You are absolutely correct I went to 2 weddings this weekend as a videographer, where the crowd had the right energy and was super excited to dance. But both djs played full songs and literally seen the crowd get bored, now they are just waiting for the party to end
I usually quick mix at the peak of the night. I let songs play for a lengthier amount of time during the start of the dance and then quick mix more and more later into the night
As someone who hasn’t even dj their first gig I’m so grateful to have found your page! I All about preparation and you have all the tips and tricks I’ve been curious about! Amazing content brother!
I've been a fan a fan of quick mixing for a while I've been a DJ for a long time since the mid-80s we always let the songs play out when I've been doing weddings I got into the quick mixing to keep that crowd going plus when you figure out after the after dinner and they're sauced up a bit they're ready to go this goes over real easy
Phrasing is essential. Leaving one song at high energy while simultaneously bringing in the next at equal high energy is a recipe for a full dance floor. That's definitely where knowing your music comes in.
Nick is so good at what he does, his mixing skills are out of control. Only DJs really appreciate how hard he goes on his sets because we know how difficult it is.
Love this Nick thank you, I think a lot of DJ's don't realize quick mixing is a tool, just like your controller, software, STEMS, even the sync button. All of it is a tool that as the professional we have to know when to use. I did a wedding in May and had the dance floor packed doing some quick mixing and some long mixing and the groom came up and said "I don't think everyone is dancing because you are mixing to fast, just play the whole song". At this point I was mixing around the 2:30-3:00 minute mark of the songs because I knew this about the groom. So I started mixing end to end.....dancefloor died to the point where the bride kept asking if I could go back to her playlist when I was only playing from her playlist. Long story short it was a quick mix crowd but the groom wasn't hearing that and wanted the entire songs played from their playlist. 😵💫
You mix like me lol😂😂its funny to hear you sharing my excitedly, what been trying to say n teach ppl. Mental connection , I hear and totally understand what you're saying. You hit it on the nail in every point. Totally agree with you
I have a general rule I typically like to mix in key & I typically do 1 chorus & 1 verse,most people don’t mind quick mixing if your transitions are smooth & clean
Hey just wanted to pop in here and say thanks. I've been watching your videos for a couple of months preparing for a friends wedding. I'm about to do my third wedding, and I decided I want to go full time because it is fun. Because of your channel I feel very confident about my decision. So Thank you
Another huge mistake is DJ not practicing the transitions they want to do before the weddings. It helps to set up Key CUE points ( Nick has done video's on this) so your ready to quick mix into chorus, break downs, and 3rd verse that fire like Nick explained in Bottoms up. I start out every wedding with an edit/mashup so audience knows this these type of blends are coming thought the night. Great video NICK.
This is gold! I would add: knowing when the crowd is done with a song. Some songs run out of gas at almost every party- Most of my crowds are always done with Mr Brightside after the second chorus. Made note of that and and now I mix out right after
Full length and quick mixing are both situational to me. I’ve seen positive and negative responses from both styles - people that get annoyed when I mix a song out after first verse & chorus / people that get bored with the long mix. However, bored crowds still 2 step in the end rather than give me the evils and walk off to the bar 😅. I’m still learning but from my experience these have been my observations so far.
I don't usually comment on videos but just wanted to say this is a great video. I agreed with everything you said. Keep doing your thing bro your helping a hell of alot of us working djs 👍🏻👏
Love this channel! Learning so many great tips. I DJ as a hobby because I love it. I am working hard to incorporate quick mixing and your guidance has been a huge help! Keep it up!
Spot on! Honorable mention, quick mixing between genres. Imo gotta play atleast 3 songs between in a genre before going to a different genre. Still quick mix but if you switch genres to quick, you’ll get the u-turn of guests wanting to dance to that mixed out genre. Obviously if a genre is dead bounce.
Great tips, love your videos and your IG mixes! I would add, though it goes without saying, looping key phrases while mixing out always gets the energy ratcheting up to max.
Very helpful points. Also don't forget to just feel the crowd. If they are dancing hard to the song, that's a sign that quick mixing might be a liability in that moment.
Yes i'm agree, in France it's the same, sometime it's good to quick mix or sometime it's no appropriate, it's a analyse work about the crowds and what you are going to play for the gig/event, overall it's a lot of work to quick mix with a lot of bpm/style and technical variation, it's a work to find a good balance i think
For me it’s mostly genre specific. If I’m playing music that’s verse chorus verse chorus, then I typically like to quick mix. Like if I’m playing Hip Hop for example. If there aren’t significant changes coming in the song, then letting it play out can definitely get boring. However, as a wedding DJ, you can’t blame the crowd for getting mad that you’re mixing out of songs too quick. You have to realize that the crowd is not there to hear you mix. It’s not your show. They don’t know who you are and probably couldn’t care less. So if they give you crap for quick mixing, then try to let the songs breathe a little more. Find a happy medium where you’re giving them enough of each song, without giving too much to where it gets boring.
He didn’t say the crowd gives him crap. He gets it. He understands the formula. He’s saying that djs that take his advice and do it wrong get the bad reaction from the crowd
I agree, is about finding a balance of where you play the 1st couplet and where you also play the 2nd one. Quick mixing or not. Building up the energy could also be even more important.
