Art of Deejaying, WK 14 – Spice Up Your Mix, Pt 2

Welcome to SKAH DJ Blog! Last week, we had an article on simple skills, tricks and techniques that work like magic if properly executed and not over-used. This week’s article is a continuation or part two of the last lesson. If you did not read that article then you should go check it out! Without further ado, let us jump right into it.

Hyping on the Mic

This is not for everyone, different strokes for different folks. Some people are just confident from birth, they are able to address a crowd and choose the right words at the right moment. Others have to develop this skill or take a lesson in public speaking or hyping to be able to face the crowd. Even a quiet shy DJ can build sufficient skills to give a birthday shout-out or hype the incoming act of the night. Whatever the situation is for you, in my opinion, make an effort to develop this skill as it would be a big let down if as a Pro-DJ with all the blazing skills you cannot rock the mic for a few seconds to give a shout-out.

Here are a few tips on how to develop this skill and use it appropriately

  • Write-out short phrases such as ‘this is for all the ladies’, ‘are you ready to party’, ‘make some noise for Chris, he is celebrating his birthday, ‘happy birthday Long John’, ‘the all white party is coming up tomorrow, you don’t wanna miss it’, ‘This is DJ Kcydal’ and so on.
  • Standing in front of a mirror and holding a dummy mic, read out all the phrases you have written.
  • Let your voice be loud and very clear while you read. Repeat this several times or practice for five to fifteen minutes daily. You will be amazed at your progress within a month.
  • It is advisable to use this skill over the intro/outro instrumentals of a track. This will prevent vocal clash and confusion, as vocals in the track will conflict with whatever you say in the mic. You will also need to drop the channel fader of the active deck to between 50-80% of the maximum volume depending on if you use instrumentals or if it is a busy track with vocals (you can also trim down Mid EQ instead).

Drop Mixing

There is an article on Drop Mixing on this forum. We covered Drop Mixing in the article on Transitions in Week 4. It is boring to just beatmatch throughout an entire set. When the crowd least expects, slam in a club banger or reigning tune. This skill is most appreciated at the peak of the party and I will be surprised if the headline DJ does not use this several times throughout a set. However, in contrast, a warm DJ can get away with not using this skill, as the floor might not be ready for it. That is also not an excuse to ignore it.

Timing is critical for the proper delivery of this skill, ensure you slam in the incoming song preferably at the end of a phrase (end of the intro, verse or chorus) and ensure your volume level is okay.

Wordplay

Wikipedia’s definition of wordplay – Word play or wordplay (also: play-on-words) is a literary technique and a form of wit in which the words that are used become the main subject of the work, primarily for the purpose of intended effect or amusement.

 Wordplay is a very cool trick that can ignite your dance-floor if properly executed. Only DJs that know their library very well and listen (not hear) to their music can discover the hidden treasures in tracks that can unlock their creativity. Wordplay entails using the specific, popular words or phrases that are trending which are contained in a particular track to bring in or mix another popular track whose title or message is that phrase. If you have not heard of wordplay before, it is best understood using a video demonstration (so I owe you a video demonstration on this). You can check out award winning DJ Trayze demonstrating how to use wordplay in your DJ set.

Obviously for you to be able to pull this out or create your own, you must know the lyrics of the songs in your library. You can use this to change genre and tempo or even wow your audience. Here are a few combinations that go well.

  • Ogene Remix – Zoro ft Flavour, Lil Kesh & YCee and Who you Epp – Olamide ft Wande Coal & Phyno (any other Who you Epp version)

In Ogene Remix, at 45.7 seconds Lil Kesh ended his verse with ‘Who you Epp’, You can loop the phrase ‘Who you Epp’ and let the loop play twice or thrice to build your audience anticipation for a release of the loop and their awareness of the phrase ‘Who you Epp’. Instead of releasing the loop Drop Mix the track Who you Epp by Olamide.

Others combinations include Kontrol – Maleek Berry and Kontrol – W4, I need not say more for this one. Nowo E Soke – CDQ ft Wizkid and Eminado by Tiwa Savage and Don Jazzy. You will find the word Eminado in CDQ’s verse 1 at about 49.8 seconds.

Unleash your creativity. You can send the link to your own Wordplay demonstration for a feature on this forum.

 These simple techniques can create amazing responses from your audience. However, it is pertinent to note that overusing a particular trick or technique or using the trick or technique at the wrong time can be counter-productive. The keyword here is moderation and timing. In subsequent articles, we will look at more of such skills, techniques and even advanced effects.

Share your thoughts in the comments section. Like our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter, follow us on Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube Channel for the latest updates in deejaying. If there is a topic, issue or article you would like to learn or read about on this forum, or if you will like to contribute to this series, kindly email info@skah.com.ng

Stay tuned for the next article.

@djkcydal

Credits – Wikipedia, Beat Refinery, DJ Trayze

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