I'm gonna be spinning at a party on Friday

[Lex Diamonds]

For the first time... I know how to match songs, use samplers & mixers etc just from intuition & watching my friends who are pro DJs, but have probably spent less than an hour total on decks myself.

The set up will be CDJs, a mixer & a sampler. I'm going to burn duplicates of an mp3 disc with like 50 or so songs on (I'm only going to play like 45 mins), they want me to do 90s/early 00s hip-hop.

Any recommendations for good mixes? There's a few ideas I've got already (eg. bringing Fatman Scoop - Be Faithful in over the break on Lauryn Hill - Doo Wop) and I'm looking forward to playing around with some beat juggles if I can, but any ideas I might have missed would be cool.

Here's a small selection of what I'm gonna take just to give you an idea what we're rolling with:

jay-z - streets is watching
nas - nas is like
lauryn hill - doo-wop (that thing)
big L - da graveyard
O.C. ft. big L - dangerous
the high & mighty - b-boy document '99
gangstarr ft. mos def & macy gray - i've committed murder
the roots ft. erykah badu - you got me
blackstar - definition
melodie ft. 12 o' clock - stay with me
R.A. the rugged man ft. j-live - give it up
talib kweli ft. hi-tek (aka reflection eternal) - the blast
jaylib - the red
big pun ft. joe - still not a player
masta ace - brooklyn masala
dilated peoples - worst comes to worst
blackstreet ft. dr dre & queen pen - no diggity
jay-z ft. pharrell - i just wanna love u (give it 2 me)
2pac - all eyez on me
the notorious BIG - kick in the door
ol' dirty bastard ft. chris rock - recognise

[Helvete]

No Wu? Anything from Enter the 36 really. How about Machine Gun Funk by Biggie. Chuck a bit of ATCQ in there, Beatnuts, Jeru the Damaja, KRS-One, Onyx, Nas...just watch any 90s gangsta film and use the sountrack.

[Lex Diamonds]

Yeah that's not a complete list, just a flavour... I'm definitely taking Wu Tang Clan Aint Nuthin Ta F' Wit, and there'll obviously be some Tribe, Biggie etc.

You're right about soundtracks, although I like playing less obvious shit. I'll have a look at some on Wikipedia anyway see if anything jumps out at me.

[Kid Presentable]

mos def - hip hop
company flow - 8 steps to perfection
prince paul feat biz markie and chubb rock - no rubber no backstage pass
killah priest - one step
beatnuts - off the books
heltah skeltah - call of the wild
method man and redman - how high
Rza as Bobby Digital - my lovin is digi
Smif n Wessun - soundbwoi burial
Gravedigazz - the night the earth cried
missin linx - m.i.a

[Lex Diamonds]

Perfect. Keep them coming. (y)

[kaiser soze]

For the first time... I know how to match songs, use samplers & mixers etc just from intuition & watching my friends who are pro DJs, but have probably spent less than an hour total on decks myself.

and I'm looking forward to playing around with some beat juggles if I can, but any ideas I might have missed would be cool.



goodluck - 1 hour isn't hardly enough to learn the equipment, nonetheless beatmatch and "juggle"...well I guess with auto sync it makes it much easier compared to working with vinyl

have fun, sounds like you won't be taking yourself seriously

[Lex Diamonds]

Yeah, the cue function makes beat juggling pretty easy as far as I can tell.

We will see, I normally pick up musical shit pretty quick so hopefully I'll be able to do something cool. The main aim of this is to look cool in front of people at the party.

[Echewta]

No 80s ballads? No slow songs? How am I suppose to grab ass at this party if I can't slow dance with the ladies?

[gbsuey]

Plastic Little-I'm not a thug
Filthy Dukes-Tupac Robot Club Rock
Roots Manuva-Witness the fitness
DELS-shapeshifter

[camo]

Talib Kweli - Get By (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVtpXvzzXiA)

Cage - Underground rap star (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVy7RKIv73I)

Just a quick two.

[kaiser soze]

Aesop Rock - None Shall Pass

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEBGCOCxLgA

La Roux - In for the Kill (Skream Rmx)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjnFJa3wMWk&feature=player_embedded

why no dance music?

I thought you were into that kind of stuff as well?

[Helvete]

He's been asked to do hip-hop.

[Lex Diamonds]

Read the original post. Some people are just posting songs they like. This aint that thread, son.

