what do you prefer?

[kromobe]

do you prefer a more traditional set where the person is simply mixing music and having things flow beautifully making a nice fluent mix

or do you prefer the real choppy harsh cut ins and outs that make the mixes sound really glitchy and messy yet still awesome at the same time. i seem to be seeing more and more of this everyday. obviously with the setups and equipment you can buy these days its easy to get into this. lots of samples being used flying through 10 songs in a minute etc.

what do people prefer to listen to and whats more fun to play?

[Patch]

They're opposite ends of the spectrum, mate.

A bit like the difference between full contact Kung Fu and Katate Katas.

Sometimes I like to mix a bunch of songs smoothly, playing most of each track, with little in the way of FX and scratching, and sometimes I like to cut the fuck out of 10 tracks in a minute, using loops and one shots, with spin backs and tt brakes all over the shop.

Depends what kind of mood I'm in.

[kromobe]

A bit like the difference between full contact Kung Fu and Katate Katas..

haha i like this.
ya i guess its all in what your feeling at the moment and obviously what everyone wants to hear.
sometimes i wish i never seen some of the videos cause it makes me feel like i suck big time. lol
....person living above me doesn't seem to mind my crap tho...

[keithace]

yes...

[Daniboy]

I always like it flowing and having the tracks with no fx, or at least very smooth ones.

It's very hard to convince me it was better to use an FX then to leave the track the way it was... I laugh sometimes at "new fx technique" videos that I see, most of the tips are just destroying the flow of the music IMO.

I don't know the others but, for me, it's much more relevant to play awesome-unknown-music than to chop and screw things I am already tired of.

[AllDay]

I always like it flowing and having the tracks with no fx, or at least very smooth ones.

It's very hard to convince me it was better to use an FX then to leave the track the way it was... I laugh sometimes at "new fx technique" videos that I see, most of the tips are just destroying the flow of the music IMO.

I don't know the others but, for me, it's much more relevant to play awesome-unknown-music than to chop and screw things I am already tired of.

Pretty much the same over here. I like to mix smoothly, use little to no fx and just have ace song selection!

[Irrational Fear]

For me personally, if I am going to listen to a mix or see a DJ live I would far rather connect with them through the choice of tracks they play.

Some of my favourite mixes of all time are the classic Sasha/Digweed mixes, and the '99 Oakenfold world tour mixes for the essential selection.

A lot of DJs would probably consider these sets 'boring' by modern standards as they are little more than standard "A-B" mixing but yet they connect with me on a level that no amount of trick loop/sample/effect mashing ever does. John 00 Flemming is another example who still adheres to this philosophy, in fact I believe it was him who wrote an article on the reluctance of many modern clubs to book DJs to play 3 or 4 hour sets these days.

There is certainly a place for the exciting technical stuff, and indeed I enjoy watching videos of people really pushing the equipment to it's limits, chopping stuff up, using acapellas etc (Dj Antonin being a particular favourite of mine in this regard), but where I draw the line is going to a local bar/club and having DJ Ego mashing up top-40 stuff to the point of playing a minute or so of each then slamming into the next one. You see groups of people (particularly women) who hear a song they love, make their way to the dancefloor and just as they get there DJ Ego has slammed into his next mashup so back they go to their seats/the bar.

As for playing, I generally prefer the first approach and this is what I will use in any mixes I put together, or when playing out, and it seems to get the most appreciation. I do however love messing around when I am playing for myself, trying out different techniques and playing just specific bits of tracks cut up with loops & backspins etc.

However I feel the only people who really appreciate this stuff is other DJs!

It's also worth pointing out that different genres suit different mixing styles. If I am playing some funky house stuff I'll often use shorter blends paying particular attention to not have keys/vocals clashing, if it's happy hardcore it will be short-ish blends using the EQs as kill-switches (to swap bass over etc) or slamming the channel faders in & out, using quick filter sweeps on the buildups to transitions keeping the energy level as high as possible. Trance will be much more sutble, using tracks that really blend well together with much longer, subtle mixes, carefully working the EQs to transition as seemlessly as possible.

There is definately a place for all, but if I am listening to a mix/DJ its all about what tracks he/she plays that makes me have an awesome experience- too much chopping/mashing/EFX and not enough actual music spoil it for me

[Kwal]

I love it when the DJ throws the flanger on the master at about 70% and then blends... Talk about a smooth way to transition and take the listeners on a journey into hell.

[Ed Paris]

I love it when the DJ throws the flanger on the master at about 70% and then blends... Talk about a smooth way to transition and take the listeners on a journey into hell.

could be a reason why it rhymes with danger...

[Daniboy]

I love it when the DJ throws the flanger on the master at about 70% and then blends... Talk about a smooth way to transition and take the listeners on a journey into hell.

It's funny how DJ software companies work so hard on developing complex FX stuff while the common sense is to use the least FX possible...