Technical skills Vs. Tune choice

keithkk16

I know people say it's a mixture of both and it probably is true
in general, but if you have to come down to one side and say
when you're listening to a DJ be it at home or out which would
it be. Tune choice or technical skill ?

I like the technical side as much if not more than the actual tunes themselves.
Hearing what a DJ does is more interesting than what they play in my opinion.

BaZmO*

Has to be music slection if you had to choose. No point in being able to perfectly mix 10 sh1t songs.

Zascar

I heard a mix the other day from a guy who was obviously a beginner DJ. Mixing very basic and a few mistakes etc - but still I really enjoyed it cause the music he chose was fantastic. Personally I would have done the arrangement etc dfferent but he still did a great job cause nearly every tune I really liked, and I gave him a big well done cause of it.

I of course have huge appreciation for technical skills - but sometimes you can't even hear the difference! I like to mix and try technical stuff and have fun, but really somtimes less is more...

jtsuited

Technical skills are absolutely necessary.

But apart from being a rock solid mixer, the real talent is in your selection.
Sven Vath is in imo the one of the best dj's in the world. Purely down to his knowledge and taste in music. He tends to be one step ahead of everyone else.

I HATE showoff dj's. Watch any of the big names dj, and on the whole you'll see a lot less 'trickery' than with your bedroom-dj-playing-at-his-mate's party types.

Jaysus if there was one thing I'd put a blanket ban on, it's those feckin Pioneer EFX boxes.

mrDerek

BaZmO* wrote: »

Has to be music slection if you had to choose. No point in being able to perfectly mix 10 sh1t songs.

my sentiments exactly

Will

Average punter in a standard night club isn't gonna care about technical side of it, even if the tunes are mixed well or not, or at all I've found. They're in the club to drink and found most technical things they don't give a crap about.

Tune choice is very important and reading the crowd too. Same tunes for one crowd won't work for the next.

jonny68

BaZmO* wrote: »

Has to be music slection if you had to choose. No point in being able to perfectly mix 10 sh1t songs.

ditto.

acman

Tune choice...hands down.

Way too many DJ's get more caught up trying to impress their DJ friends rather than read and entertain their crowd. What comes out of the speakers is waaaaaaaaaay more important than how it comes out!

seannash

tune selection of course but it can ruin a night when the mixing is ****e.
most people in a club expect a certain level of technical expertise from the dj and its dissapointing when they dont deliver on it.
i do think most clubbers are a bit more clued up as to whats going on in the dj booth than most people say. im sure weve all been in a club and the djs got the galloping horses and most of the crowd will whip there head around to see whats going on.

BaZmO*

seannash wrote: »

tune selection of course but it can ruin a night when the mixing is ****e.
most people in a club expect a certain level of technical expertise from the dj and its dissapointing when they dont deliver on it.
i do think most clubbers are a bit more clued up as to whats going on in the dj booth than most people say. im sure weve all been in a club and the djs got the galloping horses and most of the crowd will whip there head around to see whats going on.

That's the thing about good mixing, you shouldn't really notice. Whereas with bad mixing you always notice it.

djdeclan

I heard a great line from one of Dublin's (and indeed Ireland's) longest serving commercial club DJs recently;
"I'd rather hear a good tune than a good mix"

For me that says it all..

francois

jtsuited wrote: »

Jaysus if there was one thing I'd put a blanket ban on, it's those feckin Pioneer EFX boxes.

God yes! They should be BANNED. Tune selection is the main thing-most DJ's after a bit of practise can get a half decent mix together, beat mixing is not rocket science after all. The real talent in DJing comes from reading a crowd, working a dancefloor and taking people on a journey. There is nothing worse than some plonker trainspotter DJ using 15 technics, CDJ's and 8 different software packages running on laptops with MAC OSX, various distros of linux and windows 7 RC1, while boring the tits off the crowd

seannash

djdeclan wrote: »

I heard a great line from one of Dublin's (and indeed Ireland's) longest serving commercial club DJs recently;
"I'd rather hear a good tune than a good mix"

For me that says it all..

thats all very well and good but i wouldnt want to hear a whole night of trainwrecks either.

Zascar

Yeah but in fairness its very rare you hear stampeding elephents in a any decent club. As long as the mixing is 'fine' or better, most of the time it's grand. Most people will forgive one fuk up etc - happens to the best of us from time to time. Tunes on the other hand, are much more critically regarded.

However, lets face it, if you are standing there intently listening to every single mix and calculating what's happening, charting the movement of the journey - you're probably not really enjoying the night as much as everyone else.

seannash

Zascar wrote: »

Yeah but in fairness its very rare you hear stampeding elephents in a any decent club. As long as the mixing is 'fine' or better, most of the time it's grand. Most people will forgive one fuk up etc - happens to the best of us from time to time. Tunes on the other hand, are much more critically regarded.

