How to stay faithful to a song while mixing it
I dont know if what Im asking make sense but how do you keep the integrity of a song together while still mixing it.
I don’t even consider it. That song is my b!@#$ for the 3-ish minutes I’m playing it. 
lol thats the funniest reply Ive heard.
IMO, at least let the “meat” of the track make itself felt. Of course this time is different depending on the genre. Being a progressive/psytrance guy, i usually try to leave a good 4-4.5 minutes of clear unmixed space before weaving my drunken magic 
Don’t worry yourself with this at all, mate.
I’ll often use a layered drum loop from the beginning/intro of a track, without even playing the “meat” of the track.
This gives the listener a “hint” of the track that they know - but not a smack in the face with the main parts of it.
This way, you can play parts of a peak time track even if you are the warm-up DJ…
Are you talking about mixing a produced track, or mixing a track while DJing? Because this is the music production forum, but everyone seems to be answering as if they’re DJing…
Mixing a track while DJ’ing couldnt you be be producing too its almost the same thing.
I cant agree with turning your screen off. Seeing your levels in each bus will help you when doing mixdowns looking for sharpness and frequency tweaks. Especially if you are using visual EQ’s. YOu know your tune better than anyone else. If it all starts to sound repetitive, step away from the computer for a bit. Watch your favorite show and grab a coffee.
I certainly think about DJing and producing differently. But, I will admit that the line between them is wide, grey, and anything but straight.
The big difference is the “in the audience” for DJing -v- “in my head” for producing. Maybe that’s why what I have managed to produce sucks…but that’s still how I am thinking about the process.