Dance Remix

What is a remix?

A remix is an alternative version of a song. Someone who is remixing takes the master recording of a song and alters it in some way in order to make a new track. DJs do this instinctively as they use mixing hardware (decks, CDJs, laptops) to mix multiple tracks together.

What makes a good dance remix?

A good dance remix is a subjective thing, however many think that a good remix should take the best aspects of an initial track and blend them with a new sound so that the positives from the initial track are enhanced in some way. Rather like eating strawberries with champagne!

DJs have a multiplicity of different styles and methods of creating remixes. Some work on laptops so that they are able to do a lot of production on the track, adding sounds, warping sounds etc to create a new master recording that they will then burn and play when they are out and about. Others prefer to mix more on the fly. The second is more organic, great DJs often don’t know what they are going to play before they get into a club and choose their mixes based on the atmosphere of the club.

Some DJs are really great at production, but not so good live. For others, the opposite applies. Personally, I see the two skills as being very, very different. They are about as different as being an academic and being a public speaker; both have similar qualities but essentially they are completely dissimilar.

The rise of accessible technology has meant that the art of remixing tracks has become extremely common. Nowadays, in just about every university halls there will be at least a handful of students who are able to DJ (and often a couple who are even able to produce tracks). However, this means that there are now a large amount of mediocre remixes around and about. Meaning it is a real skill to pick out the best ones!

One fantastic thing about remixing tracks is that you are able to blend genres, to merge musical preferences together. If you remix two tracks from two different genres then there is a greater chance that a larger proportion of the crowd will have a connection with the remix. This however is not always the case.

Some people believe that mixing musical genres often ends up in an overly complicated and ‘dirty’ remix. Often the hardest thing to do when mixing is to gain a sense of clarity.

What genre is the hardest to mix?

Again, another completely subjective question! Often the easiest music to mix is the music that you listen to most. It relies on the individual’s knowledge of the beat patterns and of the song that they are mixing. However, having said that many think that psy-trance or euphoric trance are the most difficult because they often contain many layers of sound.

To find more DJs and dance remixes, go to http://woMAPP.com, the online nightlife community!