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> Before digitisation, mixing records in a nightclub was a technical discipline as difficult to master as learning chord progressions on a guitar. This is not

> Before digitisation, mixing records in a nightclub was a technical discipline as difficult to master as learning chord progressions on a guitar. This is not true. Learning to beatmatch vinyl or with CDJs is mainly a matter of rewiring your brain to hear sound from each ear separately, and a little bit of muscle memory. You can learn it with about a month of daily practice. DJing has always been about selection, and crowd reading. EDIT: if you're interested, everything you need to know about DJing is in this book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-DJ-Properly-Science-Playing/dp/0593058119 https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-DJ-Properly-Science-Playing/dp/...

coreymaass 10y ago
> DJing has always been about selection, and crowd reading. Splitting hairs, but there's an assumption there that you're trying to react to the audience, often intending to please them. Coming from a background of DJ's playing "difficult" music, sometimes the audience's reaction is incidental.
- JonnieCache 10y ago
  How difficult are we talking? Breakcore? Free jazz? Sound art? I reckon the trick is in pacing the set and planning your first two or three records to keep most of them on board. If people have paid to get into the venue they must be at least a little predisposed to like what you're playing, and ideally you should be able to keep people dancing against their better nature. Of course clearing the floor and then drawing them back in is always good too. If you really don't care what they think then IMO it's perhaps more into the realm of performance than DJing. It's a tricky one.
- sopooneo 10y ago
  Then why not play a pre-recorded mix?
  - miloshadzic 10y ago
    Because you're playing according to your current sentiment and not crowd pleasing.
hopfog 10y ago
[never mind]
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- ejr635wynjw35 10y ago
  I'm willing to wager it was terrible. This anecdote is not evidence against the practice required to DJ at a professional level, sorry.
  - hopfog 10y ago
    That was not my point either. It was just an anecdote showing that it's definitely possible to learn the foundations quickly. I have great respect for good DJs.
stordoff 10y ago
I was taught to beatmatch on CDJs a few years ago. Going from having never touched a CDJ before to being able to beatmatch two (fairly straightforward) house tracks reasonably well if given enough time took about an hour. Learning the basics is fairly easy, but that doesn't make you a DJ.
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crucialfelix 10y ago
Well I'm not disagreeing with you, but "learning chord progressions on a guitar" isn't that hard either. But that doesn't mean you are as good as The Ramones. So I don't think the article is making an incorrect statement. Both that and beat syncing are basic prerequisites and the real journey takes years to master and most of it isn't technical per se. source: I can beat sync in about 6 seconds flat. 2s if it's techno or house.
kyriakos 10y ago
Beat matching becomes natural after a while, its like riding a bicycle or driving a car - you hardly think about it. A lot of DJs do play a pre-set mix. They pre arrange the tracks they will play but make changes as they go along. I used to DJ myself and when I was playing on a residency I hardly prepared, I just had CDs with the latest tracks burned and carried around all my past CDs along. Then i'd continue where the previous DJ left off and depending on crowd reaction plan the next couple of tracks. Gave me a chance to experiment, and see crowd reaction to the newer tracks - if something put the crowd off, i'd discard it. In a club it's sometimes a good idea to give a chance to people to visit the bar etc (some DJs from eastern european countries I talked to said the club owners demand this!) As you get to know your music you know what 2-3 tracks match nicely together - this is what you gain from experience but new music is constantly released so you need to evolve with it. At the time when I quit, more tracks were being released every day than you could listen in a day - it became a full time job picking tracks to buy. On the other hand when I got invited to play to a larger crowd usually outdoors, I took more care of what I was going to play and had in mind in advance how the set would work.

coreymaass 10y ago

> DJing has always been about selection, and crowd reading. Splitting hairs, but there's an assumption there that you're trying to react to the audience, often intending to please them. Coming from a background of DJ's playing "difficult" music, sometimes the audience's reaction is incidental.

JonnieCache 10y ago
How difficult are we talking? Breakcore? Free jazz? Sound art? I reckon the trick is in pacing the set and planning your first two or three records to keep most of them on board. If people have paid to get into the venue they must be at least a little predisposed to like what you're playing, and ideally you should be able to keep people dancing against their better nature. Of course clearing the floor and then drawing them back in is always good too. If you really don't care what they think then IMO it's perhaps more into the realm of performance than DJing. It's a tricky one.
sopooneo 10y ago
Then why not play a pre-recorded mix?
- miloshadzic 10y ago
  Because you're playing according to your current sentiment and not crowd pleasing.

hopfog 10y ago

[never mind]

deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
ejr635wynjw35 10y ago
I'm willing to wager it was terrible. This anecdote is not evidence against the practice required to DJ at a professional level, sorry.
- hopfog 10y ago
  That was not my point either. It was just an anecdote showing that it's definitely possible to learn the foundations quickly. I have great respect for good DJs.

stordoff 10y ago

I was taught to beatmatch on CDJs a few years ago. Going from having never touched a CDJ before to being able to beatmatch two (fairly straightforward) house tracks reasonably well if given enough time took about an hour. Learning the basics is fairly easy, but that doesn't make you a DJ.

deleted 10y ago
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deleted 10y ago
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crucialfelix 10y ago

Well I'm not disagreeing with you, but "learning chord progressions on a guitar" isn't that hard either. But that doesn't mean you are as good as The Ramones. So I don't think the article is making an incorrect statement. Both that and beat syncing are basic prerequisites and the real journey takes years to master and most of it isn't technical per se. source: I can beat sync in about 6 seconds flat. 2s if it's techno or house.

kyriakos 10y ago

Beat matching becomes natural after a while, its like riding a bicycle or driving a car - you hardly think about it. A lot of DJs do play a pre-set mix. They pre arrange the tracks they will play but make changes as they go along. I used to DJ myself and when I was playing on a residency I hardly prepared, I just had CDs with the latest tracks burned and carried around all my past CDs along. Then i'd continue where the previous DJ left off and depending on crowd reaction plan the next couple of tracks. Gave me a chance to experiment, and see crowd reaction to the newer tracks - if something put the crowd off, i'd discard it. In a club it's sometimes a good idea to give a chance to people to visit the bar etc (some DJs from eastern european countries I talked to said the club owners demand this!) As you get to know your music you know what 2-3 tracks match nicely together - this is what you gain from experience but new music is constantly released so you need to evolve with it. At the time when I quit, more tracks were being released every day than you could listen in a day - it became a full time job picking tracks to buy. On the other hand when I got invited to play to a larger crowd usually outdoors, I took more care of what I was going to play and had in mind in advance how the set would work.