The Art of Remix - Thoughts on Mixing
Hearing the work put into re-inventing the way a song can sound, can be an inspiration for some, in the way they approach their own mixes.A good remix for me, should incorporate at least some of the following;
A Good song
Trying not to state the obvious here, but I mean why pick a dull song to remix?
On the other hand it might make sense to some, to take a crap song and make it better, but realistically it should be a song that has classic appeal to all listeners. Some older remixes I have done, people have really dug, so it just shows how important song choice can be.
I had a moment of clarity one day scrolling through my collection, when I came across my Kate Bush folder.
I sort of knew who she was, but wasn't too familiar with all her music. I played back the track Wuthering heights, and decided to remix it. Believe me, Im not a fan of hers, or her music.
Within 5 Minutes I had a beat locked in, the tempo's set, then mixed and recorded it in one take. I added a Crump-Style Beat( 808style), did a clean (No Talk 8 Bar) Intro, added 1 voice sample, and added no effects (delay,flange,etc). I still don't know why my friends think its a cool mix, when I know I didn't do much to the track, and picked a pretty obscure song!
But that's the thing, you can give a song a new lease of life by remixing it. I love to try and bring out a feeling from a remix.
A good sounding board for song choices are your family and friends! A good Dj will know all the singalong songs (I call them), but if you can drop a remix of a well known song, half the time people are gonna dig it because they already know it.
Obscure songs can be a bit touch and go, but if you can pull it off, it sounds mean! I find that Dj's who can make a song appeal to all genres, are the ones who get all the gigs.
Good use of Effects/Technique
A normal remix is made up of 16Bars of Beats, then 16Bar Intro, Then the main song.
When I get hold of a new remix or album, I can normally tell if the remix and/or remixers are any good after the first 32 Bars, by listening to the techniques and tricks they use on the intro.
These include samples, sound effects, loops, effects (delay, E.Q, etc), beats, and more importantly sound quality. If a Dj can scratch well, he will also use that technique.
In my time Dj'ing, I've made some costly mistakes mixing. Staying awake most the night with headphones on (so you don't wake the house) trying to finish, edit and mixdown a track, only to find out its distorted, or there's a volume drop, because I never monitored the playback or checked the levels. Take the time to be fussy and precise, and LOUD if you have to.
And with live mixing, you could end up with a muddy mix, again by not employing a proper recording Technique/Formula.
The way to good Technique is through excellent Knowledge of your Gear (or Software), knowing its capabilities, and knowing how to dial in a nice sound.A good amp and P.A help too! Then practice,practice,practice.
Also, work on your 'DJ VOICE', which I call the voice you use when you're on the Mic. Yes, there's even technique for that! Good gear helps. I'd rather have 1 good mic than 3 budget ones.
