All right folk’s this is Jonathan here. This is your first lesson for the new DJ on how to do mash-up. Very quickly what is a mash-up is a collaboration of two or more songs you put together and you end up having one completely new song, new entity. That is the very least you need two new songs, two different songs. The mash-up though can be a collaboration of three, four, five, six, seven, 10 songs if you want to it does not matter. But there is a difference between using 10 songs and making them mix as opposed to using 10 songs and making a mash-up.
If you have 10 tracks then make a mix, what you are doing is you are having track one, you are letting that play and you are bringing track two in and then your finishing track one then while track two is playing you may bring track three in. When track three is playing you take track two away and likewise you continue all the way through to track 10. The difference being with a mash-up is you could have track one and track two playing right from the start and then you may incorporate track seven and then take track one away.
You may then incorporate track five and take track seven away then bring in track 10 and may be bring in track one again. Just throwing them all about and making a mash-up. Now for the new DJ this is what you need to do. First of all number one; you need to find two songs that sound well together that are very, very important. They have to sound well together. Number two is you have to make sure they are in beat. Now then very quickly as well this is not for newbie’s this is for everybody.
Experiment; do not just play two house tracks. Do not just play to soul tracks, two hip-hop, two funk, and two rare groove. Why not play house track with a techno track. Why not try mash-up a funk track with a soul track, may be a hip-hop track with an R&B track. Mash it up that is what it is all about, do not forget we have the mash up competition and that is what I want you to do. But with that one two tracks put them together to make one.
What I am going to be doing. I am just going to give you a quick demo here. The two tracks we are going to be using is Armand Van Helden a track entitled Ultrafunkula, a bit of a nightmare there and also Mr. On versus Jungle a track entitled Breathe Do not Stop. Now then for the new DJ who wants to start doing a mash-up, three pointers number one find two tracks that work well together number two, make sure you get them in beat. Number three, to begin with just start them off at the beginning and let them blend continually to the end. That is all you got to do initially. That is a good way of practicing but before you start them off and let them blend all the way through just before that. Make sure they are in beat. Get them in beat first.
Have a little mess around, use the jock well if you got see a CDJ, platter up and down if you want to or just a pitch control, your choice. Get them in beat. When they are in beat you do not have to worry so much about using the pitch control and messing around because you know the near enough in beat and then at that point you can start messing around with the base, mid, and treble to get better sounds. Take vocals away, bring vocals in.
If you are using may be a house track and an a cappella because you do not just have to have to have two tracks with beats. You can use a cappella’s as well. It does not matter. Also if you have two pieces of vinyl or two CD’s with different remixes of that particular track you can use those as well. Remember two tracks for your beginning your initial sort of mash-up. What I am going to do now, I am going to play this one. I am going to let that start for a while because the actual start is quite quiet.
I am going to bring this one in and have a bit of a mess around. I am not using headphones and the audio you are listening too is coming through that speaker so it will be fantastic. Let’s give it a go. If I forget to say practice and enjoy.
[music playing]
Transcription by:
Scribe4you Transcription Services