Recently Carey Ott, a friend of mine and very talented singer / songwriter, sent me a mixtape of some of his favorite funk and soul songs.  We had been chatting about DJ’ing, something Carey was interested in trying out.  As a sort of a guide, I wrote Carey a long email about what I think are the fundamentals of a great DJ mix.  I’ve decided to reprint some of that email here, because I think it captures my thoughts pretty well.

This is not a “how to” in terms of a shopping list of DJ gear or a hands-on tutorial.  Rather, it’s an explanation of the creative an aesthetic decisions that go into putting together a great DJ mix.  The kind of mix that transcends the individual songs to become its own music document, one that will still endure and entertain listeners years and thousands of plays later.  Enjoy the article after the jump…

The fundamentals behind a DJ mix set are:

• mood / theme

• tempo

• key

• sequencing

• pacing

Mood / theme: This is where you start.  You decide what mood, vibe, etc. you’re going for in a mix.  It can be singular (a melancholy rainy day mix) or have two or three moods (a party-starting progression from smooth soul to outright party funk to classic sing-a-long rock).  This is important because it helps you craft a tight experience, and weed out some songs that you might really love but don’t quite fit.

It’s also this thematic tightness that is the mark of a memorable DJ; especially in a studio mix.  This doesn’t necessarily mean all the music is of the same genre – many DJ’s (especially in the dance music world) think this way, but my approach is to try to span multiple genres as long as they fit together.

Tempo: Keeping the songs in the same tempo range allows for smooth transitions from one song to the next.  Abrupt changes in tempo are jarring, especially if people are dancing.  A main feature of all DJ gear is the ability to adjust the tempo of a song within a certain range.  If two songs have exactly the same tempo (whether naturally, or are adjusted this way) then they can be smoothly mixed into each other.  This is called “beatmixing” and requires a lot of practice, but is considered a fundamental DJ skill.

A general rule of thumb is that any electronically sequenced song will have a “locked” tempo and therefore is beatmixable.  This how techno DJ’s are able to mix as many as three or four songs together at once, holding out mixes for as much as 5-6 minutes at a time.  Any song that has a live drummer will have subtle changes in the tempo and cannot be beatmixed for more than a couple measures.  It requires a lot more planning and careful timing to mix a set of rock, funk, etc. because of the fluctuating tempos and song structure.

Key: Also called “harmonic mixing” this is when two songs are in the same, or complimentary keys.  Some really wonderful things start happening when you sync tempo and key; that’s how mashups are made.  By moving through the harmonic scale, you can also raise the energy of a crowd.  And of course, basing an entire set on the major scale versus a minor will have a different effect.  This website has a good explanation: harmonic-mixing.com

Sequencing: once you have your mood, and have taken into consideration the tempo and key, you start sequencing the songs by deciding the order they should play in.  Once you have the tempo and keys matched up, songs will start to interact and play off each other in really cool ways.  I also look for thematic elements that tie songs together, like certain lyrics, vocals, or choruses that are complimentary.  I also like to variate songs with vocals with instrumental tracks, as I find it helps the listener enjoy both types; sometimes the beauty of a particular song’s vocals get lost when it’s wedged between two other vocal tracks.

When dealing with music that has a live drummer or rock-style song structures, sequencing is also important, since you can’t just mix into the middle of these songs; often there’s one precise point where the mix will work and no others – you’ll find that sequencing can be the toughest (but most rewarding) in that genre.

Pacing: In a live performance, pacing is based more on the energy level of the crowd, and you would adjust it as you go along.  But when doing a “studio” mix, the overall pacing is your creative decision.  When doing a dance music mix, I often like to start at a slower tempo and increase it song-by-song, while simultaneously moving along the major scale in key.  This eases the listener into the mix, and then builds their energy with the music.  On the flip side, I’ve also put together some “romantic” mixes that are geared more for an evening in bed, where the energy rises and falls in waves.  Works pretty good! 😉

Advanced Tricks and Techniques:

There are other things that go into pro DJ sets, like tricks, effects, and EQ mixing, but you don’t need to know them to make a great mix.  I didn’t learn to beatmix until I’d been DJ’ing for over 2 years, but the fundamentals I listed above were present even in my earliest mixes, which makes them still enjoyable to listen to nowadays.  I will get into these techniques in a Part Two post soon.  For now I think that just by using the creative guide above, anyone with a musical ear (regardless of whether they’ve ever DJ’d before) can put together a good mix.