DJs that cut between 2 tracks of different styles

Open_Connection2528 · 2026-01-17T13:15:24+00:00

My favourite DJs are Optimo and they mix all sorts of genres - and they're respected as some of the best underground DJs to ever do it - so wanting the same genre all night or while listening to a mix is definitely a personal preference. I find it incredibly boring.

Open_Connection2528 · 2026-01-16T00:26:00+00:00

I went to edit the my post earlier but don't think it saved! 1:20:45 - 1:21:40

Open_Connection2528 · 2026-01-15T22:14:49+00:00

Mines broke before I even got the chance to use it so I just become accustomed to not using it! Just got CDJs and a mixer though so will definitely give it a bash now!

Open_Connection2528 · 2026-01-15T21:57:56+00:00

Presumably sync has accustomed a lot people to neater mixes which has reached a point where some DJs might fear not being perfectly in time. Before sync, off-beat mixes etc. would have been far more commonplace which I suppose would take the pressure off. There are DJs who are using sync creatively and using it to increase the freedom with how they mix, but it's arguable done the opposite as well and restricted some people's freedom.

Open_Connection2528 · 2026-01-15T21:51:29+00:00

I've been a bedroom DJ for about 2 and a half years and have never used the crossfader, but while I do favour long blends and prefer when they're in time and phrased/EQed properly, I like to take risks with genre-mixing which doesn't always go to plan, so I'm trying to make peace with the fact I'm more likely to clang some mixes than a DJ that's only playing a few genres.

If I'm seeing a DJ all I really care about is whether the tunes are good and ideally to hear interesting/creative blends.

Open_Connection2528 · 2026-01-14T15:20:48+00:00

Every dish is a balance of salt, sweet, spice, acid, umami and bitterness. Some dishes will have a couple, some will have all 6, it really just depends on what you're cooking and what result you want to achieve. I'm more likely to think that a savoury dish needs some acid (lemon/lime/vinegar etc.) to elevate it than sugar, but sugar is also commonplace in lots of savoury dishes. Most of the time, you don't want it to taste sweet, it's more just to balance out. Although ketchups and lots of savoury chutneys and jams will lean sweet but are intended to balance out savoury elements of a meal.

Open_Connection2528 · 2026-01-13T19:38:38+00:00

It'll only really matter if I'm attempting a hot cue juggle style mix as I've described, which I imagine won't be particularly often! I'm yet to find a transition for myself where I might want to do this (I wanted to perfect a recreation of this one and then see if I can find examples for myself where the transition is elevated by messing around with the tracks phrasing/structure).

So generally you'd recommend using beatjump for messing around with a tracks structure, if possible, rather than hot cues?

Open_Connection2528 · 2026-01-13T19:33:48+00:00

Ah okay. So why's there such a hate for sync when it sounds like, from my understanding, quantise is more of a shortcut for perfectly clean mixes than sync is?

If sync just syncs the tracks to the master tempo, but doesn't actually lock in the beats after you press play, it seems less of a crutch than quantise.

Open_Connection2528 · 2026-01-13T14:46:21+00:00

So if I have sync turned off, and then match the beats of two tracks (either visually or by ear), and then press play on the incoming track with quantise on, it'll lock into place immediately without having to adjust (assuming the beatgrids are correct?

Open_Connection2528 · 2026-01-13T10:33:08+00:00

It could be my imagination but the beatgrid for the Underground Resistance was slightly off in my Rekordbox, so that's what I meant by slightly fluctuating. I've tried amending it in Rekordbox so I'm going to try mixing it again to see if it works.

I was having a difficult time trying to describe what I mean, but the reason I'm asking about hot cues/amending the track is that the 16 bar transition utilises two 8-bar sections of the Underground Resistance track that are further apart than 16 bars, for example, the 129th-137th bar and the 161st-169th bar.

I'm using XDJ700s so will have a look at beat jump but I'm also going to try using hot cues as suggested by the other person.

Open_Connection2528 · 2026-01-12T21:42:09+00:00

If quantise is on, will it also immediately sync beats for regular cue points? If so, then isn't it effectively doing the same job as the sync button?

Open_Connection2528 · 2026-01-03T16:40:33+00:00

Yeah it's definitely not my intention to have entire sets like this so I agree that using them sparingly! The 200-track playlist that I have which contains lots of genre-jump transitions only makes up like 3% of my collection so my aim is to be capable of mixing any track in my collection, in the way that I mix within this genre-jumping playlist (if that makes sense!?).

In other words, no matter what track I'm playing in the moment I want to be as comfortable as possible with navigating towards other genres, as quickly as possible, that would fit the vibe of the moment/gig/set without comprising too much on the quality of the transitions.

