Hip hop is one genre that's clung on to turntable culture - but it needn't be that way. What's the best way to DJ hip hop on Midi controllers?
Reader Mike Maloney writes: “I have been mixing for four years now and I have always used Midi controllers. I have a Traktor Kontrol S4. I love all kinds of music, ranging from electro, hip hop and classical to dubstep. However, when I began to DJ, I focused mainly on electronic music. Electronic is my favourite genre to mix and I have had very successful gigs playing almost purely electronic sets.
“However, I was recently asked to take a break from my gigs by the general manager of the club I am a resident at. He said that girls have been asking for more hip hop, and that he wanted to give me a few weeks off because of it.
“This is alright with me, but I love hip hop! I just get baffled when I try to mix it. I would gladly inject some hip hop into my sets but I have no idea how to scratch, something that never interested me when I was focusing on electronic music.
“I also hate it when my transitions are sloppy, which when I make attempts with hip hop, is a common occurrence. If you could help me adapt and continue to do the thing I love I would really appreciate it!”
Digital DJ Tips says:
I have only limited experience of DJing hip hop, playing just a little in my current sundowner residency, where I mix it with reggae, soul, downtempo and nu-disco. This won’t help you, though, I suspect!
All I’d really say is keep it simple. You don’t need to scratch. You don’t even need to mix. Clean cuts are the order of the day.
However, I am sure we have readers who are better placed to advise you, so I am going to pass this one along…
So, over to you. Can you help Mike to make this transition? Do you regularly DJ hip hop, having switched from another genre? What did you find helped you? Please add your advice in the comments.
Now go to:
Over To You: Can I DJ Hip Hop With My Midi Controller?
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Tags: hip hop
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scratching may not come easy to everyone…..this takes years and years of practice…….simple beat matching should suffice for the nights entertainment…my best advice to you is to do the research and to check out some of the top hip hop djs out there currently. organize a playlist for a full hip hop night. finally, the girls that are requesting hip hop should have come to you. sometimes politics play a part. also if you do want to learn how to scratch, check out youtube for references(jazzy jeff, joe cooley, qbert). There is this one member on youtube named ellaskins that has turorials on scratching.
[ link ]First, don’t scratch. If you have never scratched, you would be better off using some fx to simulate it, if you find you need it at all, which you probably don’t. Remember, you can use loops for mixing, simple and it works.
[ link ]Yup I agree. You dont need to be able to scratch to be a hip hop dj. Sure it does make your set sound a lot more interesting, but to be able to do that you must have mastered the art of scratching first, otherwise it often just falls flat and makes your set sound terrible.
You can mix or just cut the song in. Mixing it in is easy. If you have a song with a 4 bar intro, you could bring it in when the chorus of the current track is playing so that when the chorus ends your vocals on the next track start. Thats just one example. When playing hip hop/r&b sets IMHO the cardinal rule of “song selection is more important than mixing skill” applies as well. I’ve heard sets where about 70% of the time the dj cuts into a song instead of mixing it in, and he still rocks the crowd because his song selection is impeccable. Mind you there is an art to cutting as well and to do it well takes experience and having a good ear.
Unlike playing house, hip hop and r&b has a very very wide range of bpms. I usually start slow at around 70 and slowly bring the tempo up as the night progresses, you will find that generally as the tempo increases so does the energy. And this is where it again comes back to song selection. I feel that the trick is to find songs that complement each other (again this takes experience). Some songs mix really well with others and when you find those combinations, they synergise and that helps bring the energy up a notch.
So I guess my humble advice at the end of all that, would be to really know your tracks, and start experimenting at home before you go out for a gig. It doesnt matter that you are using a midi controller (I use my denon dnmc6000) at hip hop/r&b gigs as well and I dont scratch. The beauty of hip hop/r&b is that its sound is ‘rougher’ in nature, so you can get away with a mix not being completely ‘smooth’. Good luck with the gigs!
[ link ]“You dont need to be able to scratch to be a hip hop dj.”
[ link ]If you wan´t to be a good hip hop dj you have to, a least some basic cuts.
listen to dj am’s mixes
[ link ]Honestly your best bet is to just “drop it in” on beat. Not always the absolute smoothest transition but as long as you kick off the hip hop song either with the final beat of the song before, or time it so the first beat of the hip hop song is “on beat” with the previous song no one will mind. The nice thing about this is you don’t even need to worry about syncing it. You’ll be changing tempo but as long as you start on beat it will all go fine.