Creating a playlist definitely helps you mix faster rather than looking for songs. Also save the songs that worked at the last gig in your history into one playlist 💪🏽😁
Are there any pitfalls to preparing an entire set list for a gig? I’ve heard other DJs advise against it… but I kinda like the idea of having an entire playlist prepared in advance…
I have been quick mixing since the 70s. I started out doing it with real vinyl. It was great for doing medleys of songs by particular artists such as the Beatles, the Beach Boys, the Rascals, and Motown. Fast forward to the Disco yesrs and I used it sparingly again. I am still doing gigs (mostly clubs and parties specializing in 60s thru 90s music) and still quick mixing. In order to pull it off, you have to be a great SONG SELECTOR. All tbe best DJ techniques in your bag of tricks won't carry you if you don't know the music inside and out.
use loops when you quick mix is also a trick of mine when im not to shure of the phrasing. I loop the intro of the next song, let it play, loop a part of the out going song, then release the incoming track. and start cutting the outgoing loop on the beat and then fade it out.
Always create great advice Nick. I never quick mixed until I started watching your videos, getting better. Been a Dj for years (vinyl) now controller but I like what you said about short edits...I got a great line to use in my printed promos when you said they want to get "lost in the music", love that. Keep up the great work...
This is gold in video form. DJs play for years to learn this, and now kids get it free on the RUclips. I only have 1 or 2 every other year that are "tough" crowds. My dad who's been a DJ since 1978 says there's no such thing as a bad crowd. The question is just, "what is going to get them up?" Yes we love a great crowd. I've seen a great crowd with a bad DJ, and they're having fun. So why quick mix? Why hire a good, expensive, and experienced DJ? Because you take that great crowd, and turn them into the best most wild insane crowd and melt their faces off! That's why.
I quick mix at every party every crowd type and they all love it. The absolute main mistake/problem/issue djs have with “quick mixing” is they don’t understand the 8 bar rule. They don’t even know the 8 bar rule exists.
Thanks for this… I’m definitely gonna start practicing this… Do you think the quality of modern music has anything to do with why people’s attention spans are so small? As a 45 year old, I think most new songs are boring… so I can see why people just want to get to the next hype section of the next song
Shorter attention spans mainly. In the past we were trained to wait for things. Now with high speed internet everything is available immediately. If it's boring users are used to skip with ease. And that dopamine hit of "ooooh I recognise the track" is addictive. People don't watch lineair TV or actively listen to radio anymore. They're used to choosing themselves. As a DJ you provide people music without them being able to change the song themselves. So essentially you need to provide that dopamine hit faster than in the past.
@@IanDeVos- I think that people (regardless of age) will generally listen to older songs from start to finish because… older songs are complete songs. The fact that DJs are asked to “cut to the juice” of newer songs shows that newer songs are lacking. If newer songs were completely interesting from start to finish… would anyone want to cut them off?
@@jetdeleon perhaps but newer pop songs are already shorter on their own. And I do cut off older music as well. Some special tracks are changing enough throughout, but do we really need three times the same chorus? Plus: not everybody likes the same music, so a classic to you might turn me off. So if you insist to let it play, I might get bored/irritated. I don't really like to listen to older music than what I knew as a kid/teen. I'm younger than you, so I'm not going to enjoy that 80's stuff. I'm a 90's kid. Give me the 90's euro dance or late 90's - early 00's trance etc to get me going. And I also was into gabber hardcore back then. But I other than one or two hardcore classics I don't think I'd get away with playing longer stretches of hard dance without clearing the floor. Same with metal or any other specific genre that not many people know. Same with trance: Push - Universal Nation. Absolute trance classic. Gets played every time you'd visit a retro/90's party over here. With a huge "whooooo!" reaction every time. My wife doesn't like it, playing the full 10 minutes would bore her to death. Just like with others not into trance. But to trance people, it's one of the biggest classics ever. It's a tale as old as time that older people say new music sucks while older music was good. Kids growing up with current music will say the same thing when they are our age. Especially on occasions where multiple generations and walks of life come together it's not hard to see why you'd want to keep things moving. Even the number one classics are "meh" to others who would want to cut it short.
@@IanDeVos - it’s so subjective that it seems like a dilemma that will never be fully solved… at least not in perpetuity… One of my mentors explained his strategy which apparently works well for him as a wedding DJ… Because there’s such a broad range of backgrounds (hence various types of dancers) at a wedding, it’s important that the wedding DJ knows how to appeal to each of them… According to my mentor, the best way to keep wedding guests from getting bored is to learn how to rotate the various types of dancers in attendance… And the best way to do that is through what he calls “The Rule of Three”…. Which states that you never play more than three songs of the same genre consecutively… So… 3 songs at a time of each generalized genre: 3 hip hop songs, then 3 EDM songs, then 3 rock songs, etc… When you play 3 songs consecutively of the same genre, the fans of that genre will get to dance for approximately 10-15 minutes… which is just long enough to feel like they got a chance to have some fun, but not so long that they get bored with it while the other dancers feel left out and start to think about leaving… Once that set of dancers have danced to their genre for 10-15 minutes… you would start the next genre for a new set of dancers… This way, people are less inclined to think that it’s just going to be one or two types of music all night… they’ll know that they’ll have their turn… It’s worth mentioning that the underlying principle of “The Rule of Three” is not so much that it must be exactly 3 songs…. It’s more about the time duration… So if you can quick mix 7 songs into a 10-15 minute duration… you’ll have given one set of dancers enough time to have some fun, before moving on and rotating to the next set of dancers for their 10-15 min genre set… Does that make sense? And what do you think?