However, lets face it, if you are standing there intently listening to every single mix and calculating what's happening, charting the movement of the journey - you're probably not really enjoying the night as much as everyone else.

yep definitely true.i was just pointing out that its also not enjoyable to listen to trainwrecks,just like its not nice to listen to bad music.
like you say there wont be too many **** ups in a club but imagine if there was.noone would talk about the great tracks theyd just comment on the ****e mixing.
there both important,tune selection more so

DarkJager

Has to be tune choice. I'd much rather mix/listen to a set that builds slowly, sprinkled with a few floorburners for good measure, and finished off with some perfect euphoria. I'd take that any day over some guy thinking its cool to keep raising and lowering the bass...

DarkJager

francois wrote: »

God yes! They should be BANNED. Tune selection is the main thing-most DJ's after a bit of practise can get a half decent mix together, beat mixing is not rocket science after all. The real talent in DJing comes from reading a crowd, working a dancefloor and taking people on a journey. There is nothing worse than some plonker trainspotter DJ using 15 technics, CDJ's and 8 different software packages running on laptops with MAC OSX, various distros of linux and windows 7 RC1, while boring the tits off the crowd

Richie Hawtin??

TURRICAN

jtsuited wrote: »

Technical skills are absolutely necessary.

But apart from being a rock solid mixer, the real talent is in your selection.
Sven Vath is in imo the one of the best dj's in the world. Purely down to his knowledge and taste in music. He tends to be one step ahead of everyone else.

I HATE showoff dj's. Watch any of the big names dj, and on the whole you'll see a lot less 'trickery' than with your bedroom-dj-playing-at-his-mate's party types.

Jaysus if there was one thing I'd put a blanket ban on, it's those feckin

Pioneer EFX boxes.

show off djs....sven vath
saw him on youtube and he is some showoff,he even gave me a scooter vibe.
dont get me wrong tho this man bangs out some techno.
my first choon i got from him was face it.long time.
and check out sven vath @hafentunnel phase 1 and 2.

franklyshocked

You can learn skills but you can't learn taste.
Music choice and sequencing, over technical skills any day of the week

Dragan

People go see DJ's that entertain them, the vast majority of it is music choice.

I find the people who spend the most time hung up on technical skill in OTHER DJ's are sad ****s who have never DJ'd infront of anyone except there mother.

But they'll make it, oh yes.:rolleyes:

seannash

Dragan wrote: »

People go see DJ's that entertain them, the vast majority of it is music choice.

I find the people who spend the most time hung up on technical skill in OTHER DJ's are sad ****s who have never DJ'd infront of anyone except there mother.

But they'll make it, oh yes.:rolleyes:

alot of people seem to be putting forward the idea that as long as your songs are good the mixing doesnt matter.ill say it again listening to a night of bad mixing ruins the vibe as much as bad tune selection

Dragan

seannash wrote: »

alot of people seem to be putting forward the idea that as long as your songs are good the mixing doesnt matter.ill say it again listening to a night of bad mixing ruins the vibe as much as bad tune selection

Not really, i was just asked which was more important, tune selection or technical skills.

There is a fundamental level of skill that you want any DJ to have, which is basically to be able to actually mix the songs in there selection and have them arranged in a good set.

That's pretty much a given.

The simple fact is, i will forgive any DJ his level of technical skill simply because he can work to improve it.

People forget the DJ's they like will normall have a similar taste in music to themselves, and will provide them with a set filled with music that you like, even if you have never heard of it before. Much the same way a long time friend can put you on to a group or a song and just know you will like it, becuase of that shared musical taste.

It's the shared taste in music which gets any fan into any DJ, therefore in my opinion, you wouldn't even get to the point of worrying about a DJ's techical skills if the tune selection was not enough to imply that shared sense of musical taste and drawn you in to begin with.

BaZmO*

seannash wrote: »

alot of people seem to be putting forward the idea that as long as your songs are good the mixing doesnt matter.ill say it again listening to a night of bad mixing ruins the vibe as much as bad tune selection

Exactly.

The odd mistake is fine but you really need to be a competent mixer. Tune selection certainly takes precedent but if you're wincing every time a new track is brought in it would get old very quick.

VinylJunkie

In that case don't bother mixing the tunes take a leaf from Peter Hook's book on DJ'in.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m01g4XnC_qU

Riesen_Meal

VinylJunkie wrote: »

In that case don't bother mixing the tunes take a leaf from Peter Hook's book on DJ'in.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m01g4XnC_qU

Well he was in New Order, which entirely lets him get away with it, "celeb" dj sets like him, Shane Mc Gowan, and Bez can **** right off....

Tre4

A very difficult one to say. Tune choice is obviously very important because 10 very well mixed tracks would pass un-noticed if they were average tracks.

However to have 10 great tracks poorly mixed would be worse because you would just get into the tune only to have the build up ruined by it being smashed into the next great tune with a whole barrage of mixed beats.

