Chill out DJ-ing - How?

Trilobyte_simon

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Q How is chill-DJ-ing different (or the same) from DJ with upbeat psy songs?

Thanks, Simon
 
youd have to build a set very carefully to be able to beat match it all the way through without taking it too upbeat. With psychill, i rekon a happy medium of beat matching with a few ambient mixes is the best option. Damions right tho, there shouldnt be any rules.
peace. N
 
Nanook said:
youd have to build a set very carefully to be able to beat match it all the way through without taking it too upbeat. With psychill, i rekon a happy medium of beat matching with a few ambient mixes is the best option.

This is something I've been wondering about too, as have thought of trying my hand at mixing more chilled stuff, but didn't think it would be possible to beat match everything...

FlameBoy
 
i always thought it was a quick 10 seconds of gabba in between playing each tune (in order) off blumenkraft?

but then i'm not a dj so i might be wrong...

:runsmile:
 
I guess upbeat psy is considered as playing the same genre / bpm wheres chill is considered anything goes. Imo a good chill set will usually take in a healthy variety of flava's [tm]. As mentioned its highly unlikely everything is gonna be beat mixed in a chillout set - but remember theres plenty other ideas/techniques to be tinkering with than just blending the 0bpm bits ! :Smile3:

peace,
marc
 
I've noticed a lot of the CERTIFIED PSYCHEDELIC CHILLOUT type stuff tends towards similar bpms, and it's sometimes fun to have, say, a 100bpm stretch of tunes, then maybe a few 110 or 120bpms, and a lot of the dubby stuff loiters around 80-90 bpm. It can be a nice challenge to mix 'em for a bit. the 120 bpm stuff usually satisfies the 'restless' chill-out room (read as: 'I'd love to chill out, but I've had far too many stimulants so I'll stand here swaying, nodding and gurning').

Makes it more interesting for DJing and listeners alike (I hope).

As the other folks said though - there really ain't no rules. Which makes it more flexible than the bonkers stuff, where you can get stuck within a 142-148 sort of range - with chill-out you can just 'mingle' your way to a completely different bpm without too much trauma.

I will say it's what CDJs with bpm counters are good for - if you're not one for planning a set down to the details, they give you a chance to flick through a few tunes and see what might go with what. I've got pioneer 100s, so using the 1000s in the chillout at Sunrise in M/cr is a proper luxury for discovering what bpm tunes are (posh that innit - 1000's in the front AND back room :punk: ).
 
The secrets not to get bogged down wiv the beat matching thang...... :Wink3:
 
Fuck the beat matching. Why's everyone so hung up on beat matching all of a sudden, first the other thread, now this one.

How to DJ chill? Play slower stuff!! Y'know all those tunes with ethnic voices and chanting and stuff... the hippies love that shit, give it to 'em solidly for at least 2 hours if you can....
 
Next in Norty 303's how to DJ Stuff "How to Mix House Music"

Wave arms a lot, smile and pout at pretty girls, wear a _uber_ cool (though slightly tasteless) shirt and sunglasses. Success is assured.
 
Oh, and i nearly forgot, DJ'ing Chill allows you to get away with 'Heinous DJ Crimes TM' such as 'Forgetting To Play Next Record' that would have you lynched in other arenas.

In fact you can reserve the other deck for skinning up on and just rotate vinyl on the one through your set...
 
In my considered professional opinion, I would say the art of chillout DJ'ing lies in playing a record, and then as it finishes, playing another one.

This is made easier by the fact that most places give you two record players with which to do it.

Another tip would be to only play good records and avoid rubbish ones.

Hope this helps.
 
I don't usually attempt beat-mixing chill - unless it's obvious 2 tracks are destined to be mixed that way.

"Harmonix Mixing" is the way to go with chill-out IMO.

That doesn't even necessarily mean that everything needs to be in tune twixt the two tracks, but it does mean it's important to listen to the combination and make sure it's an effect you're after.

IMHO...

:Smile3:

And - you'll catch me chill-out DJing at Cabbage tonight as well as playing live chill with OVNI (co-written stuff included).

:Grin:
 
I like to make it as varied as I possibly can!

I never thought I'd hear drum and bass at Baraka, but when I was playing in the (now sadly defunct) front room last I dropped some and the room went off!

It's too easy to get hung up on 'psychill' and get stuck in a rut. As ott says, so long as it's good, and well-judged, it will rock, whatever it is!!

There are no rules! :hehe:
 
If you try to beat match all your chilled tunes you will definitely end up putting in a song for mixing reasons rather than because you actually want to play it out.

One thing that I have done in the past, when I want to play one tune that really doesn't mix out of the other (especially if the beat drops straight away for example) is to play with some synth lines and samples on your DAW and make an intro or outro that helps the mix work, then you can burn it and whack it into the CD deck, or even onto the beginning of the track and thereby create a completely original mix.
 
Theres been some great releases over the last few years from the ever increasing amount of chillout labels. But the downside is that theres been a shift towards "psy-chill" as a genre that should be played at psy trance parties which is a shame as one of the great things about playing chillout rooms is that you should be able to play whatever you want as long as its chilled.

Its great playing something like "Gabriel" by Roy Davies Jnr (classic garage tune)to a room full of hippies or an epic Solarquest tunes to a room full of furry booted hard housers and have loads of folk ask what it is.

Theres some great chilled D&B and no outdoor party is complete without at least one airing of Sunshine by Alex Reece after the suns come up! If anyone ever saw Sonar Luminescence DJ afew years ago - they'd play mad spacey D&B chillout sets - top stuff!

As long as its good - play it! I'd hate to see chillout rooms be as constricted as main rooms in whats acceptable to be played.
 
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