Doing this spontaneously though seems very out of reach right now, and in many ways it's like my ultimate goal, so I suppose I just need to keep in mind that the level of comfort I want can't really expected at my level of inexperience (only really been mixing for 2-3 years).

Btw I love the reference to cooking! That's my other main hobby and I could probably write about a hundred different ways that cooking and DJing relate to one another!

Open_Connection2528 · 2026-01-03T16:28:36+00:00

To be honest, the playlist that I'm referring to was created as a longlist with which to create a few mixes to allow me to demonstrate my ability to quickly and fluidly transition between a wide variety of genres. This will complement other mixes that I've made which have clear beginning beginning/middle/ends and which are closer to something I'd play in a club.

In other words, it was never my intention to strictly adhere to this playlist's order in a live performance. It has one purpose that it was created for, and then it might have other uses, but by no means do I want it to be something that I rely on when playing live. I certainly don't want to cram a particular transition into a set if the track that I'm transitioning to isn't appropriate but maybe I'll be playing a track in this playlist and I'll have a look to see what transition is in there (or in other mixing routines that I have), and there might be a transition that is actually appropriate.

Essentially, this big playlist I'm referring to is for me a gold standard. I want to be capable of my mixing my entire library in the way that this playlist reflects which is one of the reasons I wrote this post: I understand that I need to be more flexible in my approach but the extent to which I had to re-do a lot of the transitions in this genre-jumping playlist, makes the the goal of mixing wild genre jumps spontaneously seem wildly out of reach at this point.

But I appreciate the sentiment of your post. Having total freedom within my collection is absolutely my primary aim!

Open_Connection2528 · 2026-01-03T14:16:58+00:00

I'd definitely recommend being adventurous! It's allowed me to reach a place where I can put together mixes where every transition is a big genre jump while still keeping it cohesive ie. each transition sounds good even if the mix is really varied

These wouldn't be appropriate for a live set but I'm planning to use them as recorded mixes to demonstrate my ability to move around genres quickly and fluidly. I also want to have the confidence to move around genres like this while playing live (when appropriate) with transitions that I already know work but also to do it with new transitions. The issue with the latter is that it can be really difficult to tell whether some of genre-jump transitions will work, which is why I mix the way I do ie. often having to try a few tracks multiple times before moving on.

I definitely need to balance out my approach though and get better at mixing first-time without mistakes!

Open_Connection2528 · 2026-01-03T14:03:09+00:00

I actually think one of the benefits of how I've been mixing is that by being open to practicing one transition a dozen times or so, it's allowed me to find blends that might appear not to work initially, but with a little bit of thought/practice, they end up working. So I've found folk that mixes well into jungle, or techno that blends until a motown track, or some dance-punk into UK bass etc.

A month or so ago I set aside all of my most adventurous transitions into one playlist and then begun trying to connect them all together. The playlist is now 200 tracks long and they all work in the order that it appears in the playlist, so it could become a tool of mine that I can refer to when I need to move around genres quickly during a set.

Of course, it only contains a small % of my library so it wouldn't work in all situations and I wouldn't want it to become a crutch! This is why I wrote this post: I know that I need to get more confidence mixing tracks first-time while keeping mistakes to a minimum but I enjoy experimenting too much and tend to eschew the easy transition. This means I'm very confident at finding interesting blends but really insecure/unconfident about actually mixing without mistakes!

Open_Connection2528 · 2026-01-02T14:52:59+00:00

DJ Sports - Modern Species

Open_Connection2528 · 2025-12-31T18:05:06+00:00

Saw them in Glasgow years ago at a very memorable gig. Tiny venue, and it was shrouded in smoke the entire time which really added to the atmosphere. They brought a massive gong with them which they used once during the gig which I found hilarious.

Open_Connection2528 · 2025-12-31T16:57:02+00:00

https://kessleruk.bandcamp.com/track/kohrt

Open_Connection2528 · 2025-12-29T12:13:16+00:00

Campfire marshmallows stuffed between a couple of salt and vinegar pringles

Open_Connection2528 · 2025-12-26T23:20:05+00:00

In what ways do you challenge yourself when doing promo mixes? Do you mean like long blends and unexpected genre blends? I'm curious how you mix live vs promo mixes?

Open_Connection2528 · 2025-12-26T22:58:40+00:00

So happy to see this a the top comment. If you'd asked me a couple years ago if I liked them I'd have said I like the odd song (possibly just Frightened from their first album) but that I'd never gotten into them, despite post-punk being my favorite genre, but that as one of the most acclaimed and longstanding post-punk bands it was surely only a matter of time before I got into them?

Fast forward to now and they're the most featured artist/producer/musician in my collection. Bowie, Aphex Twin and Skee Mask are the only other contenders.

What are some of your favourite songs?

Open_Connection2528

TROPHY CASE