Quickly Build A Great Collection of Music for DJing

jogoeire

Hi Lads & Ladies,

I have a question that I hope I can get some sensible answers to. Im long time dancemusic fan but newbie at DJing/Production. I want to build quickly my collection of good music. I know what I like when I hear it... but I dont want to listen to every track ever made at the same time. Nor do I want to spend years gathering a collection by osmossis. Furthermore I consider the classic dance tracks as a given that they would be present in a collection... so no need to mention those.

If I could press a magic button and have every track that 'I' consider better than an 8/10..... from the years 1985 to 2015... then I would have a collection. Yes I know not everyone has the same tastes... thats why I need to listen to everything first.

To help this thought experiment... let me propose a strategy myself. So... for the year 2013 in the categoy tek house for example I could do the following:

- Find out names of top 20 DJs in that year (lets take tek house for example)
- Find out their top 5 tracks
- What tracks won awards that year.
- What tracks sold most
- What tracks were recommended by the most important media outlets/bloggers that year.

Essentially im looking for a list of tracks I can listen to... to see if Id like to pull them into my collection.

Heres another example of strategy. Find 5 djs I love then find out absolutely everything in their DJ box. But im sure DJ's keep that thing kind of secret.... so maybe not so easy.

Anyway thats my question. I think its a valid one as with most things there is a key to accelerated learning. I guess many people on this forum that have been DJs for years would have built their collections the hard way... and might not think there are shortcuts. Theres always a shortcut

Thanks guys.

Pa994

Torrent sites are good for this sort of thing

mordeith

Sounds to me like your strategy is basically copy existing DJs.
Firstly, your collection is irrelevant if (a) you can't mix for **** or (b) you can't read a crowd and adjust your playlist accordingly.
If you have been listening to music for years surely you have enough material to roughly plan out a set or two.

ianuss

Your outlook on music sucks. It's not a race or a zero sum game. The best djs are passionate about music....listening to it, buying it, reading up about it, collecting it.

The best djs have spent their entire lives building their collections. It's their dedication, experience and passion that make them great, not their record bags imo. Even if you had their record bags you (most likely) wouldn't be a patch on them.

But if you genuinely wanted to find tracks/labels that you like I'd suggest listening to a load of sets on soundcloud or mixcloud or something. Follow people you like and look for ID's for tracks you like. If you find a track you like listen to other EPs from the same person, check for aliases, see what labels they release on. Start a thread with some tracks you like and see if anyone has any similar tracks.

Alternatively you could download the 'top 100 dance tracks' of every year from about 1987. All it will mean is that you'll be a sh1t dj in half the time.

francois

Rule number 1 play what you like not what you think people will like, otherwise you'll sound like everyone else, unless you like unadventurous stuff, but then you'll sound like a million other DJ's

jogoeire

Hi Guys,

I guess I should have been prepared for these responses. I think I was pretty clear that i'm looking for a filter for good tracks. I can decide myself what is good once I get to that point. My knowledge of tracks stops at around 2003, after which i've just been listening in and turning up.

I think the comments that "your collection is irrelevant if you cant mix" is nonsense. Firstly, a 10 years old can mix.. a 12 year old can mix well. But hell... just auto sync these day right. Its 2015. And I know some great mashup DJs that don't mix in any traditional way and are doing a good trade in Dublin. And If you think the tracks don't matter, better get used to your bedroom. Good input good output.

Ok guys. I'll let you get back to being passionate. You really all must be some excellent DJ's.

Me... i'm off to find out what's in Michael Volpe's record bag. Maybe then dig over Gilles Peterson's recommendations over the last few years to see if I can dig up some world music gems. Why waste time right

mordeith

jogoeire wrote: »

Hi Guys,

I guess I should have been prepared for these responses. I think I was pretty clear that i'm looking for a filter for good tracks. I can decide myself what is good once I get to that point. My knowledge of tracks stops at around 2003, after which i've just been listening in and turning up.

I think the comments that "your collection is irrelevant if you cant mix" is nonsense. Firstly, a 10 years old can mix.. a 12 year old can mix well. But hell... just auto sync these day right. Its 2015. And I know some great mashup DJs thati don't mix in any traditional way and are doing a good trade in Dublin. And If you think the tracks don't matter, better get used to your bedroom. Good input good output.

Ok guys. I'll let you get back to being passionate. You really all must be some excellent DJ's.