Yo I have been getting way better at quick mixing. People love It. I think for me it’s more a fear of messing up. I think the hard part too is running out of music especially if the couple or host has a specific type of style of music.
I do 2 verses and 2 chorus for most songs. The rest are situational. It works beautifully! Some songs you have to let run and some songs people only like the chorus. As long as your playing the best parts of the song you’re typically good. IME.
I do the same thing. If a song is playing like 2 to 2 and a half minutes...I'm normally transitioning to the next song. Unless it's a banger like "Back That Ass Up" that I don't need to cut
Curious what type of gigs you use this for? The attention spans I see most often for club gigs these days (which are inherently younger crowds) is 1 verse, 1 chorus max on most songs. Even starting to see it more in wedding and other non club gig crowds also.
@@Miguelrockwell I do more weddings than anything, but I also use this method in bars, at corporate gigs, and several other event types. I’m not doing clubs currently. I did those back in the mid 2000’s, so I’m sure things have changed a lot since then. It seems to satisfy their want to sing a long with the songs without boring them by playing the whole song.
I might use one or two short edits a night with mixing intro over outro. It works well as long as you dont do it too much. Just gives a different type of transition as well.
Attention spans have changed so quick mixing helps keep you in the pocket, i do combinations between long and short mixing depending on songs as some expected parts maybe near the end of tracks.
I think short edits (done right) are great. Use Mastermix Dj Edits every second/third tune and I never mix intro to outro, instead a loop the last bar in the intro so I can drop it just when the outgoing tune hits the outro. If theres no drum intro on the incoming tune I just punch in the new tune and loop the outgoing tunes drums be the drums for next tunes intro, the just filter them away on the last bar before the real drums of the tune starts.
Us old skool rave DJ are the quick mix masters! Typically we only used to be given a 45 to a 60 minute set so we had to use this technique to cram in a many songs as possible. You need to use the teaser mix first before your quick mix.
Varying tempo is really the way to go with an open format crowd. If your playing techno. It’s different. But top 40 are people that want to dance to what they know and music with words
Overall sound advice, but like others mentioned, it is situational. When you're at a club, if you're constantly barraging the crowd with quick hits and a short edits, with no breaks in between, they actually get tired faster. Then everybody leaves en mass. Also, the club misses great opportunities to sell drinks, which funds almost everything in the club. So you have to pick and choose your spots to have brakes where you know people would get off the floor but maintain the rhythm for others. That way you have a natural flow coming in and out. With techno, tech House, soul House, etc, long plays allow people to get into the mood. EDM, guaracha, top 40, etc, are good for quick hits because you keep the energy up. But overall good tips
I agree 10000000% with all of this. Poor phrasing is my number one issue with most djs and the most difficult to explain why it isn't good to them. Learning a little bit of basic music theory as a dj is so important. I also dislike when two songs don't match in key or at least within a 5th of each other and a dj will slowly mix for 16 bars so they clash for like 30 seconds.
I quick mix almost all the time with no issues (maybe not quite as quick as Nick as sometimes thats TOO quick:), the only exception is where people are going mad for a song. I even recently had someone ask for Robin S at my last gig and they said 'and play it all please'. :) so i did.
I agree with ALL but 1 thing. Paradise By the Dashboard Light has never been played and or requested at any event that I've played or been.....wondering if that's an East Coast thing.
Spend most of my time analysing the reaction to each song and finding the perfect next song than putting my head down and mixing so my decision to cut a long mix short will depend on the floor's reaction.
@NickSpinelli Hey Nick, I was expecting a new video for quick mixing. 😅 My situation is a bit different, because I don't do weddings, but I DJ in a local bar/club at a tourist packed area on a Greek Island (Kefalonia). I can relate to every point you are saying, and I am making mistakes all the time 😂. Our Island is picked by many couples for the wadding and Guess what: They are coming to the store, after the wedding party is over, or the day before/day after (usually they mix wedding with holidays😊). Question: Isn't age playing a role on how fast you mix, and which songs? Usually the most ppl in a marriage (that are dancing) are of age 20s-40s (probably 30-40). What about "uncle Joe"? What if the whole wedding was uncle Joe's with ages 50s-70s?
If Its a hit song or the crowd is interested into the music, I tend not to mix out until the second chorus or do some stems play on the bridge with an intro track. I think there is a balance with letting the music do its job and know when you're doing too much on the decks.
I quick mix. Its fun. Even easier with stems noe. But it is EXTREMELY time consuming to get it right. Although, you do more than quick mixing. Your groove is your creativity. And that takes even more time! So I would say it's more about the creative transition vs how long or short you played the song.