[ link ]Thanks for all of the suggestions, definitely going to do some research and get experimenting with scratching and using the cut technique
[ link ]Well if you have an S4 the jogs should be fine for some basic backspins or one thing people seem to enjoy is just scratch the first beat in – just hover about the first beat and as the other song ends or you fade it out scratch 1,2,3,4 and release.
Yeah I mean for a hip hop crowd turntablists are an artform to themselves so you gotta figure out your own tricks using your controller while still giving them something familiar.
[ link ]I love looping and then doing hard slams into other tracks. Or beat matching with tunes with very close bpms. In Atlanta, it’s ALL hip-hop! We do bars, schools, parties and 95% of the time the people want the big beats of Usher, Black Eye Peas, lil Wayne, Chris Brown, Katy Perry, Rihanna and other Top-40 and Hip-Hop artist. I personally use the Numark NS6 and do minimal scratching (cuz I suck at it) but I can work as much as I want as people really love what I mix. But again I don’t follow electronic, dub-step, techno at all. I would fall flat on my face with that. Just KISS- Keep It Simple Stupid!
[ link ]I love looping and then doing hard slams into other tracks. Or beat matching with tunes with very close bpms. In Atlanta, it’s ALL hip-hop! We do bars, schools, parties and 95% of the time the people want the big beats of many Top-40 and Hip-Hop artist. I personally use the Numark NS6 and do minimal scratching (cuz I suck at it) but I can work as much as I want as people really love what I mix. But again I don’t follow electronic, dub-step, techno at all. I would fall flat on my face with that. Just KISS- Keep It Simple Stupid!
[ link ]Preparation is key, I think, but you shouldn’t be solely focused on it in that it should “run” the way you DJ. Take time to prepare your songs, may they be funk, downtempo, RnB or hiphop. Switching from electro, beatgrid songs properly and add necessary cuepoints to allow you to be more creative. Make the most out of your controller! This is why sometimes it isn’t a “must” to buy the newest controller out there, it’s about how you want to maximize its potential and use.
[ link ]Keep it simple.
You may mix mainstream Hip-Hop with Big Beat or even some electronic trip hop
Mix acapella with instrumental (pre-mixed home, or even live)
Use baby scratches and drops.
Even with a controller you can perform some really really basic scratch. Not too much here to say. Just have a look here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCGf23Xy8DE
It’s a tutorial for turntables but you can use exactly the same techniques in every controller or CD player. Check some DJ Angelo tutorials btw. Amazing stuff.
You can do it really really well with just babe scratches and drops to fill your dj set.
And last but not least, if you’re not familiar with hip hop, start getting really into it. You may listen Westwood in BBC Radio 1 and Radio 1x.
[ link ]http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0082kyx
Just to have an idea. Good Luck.
http://www.mixcrate.com/mix/79548/DJS-TWURK-THAT-STRIP-CLUB-ANTHEMZ
did this with a numark mixtrack pro and traktor 2… alot of 4 and 8 beat intros using loops and cue points… in short you just got to know what your mixing bro…
[ link ]I found scratching on a midi platter a lot more difficult compared to vinyl. When playing Hip-Hop I reply mainly on loops, dropping it on the beat, hard slams and basic scratching.
I agree, tightly beat gridded songs and knowing your cue points will help you in mixing Hip-Hop immensely when it comes to midi controllers.
Here’s a demonstration on Traktor that I posted a month ago on YouTube..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gReJm1sg-0I&feature=player_embedded
[ link ]If your in the U.S.A there different types of way to bring in hip hop. In New York it’s all about slamming songs in (on beat). while In Cali area it’s more about word play with a little scratching sprinkled in.
you can beat mix a 130bmp club with a 65bpm dirty south song. This usually works well and keeps the dance floor.
[ link ]Hi guys, i mix Rnb/hip hop & house music, now of course house it easier to mix in terms of beatmatching etc.
I use an s4 and my RnB/hip hop mixes are a joy because i have my playlists,cue points and songs beatgridded. it’s all about being prepared. Check out my autumn rnb mix on my facebook page for some ideas on transitions. Thanks
[ link ]http://www.facebook.com/djpeterbartella
Hi Mike,
Good luck, there’s lots of good advice here already.