[kaiser soze]

s'right

drop this song, suits ya

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drClVhilOe0&feature=related

[Lex Diamonds]

Yeah, that song really suits me, a person who has never claimed to be a DJ and is DJing for the first time in his life.

GOOD ONE BRO (y)

[kaiser soze]

I guess you missed the title - just busting your balls, hope you get laid!

[RobMoney$]

Kaiser's favorite of the genre..

PM Dawn - Set adrift on a memory bliss.

[gbsuey]

Read the original post. Some people are just posting songs they like. This aint that thread, son.
I would say some people are posting songs that they think might go down well with what you already got...as well as songs they like. Why post songs they don't like, unless they're hoping you get an epic fail. I'm not btw. Ingrate.

[kaiser soze]

Kaiser's favorite of the genre..

PM Dawn - Set adrift on a memory bliss.

damn straight

doo doo doo doooooo doo.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AOVf9p9ht4

I bet the song would go over well once the crowd gets a few drinks in them, it would bring a people fucking behind that couch type of vibe

[Sir SkratchaLot]

Here's the thing about DJing.

More important than what you play is how you maintain the vibe. Sometimes you want to play something, but it just doesn't fit right with what's already on the decks, and in that case avoid the temptation. You can kill the vibe that way. Don't just pick your favorite cuts and randomly throw them on. Think of how you want to build up or bring down the energy in the room.

For example, if people aren't even actively listening to your music then put on some background vibes. You can't just put on Jump Around and make motherfuckers jump around. If people are all amped up and you put on Jump Around, then you'll feed that vibe and it will be kew. If they're talking politics and you put on Jump Around then it's going to be an epic failure. Don't fight the crowd, just nudge them.

Plan out a loose set if you can in advance and then be ready to improv. Think of the set as sections (ie. hype section, slow section, laid back section, etc.) If you're on for 45 minutes, have 3 hours worth of music ready. Just try to guage the crowd and keep your tempos and vibes grouped together. If peeps are just mulling around then you've got your laid back part of the set sort of laid out. You can stick with that for 45 minutes if need but but if 15 minutes into your set you see the floor start filling then up the tempo. If the floor starts thinning out then you can slow it down again.

Don't go overboard with trying to juggle even if you're just using hot cues. Nobody wants to hear the first verse of a track repeated 62 times. Don't try to mix if you don't know what you're doing. Don't try to scratch unless you know what you're doing. People don't want to hear you fuck around with equipment.

Also, a lot of good hip hop works really well in your car on some headnod shit but does not work well at your typical party. Company Flow is likely to scare people off.

Shit that tends to get people hyped
Pharcyde-Passin Me By
Tribe Called Quest-Award Tour, etc.

Shit that tends to get people more hyped
Lords of the Underground - Funky Child
Biggie-Hypnotize

Shit that causes mad chaos when everybody is at a fever pitch
Wu Tang Clan ain't nothing to fuck with

[Sir SkratchaLot]

The classic hip hop party mix is DJ Vinroc "Reconstruction"
http://rekordzonwheelz.blogspot.com/2009/10/dj-vinroc-reconstruction.html

Here's part one streaming
http://www.mixcrate.com/mix/12246/Dj-VInroc-Reconstruction-Volume-1-part-1

I almost forgot that Pete Rock and CL Smooth T.R.O.Y. is another big party favorite.

[Lex Diamonds]

Here's the thing about DJing.

More important than what you play is how you maintain the vibe. Sometimes you want to play something, but it just doesn't fit right with what's already on the decks, and in that case avoid the temptation. You can kill the vibe that way. Don't just pick your favorite cuts and randomly throw them on. Think of how you want to build up or bring down the energy in the room.

For example, if people aren't even actively listening to your music then put on some background vibes. You can't just put on Jump Around and make motherfuckers jump around. If people are all amped up and you put on Jump Around, then you'll feed that vibe and it will be kew. If they're talking politics and you put on Jump Around then it's going to be an epic failure. Don't fight the crowd, just nudge them.

Plan out a loose set if you can in advance and then be ready to improv. Think of the set as sections (ie. hype section, slow section, laid back section, etc.) If you're on for 45 minutes, have 3 hours worth of music ready. Just try to guage the crowd and keep your tempos and vibes grouped together. If peeps are just mulling around then you've got your laid back part of the set sort of laid out. You can stick with that for 45 minutes if need but but if 15 minutes into your set you see the floor start filling then up the tempo. If the floor starts thinning out then you can slow it down again.

