Edition 2: DJ Dictionary – Popular Mixing Styles Terms

This second edition of the DJ dictionary covers mixing styles that are quite popular.

Train Wreck

This is the word used when two tracks are playing simultaneously and the beats are not in time. To the audience it may sound incoherent. It’s a jumble, hence the term train wreck. Often used by amateur DJs.

Turntablist

Is an individual who uses turntables and vinyl records in a way that cutting and scratching of records is done to give new musical sounds from sections of the records. They can use more than two records.

Hamster Style

A normal disc jockey setup involves the turntable on the right playing on channel on the right and the turntable on the left playing on the channel on the left. The hamster style has the opposite kind of setup. Right turntable-left channel and left turntable-right channel.

Hydroplane

This is performed by the disc jockey applying pressure with a finger or two as the record spins, but without stopping it. The idea behind it is to cause light friction that result in a bass kind of friction sound.

Looping

This is alternating between two different copies of the same record. To achieve this, the crossfader is used to cut a phrase in one of the records then cutting the same phrase in the second record. The same sound is played again and again. Looping is a foundation of hip-hop beats.

Strobing

This is beat juggling; where one alternates between two records while pulling or tapping the records slightly with a hand to control the tempo. 

A disc jockey can separate snares, kicks and cymbal sounds and make a new sounding. Strobing was first famously demonstrated and associated with DJs Shortkut and Yoshi. 

Scratching can take many forms and there are many types of executing different kinds of scratching techniques, which include airplane phasing/scratch, baby scratch, bubble scratch, chirp scratch, crab scratch, flare scratch and forward, as well as backward scratches. Some of the techniques are named after the entertainer who is believed to have introduced it, such as the flare scratch. The techniques may also be associated with the kind of sound it makes as the expert turns the tables. There you have it, a basic guide to mixing styles and the terms used in the field. The speed and consistency of the art of scratching will vary from one expert to the other, as the DJ skill is more of an art form.

DJ Dictionary - Popular Mixing Styles Terms

A DJ should have his own unique style, but all are just an offshoot of the following mixing styles terms. This is just the first installment of three.

Backspin

This is the act of spinning records backwards for a quick and short spurt. The DJ creates a sound effect, as well as gives more energy.

Bleeding

This happens when the crossfader breaks up after being used for long. When a crossfader is fully to one side, an opposing channel must not be heard, but since the crossfader is broken it allows a “bleeding” through of its opposing channel. It makes it hard to control the channel heard by the audience.

Break

Is a moment during play of a track where its main beat becomes a little more subtle. The music industry has ‘discovered’ breaks and made tracks that are a completely new electronic music genre that’s composed almost wholly of breaks. The break usually happens between downbeats and may last for greater than a loop.

Build

This is the moment in musical tracks that has a building sensation that’s strong and climaxes in an explosive sound and is followed by the main beat or a break. The build creates energy in the crowd.

Crossfader

Is the sliding device located on a mixing board that allows a DJ to move audio output smoothly from right to left or vice versa. The movement causes a decrease in volume and increase in the source. It’s also known as a fader and when its one side completely, only that audio source will be played.

Cueing

It’s finding the right opening point in a track. When using vinyl records, the DJ places the needle in a groove then moves it back and forth until it reaches the opening point. For CD players, one just selects the track and can scan through it to get the right point.

Downbeat 

It’s the loops first beat commonly indicated with an extra sound burst or accent from an instrument, say crash cymbals. For instance, if a track has sixteen beat loops then you should notice a downbeat after 16 beats each time.

Loop

Electronic dance tracks have sound loops. The loop is the sound played over and over again. The sequence is coherent. A track can have many loops, but they might not be played during the track. The most common loop has 16 beats.

Scratching

This is achieved by moving the record needle along the groove front and back to cause a sound. The record will be played backwards and forwards at varying speeds. As the Toronto DJ does this, he will have one of his hands on the fader and the other on the record. The fader should be used to vary volume to create unique sounds.

Tips for Selecting the Best Wedding DJ

For many event planners, the selection of a wedding DJ is one of the most crucial decisions that they have to make. This task is very important because these are the people who determine the type of entertainment the guests will be subjected to during the event. The quality of entertainment will determine how successful the event is. The more entertained the guests are, the happier the guests will be and the better the event will be. These are some of the tips that you can keep in mind as you go out there in search of an entertainer for your event. It is important that you settle for the person with as many of these qualities as possible.

The Important Steps in the Selection Process

The first step you should consider in the selection of an entertainer is to determine the best match of entertainer for your event. The entertainer needs to be familiar with the type of activities that you engage in or be at least familiar with a member of your family. This can be achieved by asking your friends and family for referrals to an entertainer they think will be most appropriate for the job. You could also take the initiative and attend other bridal fairs and talk to as many entertainers as possible. Attending such bridal fairs will give you the opportunity to experience the quality of service that these professionals provide first hand. In case you have a busy schedule that will not allow you to attend many of these events, you can opt to do an online search for an entertainer who can provide quality services for your event. You will be surprised about how easy you will find a good profile.

