DJ'ing - Music - and Mashups

2015-11-05T17:30:00.001-08:00

How I Program Music for a live event and for a recorded mix set

I was contacted last on my Facebook artist page from a long time follower. He has, throughout the years, been supportive of my mixes and mashups that I post online. He himself is working towards becoming a DJ and he tells me at times that I inspire him. How cool is that? Thank you Marin, this post is dedicated to you.

So anyway, he contacts me and tells me that he's now about to be mentored by a working DJ and now he's set up to actually play for a crowd. Although he has plenty of songs and remixes/mashups, he is not sure how to structure the set. He asked if I could give him some tips on how he could approach picking out songs that compliment each other and reflect the current atmosphere of the room. This inspired me to think about sharing what I know that has worked for me, and could work for him and anybody else that struggles with this puzzle.

So let's begin.

I'll first qualify this article by stating that I don't consider my approach the most correct or better than another's. There are many ways to create a great set and there are many ways to fail at it. My approach is based on my research, trial and error, and studying and breaking down sets I feel work within the context of DJing at a night club.

Picking music to play during the night is really a combination of a few things. Our music tastes, what we think the room needs or wants, what's the energy of the room at the moment, and what type of event/audience are we actually performing for.

Because this topic can be so lengthy, exhaustive, and cover so many areas, I'm only going to focus on how I pick music when DJing at a nightclub or bar that has a dancefloor. I'll also talk a bit on how I program music when recording a mix set, for comparison purposes.

I'm an open format DJ. That's means to say that I can pretty much play every type of music that people generally dance too. It also means that I am challenged with figuring out how these different types of songs (genres and eras) work together to make my set sound good to both the dancers and the bystanders.   If the club requires Deep House or Nu Disco that is not explosive and is meant as a background for the guests buying their expensive Champagne, it's not a problem. If the club or bar wants a party DJ to get the crowd dancing and drinking, but no Hip-Hop or Reggaeton, no problem. And if it's a venue that wants the crowd to enjoy themselves, but also keep them as long as possible so they can make more money at the bar, then there is a way to play in order to accomplish that. Sets can be tailored according to the club's format or crowd response.

What I generally tend to do is:

1. Select music that has a rhythm pattern (drum pattern) that compliments one another.
2. Select music that have complimentary keys (harmonic).

RHYTHMIC PATTERNS

Most music have a certain drum pattern. Finding another song with a similar drum pattern and mixing them together will result in a very seamless transition. As if the drummer did not have to change his way of drumming on the track from one song to the next.

For example, Queen - We Will Rock You has a very distinct drum pattern that goes like this.

The following track by J-Kwon - Tipsy also has a drum pattern that is similar.

Big Boi - Shutterbug shares a similar pattern to the two tracks above.

Who can forget this 80s classic by Tears for Fears.

And lastly, we can include another 80s classic.

If we were to mix all these tracks together, it could sound like this. Pay attention to the drum beats.

The cool thing to note is that these songs are of differing genres. "We Will Rock You" is Rock, "Shout" and "Rock Me Amadeus" are New Wave, and "Shutterbug" and "Tipsy" are both Hip-Hop tracks. These songs can mix with each other nicely because the drum beats compliment each other, regardless of genre or era they were made in.

So when it comes to programming music, drum beats (rhythmic pattern) in music plays a big role.

Here is an example of two songs with non-complimentary drum rhythms mixed together.

As you can hear, the drum beats are synced, but the drum patterns don't compliment each other. Both drum beats are doing different things and although they are matched up, it's clashing. It's a rhythmic clash.

Does this mean that "Freak of the Week" can't mix well with "Tipsy"? No, not in that particulr way that I demonstrated. But there are methods for making the mix work well so that you eliminate the clash between the drum rhythms. This is an area that I plan to talk more about later.

When it comes to House music that uses a 4/4 (Four to the Floor) rhythm pattern, the challenge of mixing House tracks with other House tracks becomes less challenging. Most extended versions of House tracks contain a drum intro and drum outro, allowing the songs to mix without a rhythmic drum clash. There are some exceptions, but in general, these 4/4 style songs tend to mix well when you consider ONLY the drum rhythm. There are also other factors that come into play when I select songs to mix in a set. The second factor involves the song's key signature. For me, this becomes very important when wanting to achieve a good flow in my set.

MUSIC KEYS (HARMONIC MIXING)

When I play out, I tend to mix harmonically. I don't do it 100% of the time because programming a set for a live crowd requires me to be able to switch things up as I judge necessary. I need to have the flexibility to make changes in my programming to suit the needs of the dancefloor/crowd. It's possible to do both, but if I can't, then I will ignore the Harmonics of the two songs in favor of reading the dancefloor.

Why mix harmonically?

For one reason, it sounds good. We all have ears and we all have a sense of what sounds good and what doesn't. There is a reason why songs that are key compatible sound better than if they were not. The most obvious reason is that there is a tonal relationship between the two songs that is in harmony.

