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DJ Technique in psy trance
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sentient
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
16
Posts :
91
Posted : Oct 27, 2003 17:32
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Boy are my eyes tired. Great thread though!
Now to address the main things:
1. I agree that Psytrance DJ's don't need to be as technical as house or techno DJs. I totally disagree that blend mixing is DJing. For me, the worst thing in the world is a DJ who has amazing tracks, but kills the trance of the dancers during their mixes. Beatmatching is key. Being on phrase is key. And of course, track selection, reading and moving the crowd is key. I usually mix 2-3 minute mixes, although sometimes a mix will be better if it's done for only 1.5 minutes...depends on the tracks of course.
2. Opening slots are SO underrated. I opened for 2 years before getting the chance to play a "better" timeslot, and I still like opening slots, even though I prefer playing later cuz I like faster music. A DJ who opens the party with fast, nutty music just has no clue (unless the promoter who booked them didn't know that that was the only music they have, in which case, the promoter is the fool  )
3. I'm REALLY glad that more producers are learning that they need to be good DJs too. Makes sense, doesn't it? Three years ago, almost all the live acts that came thru San Francisco couldn't DJ for shit. Now they come back and they rock the decks. Way to go!
4. Mubali is a good DJ, and a hell of a guy. 
5. For me, DJing is based more on FEELING then math and technique (although I know how to be in phrase and how to use the EQ and FX, if they're available) Key mixing i haven't tried yet, but it sounds cool. I just KNOW in my gut what to play and when to play it. It's that simple for me, but seems to be terribly difficult for others. I'll say it once and I'll say it again: some people have no business DJing.
6. Cybertrance is the worst crap in the world. I call it Prance. Cheese that stinks worse than smelly feet. Eew.
7. Lastly, I barely practice anymore, and have been told that I was better than the live act. The reason I barely practice is because I know the skills, and don't really need to keep working on them. I listen to my music almost ALL day. I've never even owned a pair of turntables or CDJs, and I have been told enough that I am a kick-ass DJ so that I kind of have to admit it. (Though I try not to broadcast it...i like my head the size it is: unswollen) The moral of this? KNOWING YOUR MUSIC IS THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT THING ABOUT DJing.
Phew.
-B
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Borris
IsraTrance Team
Started Topics :
45
Posts :
1581
Posted : Oct 27, 2003 18:45
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Quote:
| The reason I barely practice is because I know the skills, and don't really need to keep working on them |
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There is no such thing. you can always improve your skills. how long are your mixes?? can you hold them longer?? can you mix a 140bpm track on a 105 bpm (3/4 mix) there is allways place for improvement.
 Kinetic Honda GmbH, Worldwide Supliers of Quality noise.
Progression Sessions of the 3rd Empire! |
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sentient
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
16
Posts :
91
Posted : Oct 27, 2003 19:36
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This is true. You can't argue with Logic, and life seems to say that there's no such thing as too much practice. I guess I should also say that I don't really have time to practice very often, and that when I do, it's because I have an important gig and I want to have a better idea of what I'll play. And I most likely would not mix a 140bpm track with a 105bpm track that's in 3/4, LOL. My mixes are, like I said, btw 2-3 minutes usually, though sometimes I'll do longer ones and bring tracks in and out of each other....my fave example is a 4.5 minute mix between Alternate Vision's "Out of the Loop" progressing into Mr. Peculiar's "Tribes Of Resonance." That one's fun.  I guess also since I never owned DJ equipment that I don't seem to rely on practicing every day, though that would be nice if I had the time...right now, I'd rather focus on starting to make music. Cheers.
-B |
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DiMiTry
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
70
Posts :
2299
Posted : Oct 28, 2003 00:34
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Mixing for 2-3 minutes is great if you beatmatch it perfectly. The worst thing I've ever heard was a DJ who loved to mix for a long time, but had no clue about beatmatching. It was torture.
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dopey576
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
20
Posts :
234
Posted : Feb 5, 2004 00:33
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over the years i have noticed that Psytrance Djs do not have smooth mixes when compared to euro/house djs. Ofcourse there are exceptions. i just dont think that the trance journey (which is undoubtedly the most important of a psytrance experience and can come for plain selection of tracks) should be comprised by average dj skills. what do yall think?
