Words by
DJ Shiftee
Much like a cat to be skinned or a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup to be eaten, there are many ways to make a mixtape. There are different strokes for different folks, different eggs with different yolks, different angles: acute, obtuse, this run-on sentence was brought to you by Dr. Seuss. What I’m going to present here is my own typical way of constructing a mixtape. I’m not calling other approaches stupid, or saying other methods’ mamas so fat when they put on a red dress people yell, “Hey, Kool Aid!” This isn’t my way or the highway. This is: here’s my highway. Come take a drive.
In an act of both education and deeply shameful self-promotion, I’m going to use my latest mixtape GROWNSTEP as our instructional example.
Step 1. Brainstorm.
There are a whole lot of songs out there. Some scientists even say there are more songs than atoms in the universe (note: this is a lie). Thus I usually begin by developing a concept for the mix in order to focus my search for appropriate tunes. The idea doesn’t have to be relativity or sliced bread (new idea: sliced relativity!!!, new new idea: relative bread!!!!!!!!), just some guiding principle. It can be as simple as: my favorite songs from the Summer, or extreme House face-melters to destroy a Scandinavian dungeon, or Prince’s most hilarious records, or children’s folk songs mixed with gangster rap, or music to which I like to chillax to the max, etc. Just something!
Step 2. Research & Compile.
This stage of the process usually takes the longest amount of time for me. Here I look for all the songs and samples that fit with my idea. Many might already be in my library. However, I always like to give an extended additional search for the sake of thoroughness and unturned musical stones (Note: Cavemen actually played musical stones instead of musical chairs. Note: Also a lie.). Here are some resources I use to find new songs:
- (a) Beatport: Beatport is a digital music retailer, specializing in styles of electronic and dance music. My favorite part about Beatport is the ease with which one can discover new artists. Hear a new track you like? Click the artist’s name, and you’ll be able to listen to almost everything he/she has released. Like a remix of said artist? Wham! Now you have a new artist you can delve into: the remixer. Blaaaam! And the cycle repeats! Oh wait, the remixer has remixers! Whooop! Oh wait, two of the artists were on the same label. Kablaow! Now you can check all the releases of the label and their artists. And the cycle repeats! Then you also have genre charts, artist top 10 lists, and weekly recommendations. Smash, Bang, Boom! And the cycle repeats! Plus you don’t have to worry about quality, because everything is available in 320kbps mp3s or waves. Other sites I like for purchasing music, depending on the idea, include: TurntableLab.com, Juno.co.uk, and Amazon.com.
- (b) Blog Aggregators: Everyone and everyone’s mom has a blog in this day and age. Even my mailman has a blog. Blog aggregator sites like hypem.com and elbo.ws can be excellent tools to help sift through the mass and discover useful new blogs and, of consequence, new artists. All you do is type in an artist or song you like, and a list of blogs with said song/artist will appear. Then explore the blogs and see if they got that head nod ish to make you break yo neeeeeeeck!
- (c) Other Mixtapes/Charts: I like to check out the mixes and monthly top 10 charts of other DJs I admire and relate to stylistically: (1) to make sure my own project doesn’t resemble theirs too closely, but also (2) to get new leads. Any artist they list can function as seeds to plant into options (a) and (b) above. Music is like carpentry. When in doubt, you can always go to an expert.
- (d) Friends: Two heads are better than one (especially when playing doubles). I recommend: “Hey, buddy. I’m working on a mix. Want to swap some big chunes?”
- (e) Artists: It never hurts to try contacting artists directly, explain your mix, and see if he/she wants to contribute some juicy nuggets for your 20 piece combo.
For samples, I heavily use a program called Audio Hijack that allows you to record any sound being played on your computer. Then it’s YouTube, YouTube, YouTube. How else are you going to make your Charlie Bit My Finger mixtape? I also like a program called Lips that bounces aiff files of any entered text in a variety of wacky voices. How can you resist the sound of a deranged old man saying your DJ name?
Step 3. Narrow & Prepare.
Now that I’ve surveyed the field, it’s time to pick the finalists. I usually choose about 20-30 songs as potential candidates. Not all will make the final cut. A lot of it has to do with the interview process, SAT scores, letters of recommendation, charity work, and who their parents know. It also helps if they are good at football.