Let's break this down further to discuss the parts of a song. If a music producer is composing a song, he is going to want the instruments being used to be in the same key. This is generally accepted. The song's lead guitar, bass, strings, synth leads, synth pads, saxaphone, lead and background vocals, etc. are all going to be in the same key. Let's use the following track as an example:

Robin Schulz - Sugar (Bass, Lead Vocal, Electric Guitar) in key A#m

In the above example, I'm only using three song elements. The bass guitar, electric guitar, and lead vocal. Each element in this mixdown are in the key A#m.

What would this sound like if the electric guitar was suddenly in C minor while the rest remained in A#m?

This is what it would sound like:

As you can hear, the electric guitar is in a different key than the rest of the elements (bass guitar, lead vocal). Even though it's synced, and follows a similar chord progression, the "mix" sounds dissonant because the keys are not compatible.

Let's take this example even further by making all the song elements different in key. The electric guitar will be in C minor, the lead vocal in G#m, and the bass in A#m. This is how the "mix" will sound.

The mix sounds even more dissonant because none of the elements are harmonic, even though they actually are synced up. This dissonance is something that most people can detect and inherently know as wrong. It just doesn't sound right to the ear.

Now, take a step back and apply this idea to a DJ set. How can we make our mix sound harmonic so as it's pleasing to the ear and still be flexible in adapting our set "ad hoc"?

WE LOVE THE 90S MEGAMIX

2015-01-08T00:33:00.001-08:00

WE LOVE THE 90S MEGAMIX

Approach and Methodology

My approach to this megamix was to look at it as a mix production and not a mix set. When the organizer explained that he wanted us to provide "self produced megamix", I understood immediately that he was thinking of a megamix production that was reminiscent of the era and style when DJs would create megamixes using reel to reel machines or multi-track digital recorders. In essence, it would be a medley of many songs in just a short span of time. There are a few ways of creating megamixes, such as using a primary beat throughout the mix and arrange and layer the samples in a way that sounds good. In this example, I did not use a primary beat and instead used traditional methods such as beatmatching (8, 12, 16 measures) and in some cases beat switching. I also used my knowledge of mashing up songs to add an extra element to this mix by creating new compositions using acapellas, instrumentals, and samples from the 90s.

I'm not an expert in creating megamixes and some pros that are may argue that this megamix is more of a quick mix, since a true megamix may contain significantly more samples such as 100 tracks in just fifteen minutes, where I used around 37 tracks.

The mix contest had some important guidelines. It had to be between 10 - 15 minutes long and it had to include hit songs from artists that are performing at WLT90s2015. The following artist had to be in this mix:

Shaggy (US)
Scooter (DE)
2 Unlimited (NL)
E-type (SE)
Safri Duo (DK)
Lou Bega (DE)
Rednex (SE)
Alice DeeJay (NL)
Solid Base (SE) Twenty 4 Seven (NL)

This proved to be challenging since I had to make sure that the songs I chose by the required artists would work well with each other. Also, I wanted to be able to include other hit songs from the 90s to fill out the mix. It would have been cool if I could have just used material from each artists' discography, but that would have been another limitation in addition to the contest's requirements. So I took the path of least resistance and decided to include other hit's from the 90s and mix them with songs from the required artists, with focus on the main artists. I got approval from the contest organizer first before proceeding with this plan.

The first step in creating this mix was to sit and with a pen and paper, sketch out a plan for arranging the tracks together. This gave me an idea of what tracks I would definetely use from the main artists (i.e. "No Limit", "Angels Crying"). I also created a rough draft of other 90s music I could include in this mix to fill out the mix and bridge the required songs together.

The first challenge I noted was that it would be difficult mixing Shaggy and Lou Bega in this mix, which would mostly consist of uptempo Euro Dance music. Shaggy and Lou Bega's hits were mostly low tempo tracks (80-95 BPM Hip-Hop, Reggae, SynthPop). In addition, there were no uptempo remixes of those artists from that era that I could take advantage of for this project.    There was however, an acapella of Shaggy's "It Wasn't Me" and I decided that an uptempo mashup would be my starting point for this megamix. After auditioning a few samples, I decided on using the instrumental of Marky Mark's "Good Vibrations".

Now there were two issues with this track. First, an official instrumental of the album version was never released. I actually went on www.discogs.com to purchase the 12", which contained a tracked called Good Vibrations (Boomin' Beats For Marky's Jeep - Instrumental Dub).

http://www.discogs.com/Marky-Mark-The-Funky-Bunch-Good-Vibrations/release/199574

However, after purchasing the vinyl and listening to that track, I realized that it was not the actual album instrumental, but more of a remix dub. I actually wanted to use the familiar beat from the actual album version, so I compromised and purchased a karaoke version of the instrumental.

The second issue was that the song's key was in G#m and the vocal from "it wasn't me" was in G minor. What I did was alter the key of the instrumental one semitone so that it would fit the singing vocal much better. I also time-stretched the acapella to 128 bpm from it's original bpm of 96.

This method allowed me to mashup Shaggy with a beat that I could now fit with the overall sound of the mix.