Interview Tips for the Entertainers

You need to interview at least three wedding DJs before you settle on the best one for your event. Some of the questions that you can ask include the type of equipment that they use. In case you need a sound system for your event, you can ask whether he or she will be able to provide it. You need to ask him if he will be more of a performer or he will be at the background providing the music for the guests. You need to ask the type of music that he will be playing for the event. Many a toronto djs specializes in various genres and this will provide a pivot point for deciding who will be best for your event.

 

Here’s what a good Toronto dj does beyond weddings

When you find a dj entertainment toronto service that does a great job for one of the most special events in your life, your wedding reception, you might want to consider them when it comes time to add a little spice to other events you may be planning.

In other words, a wedding DJ that really knows their stuff will be good at other things as well. Say that you’re back to work after the big day and to make things even better for you, your boss asks you to start planning some team building events. There’s no doubt you need to be sure to get this done right since there might be a promotion involved and getting the professionals that helped out at your wedding can be the perfect touch here too.

These are the people that have proven themselves to have the best lighting equipment that includes strobe lights and other types of mood builders. You’ve already heard their impressive collection of music that can motivate listeners across several different generations.

Picking a toronto dj that serves the purpose well doesn’t need to be the end of the relationship.

Wedding DJ Playlist for all Ages

You are getting married and have hired a wedding DJ. You expect the best on your big day. So, what kind of songs will he play?

For All Guests

We all want music that will keep our reception guests entertained, grooving and on the dance floor. A professional wedding DJ should recognize that the guests at the reception cut across all ages and therefore the music preference may be varied and as such, they should be able to entertain all these groups of people almost effortlessly with a comprehensive playlist. A wedding DJ should have a reception line-up of music that will transcend all years.

A good number of wedding songs have an appeal that is forever and will almost never ever go out of style.

Go with the Trends

It’s not always about the new stuff or hits, in fact wedding reception crowds are now loving 80s rock, such as Guns & Roses and Def Leppard among others.

Artist                                                 Title                                        Genre

JOURNEY                                                     DON'T STOP BELIEVIN'                ballad

TEMPTATIONS                                            MY GIRL                                           oldies

KC & THE SUNSHINE BAND                   BOOGIE SHOES                              disco

ARETHA FRANKLIN                                  RESPECT                                           oldies

LMFAO                                                          PARTY ROCK ANTHEM                top 40

EARTH, WIND & FIRE                               LET'S GROOVE TONIGHT             disco

PITBULL F NE-YO                                      GIVE ME EVERYTHING                top 40

FRANK SINATRA                                       WAY YOU LOOK TONIGHT         Swing

GAP BAND                                                   YOU DROPPED A BOMB ON ME   disco

COMMODORES                                           BRICK HOUSE                                 disco

BOB SINCLAR F BIG ALI & DOLLAR MAN     ROCK THIS PARTY               top 40

WILD CHERRY                                            PLAY THAT FUNKY MUSIC         disco

AL GREEN                                                    TIRED OF BEING ALONE             ballad

KC & THE SUNSHINE BAND                   GET DOWN TONIGHT                    disco

AC DC                                    YOU SHOOK ME ALL NIGHT LONG                  rock    

FLO-RIDA                                                     GOOD FEELING                              top 40

BOB SEGER                                                  OLD TIME ROCK AND ROLL       rock

LMFAO                                                          SEXY AND I KNOW IT                  top 40

DAVID GUETTA F KID CUDI                   MEMORIES                                       top 40

CURE                                                             JUST LIKE HEAVEN                       80’s

RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS                           UNCHAINED MELODY                 ballad

VIOLENT FEMMES                                     BLISTER IN THE SUN                    80’s

GLENN MILLER                                          IN THE MOOD                                 Swing

MADONNA                                                   HOLIDAY                                         dance

BEATLES                                                      TWIST & SHOUT                              oldies

CHRIS BROWN F LIL WAYNE & BUSTA      LOOK AT ME NOW                  top 40

DEPECHE MODE                                         JUST CAN'T GET ENOUGH           80’s

USHER F LUDACRIS & LIL JONYE        AH                                                      top 40

ROMANTICS                                              WHAT I LIKE ABOUT YOU  rock

CHRIS BROWN                                            YEAH                                                 top 40

COBRA STARSHIP F SABI                          YOU MAKE ME FEEL                     top 40

FLO RIDA F T PAIN            LOW                           WARNING                            top 40

GUNS N' ROSES                                          SWEET CHILD O' MINE                 rock

BRITNEY SPEARS                          STILL THE WORLD ENDS                         top 40

BLACK EYED PEAS                       I GOTTA FEELING                                      top 40

JENNIFER LOPEZ F PITBULL      ON THE FLOOR                                           top 40

This is a classic wedding DJ playlist that is sure to retain your crowd and keep them up and dancing.