I remember many years ago we booked Stu Patterson for a gig at Sankey’s where we ended up having far too much fun, and halfway though a mix that went absolutely south so I just stopped the records and then kicked in the one I was haphazardly mixing in after probably a little too long and the place went mental. Stu turned to me and said, “that’s right house music is all about the drama” and that has stuck with me ever since. That tension and release in one record or built up through a succession of tunes.
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That’s also a good trick for when the atmosphere has gone flat and the dance floor needs a reset.
I’m also partial to slowly fading the volume down, watching everyone’s confused faces then increasing it back up for maximum effect. Its a really, really cheap trick but works every time. Once saw Harvey so he learned that from Larry Levan so if its good enough for them…
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I’ve always thought a big part of djing is, once you’ve learned how to mix, is to learn how not to mix. When’s the right time to just smash one in or, when to fade out and start afresh etc…
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I love all those Morales and Knuckles remixes from the early/mid 90s which seem designed to be unmixable - things like “Melody Of Love” or “Stronger Together” with these beatless, dramatic introductions where they don’t attach to the tempo or structure of the main track, and you have to just kill everything to start playing them in full.
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i get a bit irritable if i don’t hear someone clang a mix up now and again. i need to hear something going wrong, drifting off a bit to remind me that it’s still spontaneous.
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Pretending the power has gone to the decks is always a good one too
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I agree. It can easily get too clinical and dull.
I don’t play out but I’m sure my neighbours hear a fair bit of ‘spontaneity’ on a regular basis 
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That’s very true. Doesn’t always have to be a long blend and sometimes a tune is meant to be heard start to finish.
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I saw Goldie at WHP a few months back, he was playing Jungle like it was Hip Hop - just cutting track perfectly and slamming the next tune in. It worked brilliantly.
This is nothing as big as that but I once played my first record at a party and thought it sounded a bit flat, I suddenly realised the person before had killed the bass, so I flipped it back up just as the chorus kicked on on the record I was playing, sounded like I meant to do it that way all along.
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Given that this thread started with Stuart P’s wise words, it may be fitting to recall the drama of him going missing mid set at the annexe, leaving a tune spinning. Only for him to be found having a sleep in the kitchen between the shelves looking like the little kid in The Shining…His return was triumphant
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My advice is do not take acid before DJ-ing in a club environment.
Dj-ing with mate back to back for 3 hours, He put a record on and I then started telling him about a great new record that would go next
So I dived into my record box looking for it.
I was in that box for the full 3 hours searching.
Turns out the record wasn’t in there, and I didn’t even own it
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