The next required artist that I would use in this mix would be 2 Unlimited. However, I did not find that mixing any of their songs into the beat of "Good Vibrations" sounded good. Therefore, I used a "transitional" song to get me from "Good Vibrations" to "Twilight Zone". This was Reel 2 Reel "I like to Move it". To make the transitional song sound interesting during the segment and mask the transition I mashed it up with vocal elements from Technotronic, Mighty Dub Katz, Mr. Lee, 20 Fingers, Tag-Team, and C&C Music Factory. Even when I finally was in the song "Twilight Zone", I still kept a vocal bit from "I like to move it" to give it some reference to the previous track that was used. These techniques are used to trick the listener so that they think they are still in song A but are really in song B.

I would use these techniques thought the mix to bridge the songs from the required artists, fill out the mix, and provide some ear candy to the listener. I tried not to stay too long on a song (8 / 16 measures). I would also sample melodies on some minimal beats to help transition to the next segment of the megamix. In this case, sampling the melody of Snap "Rhythm is a Dancer" under the beat of 2 Unlimited "No Limit", during the chorus of "No Limit". I then used that melody from "Rhythm is a Dancer" to transition to the actual album version and sample the vocal from the required artist/song, Rednex "Cotton Eye Joe".

If I felt an original song from a required artist would not work within the mix, I would then see if it was possible to remix the vocal with an instrumental from the 90s that would work. I did this for tracks such as "Cotton Eye Joe" and "It wasn't me". Using the beat from "Rhythm is a Dancer" allowed me to transition to Safri Duo "Played Alive" from 2 Unlimited "No Limit".

While I wanted this megamix to play the songs short (8 - 16 measures), there were some areas where I decided to play them longer because of the nature of the vocal I was mashing it up with. One example was Alice Deejay "Better Off Alone" remixed with the vocal from Everything But the Girl "Missing". I felt the vocal harmonized well with the beat and wanted the listener to enjoy it for the duration of the verse and chorus.

It's also worth noting that I tried to make this mix, with all the tracks involved, key compatible. I relied on tweaking the root key of some tracks to make them work with other songs. For example, I changed the key of Alice Deejay "Better off Alone" from G#m to Am so that it would work with the vocal from Everything But the Girl "Missing". I altered the keys of "Magic Carpet Ride", "Slave to the Music", "Rhythm is a Dancer", "This is how we do it", Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom, and "Better off alone".

All the mashups that were used in this mix were created specifically for this project. In other words, I had not produced those mashups previously.

Although the 90s is not an era I work with primarily as a DJ, I did have a mix-show for many years on Radio 1075 (Stockholm) where I would mix 90s music on-air during their lunch hour. I've also had extensive experience mixing daily for The Voice and NRJ Radio. I think having that background helped in shaping my ideas for this mix. My experience in producing mashups/edits also contributed to how this mix sounded overall.

There were some challenges I had in making this mix. One main issue was that I did not have all the music available in the studio. I did alot of research on www.discogs.com to find out what original or remix versions were released during the 90s, as well as dub, instrumental, and acapella tracks. I wanted to make the mix using actual tracks from that era. If I could not find the track on any one of my music sources, I would then go and purchase the CD Maxi or 12" at www.discogs.com. It took a while to get all the source tracks in the studio. I also want to thank Vladislav Chavine for being kind enough to help me rip some of the vinyl tracks to digital.

The second challenge was that I was not able to get an authentic instrumental to Marky Mark's "Good Vibration" and authentic acapella to "Missing" by Everything But The Girl. There never was a release of these two tracks officially and there were no leaks on the Internet. To solve this I used a cover version. I wasn't 100% pleased with this but after listening to the mix a few times I got used to the cover tracks.

The third challenge was including Lou Bega - Mambo No 5 into this mix. The song was the outlier of the project. It just didn't fit in with the Euro House style of the rest of the artists/tracks. There was no 90s era remix that worked well and there was no acapella available. As a result I ended the high energy set with Scooter and proceeded to make my own little mashup of two of Lou Bega's popular songs, which sounded very similar to one another.

I spent quite a bit of time thinking up the structure of the mix, procuring the music, auditioning the samples, arranging the tracks, and recording the mix. When I was not working in the studio preparing for my gigs or being a full time dad, I would spend few hours in the night time working on this project. Total time was around 12 hours from thought to execution.

Spinning Mix - A one hour music filled workout

2013-01-09T13:39:00.003-08:00

Recently, I was commissioned by a fitness instructor that works for a large fitness chain in Scandinavia to produce two 1-hour mixes for his Spinning class. The mix had some requirements. The first ten minutes was a warm up set that actually started with high intensity music for five minutes followed by a less intense track for another five minutes. Then the next thirty five minutes is the "meat" of the mix and builds in intensity. The last fifteen minutes is a "cool down" section where I decided to incorporate some chilled "dubstep" tracks that had a euphoric tone to them and eliminate any hard drops that are associated with that style. I hope you enjoy it!!