Me... i'm off to find out what's in Michael Volpe's record bag. Maybe then dig over Gilles Peterson's recommendations over the last few years to see if I can dig up some world music gems. Why waste time right

Well if all you want is to be 'Dj Dave' playing to drunk nurses in some pub you're well on the way ;-)

jogoeire

mordeith wrote: »

Well if all you want is to be 'Dj Dave' playing to drunk nurses in some pub you're well on the way ;-)

Thanks for all the recommendations. Has your collection been updated since Sir Henry's closed?

AndyBoBandy

jogoeire wrote: »

I think the comments that "your collection is irrelevant if you cant mix" is nonsense. Firstly, a 10 years old can mix.. a 12 year old can mix well. But hell... just auto sync these day right.

I think what they are trying to say is (how I see it anyway), All the big superstar dj's that you see nowadays (most of them anyway), all cut their mustard mixing 2 tracks on 2 turntables, with no fancy effects/mixers/auto sync. for this reason alone, they are the DJ's they are today, as they had to understand how different tracks went together when mixed, had to figure out the little drops, and cues each song has and to be able to maximise them using nothing but a crossfader, volume & EQ's

I played vinyl for 10 years before moving to digital, and by digital, I went the Rane Serato Scratch Live option, continuing to use technics turntables, and never using auto sync (as Serato never had auto sync in my time, didn't want it, didn't need it, as I could have 2 tracks beat matched within about 4-6 beats in my prime).

if you go down the easy route of buying all the tracks, buying a system that does the work for you, you'll be no different to every other Ableton/Tractor DJ out there, bland, and boring.

You can play hit after hit, and still sound shít if you don't understand how 2 tracks should be put together in a way that compliment each other.

They way I see it;

1. you learn to beat match
2. you learn to mix
3. you practice, practice, practice.
4. you practice some more, and maybe 5 years later you might be worth a listen.

Don't go down the 'I want to be a DJ' route and simply buy your collection, as it just won't be your collection, it will be other dj's recommendations, which could be crap as for every DJ chart I ever looked at on Beatport, every DJ used to always throw a few howlers in there, whereas by listening to track after track, you find your gems. Some of the best tracks I ever had were B sides which I never saw on any DJ 'top 5' lists or charts.

AndyBoBandy

try to look at it like this.

If you saw a plumber fitting out a house, then went and bought all the plumbing tools, it would not quickly make you a plumber.
a plumper will spend years, as will a carpenter & electrician learning about their tools and how to use them.

a dj is no different.
as a DJ, the tracks are your tools, and as such, a 'collection' can't simply just be acquired. the hint is in the name: collection, something you collect.

I would advise setting up an account on beatport, and following a few artists, and listen to what they are releasing/recommending, and buy a few tracks here and there, do that every week/month, and voila, you are building your collection, not anyone else, yours.

also, the dj's that you like, start seeking out their mixes/podcasts etc...

mordeith

jogoeire wrote: »

Thanks for all the recommendations. Has your collection been updated since Sir Henry's closed?

Yes it has. By listening to various sets, picking a few tunes I like, looking up that artist. Buying his/her albums and/or sets and discovering more music. A collection is a process.

And Sir Henry's had some **** DJs as well.

jogoeire

AndyBoBandy wrote: »

I think what they are trying to say is..

I appreciate the uncomplicated advice Andy. I would say that im up on semantics of DJ'ing and have approached it and production a couple of times. However I backed off as the technical led approach wasn't allowing me listen to as much music as I wanted to. I would not want to practice on music I didn't absolutely love no more than id like to draw with a cheap pencil.

Shame my thread got taken up as buying a collection...my opening paragraph was clear that i'm looking for a sources to listen to, rather than buying tracks like eggs for an omlette. I do glean from your reply that you think beatports recommendations are hit and miss.

Anyway guys. Thanks for the advice.

Rough Sleeper

Pa994 wrote: »

Torrent sites are good for this sort of thing

There's nothing better for rocking the house like a set full of tracks of massively inconsistent sound quality.

Pa994

Rough Sleeper wrote:

There's nothing better for rocking the house like a set full of tracks of massively inconsistent sound quality.

Eh that's why you check bit rate before downloading?

mordeith

Pa994 wrote: »

Eh that's why you check bit rate before downloading?

I'm sure the original artist will appreciate you sourcing the best quality

ffm

Pa994 wrote: »

Eh that's why you check bit rate before downloading?

Quite often when a track is labelled as being 320kbps, it's not. Not all the time, but it does happen. That's a bit hit & miss in my experience. It has even happened with 'legitimate' sites too once or twice.

Pa994

I don't think ye quite read the OP which was build a collection fast, I gave a suggestion not an invitation to bitch about my post

fiachr_a

Make and play your own exclusive tunes/remixes is the best way.