This is good stuff, I think its great if you can find a happy medium on this, way to many club dj's switchin the song every 7 seconds and just trying way to hard...let it breathe a bit peeps...lol
I haven’t heard you mention the #1 most important argument for quick mixing yet, which is if you’re playing every song the entire way through then the couple could have literally just made a playlist and let it play all night. The reason they need a DJ is to have a human control the flow of the music, if you’re not doing that then they’re better off with a Spotify playlist. You can even have guests cue up songs they want to hear too. Before digital music like we have now a DJ was gonna be one of the only people with a large selection and large variety of music so that’s mainly why you would want to hire one. Now everyone has the entire world’s music in their pocket at all times, so being able to mix and read a crowd is primarily where your value lies
Honestly quick mixing is the way to go nowadays to keep the energy of the crowd,,, unfortunately ppl in this time and generation gets very bored fast and easily. I tell ppl that all the time… but as long as you follow up with another banger, the 4 ppl that want the whole song played will forget quickly and sing the new song you just threw on.
What DJs today are calling quick mix was actually the standard way I learned to DJ my high school and college sets starting out. The artistry of it all is familiarizing yourself enough with songs that are considered anthems and not mixing out of the popular songs too fast totally killing the energy.
I am a nightclub dj but you think exactly the same as me. Although I hadn’t articulated it I do mix songs that are vocal forward or melody forward differently and when you said about skipping to Nicki on bottoms up I laughed cause I do the same thing. I have been to 2 weddings in the last few weeks and both had boring djs who didn’t quick mix and as someone who sometime only plays a chorus it was hard to not have my critics head on and know in 2023 when everyone is frying their brains on TikTok etc. you have to be fast and reactive. I also do the clockwise method of bpm riding. 😂 If you are any kind of dj listen to Nick he is right about this.
It doesn't work every time... That being said, when the dance floor starts I use the first minutes to understand what the crowd wants. If they don't react to known song intros and if I feel they get bored easily, I transition to quick mixing whenever possible. If they want to "listen" music while they're dancing, I do longer mixes. I believe in my country there is a tendency to the younger the crowd is, the most often I need to quick mix. Older people (Gen-Y and above) are used to listen and dance to full songs... That's just my experience DJing weddings for the last 15 years.
i saw apollo quick mix in the late 90s and thought it was a style best suited for the club. he would sometimes get on the mic after a quick transition and say "as we keep it movin." i imagine apollo learned it from club and radio jocks like cameron paul who were famous for their early 80s mega-mixes. nowadays cats like four color zack have taken quick mixing to another creative level. it's a method i've always preferred and aim to apply regardless of the setting. it does take tight organization and experience to fire off song after song. that said, it is also good idea to let a few songs in your set "breathe", especially those with a deep groove
I agree with 90% of everything you're saying. However in one situation where you stay with a beat per minute for too long. Are we Talkin 2 songs 3 songs? I will stay from 98 to 105 sometimes five or six songs because I'm spinning at a skating rink and they're shuffling and they want the same beat. But I will change the beat with something tropical or something hip hop,some different sounding beats. Even though it's in between 90 and 105.🎉😊Good stuff.
The club crowd now has ADD/ADHD so quick mix is needed to keep attention and controlling the energy. Also totally agree with the BPM variation to create waves of energy so it doesn’t become melodic.
100% best advice ever. Write it all down on a post it, stick this list in front of you for every set.
You are absolutely correct I went to 2 weddings this weekend as a videographer, where the crowd had the right energy and was super excited to dance. But both djs played full songs and literally seen the crowd get bored, now they are just waiting for the party to end
I usually quick mix at the peak of the night. I let songs play for a lengthier amount of time during the start of the dance and then quick mix more and more later into the night
As someone who hasn’t even dj their first gig I’m so grateful to have found your page! I
All about preparation and you have all the tips and tricks I’ve been curious about! Amazing content brother!
I've been a fan a fan of quick mixing for a while I've been a DJ for a long time since the mid-80s we always let the songs play out when I've been doing weddings I got into the quick mixing to keep that crowd going plus when you figure out after the after dinner and they're sauced up a bit they're ready to go this goes over real easy
Phrasing is essential. Leaving one song at high energy while simultaneously bringing in the next at equal high energy is a recipe for a full dance floor. That's definitely where knowing your music comes in.
Nick is so good at what he does, his mixing skills are out of control. Only DJs really appreciate how hard he goes on his sets because we know how difficult it is.
Love this Nick thank you, I think a lot of DJ's don't realize quick mixing is a tool, just like your controller, software, STEMS, even the sync button. All of it is a tool that as the professional we have to know when to use. I did a wedding in May and had the dance floor packed doing some quick mixing and some long mixing and the groom came up and said "I don't think everyone is dancing because you are mixing to fast, just play the whole song". At this point I was mixing around the 2:30-3:00 minute mark of the songs because I knew this about the groom. So I started mixing end to end.....dancefloor died to the point where the bride kept asking if I could go back to her playlist when I was only playing from her playlist. Long story short it was a quick mix crowd but the groom wasn't hearing that and wanted the entire songs played from their playlist. 😵💫
Usher - Yeah - Usher first Verse & chorus and then right to Luda... Great advice as always, can apply to all genres and styles of mixing.
