Logo
DiS Needs You: Save our site »
  • Logo_home2
  • Records
  • In Depth
  • In Photos
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Search
  • Community
  • Records
  • In Depth
  • Blog
  • Community

THIS SITE HAS BEEN ARCHIVED AND CLOSED.

Please join the conversation over on our new forums »

If you really want to read this, try using The Internet Archive.

63924

Artist-generated

10-step Guide to Making a Mix(tape) by worriedaboutsatan
10-step Guide to Making a Mix(tape) by worriedaboutsatan
sean by Sean Adams October 31st, 2010

As you may have noticed, we're running a special promotion with BlackBerry Torch and Mixcloud, to win stuff if you share a mix(tape) you've made and people like it. Or simply if you share a mix tagged DiSis10 that you happen to like. (lots more info here).

It's a wet Sunday here in London, so maybe you have time to make your entry today? In case any of you need any inspiration for putting together your mix, here's a 10-step guide from those chaps from worriedaboutsatan who you may have seen playing live at our DiS is 10 party in London (pictured above) or dropping some Dre into their DJ set on a roller-skate rink in Sheffield for the northern leg of our anniversary celebrations...

1. Simple selector

Start with music that you love and that you know really well. Same goes for your equipment. You don’t have to play music you don’t know well, and there’s no pressure to splash out on 100s of records or a laptop. Yet…

2. No Hawtin-Da Bank-Alkan please

Don’t try and imitate another DJ, find your own style and hunt out the best tracks you can find. Who cares about if Gay Dad aren’t ‘hot’ at the moment. Put it in the mix and give that track a new life…

3. Mix ‘n’ mash

Go for a beatless section in the mix, change tempo, grab the mic… play around with different mixing techniques and genres of music. Even plug in a guitar distortion pedal and hit that if you want…

4. Secret weapons

A DJ friend of mine has a secret weapon. It’s a track that he knows will make the audience literally explode if, and when he plays it. I heard him do this and it worked. Find yours, and use it wisely. Try building your mix up to this point and then BOOM…

5. If it all goes a bit Pete Tong

Throw in a rave horn, a hip hop acapella, films quotes, some crazy ass scratching, a ‘re-wind’ and then fire up a Boney M tune…

6. Step outside the comfort zone…

There’s always room to go nuts and start throwing in obscure drone in with a techno mix- throw some 70s prog in there whilst you’re at it. I saw Shackleton put ‘Mother Sky’ by Can in a live set once. I nearly soiled myself.

7. If you’re laying down some phat beats...

Please god make sure they beat match! There’s nothing quite as excruciating as hearing two beats out of time with each other. Unless of course it’s something by Jonny Greenwood.

8. Get a nice flow

Don’t start a mix straight bangin in yo-face and leave yourself nowhere to go- build it up nice and gently, then hit them with the HUGE stuff about half way through, and leave yourself plenty of time later on for a few curveballs

9. Don’t try to impress people

Oh, that girl I fancy is here tonight, I know she likes Belle and Sebastian, so I’m going to play the most obscure B&S song I can find, even though the rest of my set is made up of dirty Miami bass party bangers. #instantfail

10. Ignore all this and just go for it.

Who knows, that girl might like Miami bass party bangers with ‘Is It Wicked Not To Care?’ thrown in.


Check back later this week for worriedaboutsatan's latest mix and visit Mixcloud for more info about how to enter and how to win.

For more in worriedaboutsatan check them out on MySpace, SoundCloud, Tumblr or follow @teamsatan.



LATEST


  • Why Music Journalism Matters in 2024


  • Drowned in Sound is back!


  • Drowned in Sound's 21 Favourite Albums of the Year: 2020


  • Drowned in Sound to return as a weekly newsletter


  • Lykke Li's Sadness Is A Blessing


  • Glastonbury 2019 preview playlist + ten alternative must sees

Share on
   
Love DiS? Become a Patron of the site here »


Left-arrow

Supersonic and Swn preview: DiS meets...

Mobback
64337
64352

Order And Chaos: Norway In Noise And ...

Mobforward
Right-arrow


LATEST

    news


    Why Music Journalism Matters in 2024

  • 106145
  • news


    Drowned in Sound is back!

  • 106143

    news


    Drowned in Sound's 21 Favourite Albums of the Y...

  • 106141
  • news


    Drowned in Sound to return as a weekly newsletter

  • 106139

    Playlist


    Lykke Li's Sadness Is A Blessing

  • 106138
  • Festival Preview


    Glastonbury 2019 preview playlist + ten alterna...

  • 106137

    Interview


    A Different Kind Of Weird: dEUS on The Ideal Crash

  • 106136
  • Festival Review


    Way Out East: DiS Does Sharpe Festival 2019

  • 106135
MORE


    news


    The Neptune Music Prize 2016 - Vote Now

  • 103918
  • Takeover


    The Winner Takes It All

  • 50972

    Takeover


    10 Things To Not Expect Your Record Producer To...

  • 93724
  • review


    The Mars Volta - Deloused In The Comatorium

  • 4317

    review


    Sonic Youth - Nurse

  • 6044
  • feature


    New Emo Goth Danger? My Chemical Romance confro...

  • 89578

    feature


    DiS meets Justice

  • 27270
  • news


    Our Independent music filled alternative to New...

  • 104374
MORE
Drowned in Sound
  • DROWNED IN SOUND
  • HOME
  • SITE MAP
  • NEWS
  • IN DEPTH
  • IN PHOTOS
  • RECORDS
  • RECOMMENDED RECORDS
  • ALBUMS OF THE YEAR
  • FESTIVAL COVERAGE
  • COMMUNITY
  • MUSIC FORUM
  • SOCIAL BOARD
  • REPORT ERRORS
  • CONTACT US
  • JOIN OUR MAILING LIST
  • FOLLOW DiS
  • GOOGLE+
  • FACEBOOK
  • TWITTER
  • SHUFFLER
  • TUMBLR
  • YOUTUBE
  • RSS FEED
  • RSS EMAIL SUBSCRIBE
  • MISC
  • TERM OF USE
  • PRIVACY
  • ADVERTISING
  • OUR WIKIPEDIA
© 2000-2025 DROWNED IN SOUND