Don't go overboard with trying to juggle even if you're just using hot cues. Nobody wants to hear the first verse of a track repeated 62 times. Don't try to mix if you don't know what you're doing. Don't try to scratch unless you know what you're doing. People don't want to hear you fuck around with equipment.

Also, a lot of good hip hop works really well in your car on some headnod shit but does not work well at your typical party. Company Flow is likely to scare people off.

Shit that tends to get people hyped
Pharcyde-Passin Me By
Tribe Called Quest-Award Tour, etc.

Shit that tends to get people more hyped
Lords of the Underground - Funky Child
Biggie-Hypnotize

Shit that causes mad chaos when everybody is at a fever pitch
Wu Tang Clan ain't nothing to fuck with
Just so you know... I've spent a lot of time around professional hip-hop DJs, both on the dancefloor and in the booth. I understand how to work a crowd. I know about the prep too, I've helped DJ friends of mine out with setlists when they've misplaced/forgotten their music and I've even suggested beat juggles/mixes to them before. A lot of the people at this party (including the people who have asked me to play) are hip-hop fans who dig my taste in music, but at the same time I know which hip-hop is accessible and which isn't.

I think I have a pretty good understanding of every aspect of it except the actual physical technique- even that I know a fair bit about. I understand how to match pitch, fade in vocals, I even know that the index finger & thumb method is the best way to scratch, not the classic four finger style you see in all the music videos.

I appreciate the advice though, I've definitely taken it on board. I've just spent a few hours putting together some tracks, I'm working with about 80 right now which I think will be just about right for an improvised hour-long set.


ps
I will NOT be playing Jump Around or Hypnotize. That shit is sooo played out man.

[Lex Diamonds]

This is what I'm rolling with so far:

The Blast feat Vinia Mojica Talib Kweli & Hi Tek
Rite Where U Stand GangStarr
Give It Up J-Live & R.A. The Rugged Man
The Red Jaylib
Set Me Free (ft. Mystikal) Lloyd
Brooklyn Masala feat. Leschea Masta Ace
The Setup Obie Trice
Eminem - Any Man Rawkus
The High & Mighty feat. Mos Def and Mad Skillz - B-Boy Document 99 Rawkus
Ghostwriter Rjd2
Never Gonna Get It (Feat. Topic & Akon) Sean Biggs
Streets Is Gettin Hot Instrumental (Prod. By Cookin Soul) Beenie Man
The Good, The Bad, The Ugly (ft. Kanye West) Consequence
Don't Do Drugs Danger Mouse & Jemini
Worst Comes To Worst Dilated Peoples
Size 'Em Up Big L
If You Must Del tha Funkee Homosapien
be faithful Fatman Scoop
Hit That Gash ft. Disiz La Peste Grems aka Supermicro Foreign Beggars
Yes Yes Yall Geto Boys
Liquid Swords GZA
Wanna Be A Baller Lil' Troy
Oh My God feat. The Beatnuts & Rahzel Masta Ace
Stay With Me Melodie & 12 O'Clock
Mathematics Mos Def
Finally Moving Pretty Lights
02. Random Axe - Random Axe - Random Call Random Axe
Macy Gray ft. Guru & Mos Def- I've Committed Murder (Remix) Rawkus
Guns Are Drawn The Roots
la rhumba (feat. method man) RZA
On My Block Scarface
In Between Us ft. Nas Scarface
The Statement Wiz Khalifa
Loaded Featuring Mike G MellowHype
Ugly Bubba Sparxxx
Definition Blackstar/Mos Def/Talib Kweli
Who's That Girl? Eve
All Eyez On Me 2Pac
Too Hot ft. Nas and Nature 50 Cent
Electric Relaxation A Tribe Called Quest
A Yo Andre Nickatina
Tear It Down (ft. Reef the Lost Cauze, Planetary, and Vinnie Paz) Army Of The Pharaohs
Root Down (Free Zone Mix) Beastie Boys
Still Not a Player Big Punisher
No Diggity Blackstreet/Dr. Dre/Queen Pen
The 6th Sense Common
Insane in the Brain Cypress Hill
Me Myself and I De La Soul
Ooooh Feat. Redman De La Soul
Jus A Rascal Dizzee Rascal
What's the Difference Dr. Dre
Fuck Wit Dre Day (and Everybody's Celebratin') Dr. Dre
Gimmie That Nutt Eazy-E
Strictly Business EPMD
Kilo (feat. Raekwon) Ghostface Killah
I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me) Jay-Z
Streets Is Watching Jay-Z
Get Em High (feat. Talib Kweli Kanye West
Classic (DJ Premier Remix) Kanye West, Nas, Rakim & KRS One
Red Laid Blak
Doo Wop (That Thing) Lauryn Hill
Upgrade Lil' Wayne
Area Codes Ludacris
Saturday (Oooh Oooh!) Ludacris
Dirty Mef (Featuring O.D.B.) Method Man
Got To Have It Method Man
Cereal Killer Method Man & Redman
Nas Is Like Nas
Halftime Nas
It Aint Hard to Tell Nas
Recognize f. Chris Rock Ol' Dirty Bastard
Got Your Money f. Kelis Ol' Dirty Bastard
Catalina Raekwon
G-Unit - Stunt 101 Ratatat
Ghostface Killah & Jadakiss - Run Ratatat
Party And Bullshit Ratatat
King Of Rock Run-D.M.C.
Sucker M.C's (Krush -Groove 1) Run-D.M.C.
Ain't No Fun (If The Homies Cant Have None) (feat. Nate Dogg, Warren G and Kurupt) Snoop Dogg
Drop It Like Its Hot Snoop Dogg
Crazy (Feat. Nate Dogg) Snoop Dogg
Momma I'm So Sorry The Clipse
10 - Living In Pain Feat. 2Pac, Nas & Mary J. Blige The Notorious B.I.G.
04 - Kick In The Door Feat. The Madd Rapper The Notorious B.I.G.
04 - Machine Gun Funk The Notorious B.I.G.
The Irony Of It All The Streets
Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing TA F' Wit Wu-Tang Clan
Uzi (Pinky Ring) Wu-Tang Clan
Gravel Pit Wu-Tang Clan
Paradise ft. Lil Wayne Young Chris
Dub Be Good To Me Beats International
B.R.I.S.T.O.L Jinx
Ain't That Just The Way Lutricia McNeal
Michael Jackson The Mitchell Brothers
MC's Act Like They Don't Know KRS-One
Paid In Full - Seven Minutes Of Madness (Cold Cut Remix) Eric B. & Rakim