You mix like me lol😂😂its funny to hear you sharing my excitedly, what been trying to say n teach ppl. Mental connection , I hear and totally understand what you're saying. You hit it on the nail in every point. Totally agree with you
I have a general rule I typically like to mix in key & I typically do 1 chorus & 1 verse,most people don’t mind quick mixing if your transitions are smooth & clean
2 chorus is it for me, thousands of gigs and I think it’s always the best. Exceptions sometimes also
Hey just wanted to pop in here and say thanks. I've been watching your videos for a couple of months preparing for a friends wedding. I'm about to do my third wedding, and I decided I want to go full time because it is fun. Because of your channel I feel very confident about my decision. So Thank you
Thanks Nick I had to hear it from the best. 🔥👍🤜
So wild, I was just thinking about this yesterday. I swear us DJs are all in sync somehow.
Always in sync lol
These are all facts!🙌🏻 Quick mixing has to be done right! Great video Nick💯
Great topic Nick. I have found acapella ins/outs are a great way to bring in a song without having to listen to 16 bars of just intro/outro beats.
Yup, and now stems makes every song acapella ready
Your “whomp, whomps” around 12 minutes was Usher “yeah” 😂😂
Another huge mistake is DJ not practicing the transitions they want to do before the weddings. It helps to set up Key CUE points ( Nick has done video's on this) so your ready to quick mix into chorus, break downs, and 3rd verse that fire like Nick explained in Bottoms up. I start out every wedding with an edit/mashup so audience knows this these type of blends are coming thought the night. Great video NICK.
This is gold! I would add: knowing when the crowd is done with a song. Some songs run out of gas at almost every party- Most of my crowds are always done with Mr Brightside after the second chorus. Made note of that and and now I mix out right after
Although, they LOVE singing “I never” at the end too if you run it.
Full length and quick mixing are both situational to me. I’ve seen positive and negative responses from both styles - people that get annoyed when I mix a song out after first verse & chorus / people that get bored with the long mix. However, bored crowds still 2 step in the end rather than give me the evils and walk off to the bar 😅.
I’m still learning but from my experience these have been my observations so far.
I don't usually comment on videos but just wanted to say this is a great video. I agreed with everything you said. Keep doing your thing bro your helping a hell of alot of us working djs 👍🏻👏
Love this channel! Learning so many great tips. I DJ as a hobby because I love it. I am working hard to incorporate quick mixing and your guidance has been a huge help! Keep it up!
Spot on! Honorable mention, quick mixing between genres. Imo gotta play atleast 3 songs between in a genre before going to a different genre. Still quick mix but if you switch genres to quick, you’ll get the u-turn of guests wanting to dance to that mixed out genre. Obviously if a genre is dead bounce.
Very helpful tips. I knew and used most of them, but I learned something new too. Cheers from Croatia.
Great tips, love your videos and your IG mixes! I would add, though it goes without saying, looping key phrases while mixing out always gets the energy ratcheting up to max.
Awesome 😎. Thank you!! Do you have a video on all your quick mixing techniques? If not, would love to see.
he’s absolutely correct. I don’t like it but it’s necessary and part of the learning process.
Very helpful points. Also don't forget to just feel the crowd. If they are dancing hard to the song, that's a sign that quick mixing might be a liability in that moment.
Yes i'm agree, in France it's the same, sometime it's good to quick mix or sometime it's no appropriate, it's a analyse work about the crowds and what you are going to play for the gig/event, overall it's a lot of work to quick mix with a lot of bpm/style and technical variation, it's a work to find a good balance i think
For me it’s mostly genre specific. If I’m playing music that’s verse chorus verse chorus, then I typically like to quick mix. Like if I’m playing Hip Hop for example. If there aren’t significant changes coming in the song, then letting it play out can definitely get boring. However, as a wedding DJ, you can’t blame the crowd for getting mad that you’re mixing out of songs too quick. You have to realize that the crowd is not there to hear you mix. It’s not your show. They don’t know who you are and probably couldn’t care less. So if they give you crap for quick mixing, then try to let the songs breathe a little more. Find a happy medium where you’re giving them enough of each song, without giving too much to where it gets boring.
You mean use artistic judgement. That actually requires an artist.
He didn’t say the crowd gives him crap. He gets it. He understands the formula. He’s saying that djs that take his advice and do it wrong get the bad reaction from the crowd
I agree, is about finding a balance of where you play the 1st couplet and where you also play the 2nd one. Quick mixing or not. Building up the energy could also be even more important.
Thank you.
Creating a playlist definitely helps you mix faster rather than looking for songs. Also save the songs that worked at the last gig in your history into one playlist 💪🏽😁
Are there any pitfalls to preparing an entire set list for a gig?
I’ve heard other DJs advise against it… but I kinda like the idea of having an entire playlist prepared in advance…
@@jetdeleon just helps so your not scrambling looking for songs. Unless you know what songs you wanna play. A set helps things move along smother
Facts
I have been quick mixing since the 70s. I started out doing it with real vinyl. It was great for doing medleys of songs by particular artists such as the Beatles, the Beach Boys, the Rascals, and Motown.
Fast forward to the Disco yesrs and I used it sparingly again.
I am still doing gigs (mostly clubs and parties specializing in 60s thru 90s music) and still quick mixing.
In order to pull it off, you have to be a great SONG SELECTOR. All tbe best DJ techniques in your bag of tricks won't carry you if you don't know the music inside and out.
Everything you said made perfect sense! 🔥🔥🔥
Agreed with you ,Much love from South Africa
Newbies listen to Spinelli here, he's got some great thoughts in this video! Nice thoughts i agree with almost all you said dude.
