Mixing Vs. Listening

[dominant]

my mixer is getting repair'd and all i've been doing is listening and producing for two weeks,going crazy not being able to mix.

Know how you feel about not being able to mix. I just went on holidays for six weeks and had nothing to mix with besides my laptop, and that got old quick. Luckily though I spent a lot of my nights in clubs so I spent a lot of time listening to a lot of different DJ's and when I got back the first mix I put together was the best I have done yet.

[Bassline Brine]

There's also the fact that there are some songs that while I really love listening to, I couldn't see personally working them into a set. Mood, timing, whatever.

[Era 7]

why do anything at all when you instead could do nothing :shrugs:

[keeb]

Despite the fact that this thread is a thinly veiled "iTunes = DJ" thread, I'll give it a go.

Because DJing is a creative outlet whereas listening to music is just... passing time? I also get a much better sense of inclusion when I DJ versus just listening - adding in that filter sweep/echo build/whatever gives me a mild taste of production while I get to listen to and enjoy the music. Production, on the other hand, while much more fulfilling in the long term is much more of an exercise in patience. Also, generally DJing is associated with playing for a crowd; if you're talking about playing iTunes for a party versus jumping on the decks it's a night and day difference.

iTunes = disorganized/random, non-interactive, no thought added beyond organizing playlists
DJing = crowd interaction, building hype for drops, carefully chosen songs blended into the mix, flow, continuity

Even when I get a new batch of songs now - I'll make a mix with them and then listen to it; it lets me practice mixing, listen to how the songs can work together, and I prefer listening to a continuous mix versus just hearing random songs on shuffle. Plus it's interesting to try the mix when one batch includes the likes of dubstep, D&B, electro, deep house, hip-hop, etc. It also lets me familiarize myself with the structure of the song by seeing the waveform in Traktor - I can quickly familiarize myself with the location of the breakdowns, builds, etc.

I'll just listen to music when I'm doing something else like browsing DJTT, reading a book, driving, browsing beatport/blogs for new tunes to buy, etc. If music is my primary focus though, I'm probably DJing.

[djfil007]

It's all about the interaction with the music. Even though I'm not actively pursuing gigs any more... I'll keep mixing for the enjoyment of interacting with my favorite music.

[Coldfuzion]

Easy way to pick up women, get free booze at bars, and be "that guy".