So I put together a mix in ableton. Basically, I was just matching songs up and seeing how different tracks played off eachother in sequence and trying to get a good flow.
It’s basically a happy electro house set.
My question is this:
Every song has at least one break. You know, after the first chorus there is a spacey vocal, or just a place where the beat drops out for about 16 bars. I know this is pretty standard stuff, but, what do you working DJs do with these?
Are these breaks okay to leave as is? Or do you try and put some kind of rhythmic element underneath to keep the energy up? I’ve been out to clubs and raves before and I do remember experiencing some of these breaks before, but I don’t remember them being particularly effective.
I guess I’m just confused because it seems like the energy is sucked out of the set, but then, without the break, the drops wouldn’t be as big.
How much does the venue matter also? For example, would you rework/re-arrange the breaks for a rave, but leave them as is for a night club?
Most of the time i keep the break just as it is. Sometimes i put some hi-hats underneath. Or a nice trick is to use a loop of whitenoise, put a filter on it, and create a build-up from the break !
it sorta depends. if I have a packed floor, I hate silence.
if the music is strictly for listening pleasure, the silence is as much a part of the music as the loud parts.
I’m using ableton just to research and prepare a set. But I will actually be practicing and performing all of the transitions and whatnot live on Timecode Vinyls and Serato.
In other words, I use ableton to make an ideal set, or create a picture of the set I would like to play. But then I work on actually doing it live.
I usually put a hi-hat as mentioned or a kick EQed down about halfway. I’ll also often add in an echo roll as the build finishes. Mess with the filter. Sometimes I’ll throw in a build from another song if the phrasing’s right and it works harmonically to give the track a sort of “double build”. Or I’ll throw in a looped vocal. Plenty of options.
The breaks are essential in a song/set. Let the song flow naturally, if you try to interrupt the natural flow too much, you will disrupt the dance floor. I know from experience that when I’m dancing, whether at a rave or in a club, I need that break to give me a moment of relief and a breath of air as dancing can take alot out of you physically.
Also, the break puts things in perspective, it allows the listener/dancer to take it all in and reflect on the music. You don’t want a mix that’s purely linear, you want to create waves of ups and downs, dips and turns, to create an atmosphere of aural wonder. If your playing beats allllll the time, it becomes repetitive.
Layer effects on the breaks to create build ups if your bored.
Well, pretty much depends on the time of the night. In the beginning when people are just arriving and the dance floor is not particularly full of people yet, big breakdowns can be a bit counter-productive because people might take the opportunity and go buy a beer or something. And with not that many people dancing that can have quite an impact. On the other hand at peak time when the dance floor is packed it’s the bigger the better - the anticipation hypes up the already existant energy even more.
As a dancer the breaks are nice - especially if they really underscore the more melodic parts of the song. It lets you hear whats going on in there without all of the drum parts and done properly will bring the energy back higher than before the break.
That said there are songs where the break is either obnoxiously long or remove too many parts. In traktor you can easily set a cue point to the drop. On vinyl I would usually tease the next track or the previous one depending on where the break falls. Personally at this point I just don’t pick those tracks. With so much music to choose from I’m looking for tracks that are perfect from beginning to end (in my ears).
i am not the biggest fan of breakdowns, sio i usually bring in the next song during thet breakdown. If you can mix it well, the intro beat from the next song should blend in good with the breakdown of the current song playing
!