Amazingly good advice. Hopmore djs will take heed to push the culture forward. 🔥
use loops when you quick mix is also a trick of mine when im not to shure of the phrasing. I loop the intro of the next song, let it play, loop a part of the out going song, then release the incoming track. and start cutting the outgoing loop on the beat and then fade it out.
All spot on!
That was a lot of really thoughtful consideration for your audience information to take in, mainly focused at the Mobile DJs. Great work Nick!
Nick you are size beyond your years!!!!
Wow. Thank you so much for the tips man. I can really use this tips for growing and learning as a dj. Big fan from PH 🇵🇭
This is a great video 🔥 thank you sir
Great video and content.. and good topic.
Always create great advice Nick. I never quick mixed until I started watching your videos, getting better. Been a Dj for years (vinyl) now controller but I like what you said about short edits...I got a great line to use in my printed promos when you said they want to get "lost in the music", love that. Keep up the great work...
Extremely helpful advice!
This is gold in video form. DJs play for years to learn this, and now kids get it free on the RUclips. I only have 1 or 2 every other year that are "tough" crowds. My dad who's been a DJ since 1978 says there's no such thing as a bad crowd. The question is just, "what is going to get them up?" Yes we love a great crowd. I've seen a great crowd with a bad DJ, and they're having fun. So why quick mix? Why hire a good, expensive, and experienced DJ? Because you take that great crowd, and turn them into the best most wild insane crowd and melt their faces off! That's why.
I quick mix at every party every crowd type and they all love it. The absolute main mistake/problem/issue djs have with “quick mixing” is they don’t understand the 8 bar rule. They don’t even know the 8 bar rule exists.
Care to enlighten?
Keep em comin! Love your vids Nic
Love the visuals
Brilliant insights! If I have a really great crowd I’ll let a track build and just before the climax I’ll switch it up to wind them up 😂
Nick I just did quick mixing and I was surprised it worked you have to know your music and where to jump in the next song do your homework....
Love this channel
I don't always agree with you, but i agree with every word in this video
💯 Agree on everything you said
“A lot of long showers alot of long shits” daaaaaaam way to funny
soooo,nick how many song you play raffly por BPM....before you switch or you move? like 2-3 around 90bpm 2-3 around 96...im curious...
Love this master class!
Thanks very much for your advice hey from greece
Amazing info as always brother.
Thanks for this… I’m definitely gonna start practicing this…
Do you think the quality of modern music has anything to do with why people’s attention spans are so small?
As a 45 year old, I think most new songs are boring… so I can see why people just want to get to the next hype section of the next song
Shorter attention spans mainly. In the past we were trained to wait for things. Now with high speed internet everything is available immediately. If it's boring users are used to skip with ease. And that dopamine hit of "ooooh I recognise the track" is addictive. People don't watch lineair TV or actively listen to radio anymore. They're used to choosing themselves.
As a DJ you provide people music without them being able to change the song themselves. So essentially you need to provide that dopamine hit faster than in the past.
@@IanDeVos- I think that people (regardless of age) will generally listen to older songs from start to finish because… older songs are complete songs.
The fact that DJs are asked to “cut to the juice” of newer songs shows that newer songs are lacking.
If newer songs were completely interesting from start to finish… would anyone want to cut them off?
If newer songs were completely interesting from start to finish, would people want to cut them off?
@@jetdeleon perhaps but newer pop songs are already shorter on their own.
And I do cut off older music as well. Some special tracks are changing enough throughout, but do we really need three times the same chorus?
Plus: not everybody likes the same music, so a classic to you might turn me off. So if you insist to let it play, I might get bored/irritated.
I don't really like to listen to older music than what I knew as a kid/teen. I'm younger than you, so I'm not going to enjoy that 80's stuff. I'm a 90's kid. Give me the 90's euro dance or late 90's - early 00's trance etc to get me going.
And I also was into gabber hardcore back then. But I other than one or two hardcore classics I don't think I'd get away with playing longer stretches of hard dance without clearing the floor. Same with metal or any other specific genre that not many people know.
Same with trance: Push - Universal Nation. Absolute trance classic. Gets played every time you'd visit a retro/90's party over here.
With a huge "whooooo!" reaction every time.
My wife doesn't like it, playing the full 10 minutes would bore her to death. Just like with others not into trance. But to trance people, it's one of the biggest classics ever.
It's a tale as old as time that older people say new music sucks while older music was good.
Kids growing up with current music will say the same thing when they are our age.
Especially on occasions where multiple generations and walks of life come together it's not hard to see why you'd want to keep things moving. Even the number one classics are "meh" to others who would want to cut it short.
@@IanDeVos - it’s so subjective that it seems like a dilemma that will never be fully solved… at least not in perpetuity…
One of my mentors explained his strategy which apparently works well for him as a wedding DJ…
Because there’s such a broad range of backgrounds (hence various types of dancers) at a wedding, it’s important that the wedding DJ knows how to appeal to each of them…
According to my mentor, the best way to keep wedding guests from getting bored is to learn how to rotate the various types of dancers in attendance…
And the best way to do that is through what he calls “The Rule of Three”….
