Questions
I understand the use of a 2 channel dj controller but can you explain to me in detail how people use 4 decks? I’m looking at a novation twitch and a reloop terminal mix 4…both used but being used they are in my price range. Which one would you get? Also have a question about dj’ing r&b/hip-pop … how is this genre art? I mean isnt it just mostly cuts?
I know some very proficient ‘house’ DJ’s that cannot mix hip hop at all - the skill needed to drop on beat and keep the flow is a lot harder than it might sound and especially hard to keep a flow.
I know more hip hop DJ’s that can DJ other genres, they seem to be more versatile than some guys that have spent years making long transitions that can be rather forgiving when you have the time to get the beats tight. Hip hop is very unforgiving - miss the beat and your mix is fucked, no time to correct it.
Of course, I know some hip hop DJ’s that are completely one minded and play nothing but hip hop… but, they can still mix.
Where’s my brother Patch ?
Richie Hawtin is a good example of a DJ that uses four decks effectively.
Check out Dubfire as well.
And here’s a video of Chris Liebing talking through his set up, last year.
It really depends on what sort of music you play as to how straightforward it is to mix four decks.
All this talk of quick cuts in Hip-Hop is a PRIME example of a little bit of internet knowledge getting blown out of proportion.
Quick cuts are fine - actually, they’re a KILLER transition when you do 'em right (combine 'em with a TT stop, or, dare I say, a spinback!) - but there is still lots of potential for 4, 8 or even 16 bar transitions/blends.
It’s true for all genres (but ESPECIALLY Hip-Hop), that as long as you avoid clashing vocals, you’re half way towards a good transition. 
You really wanna know how this is “art”? Check out Jazzy Jeff, Scratch Bastid, Krafty Kuts (KK has just released his Golden Age Vol. 2 podcast (iTunes, unfortunately) - a perfect example!) for starters.
Without doubt, Hip-Hop DJ’s are the most creative out there. Hip-Hop is ENTIRELY BASED on digging (REAL digging, listening to hundreds upon hundreds of real vinyl records, just to find a single phrase/sample/sound that you can use), and surprising the listener with your knowledge of the tracks you’re playing, and your ability to extract the FUNK from wherever it is hidden.
Re: 4 decks - the way I use 4 decks, is A&B for mixing, C is a remix deck (capturing loops and samples from A & B and extending outro’s/intro’s, etc…) and D is a prep deck (I do instant double from A or B to D, then scrub forwards and insert mix-out markers. That marker then shows up in the original deck that D was doubled from).
But there are a TON of ways to use 4 decks.
While I agree with the jist of your post, Patch, saying hip-hop dj’s are without doubt the most creative is pushing it a bit too far.
Have you ever tried DJing hip hop/r & b? Learn more than two types of scratches or beat juggling and you’ll see the art in it. Watch some of the DMC competition videos on youtube.
No it’s not.
DJ Shadow, Q-Bert, Cut Chemist, Babu, DJ Format, A-Trak (always was a Hip-Hop DJ), Mix Master Mike, Kid Koala, DJ Craze, DJ Flare, DJ Spinbad, DJ Yoda - the list goes on forever.
I knew it would ruffle some feathers - but it’s my honest opinion. But, creativity is subjective, and if you disagree, that’s cool.
Then say it is an opinion, you now state it as fact. I would say hip-hop dj’s are very creative, but so is creating a complete track on the fly like some other dj’s do.
Sorry mate - Hip-Hop DJ’s ARE the most creative. I added that “honest opinion” statement in the interests of keeping the peace, but if you’re gonna be a prickly-pear, I’m gonna stick to my guns.
Hip-Hop DJ’s live it 24/7 - utterly consumed by their love of music and their compulsion to share it with anyone that will listen.
…and not a fuckin’ Jesus pose in sight.
I’ve seen DJs of all genres, including a regrettable experience in a Hardcore tent at a festival. I’d have to agree that the hip hop DJs I’ve seen live (notably A-Trak, Cut Chemist, Premo, Ali Shaheed (never liked Yoda although respect him), even 9th Wonder who I was expecting to be pretty average as a DJ) put more creativity into their sets.
This is coming from a man who’s a hip hop fan but has only ever played house & breaks.
Who said anything about a jesus pose? What about the likes of Chris Liebing, Deadmau5, Prodigy, etc?
If you say hiphop dj’s are as a fact the most creative, you have to demonstrate that. Not by giving examples, but by showing that by your definition of creative, hiphop dj’s are inherently superior in terms of creativity. If you can’t do that, it’s just another opinion.
Dadmaofive is not a DJ. Neither are the Prodigy, but they make good music.
Check out Liam Howletts “The Dirtchamber Sessions Vol. 1”.
See if you can get hold of the '98 BBC R1 Breezeblock version (essentially the original, with some additional tunes that the ycouldn’t get sample clearance on for the official Dirtchamber release).
It’s definitely more of a studio mix, but (I assume…) Liam did the scratches himself…
At the beginning of the Breezeblock version, he’s interviewed by Mary Ann Hobbs, where he discusses how playing hip-hop allows him to be more creative. 
I have that CD Patch, bloody awesome.
Tell me about it. 
@mostapha: Sure, you think they’re producers instead of dj’s. But what about the other two.
@Patch: Non sequitor. Explain why hiphop dj’s are the most creative. Not by analogy or authority, but with facts.
It’s a generalisation that hip-hop djs are more “creative” that “house” djs but’s it’s fair to say that ON THE WHOLE it’s a more challenging genre to mix and that the culture of hip hop djing is more “hardcore”.
The vast majority of house djs just beat match and blend two tunes together - there is definitely an art or skill to doing this well but with hip hop there’s more to it and the demand from fans / other djs to see a bigger variety of skills on display.
Are there exceptions… probably, but if you want “proof” look at the DMC championships - the largest and most established DJ competition in the world where the intricacies of teh art of DJing are scrutinised and judged. 95% of that is hip hop style mixing… though taken to an even greater extreme.
How is that specific of hiphop DJs? A borderline insane obsession with music is the basis for any good DJ, regardless of genre.
Apart from that: I’d love to have a go at playing some hiphop from time to time, but don’t really know how to approach it. So I think I agree on the creativity part (though I don’t agree with bringing turntablism into the equation - as, more often than not, it’s practically a big circle jerk about technical skills with no musical value whatsoever).
As a Psytrance, Electro and Minimal Tech DJ…playing HipHop or anything without a 4\4 beat scares me.
Sure, I have tried and can blend intros\outros … but beatmixing HipHop always amazes me.
Sure, I understand the fundamentals of it etc and can scratch a bit, but when it comes to juggles and dropping HipHop beats is just something I have not practiced or gotten the hang of. In that sense, I would say that yes…there is a lot of creativity in it.
But at the same time, I have seen and been very creative in other genre’s too. I guess its relative.
When I watch DJ’s on the net these days, its never EDM or electronic music. Its DMC stuff and HipHop DJ’s. Its more exciting to watch in my opinion. More going on…
It’s subjective. You can’t have/won’t get facts from anyone.