Introduction
"What is DJ-ing anyway ?"
I'll start by saying it is not just chaining tracks together
into one long continuous piece of music.
How you mix your records, which records you mix and
even the order in which you mix them can make or break an atmosphere. A
DJ is a musician who is using music to make music. The turntables, mixer and
records make up one of the most versatile and complex instruments imaginable.
Still, this does not do credit to the most important thing about
DJ-ing. The ultimate goal for a DJ is to create something magical with the
audience, to make time stop, to create a natural high, or more down to earth,
at least give the crowd a great time.
"What and who are these pages intended
for ?"
The above mentioned "magic" does not let itself to be captured in words,
let alone the way to do it. These pages provide the reader with the basics,
the low-level technical basis, which you need to mix. The
Basics ? No, just some of the many possible basics.
Anyone who starts out with DJ-ing can use these basics to get started,
since it is useless to re-invent the wheel so to speak. Keep in mind that
this set of tips and guidelines is a way of doing it, it does
not have to mean it is the only way. Once you have learned how
to manipulate vinyl and get the hang of mixing, you have to take the matter
into your own hands and develop your own style, regarding both choice of
records and style of mixing.
So this is BY NO MEANS a definitive absolute DJ bible.
"Why did you create these pages ?"
... Putting to use my own experience as a DJ, this is what started
this web page about DJ-ing/mixing. I started DJ-ing about in october
1997, when curiosity drove me to take a course in DJ Basics. I got
hooked up on "Spinning the wheels of Steel" pretty soon afterwards and
started to build a record collection. Up untill now it is just a hobby
with a free lance escapade here or there, a hobby which I very much enjoy.
These pages will show you some of the ways to play this interesting
"instrument", but they can not tell how to become perfect at it. It will
take years and years and even then you think you can still do better. This
automatically, and rightfully, implies I myself am not perfect at DJ-ing.
Well, I am not, although I'm good enough to DJ at a local club. But, like
already mentioned above, I can still prevent other people from having to
re-invent the wheel when it comes to DJ-ing.
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