Which states that you never play more than three songs of the same genre consecutively…
So… 3 songs at a time of each generalized genre: 3 hip hop songs, then 3 EDM songs, then 3 rock songs, etc…
When you play 3 songs consecutively of the same genre, the fans of that genre will get to dance for approximately 10-15 minutes… which is just long enough to feel like they got a chance to have some fun, but not so long that they get bored with it while the other dancers feel left out and start to think about leaving…
Once that set of dancers have danced to their genre for 10-15 minutes… you would start the next genre for a new set of dancers…
This way, people are less inclined to think that it’s just going to be one or two types of music all night… they’ll know that they’ll have their turn…
It’s worth mentioning that the underlying principle of “The Rule of Three” is not so much that it must be exactly 3 songs…. It’s more about the time duration…
So if you can quick mix 7 songs into a 10-15 minute duration… you’ll have given one set of dancers enough time to have some fun, before moving on and rotating to the next set of dancers for their 10-15 min genre set…
Does that make sense? And what do you think?
I can tell you first hand as a club dj for 20-30 year olds that quick mixing/ drop mixing is the best way to keep them engaged
Yo I have been getting way better at quick mixing. People love It. I think for me it’s more a fear of messing up. I think the hard part too is running out of music especially if the couple or host has a specific type of style of music.
Love this shit bro.
Great Tips!
Awesome advice as always Nick, you’re like the Master Yoda of the DJs! 😂 Hey, in your opinion, what are the best anchor songs to get the crowd going?
Spot on about not building the dfloor before you hit that quick mix
You said don't stay in a certain bpm for too long but what would you recommend as ideal time within each bpm? 5 songs? or 30 minutes of music?
I do 2 verses and 2 chorus for most songs. The rest are situational. It works beautifully! Some songs you have to let run and some songs people only like the chorus. As long as your playing the best parts of the song you’re typically good. IME.
I do the same thing. If a song is playing like 2 to 2 and a half minutes...I'm normally transitioning to the next song.
Unless it's a banger like "Back That Ass Up" that I don't need to cut
Curious what type of gigs you use this for? The attention spans I see most often for club gigs these days (which are inherently younger crowds) is 1 verse, 1 chorus max on most songs. Even starting to see it more in wedding and other non club gig crowds also.
@@Miguelrockwell I do more weddings than anything, but I also use this method in bars, at corporate gigs, and several other event types. I’m not doing clubs currently. I did those back in the mid 2000’s, so I’m sure things have changed a lot since then. It seems to satisfy their want to sing a long with the songs without boring them by playing the whole song.
@@torianconerly8736 yeah, I have a few songs that I won’t mess with. Mr. Brightside is one of them.
I might use one or two short edits a night with mixing intro over outro. It works well as long as you dont do it too much. Just gives a different type of transition as well.
Attention spans have changed so quick mixing helps keep you in the pocket, i do combinations between long and short mixing depending on songs as some expected parts maybe near the end of tracks.
I think short edits (done right) are great. Use Mastermix Dj Edits every second/third tune and I never mix intro to outro, instead a loop the last bar in the intro so I can drop it just when the outgoing tune hits the outro. If theres no drum intro on the incoming tune I just punch in the new tune and loop the outgoing tunes drums be the drums for next tunes intro, the just filter them away on the last bar before the real drums of the tune starts.
5:57 🗣️OMAHA 😂😂😂😂
Us old skool rave DJ are the quick mix masters! Typically we only used to be given a 45 to a 60 minute set so we had to use this technique to cram in a many songs as possible. You need to use the teaser mix first before your quick mix.
Varying tempo is really the way to go with an open format crowd. If your playing techno. It’s different. But top 40 are people that want to dance to what they know and music with words
When you mix this is how we do it on the one as you're playing Usher. Do you Echo out of usher? And drop this is how we do it on the one?
Overall sound advice, but like others mentioned, it is situational. When you're at a club, if you're constantly barraging the crowd with quick hits and a short edits, with no breaks in between, they actually get tired faster. Then everybody leaves en mass. Also, the club misses great opportunities to sell drinks, which funds almost everything in the club. So you have to pick and choose your spots to have brakes where you know people would get off the floor but maintain the rhythm for others. That way you have a natural flow coming in and out. With techno, tech House, soul House, etc, long plays allow people to get into the mood. EDM, guaracha, top 40, etc, are good for quick hits because you keep the energy up. But overall good tips
I agree 10000000% with all of this. Poor phrasing is my number one issue with most djs and the most difficult to explain why it isn't good to them. Learning a little bit of basic music theory as a dj is so important. I also dislike when two songs don't match in key or at least within a 5th of each other and a dj will slowly mix for 16 bars so they clash for like 30 seconds.
I quick mix almost all the time with no issues (maybe not quite as quick as Nick as sometimes thats TOO quick:), the only exception is where people are going mad for a song. I even recently had someone ask for Robin S at my last gig and they said 'and play it all please'. :) so i did.
then you shoulda came straight in with that beyonce break my soul ....assuming you talking bout robin s show me love!!!!!!!!!!
@@djsmellnloud7246 yeah that could have worked!
If your in a bar environment. Quick mixing is the way to go.
What do you recommend to move from BPM to BPM? What works for you?
I agree with ALL but 1 thing. Paradise By the Dashboard Light has never been played and or requested at any event that I've played or been.....wondering if that's an East Coast thing.