Just to add to that, look for some of those online record pools that have “extended mixes” of hip-hop and chart music, it’s so much easier to mix when they’ve already looped the intro nice and neatly for you. I use smashvidz.net, but that’s for music videos, I’m sure there are loads of audio ones too.
And to kind of echo a few other people, just remember that DJ’ing is about the music! You play the songs the crowd love and then they have a great night out. Simple as that.
I’ve been DJ’ing for ten years and I still have to keep reminding my self of that. I always get lost trying to find the best transitions and ways to mix, but most people on the dance floor don’t care how you got from one song to the next- they just want to hear “their tunes”. My best sets are when I work out what the crowd wants and just go with the flow, banging tune after banging tune.
You still need to put the songs in order of “increasing energy” to give a sense of building up to something and climax, but “increased energy doesn’t have to be just about bpm and beat mixing…
DJ’ing works best in contrasts; a section of super smooth mixing can be followed by a section of cuts, fades, brake effects, spinbacks, reverbs and echoes with varying bpms between songs. It can soemetimes take the crowd even higher because they won’t be expecting it after the super smooth warm-up.
[ link ]Definitely agree with some of the above comments.
I got into djing with electronic music, but djing took me to the unfamiliar world of hip hop.
My suggestion to you is too immerse yourself in your local club / radio scene. Understand where the music is coming from the classics, the chart toppers, the underground tunes and then mix your own style and flair into it.
Incorporating electronic style mixing into hip hop sets and vice versa makes for a very unique and memorable dj set.
Not to mention girls bootypoppin on your dance floor is never a bad thing
[ link ]That was a great question mike. Thanks for asking because my hip hop mixing isn’t that great and the responses are helpful for me as well. DIGITALDJTIPS.COM love it!!
[ link ]That was a great question mike. Thanks for asking because my hip hop mixing isn’t that great and the responses are helpful for me as well.
[ link ]Hey,
A lot of what everybody has said is correct, you can choose to scratch and drop, just plain drop or learn to blend the music (hip hop generally has a 32 bar chorus and 16-32 bar intro which can make the process easier.
One thing I will say which hasn’t been covered by the rest is the knowledge of old school tracks. It amazing how much you can rock a crowd with old school beats, especially at the peak of the night..I normally reserve that time for the likes of DMX, Notorious BIG etc. At this point the crowd is pumping and anticipating what next classic you will feed them. Helps to break up the general top 40 way of doing things and helps you stand out from the crowd.
Anyways Good Luck And Practice
Olu
[ link ]DJ O.Z
This will be a new adventure for you.
My tips:
- mix old with new and dig out some old skool from the 1980s and early 1990s and mix them in with current hits
- just drop and cut, as everyone here says, don’t try scratching unless you…unless nothing actually
- dig out some funk classics with a punchy beat: think Funkadelic, Sly & Family Stone and associated tunes, and drop them in for 1 or 2 minutes now and again to break up the hip hop monotony and provide depth.
- obviously, if girls are asking for hip hop it means that they want at least some of that nasty electro hip hop evil autotune spawned by the B*** Ey** Pe**. You’ll have to force a smile while you play Usher and co or something equally offensive in that genre for an hour or two – at least the girls will dance though, concentrate on that to get you through it in one piece.
[ link ]I like using ‘funkymix’ and ‘ultimix’ tracks for hip-hop/top-40 stuff. I mainly play house/dance remixes, but need to mix in some hip-hop/top-40 stuff now and then too. All of the funkymix/ultimix tracks have 30 second buildups that allow for much easier mixing of hip-hop/top-40 tracks. Good luck.
[ link ]I’ve only been dj’ing for 3 months. Pick the right song and drop that shit on the 1. BOOM!!! “Armed and dangerous, ain’t too many can bang wit us” lol.
[ link ]it’s important to learn how to mix songs without a software sync button.
[ link ]learn song structures. usually, songs have an eight bar intro but sometimes a four bar intro.
beat patterns are important as well. people here describe “dropping on the one” as if ever song is structured this way but a lot of songs have a pickup beat into the one (it’s important to realize that the snare hits are almost always on beat 2 and 4 of a measure).
i recommend that you don’t mix in and out of a song in the middle of any verse. wait until the chorus to mix out of a song. some crowds want to hear at least two verses. part of the reason why people like hip-hop is they like singing the chorus.