Aronsborg Night Club - November 2012

2012-11-22T10:32:00.000-08:00

Last week I had the pleasure of headlining one of the biggest parties in Bålsta, Sweden. The day started after my Friday gig at my residency at Havana Nightclub. Me and my pal Magnus took an 7 a.m. flight out of Kristiansand and arrived in Stockholm at 10.30. We were picked up and shuttled to the hotel where the venue is located. I got a chance to see the different rooms in the nightclub and check out the fantastic rig they set up for my performance before crashing in my bed for some needed sleep.

After some sleep and a pizza run, I relaxed in my room and went over some battle weapons I knew I'd be dropping tonight. Made some finishing touches to some of my edits and bootlegs and headed off to the venue.

The gig went off extremely well. They had a very professional staff, excellent sound and light technicians. The warm up DJ was playing hard and the crowd was already loving it. When it was time for me to take over they were ready for mayhem. I dropped many of my bootlegs which they ate up and asked for seconds and thirds. The crowd was mostly 25 years and up so I also delve into the 90s and played them some fantastic club anthems from that era. It was a very wide formatted mix show. I played a bit of Hip-Hop, some breaks, Progressive House, got them dirty with the Dutch, and even got them skankin like headless chickens with some Dubstep. They were a complete hot mess by the time the evening wrapped up.

The crowd was amazing. Great vibe throughout the night. Big thanks to Andreas and his crew for bringing me down.

Here is a recap of the night:

Why do I need to become a producer to become a successful DJ? Part 2

2012-08-29T10:44:00.001-07:00

Continuing from my previous blog post on "Why do I need to become a producer to become a successful DJ?"

Now my questions is, could a superstar artist like Avicii mix that type of set?

My opinion is no he could not do it. I believe that Avicii could not work in the same club every weekend and play a 4-5 hour set, keep the dance-floor busy by reading the crowd, making changes to his set, and deliver a great mix-show. The reason I don't believe he can do this is because there is no evidence that Avicii has ever worked this way before. His career started from a bedroom studio to guest spots at venues, to festivals and large arenas. He's never had the responsibility to develop and maintain a club residency. Mix it up for the same crowd every weekend. Reinvent his sets so that he would not sound exactly the same as before.

Fortunately, Avicii and other superstar producers have been able to avoid this aspect of the profession which is a reality to the majority of club DJs.

I am not singling out Avicii in order to criticize him for this. I have great admiration and respect for what he does. He has talent making music for a dance-floor. The reality is that we're two different types of DJs and yet the industry seems to value and reward him far greater than a local club DJ that is the life blood of many nightclubs around the world.

Nightclubs generally rely of making money from patrons at the door (cover charge), and selling alcohol during the night. Clubs have expenses (rent, payroll, utilities, alcohol, equipment, and the entertainment). If a club were to hire a superstar producer/DJ like Avicii every weekend and pay his fee, they would go bankrupt quickly. It's simple economics. Therefore, a club relies heavily on a solid club DJ that can mix it up for their crowd at a fraction of what a superstar producer/DJ commands.

I'm often amazed that even in my town, a promoter or night club will book a local "producer/DJ" that has very few years experience mixing for a crowd. That local producer may have made a few songs in their studio, but how does that actually translate to whether he/she is any good at rocking a dance-floor? It's comparing apples and oranges. If a producer releases a song, they instantly get a status of "Producer". The song may be obscure, or never resonate with the local crowd or even get on radio. Regardless of this, they have the status of "Producer". But their ability to actually "DJ" for a crowd has nothing to do with that accomplishment. That local producer may not have much experience when it comes to knowing the different music genres, eras, and applying that knowledge in a set. And yet, those club managers and promoters put a higher value on the fact that he/she has published a song, regardless of whether that song becomes a hit or not.

Before the EDM scene became mainstream, many of us DJs were mixing urban music (Hip-Hop, R&B) which was the mainstream music at the time (2000-2008). It wasn't very common to see DJs as producers. Club DJs would play and mix songs that were released by artists. (Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, Eminem, Mary J Blige, Ice Cube, etc.). You never saw these artists coming into a club to DJ a set. It just didn't happen. They did their thing and we club DJs did our thing.

But as EDM has grown and become essentially a mainstream form of music, alot of young talent that are producing music have decided to become DJs. Or DJs, seeing the potential to elevate their careers, have taken on to producing music as a vehicle for becoming more popular and getting more gigs at higher salaries.

But this formula for success seems to ignore one important key element. And that is the art or skill of knowing what songs to play and how to deliver a solid mix-show on demand. This art or skill is something that takes years to understand and master. Even if a DJ/producer makes a song(s) in a studio, they may still lack a fundamental understanding of what it takes to be a great club DJ. Being a producer and being a great club DJ are two different things entirely. Yet, still, the industry seems to perceive the "Producer" as having a higher value than a club DJ that may not produce music but knows how to deliver that music in a club setting.

I observe this trend with great curiosity. I could spend the next couple of years learning how to produce music. Or, I could spend the next couple of years perfecting the skill of rocking a dance-floor. Because learning one will not translate to the other. It's apples and oranges.

