Hello readers! Sorry to disappoint, but this isn't a mix release post. That's not to say I've stopped mixing! Quite the opposite, in fact this post is to tell you where I am now with DJing and where I want to go.
I have two mixes under my belt, one of hip-hop/dubstep and one of house/electro. I had a ton of fun making them both, for different reasons. The first one is full of tracks I connect with on a level beyond just partying. Assembling them together was a great experience, but there is a lot of room for improvement on that one. That was before I found out that key signature is important for smooth DJing. I also didn't have the kind of organization of my library needed to really draw from my deep pool of music. I ended up switching tempo twice in that mix simply to accommodate all the songs I wanted. The problem with my second mix was that I was so concerned with keeping the overarching chord progression intact that I forgot about progression of mood, with highs and lows and such. All high is good, but not for 82 minutes!
With this knowledge, I started cataloguing my library. Just the hip-hop and such, though. I enjoy the music of my first mix more than the second, due to its diversity and irregularity. Nothing wrong with dance music at all, but I don't connect as strongly with it. By cataloguing, I mean I'm tabulating key signature and BPM values for every hip-hop/dubstep/R&B/other track I'd be willing to mix. I'm at 538 tracks now, and should have about double that when I'm done. With that at my disposal, future mixes should have all these shortcomings dealt with, and you'll be hearing tons of tracks you've probably never heard before, from the darkest recesses of my library. Get excited!
As for the future, my goal is to learn to DJ in real time, which is much harder than mixing! Trying to keep it clean with only one shot at a transition will be tough. I'd love to DJ at a couple parties, and then try my hand at a bar/club. This semester will also see me finishing the mysterious hand-control device I talked about in the summer, as it's my term project in my music tech course. How I apply it remains to be seen!
By the way, if you haven't heard Rustie's new album Glass Swords, then you're missing out! It's actually on the level of Hudson Mohawke's Butter, and that says a lot.
Check out the full album stream HERE
At any rate, get ready for my next mix! It's going to be in the same vein as the NBD Mix 1, but better! Should be done in about two weeks.
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