DJ-ing: The Technique Behind the Mystique

DJ-ing is not just playing records. The depth and breadth of DJ-ing extends far beyond just slapping down some vinyl and playing it for an audience. DJs "mix" records instead of merely playing them. Mixing records involves many complex processes and variables.

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.

The DJ plays the role of the performer, the entertainer, and the magician, seamlessly blending one record into another to create a "sound collage" within which different elements of the music from one or both records is emphasized, creating a unique blend of the two (or three) records which are playing simultaneously. A good DJ will blend the two records so skillfully that it is often difficult to decipher one record from another. The music seems to constantly evolve, unfold, and change, in a perpetual stream of auditory delight for the listener.

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.

In order to understand the mystique of the DJ, one must first examine the techniques involved in mixing records. In order to appreciate the music fully, it is necessary to understand that the DJ is a highly-skilled individual, who is using his/her skills to blend vinyl records together in a highly-technical, yet highly creative process known to the masses as "mixing records".

The Equipment

Track Structure

Mixing

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