Techno/minimal looping style of djing a la Richie Hawtin et al
So I’ve been wanting to get into a much more dynamic/creative way of dj’ing, while creating an atmosphere and what not. Pretty much like Richie Hawtin, Joris Voorn, and other guys do it. Except that I try and try and I just can’t manage to play a set which evolves… Whenever I try to use loops and stuff I just end up with something monotonous instead of being able to create that dynamic feeling. Either I just don’t know how to create breaks or I just don’t know how to time my drops or pretty much anything… I’m not even sure I’m getting at something with this lol.
Thing is… I’ve tried to find a workflow which would allow me to play such kinds of sets but I just haven’t been able to. I’ve watched the interviews here at DJTT with Loco Dice, Chris Leibing, Bass Kleph and others and they’re really helpful regarding insight and ideas, but I just can’t make them happen. I know the first thing is to keep it simple, like playing tracks with long mixes and stuff, but I’m trying to push myself from the usual mixing style, but it’s just so frustrating really.
So, what I would really appreciate from the guys who play this way, are tips and examples of workflows while playing with loops and how to make build ups and break downs.. pretty much the odds and ends of how a set like this would be played. What to have in mind, what to avoid, etc.
I do the same thing as richie hawtin 3 decks and maschine (i have based my setup around his) i find that you have to be so concentrated on the mix and what you’re doing when mixing 3-4 decks. I also have all my loops and cues saved onto each track so i can jump around to different parts quickly. It’s hard to remember what you do when you’re djing but i find it easier if i just get really into it. Lots of other people will have different ways they do this.
Trying to this aswell with my setup, and i’m pretty happy with how my sets sound, but of course not even close to any of the pro’s sets. Here some tips on how i work:
1: Set at least 5 loops per track (any length from 1 to 32 bars) when loading them into traktor the first time, for example: 1 in the beginning, 2 when the first bass drops in, 3 maybe in the breakdown, 4 with the whole beat incl melody and 5 with just the melody or something like that.
2: eq the loops to sound nice while cueing
3: dont always have them playing at max, play with their volume
4: put effects on the loops like reverb (or i also like the t3 reverb) or normal delays to build tension in the main song.
5: dont let melodies that dont work together overlay
6: trust your ears
As you might have noticed the most important thing is preparation.
Decide which tracks you may want to play in full length, and from which ones you will only play short looped sections. In the beginning you may want to try out which loops play togehter well, as it can be hard to build a track from scratch using various loops without preparation.
Regarding break downs and built ups: start slowly. Try using only the EQ first: cut the bass and play with the mids/highs. Then start adding other effects. You can also play with the loop length, shortening the loops in the break down to get a roll effect.
Great tips so far! Thanks to those who have contributed! Up until now I hadn’t thought about prepping since I thought it was usually done on the fly (okay, maybe the pro’s do it sometimes with a great deal of practice and previous preparation). I will ask you guys to keep 'em coming and to refer me to some videos maybe?
If you’ve ever watched/listened to any of them play maschine isn’t really the center of their set- it’s more like some spice thrown on top just to accent and tie things together.
It seems like most of them are usually doing 2-3 deck mixing then seems like they will accent it with a channel of the maschine step sequencer to add in some claps or hi hats or the like, but it’s usually not complex drum loops all built on maschine and a bunch of micro loops in traktor. They seem to mostly let tracks play and any micro looping of other tracks and stuff on maschine is just to tie things together and honestly a lot of the time it seems it’s just to give them something to do up there, not sure how essential it always is to their overall set…
watch how he uses maschine, it’s always just adding in 1-2 drum sounds on top of whatever tracks he is mixing in traktor, he is never building whole sets out of it…
Great tips here I feel exactly Pancaker, bored because my sets were simple transitions and frustrated because i cant make samples and loops fit in my dj sets. I always learned everything by copying what other djs made in their sets, and then recreate it at home. Recently I bought a kontrol f1 and i can’t seem to find many videos of djs using it in their sets, any tips and videos on how to incorporate f1 in my sets?
u got me wrong when i said “learned everything by copying what other djs made in their sets, and then recreate it at home”. I see what they do, recreate it with the same songs, and then do the same technique with songs / loops that i like and i think fits nice. thanks anyway
I have found that it is easy to fall in to the trap of trying to ‘show off’ that you have 3-4 decks playing together or maschine playing a clap etc as things start creeping on top of the overall mix. Main thing is to be subtle.
Prepping is key here, having the loops ready to go and not fidgeting to much with what already sounds good. If you buy ten tracks and then try and play a set without the loops already set in the tracks it will mostly sound like a jumbled mess and not have any cohesion.
Prep your tracks when you buy them and then lock them so that you can tell a track is ready at a glance. Doing it this way ensures that there is some consistency in what you’re doing. One way to create this cohesion is to pick a few tracks or a set of four or five loops and play those during the whole set. I think this is mostly what the third deck and Maschine is for the guys you mention. I’ve never really analyzed the videos to try and figure this out though.
Some other thoughts:
Don’t be afraid to do basic A-B mixing with you’re loops adding spice to that.
Duplicate A or B into your third deck and play some loops out of it for four or five songs, rinse and repeat.
Don’t overdo it. Pick loops that might not be full on by themselves, but will compliment what you’re doing on the other decks.
I use mostly just percussive loops or sounds because easier to keep that going for a longer period of time than full on melodies.
Some great tips here so far! A lot of them quite eye opening in different aspects and really give me a place to start off. Thanks a lot to everyone contributing in this thread!
This is my techno set which is inspired by hawtin, liebing and all those guys. I used a lot of loops and i used the maschine a lot which really helps to fill in parts that are missing in a track or mix. Also im 99.99% sure that hawtin mixes in key that’s what i did in this mix it helps so much everything just fits together when your mixing in key.
I am sorry, maybe i am maybe just a lazy, half assed dj but i play mostly with sync and shit and i only do prep when my beatgrids are really off. I do not go and prep loops and cues. I might have the odd cue set here and there, but nothing major.
I play alot of techno and tech house, and one of the most important things i think is the eqs, u really need to carve your sound out and make alot of room, especially when u are playing 3-4 decks +maschine, i hear way to many techno sets which sound like audio on top of audio on top of audio, and tbh it sounds shit.
Keep in mind i do have loops in a remix deck triggered by a midifighter so thats prob why i dont set loops. I do all that on the fly to create build ups and breakdowns.
Sorry for the shit spelling snd stuff, this was at 3am on my phone
Personally I think the F1 sucks and wish I still had my second X1. The use of the remix decks just isn’t really there. You can’t really cue up loops and stuff, I think the theoretical base idea was good, but thats about it. Its not really a great functional piece. I will most likely be selling mine to get something else… Right now I am just using it as a 3rd controller for controlling deck C as a regular deck, and it honestly sucks for that. I am using the maschine a lot more. Being as I am legally blind I was really hoping the F1 would have done a lot for me since it has a lot of pretty lights and all, but those remix decks really suck. Maschine is more functional for me not being able to see anything, I already know where my set sounds are and the step sequencing is just far superior to what the F1 and remix decks can accomplish for me.