[Guy Incognito]

Don't fight the crowd, just nudge them.



Don't go overboard with trying to juggle even if you're just using hot cues. Nobody wants to hear the first verse of a track repeated 62 times. Don't try to mix if you don't know what you're doing. Don't try to scratch unless you know what you're doing. People don't want to hear you fuck around with equipment.





I admire your confidence considering you havent done this yet.
Dont over do it, You could pull off a couple of good mixes and then get brave. Its like goalkeeping, everyone seems to remember the mistakes rather than the saves. But its more about just playing the right tunes.

Less is more.

Good luck

[Sir SkratchaLot]

Just so you know... I've spent a lot of time around professional hip-hop DJs, both on the dancefloor and in the booth. I understand how to work a crowd. I know about the prep too, I've helped DJ friends of mine out with setlists when they've misplaced/forgotten their music and I've even suggested beat juggles/mixes to them before. A lot of the people at this party (including the people who have asked me to play) are hip-hop fans who dig my taste in music, but at the same time I know which hip-hop is accessible and which isn't.

I think I have a pretty good understanding of every aspect of it except the actual physical technique- even that I know a fair bit about. I understand how to match pitch, fade in vocals, I even know that the index finger & thumb method is the best way to scratch, not the classic four finger style you see in all the music videos.

I appreciate the advice though, I've definitely taken it on board. I've just spent a few hours putting together some tracks, I'm working with about 80 right now which I think will be just about right for an improvised hour-long set.


ps
I will NOT be playing Jump Around or Hypnotize. That shit is sooo played out man.

Word. Good luck.

By the way, a lot of scratchers are using the middle and ring, or index and middle finger, (two fingers) on the record for general scratching.
E.G.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuHsPSln2lY

But, that's just in general because with some scratches you may want to use all 4 and even some thumb at times.
E.G.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z215LSkiGIk&feature=related

The other rule is, there are no rules
E.G.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laivfpJkdbc

[kaiser soze]

I think he was referring to the fader hand

and that is one amazingly balanced tonearm in the qbert vid

anyways, have fun get laid