How to Concentrate on One DJ Style of Music to Compile the Best Mix Folder for Your Set

0:00 Like anything in life, practice is perfect

Like anything in life, practice is perfect. The more you do it, the better you get at it. Alternatively, the more you do it, the more bored and sick of it you get at it and eventually you give up and like just sod off and do something else. But what I want to show you in this video is how to search through tracks and find the tracks you like. Now, firstly which is very important, okay, is you need to make sure you have a style in your mind. Now what I'm trying to get at here, I'm trying to go to the roots of even forming folders. Now let's say for example you are, for that matter, a hip hop DJ. Now hip hop has many different styles and variations inside the term hip hop. So it's pointless then you thinking, I want to play loads of hip hop.

Just download all the tracks you like only to find when they're in that folder you've just got a mishmash of different styles and feels and energies. And then it's very difficult to put a set together because instead of having say 50 tracks to choose from, you've got 500. Now I'm going to show you what I'm going to do here, alright? I'm going to explain and give you an idea. Now we're going to run through some tracks. I'm going to show you how I would myself search through tracks online to see if I like them and also try and get tracks that are a similar kind of ilk. A similar sort of feel, that kind of image I have in my mind of this is how I want my set to be. Right, so track one disc one from CD Paul the House releases and where is it?

2:21 That style

Okay, so firstly... Todd Edwards, The Chant. Now what I'm going to do is even though a lot of these tracks are probably like I am looking for now this is the key here. If I was to build up a set and my set in my mind was soulful house music then I need to be looking for soulful house music. It's irrelevant whether I like a track and another one if it's not soulful house music. Then I don't want that in that folder. Now that doesn't mean to say that you wouldn't download it or use it, you would maybe put that somewhere else. But if you specifically wanted to go through tracks and find a style and a feel then you need to look for that and concentrate on that style. Don't let your mind start to steer away and go oh I like that as well, I like that.

You know, a bit like going into a supermarket and doing the shopping. And your list is a loaf of bread. And a pint of milk. And you come out the supermarket and you've spent 120 quid. We've all done it, maybe not 120 quid. So I'm going to look for soulful house music. Todd Edwards here. So what I'm going to do is skip through it. Alright, it's a nice tune but you see that's more like Jack in House almost so I don't want that. Let's go to track one disc number two which is The Terry Green Project Sneaking Out. Don't forget all of these can be found. There is a link in the description that will take you to CDPool and these are house releases for May 2021. A bit more soulful but for me it's a little bit too...

How can I put it? It's got that deep vibe that I want. I'm looking for a deep vibe so I'm going to go to track two here which is a track entitled Living It Up. And don't forget all of these can be heard on the website. Oh, not that one we've already heard that. And this is exactly what I would be doing. I wouldn't start it and just wait for like 32 bars before the bass line came in. No, start it, have a quick listen, flick through, just take snippets of all the way through the track if I like it. If it fits in with the folder I want, fine. If not but I still like it, put it somewhere else. No, it's still not doing me. It's not what I want. The next one, feel alright disc number two, track number two. Here we go.

Still kind of a Jack in House feel here. Now this is more of a deep kind of feel so even though it's sort of a Jack in House. Alright, we're getting there but it's still not what I'm after. Hopefully we'll find this. Track three, disc number one, Sandy B. That was two again. I need to put it forward.

5:13 Uplifting, vibrant, deep, soulful

There we go. Now we're on it. This is the vibe I want. You see? Uplifting, vibrant, deep, soulful. What a tune. Okay, now hopefully you'll get that. Now remember that track because that is the vibe I want. That's the energy I want. Track three, disc number two, let's have a look which is We Want Freedom. Anyway, nice deep vibe. Those two probably work well together actually. I like that vibe. I'm liking that. Okay, let's go to track four from disc number one which is Daddy J. Lewis. Say what? I like this guy. Daddy J. Lewis is the shit man. Seriously, this guy. You want to check him out?

Yeah! See? There we go. Now we're getting that vibe now. Okay, track four from disc number two, Stonebridge. We're doing Anchorage For Water's Love Terminator.

6:46 That feeling you get and

Got that vibe. You see, sometimes tracks like this you hear them but it makes you have a feeling and this is the key. You need to concentrate on that feeling you get and then base your folder around the feeling of the mix you want. Wow. Don't forget that. Okay, so track five here from disc number one which is Showing Me The Way.

It's uplifting. It hasn't got that deep vibe. It's a good track but it's not what I'm after. Okay, track five here from disc number two. We're going to go to Stand For Something. Now we've got some Jack In House here. Very good track. Very deep but it's uplifting. I'm after that soulful energy. Okay, so we'll go to track number six. We'll do a few more. Midas Touch here.

Remix. Absolute classic tune from back in the day. Track six here. Let's have a look.

It's more like a head candy kind of feel but it's a good track but not into this. We'll do one more. Diva Bass.

You. Sorry. Give Me My Love. The Way. Hey. So I want to find, alright listen, I want to find one more. I've got to find one more so I'm going to flick through these. Now this is what I actually do when I'm listening to music. I don't go hours spending, listening, spending.

Do you remember like, I don't know if you remember there was a program called Tiz Was back in the day and there was a dog called Spit and every time someone said spit he used to go Tiz Was. What? Listen, after you watch me just type in, in YouTube, Tiz Was and this was like a kid's program you know back in the day when I was like about that big. Maybe that big. From a distance I was that big. If you got it closer to me I was more like that big. Depends how far you were. Anyway and it was mad. It was insane. It was all about buckets of water and custard pies. It was that was real television anyway. Oh no of course no today's TV is fine isn't it? Right let's have a look. Track seven what I'm gonna do flick through them and then when I find out I'll let you know the tune so

No to uplifting see this honestly this is what I will do when I listen to tracks I'm not like hours and hours no it's like sometimes a few seconds and personally I know whether I like it or not

Not too bad no I like liking this so far yeah but it's not my style it's not it is I like this track but it's not for my folder my imaginary folder which is about this video really it's a bit too uplifting here we go this is for my folder this is part of my folder yeah got that sort of Kerry Chandler masters at work sort of almost a little hint of Roger Sanchez in there as well liking it okay show me Asia now

Do you know what this is the brink of my folder this is just on it's like the parameter on it but what I'm liking about this track this could be the sort of tune I play at the end of the set it's almost like thank you very much I'm going to leave you with a vocally soulful deep tune make sense alright let's have a look alright that's it okay by the way the last one there was Sandy Groove Cool Cat okay so once again ladies and gentlemen don't forget there is a link in the description to CDPool and there's also a donation button if you think I'm helping you then fire some bananas at me no actually apples bananas are good but they clog your system up thank you don't forget there is a link to cdpool.com practice and enjoy

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