if I put them in a hip hop club or hell even a wedding, they won't last because they can mix what they produce and that one brand. Nothing wrong with that at all, it's their thing and it's what they are so good at and it's why they're famous but it doesn't make them a great DJ, hell look at Afrojack.