Please feel free to share your opinions and experiences.

Why do I need to become a producer to become a successful DJ? Part 1

2012-08-27T18:03:00.001-07:00

Last weekend I was in Kristiansand performing at both Tollboden and Havana Etcetera. One night I was having dinner at a new restaurant, Atlantis, with a DJ colleague that I got to know that week. We were discussing music, clubs, the DJ scene, etc. At one point we got into the discussion of music production. He asked me if I was producing music. I truthfully answered "no". And I got to thinking why is there such a value on whether a DJ is producing his/her own music?

Over the dinner I began to talk how it seems that today a Producer/DJ that becomes very popular with his music, can leap forward over highly skilled veteran club DJs that may not ever produce, but can pack a dancefloor. Today, a producer/DJ can become the next superstar. They can play at large festivals, arenas, and super clubs. They can command up to six figures for a gig where they would play mostly their music for about an hour or two.

I find the trend amazing. I can see the temptation for young bedroom DJ/Producers to invest their time in creating electronic music. They see the glitter and the dollar signs. They follow their superstar heroes on Facebook and Instagram and dream of living that lifestyle. I admit, I also have dreams of being a successful DJ. But I don't dream of being a music producer.

I've tried to produce music. There is a big learning curve in understanding the programs, concepts, and theory that goes into making music. Generally, it's body of knowledge that requires years of education at a school and more years of on the job training as a studio engineer.

To me it seems ridiculous to go that route just to be able to come into a club, mix songs, and rock a party. The skill involved in DJing such as reading a dancefloor, understanding flow in programming your music, and mixing, is what is most important when DJing inside a club. This is my opinion but I believe it has great merit.

For example, if a club were to hire a DJ/Producer like Avicii, they would pay him an exorbitant amount of money, cover all of his expenses related to his travel, hotel, and other items on his artist's rider. This will set the club and promoter back tens of thousands of euros/dollars.

The artist will come to the club and play a set that may be at the most two hours. The music will consist of only or mostly his music. Now, the next day, a regular local DJ could come into that same club, and play every song that Avicii played during his set the night before, and in the same order and exactly the same way. That local DJ would only get paid a tiny fraction of what Avicii made that night.

The same local DJ, because he is a seasoned club DJ, can walk into any club and deliver a mix show for the guests, using songs from different artists and producers. Maybe that DJ will use some bootlegs to give the guests a refreshing change from the music they are used to hearing all the time at a club. That local DJ will be reading his dance-floor and make adjustments to his music programming. Maybe he'll play a Progressive House set, followed by a short latin style dance set, and then sweat his dancers with a short Dirty Dutch set before cooling them down with a Hip-Hop set.

That local club DJ may do this for 4-5 hours during the night and succeed in keeping the dance-floor busy and engaged. For this work, that local DJ may only get a few hundred euros.

Now my questions is, could a superstar artist like Avicii mix that type of set?

Continued in Part 2

Kato vs. Train - Turn the Lights Off vs. Hey Soul Sister (Mario Santiago Bootleg)

2012-08-20T12:21:00.000-07:00

About two years ago, I made this mashup, which is what I call an "Inverse Mashup" where I take instrumental (A) and mash it up with a vocal from song (B). Then, during the course of the track, I mix to instrumental (B) and mash it up with vocals from song (A) and just keep juggling between vocals (A) and (B). I think it's a cool technique and I learned it from The Cut Up Boys who are masters at it.

At the time, I did not release it for download because one of the vocals was not a clean studio, but a filtered version so I was never happy with the quality. Now, I have that studio vocal so I have reworked this mashup and am giving it out for you guys to enjoy. I have provided both the radio and club edit. You can find it on the following link. Enjoy!!

If you'd like a copy, please provide your e-mail address below and I will forward you a copy as fast as possible.
PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT THE RADIO OR CLUB EDIT

I'm now an official remixer for Crack4DJs.net

2012-07-21T07:06:00.001-07:00

This month I've been chosen to be one of the main remixers for Crack4DJs. They are one of the premiere websites for bootlegs, re-drums, and edits for working DJs worldwide.

Crack4DJs is a sister site to the world famous Crooklyn Clan (CrooklynClan.net). My plan is to prove myself on Crack4DJs and get promoted as remixer on Crooklyn Clan. For those who are not familiar with Crooklyn Clan. They have produced some of the most famous party break remixes heard on dancefloors. Check out this clip so that you know.

Here are the releases that I've contributed to Crack4DJs so far. Every week they'll be new additions from a wide range of music genres (House, Urban, Rock, Pop).

Rita Ora vs. Carly Rae Jepsen - How we Do (Party) (Mario Santiago Bootleg)

2012-07-12T10:36:00.004-07:00

A simple blend of Rita's vocals over the beat of Carly Rae Jepsen and some clever editing. The two elements match perfectly. Go figure. Enjoy!!

