DJ Mixing Lesson Using Chart Radio Short Length Tracks Chopping Tunes Cutting

0:00 Demonstrations first, then the explanation

Alright guys, demonstrations first, then the explanation. You'll see me sort of chop and change a little bit, pause, edit, switch back and forwards, but I will explain in a bit. This is Beautiful People, we've got Firework on the other side. These are really commercial tracks, seven and a half, sorry, seven and a half, three and a half minute radio versions. Okay, that's one. Pause the camera, let's go to the end of this track here. Okay, we're coming towards the end now of Firework.

Call my name. Close the camera one more time, we'll go towards the end of this track and then we'll bring something else in. Towards the end now, call my name. Okay, that's the whole point of this video. It's showing you how to edit or how to chuck tracks in, in time, in key when we're using radio versions or the radio edits. Now radio edits are three and a half minutes long. There's very little intro, very little outro. There's not a nice sort of 16 or 32 Even 8-bar beginning where you can mix something in. Now, so many new DJs out there seem to think that every single track's got to be bloody well mixed in in time and beat. Well, that's an absolute load of crap. It doesn't have to be. To be quite honest, most of the public out there while they're listening to you aren't interested if you do a beatmix. They're not interested in that perfect seamless transition.

2:04 Was Firework

Unity between the tracks. And if you can do that and do it correctly, you can do this sort of mixing all bloody night. Right, so, start off with Beautiful People. I've got my notes here so I know what tracks I'm using. And the next one was Firework. So, I'm going to have a look at this side. The track Beautiful People is 128 BPM. Firework is 123. Now, while I am... The DJ Tutor. Try under every single circumstance to make sure you bring it in at the correct time signature. That's the key. So let's have a listen to that. Where is that? In timing, in phrases and in bars. Let's see if it's at the count of two. Let's just try. Two, three, four, one, two, three, four, one. No, it's not. See if it's three.

Yes it is. So all we've got to do is when we form the transition, make sure we bring that in at the same time signature as the one that's playing. So what we want to try and do as well is make sure that, you know, This track isn't halfway through a phrase or it's, you know, we need to find the right time. Listen. There, that's it. Have I touched the pitches? No, not at all. Okay, so we've got Bioware here. Call My Name was the next one, so let's have a look. Where is it? It's around here somewhere. I'm sure it's here somewhere. Call My Name. Okay, so yeah, you can faff along there and play that to your heart's content. Again, not touching the pitches.

4:59 All of these tracks are relatively old anyway, but right time, right p

Now also what I'm trying to find, what I'm trying to listen for is the key, the hook. Now the main reason tracks like this have got into the charts and done really well is because they have in the music term known as the hook. It's that melody, that part of the track that sticks in your mind and to a lot of DJs out there who play these tracks incessantly because we have to, because people ask... All of these tracks are relatively old anyway, but right time, right place. You could still probably get away with playing these tracks. Now what I'm trying to do here with Call My Name is find the one and also find a point where I think it's the great time to bring this track in, which is here. There.

6:01 It sort of worked, but it wasn't the right time signature

Not there. All right, let's do an experiment. Let's bring it in at that crazy point and then bring it at the point where it should be brought in. Okay, so go back to firework. Now, it sort of worked, but it wasn't the right time signature. What you've got to think of is when people are dancing, they're dancing 1-2-1-2-1-2-1-2 with their feet. What they don't want to do is 1-2-1-2-2-7-6-and-a-half-ah. They just want to do 1, 2, 1, 2. So this side, they're on this track, 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2 on that track over there. Now let's do the old 1, 2. Let's go back. All right, so yeah, that's playing. Let's go to this track here. Back a bit. There, okay. Don't really want to listen to this again. All right, need I say any more? Let's do the last transition. It was I Need Your Love. So let's find that one.

Here, okay, so that's still playing. Now imagine we're in a proper environment. People are dancing. We can't go, excuse me, just want to rewind that a little bit. Sorry, I'm just getting this one cued up, so bear with me. All right, carry on dancing now. What music? Sorry. Yeah, that's playing. So you see, we could bring it in there if we wanted a tiny break. in the vibe of the room but the energy here is happening the energy's up here so maybe we do want to like bring a little bit of a break into it and again this is where you are in control of the whole feeling energy of the night for example if you think maybe there's a fight gonna happen or there's a problem or whatever then find a track where there's a little bit of a break down time something like that bring that in again digressing big time here let's stick to the yeah

9:32 One is it's just not the right track to bring in

Oi, let's stick to what we're doing. OK, so let's go towards the end of this one. Let's try this part, this mix first. Now again, the time, 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4. You see there, that's why I brought that in sooner. That is possibly, for the beginner, a slightly more difficult transition because the I is not on the count of 1, it's almost on the 2. 1, 2, 3, 4, 1. So at no point did I touch the speed, did I start trying to do some fantastic wicked mix. It's just about the transition. The transition that's in time and also that feel and vibe and energy of the tracks. Do they have the same kind of feel? Do they give you the same feel? Or does one maybe lift you up, the other one it's a completely different feel? Could be two reasons there. One is it's just not the right track to bring in. The other one, it could be completely out of key. It might not be musically matched with the one that's playing.

Big thing to remember when forming transitions like this. It is about the music as well. Hope that's been a help. Practice and enjoy. And if you do want any Skype lessons one-to-one by myself, then email me. There'll be information in the description of this video. And also, if you'd like me to go to your nightclub and play, to have a bit of a mashup, bring the camera, do some filming anywhere around the world, then give me a nod because I'm insane that way. Have some fun. Shut up. Practice and enjoy, thank you very much.

This transcript was produced automatically from the audio of the video and may contain mistakes.