Ideas on best R&B club DJ out there?
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  1. #1
    Tech Wizard
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    Default Ideas on best R&B club DJ out there?

    Hey guys,
    I'm no spring chicken when it comes to DJing (10 years+), but last night I played a a massive R&B , Hip Hop night here in Sydney, it's been a couple of years since I've done a main room.
    I was the opener and played a pretty standard set of 80-110 BPM classic Hip Hop and R&B, some tasty reedits and short mixes etc to keep the energy up.
    In the big scheme of things it was a pretty good set.
    BUT, when the next guy came on my set felt immediately dated!
    This guy was killin' it!
    I realised that the dynamic has changed since I last played a main room. (I normally do main room Commercial house and Electro but not club R&B Hip Hop type stuff).
    My question is:
    who do you consider to be the best in this field and why?
    and is there a good online source for the kind of tracks that they play?
    I mean I have all the big tunes, just not the versions that these guys play.

    Last night completely inspired me to up my game, so I'd be grateful for you thoughts.
    All the best
    Jonesy

  2. #2
    Tech Guru
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    Its a tough one cuz there is kinda a stigma against ppl that brand themselfs r and b DJs. So I dont really know many ppl that are that famous for it the love is for hip hop DJ's and I think it allways will be

  3. #3
    Tech Wizard
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    I think you're right about the stigma attached to it.
    Its a bit of a shame really. I would consider myself good DJ, but this guy last night pretty much wiped the floor with me!
    It was a combination of the tracks and the way he was mixing them. I figured there must be some one out there that set the bar for this kind of thing. I suppose thinking about it, it kind of stems from the Jazzy Jeff style of Hip Hop mixing where you just hit them with the best bits of the track and then move on to the next one. It's pretty much how I DJ my Hip Hop stuff anyway but there was definitely a vibe that I didn't quite have.
    Anyhow thanks for the reply, I'll do some web trawling and see what I come up with.
    Cheers

  4. #4
    Tech Guru djproben's Avatar
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    "Quick mixing" is common in that scene but in my opinion the best DJs are not the ones running the songs together as quickly as they can. 1 verse/1 chorus/next song shows how skilled you are I suppose but it quickly annoys anyone who actually likes one of the songs. But the trick is to let most of the song play but still use quick mixing techniques, to move quickly from the last chorus of one song to the first verse of the next, for example. Folks who pull this off well are dynamite; I usually don't like this style of music but I will listen longer and closer to a DJ who mixes it well.

    It sounds like the remixes come from compilations like Promo Only and Funkymix, which release remixes of top hits every month or so; they have record pools and include long intros, acapellas, instrumentals etc. for DJ use. Some DJs even add a loop or a drum machine on another deck to keep a consistent thump-thump going on throughout a set (though I'd worry about that making the set monotonous).

    I wish I had the patience to mix this stuff to be honest; the demand for it is always huge and the dancefloor is extremely enthusiastic. But there's too damn much of it to keep up with and 90% of it is useless inside of a year, and a lot of it I don't even like.
    "Art is what you can get away with." - Marshall McLuhan

  5. #5
    Tech Wizard
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    id say he probably got his remixes etc from record pools, there are hundreds out there and as a result even more different remixes of the same tracks.

  6. #6
    Tech Wizard
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    Thanks for the reply.
    in all honesty if I'd heard any of these tracks by themselves I would have hated them!
    I guess I'll just put it down to the fact that this guy was actually really good!
    I'm so used to average DJs that sometimes when I see some one who's actually talented I get pretty excited regardless of the genre!

    I have to play with him again next week so I;d better get practising!
    All the best




    Quote Originally Posted by djproben View Post
    "Quick mixing" is common in that scene but in my opinion the best DJs are not the ones running the songs together as quickly as they can. 1 verse/1 chorus/next song shows how skilled you are I suppose but it quickly annoys anyone who actually likes one of the songs. But the trick is to let most of the song play but still use quick mixing techniques, to move quickly from the last chorus of one song to the first verse of the next, for example. Folks who pull this off well are dynamite; I usually don't like this style of music but I will listen longer and closer to a DJ who mixes it well.

    It sounds like the remixes come from compilations like Promo Only and Funkymix, which release remixes of top hits every month or so; they have record pools and include long intros, acapellas, instrumentals etc. for DJ use. Some DJs even add a loop or a drum machine on another deck to keep a consistent thump-thump going on throughout a set (though I'd worry about that making the set monotonous).

    I wish I had the patience to mix this stuff to be honest; the demand for it is always huge and the dancefloor is extremely enthusiastic. But there's too damn much of it to keep up with and 90% of it is useless inside of a year, and a lot of it I don't even like.

  7. #7
    Tech Wizard
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    Quote Originally Posted by ctg23 View Post
    id say he probably got his remixes etc from record pools, there are hundreds out there and as a result even more different remixes of the same tracks.
    Ha ha yup, there's a lot of the same shit repackaged thats for sure!
    Seems to be what the kids want =(

    But I'd rather have 300 happy peeps than an empty floor.
    I guess I'll check out these record pool services and see what pops up!
    All the best mate.

  8. #8
    Tech Guru Patch's Avatar
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    When you see him next week, find out where I can hear some of his stuff. I'd love to know what he's doing...
    DJ'ing: 2x1200MK2, DJM 850, Dicers, F1, Zomo MC-1000, Sony MDR-v700, i7 Win 10 HP Envy
    Production: Ableton Live 8 and a mouse, Sennheiser HD400, Sony VAIO

    Click HERE to D/L Free Tracks from Soundcloud!!!
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  9. #9
    Tech Wizard
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    Yeah I'm gonna watch him like a hawk next week! Ha

  10. #10

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    Keep us up-to-date! Sounds interesting

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