Songs with unmixable intros

**nrgbeat** · May 4th, 2002, 10:28 AM

This is a question to all the current/former dj's.

When you had a song with an unmixable intro e.g. "I Will Survive" "Flashdance",etc. did you make it the first song in your set or did you use some other technique to work it in your mix?

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: nrgbeat on 2002-05-04 11:30 ]</font>

**Mixmachine** · May 4th, 2002, 01:01 PM

There is nothing wrong with the “I will Survive” intro, you got a short piano intro and two vocal sets totaling 32 beats(2/16), you can chop mix it on “so you’re back !”or you can timed it and blend it in at the same spot, another approach is to use a second copy and start your mix during the mid violin brake, you’ve got 64 beats to play with before you let it go when the “at first I was afraid “ vocals kick in, then work your way back to the beginning of the record, try playing it with 2 beats behind, a very nice effect, especially during the “I will survive, Ohhhhh” portion, this is very good song to play around with, when it was new and hot I will play it for 15 or 20 minutes, and the crowds loved it. You can do the same with any intro you’re not comfortable with. Enjoy the Mix..

**Nano** · May 4th, 2002, 06:19 PM

I was not a professional DJ (came close on those days, then turned to writing) but I hanged out in the scene. One song which was really difficult to superpose for all DJs was "Upside down" (Diana Ross) because of the jazzy syncopated rythm that goes through all the song. And "I'm coming out" (same record and also produced by Chic) has a lot of syncopated drumming at the beginning, that can be confusing. The solution was to mix by direct cut on song breaks with no drums, or ones with false endings (example: "Push" by One Way).
Listening to an old tape I remembered that the intro of Gino Soccio's "Who dunnit?" includes the sound of someone dialing on a phone, then the busy line sound, but all that out of rhythm with the back track. If you wanted to do a long mix (my favourites) those phone sounds could be too distracting, even as it's a long intro, otherwise it's perfect.

**Robbie** · May 4th, 2002, 08:41 PM

I think "I Will Survive" can be mixed when Gloria says "...and so you're back" and then have the mixing segment end around the time she says "...if I had known for just one second you'd be back to bother me".

I remember hearing a Jellybean mix on WKTU years back. He mixed Donna Summer's "MacArthur Park Suite" during the drum/conga break of Peter Jacques Band's "Fire Night Dance" when she lets out that scream right when the music turns to disco. That took me by surprise big time. Sort of a "disco whiplash".

**nonkel808** · May 4th, 2002, 09:27 PM

On 2002-05-04 19:19, Nano wrote:
One song which was really difficult to superpose for all DJs was "Upside down" (Diana Ross) because of the jazzy syncopated rythm that goes through all the song. And "I'm coming out" (same record and also produced by Chic) has a lot of syncopated drumming at the beginning, that can be confusing.

The good point is that the two songs: 'I'm coming out' and 'Upside down' mix perfectly into each other!

**The Lord of Flatbush** · May 5th, 2002, 02:58 AM

I've mixed those two together on mixed CD's. Not a degree of difficulty whatsoever.

quote]
On 2002-05-04 22:27, nonkel808 wrote:

On 2002-05-04 19:19, Nano wrote:
One song which was really difficult to superpose for all DJs was "Upside down" (Diana Ross) because of the jazzy syncopated rythm that goes through all the song. And "I'm coming out" (same record and also produced by Chic) has a lot of syncopated drumming at the beginning, that can be confusing.

The good point is that the two songs: 'I'm coming out' and 'Upside down' mix perfectly into each other!

[/quote]

**JussiK** · May 5th, 2002, 03:36 AM

I used to mess with the intro of I WILL SURVIVE but now the tune has become such an anthem that it works best the way it is, au naturel with no beats underneath. This way people will really get to emote to the drama of the thing. Try this and witness hands in the air, people striking poses and really acting out the intro. Same story with Gloria's other anthem, I AM WHAT I AM.