ToO mUcH pReSsUrE oN tHe BrAiN |
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5Meo-Geo
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
23
Posts :
515
Posted : Feb 5, 2004 13:09
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The hardest to mix are the progressive - 134-140 bpms - the diversity of the tracks is such that you have to mix differant styles/sounds/bpms- meaning you spend more time preparing and in mix fiddling. in this category you have a big diversity of kik/bass sounds and styles and the key is to KNOW the trax u play.
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man progreccive is the easiest style to mix
clean rythms,all sounds in place,acurate building,long intro's,slow bpms
in fact each one that come to me and asks to learn to djing i sugest prog music
man and if cd decks have looper then its even more fun
u can make 2 hours set with like 40 tracks and it will sound totaly new to all dancers
fullon same but bit more complicated becouse of higher speed (btw i heard some fullon djs that spin perfectly (tristan,tsyuoshi,cosma rip,and more and more) not less good than any H/T dj
turntableism is totaly different story that none trancer will ever understand IMO
and when he will understand it he wont be trancer anymore
bottom line djing= expressing uself
each dj have it own way and technique
ones r better other r worse
there is no writen rule about it
each set demands its own aproach from a dj
and if the dj understand it then the set will be good
beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
boom
Jesus didnt dance,but his beat goes on
http://www.myspace.com/5me0ge0
PSYCHEDELIC-ZION |
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kukan-dub-lagan/ItaiTaiko
kukan-dub-lagan/ItaiTaiko
Started Topics :
144
Posts :
1728
Posted : Feb 5, 2004 14:28
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you can mix all
from reggae to contry music
depend in the artist
and trance is not so easy to mix also...
if you like to built so...
each one and his taste
Check out my music page - free music , new style and more :) |
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Borris
IsraTrance Team
Started Topics :
45
Posts :
1581
Posted : Feb 5, 2004 19:21
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Well Boris 2 (5meo-geo) it seems that I'm not a trancer anymore.
I understand turntabulism, and even know how to do some of the stuff in theory, i just need much more practise.
Kinetic Honda GmbH, Worldwide Supliers of Quality noise.
Progression Sessions of the 3rd Empire! |
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Maska
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
27
Posts :
869
Posted : Feb 6, 2004 21:13
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5. For me, DJing is based more on FEELING then math and technique (although I know how to be in phrase and how to use the EQ and FX, if they're available). I just KNOW in my gut what to play and when to play it. It's that simple for me, but seems to be terribly difficult for others.
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Dude- that is the key right there. |
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jacky
Started Topics :
9
Posts :
64
Posted : Feb 7, 2004 01:16
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well, here is my point of view, i understand that a dj if he calls himself one should know how to mix.
but in trance good dj doesnt mean great skills but other than that. i think he should have great sence of feeling the crowd knowing the right type of music to fit the party and the crowd. all of u are forgetting the instruments we get in trance, mostly the p100 and lousy set of monitors that makes you work mostly with your headphones and not monitors. our standarts in open party as far as the dj go suck period. the crowd usually wants a good skill set and allot allot of good show, vibe and feel. we cant beat that. you can have a genious dj that will bore me to death cause he plays only stupid mainstream full on. and you can have a "lousy dj" that will sometimes beatmatch not on the 17 but on the 13 but will explode the dance floor with the right feel and touch to his crowd. borris said before that he cant get to each trip of a man, but you can sure get the feel of the crowd. u have great dj's that are obligated to their label so they play only music connected to a very specific ganre and i hate that more than a dj that can mix a bit less than the house tech dj. our scene is not normall in the parties, ppl, drugs, labels etc.. so are our djs.
with the right show on stage a dj can get to be the coolset thing arround and will be playing every week... with the right skills but a shy atitude he can sit at home and shout that we all suck.. this is life.
bom |
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DiMiTry
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
70
Posts :
2299
Posted : Feb 7, 2004 03:44
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Can't we have good DJs who can read the crowd, tell the story, play good music, AND beatmatch???
Beatmatching isn't very hard, especially if you already have the ear for music. And it makes things sound soooo much better!
Cheers |
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Borris
IsraTrance Team
Started Topics :
45
Posts :
1581
Posted : Feb 10, 2004 17:21
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EXACTLY!!!!
GET IT INTO YOUR HEADS TRANCE IS NOT DIFFERENT FROM HOUSE OR TECHNO!!!
it's all BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM music.
Kinetic Honda GmbH, Worldwide Supliers of Quality noise.