Spend most of my time analysing the reaction to each song and finding the perfect next song than putting my head down and mixing so my decision to cut a long mix short will depend on the floor's reaction.
@NickSpinelli
Hey Nick, I was expecting a new video for quick mixing. 😅
My situation is a bit different, because I don't do weddings, but I DJ in a local bar/club at a tourist packed area on a Greek Island (Kefalonia).
I can relate to every point you are saying, and I am making mistakes all the time 😂.
Our Island is picked by many couples for the wadding and Guess what: They are coming to the store, after the wedding party is over, or the day before/day after (usually they mix wedding with holidays😊).
Question: Isn't age playing a role on how fast you mix, and which songs? Usually the most ppl in a marriage (that are dancing) are of age 20s-40s (probably 30-40). What about "uncle Joe"? What if the whole wedding was uncle Joe's with ages 50s-70s?
If Its a hit song or the crowd is interested into the music, I tend not to mix out until the second chorus or do some stems play on the bridge with an intro track. I think there is a balance with letting the music do its job and know when you're doing too much on the decks.
Quick Mix is a must. Of course you do let certain songs play all the way through or longer.
I quick mix. Its fun. Even easier with stems noe. But it is EXTREMELY time consuming to get it right. Although, you do more than quick mixing. Your groove is your creativity. And that takes even more time! So I would say it's more about the creative transition vs how long or short you played the song.
Super interesting
When mixing retro goa
The rules are actually very different....
This is good stuff, I think its great if you can find a happy medium on this, way to many club dj's switchin the song every 7 seconds and just trying way to hard...let it breathe a bit peeps...lol
I haven’t heard you mention the #1 most important argument for quick mixing yet, which is if you’re playing every song the entire way through then the couple could have literally just made a playlist and let it play all night. The reason they need a DJ is to have a human control the flow of the music, if you’re not doing that then they’re better off with a Spotify playlist. You can even have guests cue up songs they want to hear too.
Before digital music like we have now a DJ was gonna be one of the only people with a large selection and large variety of music so that’s mainly why you would want to hire one. Now everyone has the entire world’s music in their pocket at all times, so being able to mix and read a crowd is primarily where your value lies
I have no issues w/ quick mixing, I just had to learn which songs to leave alone. That normally depends on the crowd and situation tho.
FACTS.
Honestly quick mixing is the way to go nowadays to keep the energy of the crowd,,, unfortunately ppl in this time and generation gets very bored fast and easily. I tell ppl that all the time… but as long as you follow up with another banger, the 4 ppl that want the whole song played will forget quickly and sing the new song you just threw on.
What DJs today are calling quick mix was actually the standard way I learned to DJ my high school and college sets starting out. The artistry of it all is familiarizing yourself enough with songs that are considered anthems and not mixing out of the popular songs too fast totally killing the energy.
Do you quick mix?
I am a nightclub dj but you think exactly the same as me. Although I hadn’t articulated it I do mix songs that are vocal forward or melody forward differently and when you said about skipping to Nicki on bottoms up I laughed cause I do the same thing. I have been to 2 weddings in the last few weeks and both had boring djs who didn’t quick mix and as someone who sometime only plays a chorus it was hard to not have my critics head on and know in 2023 when everyone is frying their brains on TikTok etc. you have to be fast and reactive. I also do the clockwise method of bpm riding. 😂 If you are any kind of dj listen to Nick he is right about this.
no, cos it sounds shit and seems to be only for DJs playing commercial shit
It doesn't work every time... That being said, when the dance floor starts I use the first minutes to understand what the crowd wants. If they don't react to known song intros and if I feel they get bored easily, I transition to quick mixing whenever possible. If they want to "listen" music while they're dancing, I do longer mixes. I believe in my country there is a tendency to the younger the crowd is, the most often I need to quick mix. Older people (Gen-Y and above) are used to listen and dance to full songs... That's just my experience DJing weddings for the last 15 years.
Of course! You have to quick mix but some songs have to be played the whole way. Like Nick says read the crowd!
i saw apollo quick mix in the late 90s and thought it was a style best suited for the club. he would sometimes get on the mic after a quick transition and say "as we keep it movin." i imagine apollo learned it from club and radio jocks like cameron paul who were famous for their early 80s mega-mixes. nowadays cats like four color zack have taken quick mixing to another creative level. it's a method i've always preferred and aim to apply regardless of the setting. it does take tight organization and experience to fire off song after song. that said, it is also good idea to let a few songs in your set "breathe", especially those with a deep groove
Flash is the king of the quick-mix
New nick vid where ya been??
Wedding SZN!
I agree with 90% of everything you're saying. However in one situation where you stay with a beat per minute for too long. Are we Talkin 2 songs 3 songs? I will stay from 98 to 105 sometimes five or six songs because I'm spinning at a skating rink and they're shuffling and they want the same beat. But I will change the beat with something tropical or something hip hop,some different sounding beats. Even though it's in between 90 and 105.🎉😊Good stuff.
The club crowd now has ADD/ADHD so quick mix is needed to keep attention and controlling the energy. Also totally agree with the BPM variation to create waves of energy so it doesn’t become melodic.
People always react to the Yeah beat. And this is how they do it ALWAYS gets dropped on the 1 / vocals with me. I agree 💯