I additionally like to run my tracks through Mixed In Key. Mixed In Key automatically determines the musical keys of your songs and then displays them in an easy to use system. I find this dramatically speeds up the process of finding a harmonically pleasing path between tracks.
However, probably the most important factor I consider is the overall flow and energy of the songs. Mixing/key considerations aside, how do I think the track selection should progress? How am I going to begin? How am I going to end? Is the energy going to build consistently? Move up and down? How would I draw a graph of the mix (x-axis = time, y-axis = energy)? And how are the samples going to fit into the greater picture?
Finally, I go through my “hijacked” samples in Ableton (but any basic wave editor is fine), edit them down to the essential snippets, make sure the volume levels are acceptable, and then bounce them as wave files. I then drop the samples into Traktor, and I’m ready to get my mix on! Aw yeah, mixalicious.
Step 4. Record.
My preferred method of laying down the mix is recording everything live transition by transition. (I use Traktor’s built-in recorder and the Audio 8 box.) For example, suppose I’m working with “Song 1” and “Song 2.” First, I’ll spend some time figuring out my favorite way to switch from 1 to 2. Then I’ll record several takes of the transition and immediately listen back. If I like what I hear, I’ll move on to thinking about how I get from Song 2 to Song 3, otherwise more takes and revision! Once I’ve recorded a good chunk of transitions, I’ll bring the mini-mixes into Ableton, splice them all together, and review the current state of the mix like a president assessing the union. I find these listening breaks very helpful in determining the best path forward and establishing the strongest foundation for the future of the mix and its children.
Why do I record in this manner? Well, for starters, I’m currently not quite comfortable creating mixes in a multi-track DAW environment. I want my DJ mixes to reflect how I actually DJ. Furthermore, I enjoy seeing how far I can push a live DJ setup and to what extent I can figure out new ways to produce intricate mixes on the fly. Feet are fair game.
Step 5. Edit & Limit.
The mix is recorded. Hot damn! Time to disco? Time to disco nap? Time to eat disco fries? Not quite. At this point, I meticulously go through the mix and polish any sloppiness via Ableton. Occasionally, I’ll add samples on a separate audio channel on top of what’s already been recorded. It usually ends up looking something like this:
Once the audio is sounding spick and span, I run it hard through a limiter to get that extra umph! Bada bing, bada boom! We got ourselves an oven fresh mixtape!!!!
Step 6. Distribute
The mixtape is finished, but there’s one problem. No one has heard it yet! Mix distribution and online promotion can (and will!) be a whole topic unto itself, but here are some steps I typically take (steps within steps! we like M.C. Escher up in here!, sidenote: D.J. Escher is a solid DJ name):
- (a) Art Up – The more senses you hit, the more likely you are to grab someone’s attention. I’m still trying to figure out a scratch & sniff digital mixtape. Enlist a buddy, annoy your sister (my usual method), construct something yourself, or drop some dollars and cents.
- (b) Partner Up – I often will do joint releases with other companies, brands, and/or DJs. This way I not only hit my own network, I hit theirs. Double network action FTW!
- (c) Post Up a.k.a. Karl Malone (yes I just used Karl Malone as a verb) – In the absence of a partner, I’ll post the mix myself. My main site for archiving mixes is Soundcloud. My favorite feature of Soundcloud is the in-track comment capabilities, where users can actually respond to specific moments of your mix. Other sites I use include: Beezo.net, Dubset.com, Bandcamp.com
- (d) Blast Off: Now that the mix is out and about frolicking the town, I make sure to blast it on all my networks. Email, Facebook (band page & personal page), lots of Twitter. I’ll also write my own blog post about it. “Tell your friends, to get with my friends
And we can be friends
$%^! we can do this every weekend
Aight? Is that aight with you?
Yeah… keep bangin]”
Obviously Diddy was talking about social networking in this adlib.
DJ Shiftee
is a 2x DMC World Champion and Dubspot Instructor currently heating up dancefloors around the globe with fresh beats and sounds! Check out his latest mix ‘Dancing Specialist’, follow him on Twitter, & find him on Facebook.