Robyn vs. Avicii - Dancing on my own while we Fade Into Darkness

2012-07-11T16:31:00.000-07:00

Here is a bootleg I've been using on my club gigs and radio mix-shows. I carefully edited the track to fit the vocals and interchanged the choruses/hooks from both "Fade into Darkness" and "Dancing on my own" to play on each other. What do you think?

Pop Music Gets a Bad Rap!!

2012-07-05T17:44:00.000-07:00

Recently, I got to read an article on Wired magazine titled "Pop Music is Boring". The article went on to describe how today's pop music all sounds the same. And she used the following mashup by vissagan as an example to prove her point.

She also goes on to argue that in today's Pop culture the words "club", "hands", "party", and "alcohol" are used repeatedly in song lyrics.

Now I produce mashups on a weekly basis for my club gigs and radio mix-shows, so I understand there are relationships between songs that may be predictable but also unlikely. In the above example, the person who created the Pop mashup just put a bunch of vocal parts on the same beat. Some elements I can clearly hear that he modified the key of the singer to fit the key of the song. In my opinion, the entire mashup was a mess. But if the goal was to showcase how Pop music is so similar these days, by taking different vocals and layering them on the same beat, I have a counter to that argument.

In the example below, I take a well known House track that many may consider a House anthem and layered it with thirteen different vocals from the same genre. The only exception being "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson, which many might consider a classic and beyond pop-bashing.

You can hear that the vocal elements I use fit the melodic progression and key of the song, but they are different. Different verses, hooks, choruses. If you listen to the content of the lyrics, many sing about "Dancing", "Clubbing", and "Love". My point is that based on my mashup example, it does not prove that House music is boring. And based on vissagan's Pop mashup above, the argument that Pop music is boring also has no merit.

What is true is that people have opinions. And at the end of the day you have to qualify your assertion by stating "This is my opinion only". The writer of the article, Holt Kay, heard the Pop mashup and came to the conclusion "Aha, this means Pop music is repetitive and boring". It's clear she does not have experience producing music, or creating mashups. To a mashup artist, we understand that songs have a relationship with one another on some level. As a result, it's possible to combine songs together and exploit those tonal relationships. That is what we mashup artists do on the regular.

As for the criticism directed to the lyrics in Pop music today. it's not that much different than it was 20-30 years ago. Since when does Pop music have to be so serious? Pop music today is intended for people to dance and party, not take life so seriously. That's like criticizing a bar for selling alcohol. Even the quintessential Hip-Hop song "Rapper's Delight" (1979) by The Sugarhill Gang, is all about partying, sex, cars, money, status, competition, and more sex. Nothing deep going on there folks. And to top it off, it uses a breakbeat from the Disco hit "Good Times" by Chic.

Personally, I can appreciate all types of music and take it for what it is. I can enjoy Jazz and Classical music, but understand that it may not resonate well at a party or night club. And I can respect that some songs aim to tell us a story or make us reflect. And I am present enough to realize that as I get older and as music evolves, I may fall out of favor with the current trends and reminisce of the days gone past when I believed music was "real". But in reality, that would just signify that I have fallen behind with the times and that is what I think has happened with Ms. Holt in writing her piece on Pop music. But that is just my opinion on that. ;)

Manipulating keys to work in a remix / mashup

2012-07-05T11:30:00.001-07:00

Sometimes you hear a track and get an idea for what may sound good on it. But when you put the elements together you realize that they don't sound quite right. The progression or flow is there but it sounds off key. With today's production tools it's a simple matter of changing the semitone of a key up or down the scale to to fit the track you want the sample to sound in key with.

In the following example, you have the instrumental track by Chris Brown - "Turn up the Music". I placed the vocal / acapella of Ne-Yo - "Let's go" on it and played it at it's original key.

If you listen, the chord progression between the two songs match, but Ne-Yo's vocals sound off. The issue is that he's singing on a different key than the melody of the instrumental track.

What I did in the second example was simply alter the key of the instrumental track one semitone lower. By changing the key one semitone lower, it fitted Ne-Yo's vocals properly. Listen below:

The question you may ask is "Why not change Ne-Yo's vocals? Why change the key on the instrumental?"

My answer is that you have to listen to what sounds better. In this example, changing Ne-Yo's vocals did not sound very good to my ears. But changing the key of the instrumental did not sound bad and it fitted Ne-Yo vocals well. Sometimes, you may have to alter the key of the vocal, or the melodic elements you're working with.

I hope this helps you in some way. Comment and share.

Paris Hilton's DJ debut; Running before you can walk

2012-07-01T19:24:00.001-07:00

For months it was hinted that Paris Hilton was learning to DJ from her mentor and rumored boyfriend, DJ/Producer Afrojack. This month she got behind the decks at the Pop Music Festival in São Paulo, Brazil.

Based on the few videos posted on YouTube documenting parts of her set, it's clear to see and hear that her performance was a disaster. She appeared to be spending most of the time waving her hands in the air, swaying her arms and body to the music, talking on the mic, and waving flags. Never do you see her looking down at her equipment to cue up a song, and working a transition.