**Mixmachine** · May 5th, 2002, 01:52 PM

IMO “Upside down” and “I’m coming out” are better suited for chop mixing than superimposing, but my “I’m coming out” 12” intro has exactly 6 sets of 16 beats each before the songs takes off that can be superimpose over any other song’s instrumental portion or break if you like, I know this song is tricky but the intro sequence is on beat and once you listen and analyze it few times it will be easier to follow.

**Jimmy-Michaels** · May 5th, 2002, 11:31 PM

As for 'I Will Survive", I have done both(havent played it in a while cause i do more underground/club disco than anything and some times throw a well known mainstream in it)Started a mix with it and got it in the mix. You need to do what I did 2 copys and be really quick with your hands and pitch control. Id take it from where the song begins to repeat over with "At First I was Afraid.." with the beat over it(where the single fades and the 12 continues) have that going over any beat break from anything else and on the 5th beat drop the other track and quickly grab my other copy slap it on the turn table and cue it up instantly to the begining of the song to where it dropps in "Back from outerspace" and adjust the pitch(quickly I may add, as fast as i can so i dont miss it on the other record)to where the other one is at and overlap "Back" with the 2nd part of the song on turntable #1 and cut to the other on "From Outerspace" and it flows perfect. Tough to do if you dont have this planned and record ready to slap on.

**Nano** · May 6th, 2002, 11:11 AM

On 2002-05-05 03:58, The Lord of Flatbush wrote:
I've mixed those two together on mixed CD's. Not a degree of difficulty whatsoever.

Yeah, I'm smiling too, but you don't say FROM WHICH OTHER SONG and TO WHICH OTHER SONG you were mixing these pair.

**Nano** · May 6th, 2002, 11:13 AM

On 2002-05-06 00:31, DJ Jimmy M wrote:
Id take it from where the song begins to repeat over with "At First I was Afraid.." with the beat over it(where the single fades and the 12 continues) have that going over any beat break from anything else and on the 5th beat drop the other track and quickly grab my other copy slap it on the turn table and cue it up instantly to the begining of the song to where it dropps in "Back from outerspace" and adjust the pitch(quickly I may add, as fast as i can so i dont miss it on the other record)to where the other one is at and overlap "Back" with the 2nd part of the song on turntable #1 and cut to the other on "From Outerspace" and it flows perfect...

Man! You had me sweating just by reading it!!

**markydefad** · May 6th, 2002, 06:10 PM

When Nicky did his mix for DGR, he used something by Kebelektrik ("War Dance"?) to cover the slow opening of France Joli's "The Heart to Break The Heart." Somone else relayed another story about how you could play an instrumental with a beat under another song with a slow vocal opening--anyone remember?

**Jimmy-Michaels** · May 6th, 2002, 11:11 PM

LOL!!!!
But Nano, did you understand what i mean and how to do it?

**Nano** · May 7th, 2002, 03:59 PM

Think I did, but I'm not a big fan of Gloria Gaynor anyway. Good idea, obviously now with a CD mixer you can do a lot of other things more easily.
Cheers up for all "analog" DJs who worked so much to make people feel good.

**NickNack** · May 10th, 2002, 08:18 PM

On 2002-05-06 19:10, markydefad wrote:
When Nicky did his mix for DGR, he used something by Kebelektrik ("War Dance"?) to cover the slow opening of France Joli's "The Heart to Break The Heart." Somone else relayed another story about how you could play an instrumental with a beat under another song with a slow vocal opening--anyone remember?

Yeah, that was me about the instrumental. A good example of that would be when "I Will Survive" was still popular, Sunshine Records in NYC was selling acetates of the song with the entire intro reworked using "At Midnight" (what else?) by T-Connection.

To Answer NRGbeat's question, you don't have to make them the first song of the set. If you don't feel like working the vocal or slapping it when the music begins, try bringing them in after a record with a 'cold' end. If the crowd is into it, they'll hang, just like Jussi said.

_________________
Dancin'... A Thing To Free Your Mind

Nicky

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: NickNack on 2002-05-10 21:22 ]</font>