Progression Sessions of the 3rd Empire! |
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Avishay
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
88
Posts :
326
Posted : Feb 15, 2004 15:55
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i think dimitry hit the jack-pot.
there are good djs and there are better djs (and better then tose to). the think to remember is that the better dj is the one who has more of the qualities you all mentioned in 7 pages.
its exactly like saying that an artist has good music but bad sound. music is the art, sound is the technique. but you need both in order to work, same goes for djing, reading crowd, telling stories all that is art, but making a mix is the tech. and any dj must master it. |
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spliffnik
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
53
Posts :
663
Posted : Feb 16, 2004 10:31
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I agree with all the things said above about good DJs needing skills, connecting with the crowd, telling your own story, and have good track selection. These are all prerequisites for being a great DJ.
But I think it is LOVE that makes the experience truly magical. The DJ must love the music, the experience of DJing for the crowd, and love the dancers. When the dancers can feel that, it makes them hundred times higher. And for me feeling that love come back to me from the dancers is why I love to DJ.
So many great DJs sit there like they are a machine! I cant even tell sometimes if they are enjoying themselves.
DJing is great, there are so many great things to it. But if it was not for the love and the incredible amount of fun I have every time, I don't think I would be doing it.
A DJ is in a special position- they are the focus of the party. This allows the DJ not only to play great music, but raise the energy level so much by connecting with the crowd and elavating their high. THIS is what I love, and this is why I love trance- it allows me to do this more than any other kinds of music.
From the technical aspect I am not that great of a DJ. But I have such a blast doing it, I never forget a single time I spun, and neither do the people I connect with. (And I am always striving to get better!)
-bOOm- spliffnik
and B, so much respect to you! You are the master of kickstarting a party!!
For me DJing is like surfing. I hop on a wave and keep riding it all the way thru, never stopping. make the dancers feel like the music will never stop! And I really like DJs that can create their own concept and share with the dancers their unique perspective of the music. I am always blown away when a DJ makes me feel the music in a way I have never experienced before. Tell your own story! ^o^--*oO |
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clown
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
97
Posts :
1777
Posted : Feb 23, 2004 02:53
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WOW.. 7 pages later, i've had time to forget what was said on the first page..
Okay, I believe that full-on music is easyer to beatmatch due to the fact that almost all the songs are at the same pitch to start off with.. (142-147, but mainly 145). So i'd have to aggree that simply beatmatching your tracks is step one in becoming a good dj, but its far from being everything.. EQing and watching your gain levels is also very important. I personally try not to have both basslines running at 0db at the same time, and the same with the highs and mids (especially the mids with psytrance due the heavy melodies).
I agree that just fade in/fade out your tracks (beatmatched or not) kills the vibe.. when that new bassline comes from knowhere, with a different sounding hat , you start to ask yourself questions (especially under the influence of any substance)
althought, if you want to fade all your mixes, you'd have to make sure that all your tracks sound the same (basically playing tracks from the same label) and this leads to a monotone set (in most cases), and thats a BIG DEAL when trying to take a crowed by surprise..
But then again, there are many factors to all this, like the time you are playing.. if you get a great time (between 2-6am), playing a monotone set is almost required in order to leave room for the dj after you.
Personally, i beatmatch all my mixes for about 2 minutes.. more when you just have that feeling the tracks were meant to go together (probably when your keying is right), or a little less (when you know there's a long breakdown near the end of the song), and the only real problem i can think of is when you get that "bass cancel" effect durring a mix.. (when the bass seems to disapeare due to filtering of the sounds in the basslines), and thats really the only major problem with mixing for long periods.. Of course, you must be on phase with your songs, and most of the mixes should end at a breakdown in the upcomming track (where the second track should officially end at the same time if your phasing is right)..
Track selection is also important, althought, with some good EQing, proggressive mixing, and alot of concentration, you can throw in any track at any time, and keep the crowed into it..
there is never too much practice like Boris said.. you can always learn a new technic here and there, and plus you get the feel of your songs the more you practice mixing them..
MIXING IS IMPORTANT... or yeah, why not just have a computer crossfade tracks.. even if it keeps "the flow"..??
"VA - REWIRED" OUT NOW !! (techtrance invasion) ---> http://forum.isratrance.com/viewtopic.php/topic/86303/forum/9
http://psy.techno.fm <------- Jester Records's Internet Radio channel
www.jesterrecords.ca |
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