Another dj and the art of mixing topic

[bassfaceBAM]

Just finished listening to the Phuture Noize qlimax set and it was incredibly frustrating. On one hand the productions themselves are just insanely good. On the other the mixing is actually not there whatsoever. 30 mins with 10 tracks and absolutely zero flow. I think it's beyond lazy. The Aftershock final 90 seconds are the best part of the track and it's cut. Suicidal Superstar didn't even get a chance to play. This is sadly common and I feel it's getting worse. Will producers ever decide it's time to learn to be actual djs? And if it's too much of a workload then why not employ a skilled dj as part of your live act? The "amateur" djs do a better job of mixing ffs

[Emre]

Only 1% or less of the crowd cares about skilled mixing but just care about the tracks themselves so there's not really a need for it I guess. 'Producers on stage' seems to do the trick nowadays.

[ThePrincipal]

It was a live act, bassfaceBam. no mixing. there is no need to be proper DJs these days - crowd doesn't want it, DJ's don't need it, tracks aren't long enough to do it. the days of elite hardstyle DJ skills are over


Luckily I still enjoy more than anything else mixing like I am still in 2004

[bassfaceBAM]

It was a live act, bassfaceBam. no mixing. there is no need to be proper DJs these days - crowd doesn't want it, DJ's don't need it, tracks aren't long enough to do it. the days of elite hardstyle DJ skills are over


Luckily I still enjoy more than anything else mixing like I am still in 2004

Well it's highly ironic that it's accepted you don't need to mix during a "live" act. Plus regarding Live acts, it's about showmanship and take Gunz for Hire for example while bare minimum mixing feel live due to the crowd interaction they generate. And take Delete VIP. Mashing up, making new edits and it feels like there is genuine flow in those sets which give them such energy.

I would say the crowd does want it. I am willing to bet everyone on this forum would welcome a decent mixed set over what we have now.

If we make our voices heard, it will be noticed. Complaints of the raw euphoric Divide were certainly heard. Complaints of lack of hardness in Hardstyle was heard hence Raw became popular then complaints of lack of melodies in raw were made and thats been seen to.

Dj's don't need it? I'd argue every dj especially the upcomers could use every tool at their disposal and mixing well it's always appreciated.

And as far as tracks not long enough, well can you not loop the tracks last 30 sec so it does last?

[Emre]

I am willing to bet everyone on this forum would welcome a decent mixed set over what we have now.

~100 active users on this forum do in no way represent the big crowds. Forum users generally are deeper into the scene than the 'regular' (inb4 I step on people's toes with this again) listener and care more about those things. I understand you, but if it doesn't matter for the general picture, it won't happen. As Practice said:

the days of elite hardstyle DJ skills are over

also, I think ~90% of the for example Qlimax crowd isn't interested in djing / has never touched a mixer so won't hear the difference between a smooth/clean/skilled/creative transition and a fader slam right after the 1st climax. Which is normal if you haven't dj'ed yourself.

[lilfrenchidiot]

well, tbh i don't care much about mixing intro/outros, I just want to hear good music

the fact i'm a Trap guy plays, as sets here are full of mashups, featuring like 60 tracks in an hour and therefore no complex intro/outro mixing skills are involved (some of the djs there are really skilled as A-Trak or Craze)

but for real I prefer a basic set with great music (as long as he doesn't fuck up basic transitions of course) to a complicated set with full intros & stuff i don't even enjoy so much

[Emre]

And this 100%

but for real I prefer a basic set with great music (as long as he doesn't fuck up basic transitions of course) to a complicated set with full intros & stuff i don't even enjoy so much

Same reason I like tracks with feels/atmosphere but not perfectly mixdown/mastered/sounddesign 10x over top-notch technical tracks with a stale/boring feel in it. Kinda the same thing but with producing.

[bassfaceBAM]

I understand your points of view. I can't mix maybe when my children are older and I have time and money to myself I may mix so I don't get so annoyed with sets but I just wish there was some pride in mixing these days. I think it was even more apparent in PN qlimax set. His style is so atmospheric and melody driven it's like similar to hard trance so it feels even more apparent that the set needed time to breathe and nice transitions as opposed to say, Da Tweekaz who just had a varied amount and lots of energy that it distracted from the shit mixing.

Side note, is A Trak recommended? I seen he did a set with Diplo, came up on my soundcloud and wondering if it's worthwhile

[lilfrenchidiot]

Side note, is A Trak recommended? I seen he did a set with Diplo, came up on my soundcloud and wondering if it's worthwhile

He is well known as a ridiculously skilled dj, even guys like Laidback Luke praise him as a legend. Set should be great as Diplo is a trendsetter and has the best track selection. Didn't listen to that one yet, might take a listen. You gotta remember that it's a festival set though, it might not feature the best of A-Trak's skill but it should be great.

[ThePrincipal]

It was a live act, bassfaceBam. no mixing. there is no need to be proper DJs these days - crowd doesn't want it, DJ's don't need it, tracks aren't long enough to do it. the days of elite hardstyle DJ skills are over


Luckily I still enjoy more than anything else mixing like I am still in 2004

Well it's highly ironic that it's accepted you don't need to mix during a "live" act. Plus regarding Live acts, it's about showmanship and take Gunz for Hire for example while bare minimum mixing feel live due to the crowd interaction they generate. And take Delete VIP. Mashing up, making new edits and it feels like there is genuine flow in those sets which give them such energy.

I would say the crowd does want it. I am willing to bet everyone on this forum would welcome a decent mixed set over what we have now.

If we make our voices heard, it will be noticed. Complaints of the raw euphoric Divide were certainly heard. Complaints of lack of hardness in Hardstyle was heard hence Raw became popular then complaints of lack of melodies in raw were made and thats been seen to.

Dj's don't need it? I'd argue every dj especially the upcomers could use every tool at their disposal and mixing well it's always appreciated.

And as far as tracks not long enough, well can you not loop the tracks last 30 sec so it does last?

I wasn't offering an opinion. I was stating facts.