The most noticeable error is when you hear a song by Rihanna come on while she starts to sing over one of her own tracks that Afrojack had produced. Strangely, you don't see where she might have accidentally pressed a button to cause that error, which suggests that it was some sort of pre-recorded mix that went bad.

At one point she's working the effects controls on the mixer but that seemed to be more for showmanship than anything substantial. She then gets on the mic and attempts to emcee the crowd, and then sing a portion of the song's hook "Oh sometimes I get a good feeling". It sounded hideous.

Video #1

Video #2

Recently, Afrojack was interviewd by BPM on SiriusXM regarding the incident. He did his best to not criticize her, but he confirmed that she had in fact played a pre-recorded mix. He also added that if anybody is going to try to be a DJ, to learn the equipment first before attempting to get in front of a crowd. You can listen to the interview below.

Labrinth - Earthquake (Elektro - Dubstep Transition Remix)

2012-06-27T08:01:00.000-07:00

Here is a transition tool I've created to go from a 4x4 house beat to the Dubstep/Grime hit "Earhtquake" by Labrinth.

TO GET A FREE COPY WITHOUT DROPS, PROVIDE YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS IN THE COMMENTS SECTION!

Avicii - Fade Into Darkness (Mario Santiago Alternative Bootleg)

2012-06-02T12:29:00.001-07:00

Here is an alternative take on this epic monster of a track. This song has been used so much that I wanted to breathe some new life into it using amazing vocals from the track. Enjoy!!

Robin Gibb, Bee Gees co-founder, dies at 62

2012-05-20T16:13:00.000-07:00

Robin Gibb, singer of the band the Bee Gees, died after a long battle with cancer.

Gibb founded the Bee Gees in the late 50s. They achieved minor success in the 60s and early 70s, and briefly parted way. It wasn't until the late 70s that that they began to experiment with the "Disco" sound that was gaining popularity as an underground genre in the U.S.

They agreed to participate in creating a few tracks that would be used in an upcoming film, "Saturday Night Fever". That turned out to be the "life changer" in their career. The impact of the film and the music soundtrack catapulted them to world-wide fame and success. It basically brought Disco to the mainstream.

Some of their most memorable tracks in this period were "Stayin' Alive", "Night Fever", "More than a woman", and "How deep is your love".

R.I.P. Robin Gibb

Kelly Rowland ft. Lil' Wayne - Motivation (Dubstep Bootleg)

2012-05-19T12:04:00.000-07:00

Here is a mashup I did many months ago. I never released it because I did not have the studio vocal of Kelly Rowland's "Motivation". Finally I was able to get it and here is the result. I basically took Dubstep elements from artists Bassnectar and Surpass. I hope you enjoy it.

TO GET A FREE COPY WITHOUT DROPS, PROVIDE YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS IN THE COMMENTS SECTION!

Donna Summer, Disco Legend, dies at 63

2012-05-19T06:38:00.000-07:00

Donna Summer, who had been battling cancer, died at the age of 63.

The Grammy-winning singer rose to fame during the disco era of the late 70s. Her hits included "Last Dance", "Love to love you baby", "Bad Girl", "Hot Stuff, and "Heaven knows". She was the first artist to cross over disco into mainstream culture.

Her song "Last Dance", which Summer admitted was her favorite song she worked on, won an Oscar for best original song in the 1978 film "Thank God It's Friday". She was a legend and a true artist. R.I.P.

MUSIC VIDEO MASHUP: Call my Name and Party All Night (Mario Santiago Bootleg)

2012-05-10T04:13:00.000-07:00

VET Music Videos has just released a video edit of my Mashup "Call my Name and Party all Night). They did an amazing job. Enjoy!!!

VET Music Videos: https://www.facebook.com/VETMusicVideos

Cheryl Cole vs. Sean Kingston vs. Far East Movement vs. Various Artists - Call my name and Party all night

2012-05-07T14:12:00.001-07:00

Here is a multi-source mashup that I've had fun producing. It's using Cheryl Cole's new single "Call my name" as the basis for the beat and arranging it with elements that give the track a more party vibe. I hope you enjoy it.

Elements used:

Cheryl Cole - Call my name
Sean Kingston - Party all night
Britney Spears - Till the world ends
LMFAO - Party Rock Anthem
Roger Sanchez ft. Far East Movement - 2gether
Dada Life - Happy Violence
Tiesto ft. Busta Rhymes - C'mon
Afrojack - Replica

R.I.P. Adam Yauch (MCA) of the Beastie Boys

2012-05-04T11:25:00.000-07:00

Adam Yauch, known as MCA of the legendary Beastie Boys passed away today at the age of 47. I was a big fan of them during the 80s and 90s. They had a raw sound fusing Rock, Breaks, and Rap music. Although a white rap group was pretty rare in the 80s, they quickly built a solid rep and gained fame that followed them til this day.

MCA had been diagnosed with cancer in 2009 and was undergoing treatment of the disease. It's unfortunate that such a talented artist has left us so young. You will be missed Adam.