Jeremy Healey was the classic example. He used to play some of my most favourite tunes but I couldn't listen to it because he crucified every mix.

I think you need to have both but if I had to pick it would be Technical over tunes

VinylJunkie

Fieldog wrote: »

Well he was in New Order, which entirely lets him get away with it, "celeb" dj sets like him, Shane Mc Gowan, and Bez can **** right off....

It doesn't let him away with the fact that he is playing from a Mix CD. Have you noticed he is only using one channel + he is not wearing headphones?

IMO the answer to the OP's question that either one alone does not make for a good set. I know its obvious but there is no point in arguing over which one is more important, good tunes mean nothing without good mixing likewise good mixing means nothing without good tunes.

Riesen_Meal

VinylJunkie wrote: »

It doesn't let him away with the fact that he is playing from a Mix CD. Have you noticed he is only using one channel + he is not wearing headphones?

IMO the answer to the OP's question that either one alone does not make for a good set. I know its obvious but there is no point in arguing over which one is more important, good tunes mean nothing without good mixing likewise good mixing means nothing without good tunes.

Only watched the video at the start then the music made me turn it off!!!

He was caught rapid doing the exact same thing in Tokyo aswell afaik, some hacienda classics cd!!!! Think its the one he made a few years back....

Some neck on him to get away with that....

EDIT : Looking at the comments on the youtube page it appears its a mixmag cd by Pete Tong that was given away with mixmag in 2004,

Zascar

Guys I think 'technical ability' needs to be defined really.

Basically, anyone gettng paid to DJ in a bar/club should be at a decent standard of mixing and be able to beatmatch and do standard blend mixes etc - keeping the rhythm up and making sure the flow of the night is generally solid. Anything less than that is unacceptable really.

There are plenty of DJ's out there who simple have a bag of records/cd's and play good music to get everyone dancing and having a good night. Then their are highly technical Dj's who do mashups and multiple decks or laptops or whatever and bring together the music they have to make something extra of it. This requires a massive amount of skill and it not something your average DJ can do.

I have huge appreciation for this - but at the end of the day I don't spend my nights standing my the DJ box watching him swap beats and play with the faders. Give me simple and effective any day.

VinylJunkie

I agree but for the purpose of the argument I would see technical skills as just basic beatmatching and basic eq'ing.

Looking at the comments on the youtube page it appears its a mixmag cd by Pete Tong that was given away with mixmag in 2004

Yeah I read that what a gob****e!

seannash

Zascar wrote: »

Guys I think 'technical ability' needs to be defined really.

Basically, anyone gettng paid to DJ in a bar/club should be at a decent standard of mixing and be able to beatmatch and do standard blend mixes etc - keeping the rhythm up and making sure the flow of the night is generally solid. Anything less than that is unacceptable really.

There are plenty of DJ's out there who simple have a bag of records/cd's and play good music to get everyone dancing and having a good night. Then their are highly technical Dj's who do mashups and multiple decks or laptops or whatever and bring together the music they have to make something extra of it. This requires a massive amount of skill and it not something your average DJ can do.

I have huge appreciation for this - but at the end of the day I don't spend my nights standing my the DJ box watching him swap beats and play with the faders. Give me simple and effective any day.

yep true but if basic mixing skills are a given it kinda turns this thread into a useless one.all thats left is tune selection as we all expect the dj to be a competent mixer.so there really is only one choice.
i dont stand around and watch what the dj is at(i dont like hanging out beside the dj booth even if im friends with the dj)but i can spot most tricks and mixes the dj pulls off and i do appreciate them when there done well and are different to the ususal mixing style.
maybe im a nerd but i do listen out for mixes aswell as tunes

Photojoe

seannash wrote: »

yep true but if basic mixing skills are a given it kinda turns this thread into a useless one.all thats left is tune selection as we all expect the dj to be a competent mixer.so there really is only one choice.
i dont stand around and watch what the dj is at(i dont like hanging out beside the dj booth even if im friends with the dj)but i can spot most tricks and mixes the dj pulls off and i do appreciate them when there done well and are different to the ususal mixing style.
maybe im a nerd but i do listen out for mixes aswell as tunes

People who listen to mixing are the scourge of dance music. I'd rather a dj just played tracks up, stopped them and played another than mix bad songs well.

seannash

hello buddygunz.continuing your im the antichrist of dance music campaign eh

0neo8

hey.whats this video about the guy from new order.peter hook i think.i heard a while ago he got caught pretending he was djing.whats the full story behind this.

seannash

0neo8 wrote: »

hey.whats this video about the guy from new order.peter hook i think.i heard a while ago he got caught pretending he was djing.whats the full story behind this.

google it

0neo8

****in looser.few good tunes.few.yeah its obvious.maybe he's deaf like yer man on its all gone pete thong.he has ipod speakers taped to his feet