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advice re: mixing psy-chill
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duodenumz
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
15
Posts :
116
Posted : Dec 21, 2005 09:12
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Hi all
I've been mixing techno, trance, psy, and hardcore for over 7 years now, but tonight was my first psy-chill set.
How do people mix this music? There are so many different tempos and beatless sections that I ended up doing fairly quick layering of the intros/outros, and that's it. I also tried to use the mixer effects now and then.
I'm usually a very active DJ, but I'm not sure what to do with this music.
Any DJs out there who play this stuff and can offer advice?
Just so we're clear, I played stuff like Yotopia, Shpongle, Grey Area, Bluetech, Shulman, LSG, etc.. Thankfully, people seemd to really like it. |
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Krell
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
33
Posts :
1114
Posted : Dec 21, 2005 09:59
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You should play the music so that it reaches the greatest effect.
In my opinion chillout is the THE electronic music genre that benefits the LEAST from DJ technique & trickery.
Therefore - You should not focus that much on how to mix it, but what tracks you choose and how you create the flow through the set.
I prefer mixing psychill with as short mixes as possible - unless the intro/outro phase is totally ambient / beatless and in key.
To make an interesting psychill set, I like the attitudes, moods and energy levels to change throughout the set - sometimes from deadstill to trance. (I made a few sets with chillout & trance tracks combined which works very well).
You could of course be trying to exploit tempo to do beatmatching for some tracks - but most of the time, in my opinion, you could have choosen tracks who would have created a better experience from their musical content alone rather than then being beat mixable.
In regards to effects - I hate them, most of the time. Its ok for techno and music which is so repetitive there is no story in it (and its all up to the DJ to create the vibe in the music & set).
But for chillout, I would only use effects like an EQ tool to make tracks compatible with each other during the mix between the tracks in order to achieve the optimal flow. (for instance if 2 tracks are perfect mood, energy & storywise for each other - but create dissonanse when mixed together).
In short - Trackselection & Flow is ALWAYS above technique in psy. In Psychill this is even more true (I would say mixing technique is close to being irrelevant there).
However "close to", doesnt mean it doesnt matter - So, tracks should flow together seamlessly... but thats easy to achieve I think.
In practice - If I have 2 tracks who are in different tempos with the percussion of the tracks overlapping if I do a mix where both tracks are mixed then I will go so far as to wait for the exact last beat of the ending track to put in the new track .
In essence, it would not be any different from putting the 2 tracks in sequence on a CD and removing the 2 seconds of silence between the tracks.
If Flow and Trackselection is most important you should choose the tracks from that perspective and it doesnt matter if you cant do a technicly difficult mix between them.
Putting in effects just to justify your presence as "a dj" sucks, but if it truely improves the sound of the music and set as such using effects is definately what you should do.
PsyChill is an amazing genre to learn how to create great psychedelic trance flow - If you can make a good psychill set, you can also learn to make a mindblowing psytrance set (and not just a well mixed one) - Something that is so essential to our scene 
Happy mixing
Krell
 Label DJ>
www.jesterrecords.ca |
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furthur
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
45
Posts :
1383
Posted : Dec 21, 2005 10:10
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rich
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
103
Posts :
2184
Posted : Dec 21, 2005 11:58
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Krell that was one of the best posts I've ever read on this forum.
Seems like good posts are like the music these days. a lot of crap but once in a while you find some gems.
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Pete Pan
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
21
Posts :
83
Posted : Dec 22, 2005 20:47
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I am by far no great dj but I think the thing that matters most is knowing your tracks inside out and than even more important than that, is loving everything you play. Of late to keep from getting bored I use two cd decks and two turntables. I try to use three of these decks together at all times. Recently my friend brought his two decks over and ran the mixer to the main soundboard. So I was mixing four decks at once and also blending them up to what my friend was playing on his decks...it got confusing but was a blast...and remember..its all about having fun
Lobogistic labs
(Shaman Graduate) |
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Michael H
Started Topics :
5
Posts :
69
Posted : Dec 23, 2005 17:16
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Michael H
Started Topics :
5
Posts :
69
Posted : Dec 23, 2005 17:24
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1.Put the your record on,while it is playing get another record(possibly one that has some relation to the track already playing)
ready on the other turntable.
2.just as record number 1 finishes press the button labelled "stop".
3.proceed to record number 2 and press the button with the word "start" on it...this should activate your second audio treat/ presentation..
4.repeat again |
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duodenumz
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
15
Posts :
116
Posted : Dec 31, 2005 20:54
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Just found that this thread had been moved...
Thanks for the info, Krell!
My problem is that there is NO psy scene where I have been playing, and people are stuck in the mindset that a DJ needs to constantly be "doing stuff" at the mixer, ala the house scene. So here I come, and I do very little mixing during the psy-chill sets.
I need to be less conscious of what people expect, and just do my best to create a good journey.
I can already mix psytrance just fine. I'm working on scratching over two tracks that are in the mix. It CAN sound good, and I hope to prove it one day ;-) |
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