Nari & Milan vs. Hardwell vs. Swedish House Mafia - Atom (Mario Santiago Bootleg)

2012-05-03T11:56:00.000-07:00

Here is a House bootleg for the clubs. It's a mix of a few samples and vocal elements to spice up the song. I hope you enjoy it.

Fedde Le Grande & Deniz Koyu vs. Calvin Harris ft. Ne-Yo - Let's Go (Mario Santiago Bootleg)

2012-04-30T06:25:00.002-07:00

This is a recent mashup I've been playing at the clubs and radio mix-shows. Just to spice things up and give the track a more "Progressive House" feel I took the synth parts of "Turn it " by FLG and Koyu, which give a nice rise to the track and then introduce the take off from Calvin Harris.

Rihanna vs. Nicki Minaj - Where have you been vs. Turn me on (Mario Santiago Bootleg)

2012-04-27T12:30:00.002-07:00

I recently got the studio acapella to Rihanna's "Where have you been" and thought it would sound great on the beat by David Guetta ft. Nicki Minaj - Turn me on. I've enjoyed jamming "Turn me on" in the clubs but I honestly never liked Nicki Minaj's vocals on it. Rihanna has a more developed singing voice and it shows on this remix.

Basically, I took Rihanna's acapella and arranged it on the instrumental of Turn me on. But I also incorporated Sidney Samson's remix of "Turn me on" and used his powerful Dutch style instrumentation as the take off to really give the song some punch.

I think this track will go well in my club sets.

If you'd like a copy, please provide your e-mail address below and I will forward you a copy as soon as possible.

I am an Open Format DJ! What is Open Format?

2012-04-27T06:41:00.001-07:00

Whenever I get a call or e-mail from a prospective club owner or promoter to play at one of their events, I always ask them what the music format is that they are looking for. Sometimes I am asked why I go through this step and I explain that I play a wide variety of music formats. For example, for many years when Hip-Hop was fashionable I was focusing mainly on that genre. I even had radio mix-shows in various cities that catered that that music format. As the music scene gradually evolved to more pop, uptempo dance music, and House, I adapted my focus on that genre and style of music.

Being exposed to music from various eras (70s, 80s, 90s, 00s) and genres (Hip-Hop, House, Dubstep, etc) has provided me a wide range of knowledge on how those beats work with each other and has given me the opportunity to work with those genres for both radio mix-show and club gigs.

Open Format literally means being open to any and all formats of music. An Open Format DJ will play what seems like a random selection of songs from different genres and eras and blend them together in a cohesive way that sound great and keep the dancers on the dance-floor interested.

One way I try to bridge the gap between these different music styles is producing my own Mashups. By arranging samples from different songs and mixing them in a way that sounds great for a dancefloor I am able to accomplish a few goals.

Make the original song sound more interesting for the audience while still maintaining an element of familiarity.
Rejuvenate older elements from past songs that would normally not be used as a track during the night.
Give the song my own personal touch that is unique to all the rest.

As an Open Format DJ, I have the freedom to pick and choose songs from different genres, tempos, and eras and program them in a way that sounds great for the dance floor. If the club owner or promoter is looking for a DJ to spin House or R&B, an Open Format DJ can successfully play those genres and still introduce elements from other genres to spice things up.

What I enjoy about playing an open format is the challenge of working with different songs and keeping the guests on the dance floor entertained. I personally know I would get bored if I just played strictly one genre and played every song as is. I love being able to get creative with the songs I'm working with and also hearing other DJs doing the same. If done well, it can really provide an entertaining and exciting atmosphere.

If you are a DJ and are interested in broadening your horizons and diversifying your music repertoire, the best bet is to expose yourself to as much music as possible. Exposure to music usually happens over time so don't feel pressure if you are not knowledgeable in every style of dance music. Time is your best friend when it comes to expanding your musical knowledge. The important thing to remember is to be open to what's out there. Some songs I may not ever play at a club, but I may borrow the bassline, melody, hook from that song and use it in another track that is popular at the club. By doing so you can really make an impression at your gigs.

Here are some examples of tracks that I've mashed up using elements from various eras and genres.

Elements used:

Genairo Nvilla - Al"Liv"N (Original Mix) - Backing track I House I 2011
Far East Movment - Like a G6 - Acapella I Pop I 2010
Dire Straits - Money for Nothing - Guitar riff I Rock I 1985
Liquid Stranger - Ripple I Dubstep I 2010

Far East Movement, Dire Straits, Skrillex, Liquid Stranger - Like a G6 (Club-Dubstep Mashup) from DJ Mario Santiago on Vimeo.

Elements used:

Enrique Iglesias ft. Pitbull - I like how it feels - Primary track I Mainstream Dance I 2011
The Rolling Stones - I can't get no satisfaction - Tambourine, Backing vocals, Electric guitar, Acoustic guitar, Lead vocal I Rock I 1965

Enrique Iglesias ft. Pitbull vs. The Rolling Stones - I like how it feels (Mario Santiago Bootleg) from DJ Mario Santiago on Vimeo.