This is such a good thread, it should never die. So much good info. I’d like to read more of what the previous comment was on about.
[ link ]I would say the best thing to do would be these two things:
1) Know what Hip-Hop they want to hear. Do they want Durty South (or the new ‘genre’ Trap)? Do they want Underground? West Coast? New York? Top 40? If you don’t know what they want to hear, you could be playing the right genre, but not creating the vibe that they want. (I know this has been beaten to death on this article but it really is important). A good mash-up of old school and new songs might go over well – remember always try to be unique.
2) Be familiar with basic techniques in the genre and figure out how to use/emulate/make it your own with your controller. From the top of my head here are some of the basics (you can wiki Hip-Hip/Turntablism for more of an idea on the culture):
-Spin back – just physically take the current playing song and spin the jogwheel for in reverse while pressing play on the song where you want to bring it in. Just adjust jog wheel sensitivity to your taste/ears so it can sound closer to vinyl rather than you just f*cking around.
-Brake/Turntable stop – it’s an effect on Traktor where the song slows down according to how much of the effect you dial in (left – faster stop, right slower stop I think). Or you can physically rotate the jogwheel in reverse to have a somewhat similar effect (definitely practice that one before you do it in front of people). Another way to emulate it is to use the ‘Transpose Pitch’ and turn the effect to the left so that the voice slows down.
-Cut/Bring it in on the one – This is easiest way really – simply count 1, 2, 3, 4, and then push/slam the crossfader all the way to the side of the new playing song. (be careful not to let the crossfader bounce when you do this or else they will be able to hear a bit of the other song you just cut from) [refer to regend's wonderfully useful advice on when to cut/mix in Hip-Hop above]
-Let the song end and push play – pretty simple, but works fine if your song choice is good and/or you are switching to a different style of Hip-Hop. Just know which songs are ok to do this on and which ones aren’t.
-Use your samples! – if you can’t scratch, use a variety of scratching samples to keep things interesting. You can sync to sync the scratching to the currently playing song, so use it to keep things interesting at duller moments. Yes, the airhorn is tacky as hell, but good to have rather than not. Also consider sampling/getting samples of other Hip-Hop DJ/Producer/Beat-Maker’s intro, signature sound or sample so you can play around with that before you actually play the song by the artist.
-Baby scratches – maybe instead of just letting a song end and just play, baby scratch the intro (as already mentioned above in other comments as well). Just hold the jogwheel in a comfortable scratching position for you after pressing play (usually closer to your body – on the lower half of the wheel is where i feel comfortable) and move it over a kick that is on beat one. Every time you say 1, 2, 3, 4, the kick noise should also sound on 1, 2, 3, 4 while you move the track back before the kick in-between each beat. Hard to explain by text, but I think you get the picture – just imagine pushing in the beat then let it go to play on its own. (DDT’s course on scratching in their Beginner’s course is much better as a resource for this technique and search scratching on Wikipedia for other scratch techniques)
-Don’t forget your effects! – a little flanger during the second verse, some reverb on the parts where the beat cuts out or when a featured RnB singer is on the track, some slight delay on the end of choruses, loop parts of lyrics that are famous and do your own meddling with it for 8 bars or so; just keep it simple and light so that the actual song is not ruined by overuse of effects (which happens with beginners often, me included when I started and from time to time). And the filter is always a good resource as well. Also, some effects do NOT go over well (be careful with the beatmasher, bouncer, and other effects)
-Try to mix songs you are comfortable with – if you are house dj, try to look for more pop-ish tracks (yes, Black Eyed Peas, Pit Bull, Rhianna, etc.) but also T-Pain and Timbaland will have some tracks you can mix easily with house, etc. Just try to keep it related to Hip-Hopish genres – Dubstep to a bunch of people who want to hear Hip-Hip might not go over well for example…(or maybe it will, you never know…)
-Beatmatch – almost forgot this one, but basic beatmatching skills go along way.
This post is long enough already and I think I have exhausted my brain of simple things to do, but if you research just basic things like this you should be able to get through a Hip-Hop set no problem. And remember, many of these things that I listed can’t be done as easily unless you use a controller (or great mixer), so in my opinion a DJ controller is just fine for getting to job done and gives you more creativity room to be your own DJ and create your unique style.
Hope this helped.
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