your favorite dj tools/crate staples
awall
673 Posts
what useful records do you always have when djing? 
i always stock this, mostly for blend purposes, always seems to mesh well with some tough vocals. not only are all of the cuts more of less classic, but they vary in BPMs, don't sound weird when you pitch them up and sound amazing on a good system (those kicks and snares...damn). "down by law" is a pretty sure fire party starter just on it's own. dude from blondie should have made more beats. 
A little irregular for a crate staple, but quite useful. this proto-new age is crammed full of beautiful, abstract open rhodes, but what really makes it useful is this: side a has 12 tracks, one for each astrological sign. each one these tracks corresponds to a different key: aries is C, Taurus is C#, Gemini is D, etc., so you have some open rhodes that you can layer on top of pretty much ANY song. the results are generally pretty cool. 
when I was a senior in high school I loaned all of my "battle" records to some freshman that was just learning to DJ. I was in some sort of transitional period (i think one of my tables broke so I only had one) and didn't really care and didn't mind helping the kid out. I tried to track him down before I left for college but he moved or something, and i didn't really care because unless you're just learning to scratch, or you're actually a battle DJ, battle records are pretty stupid (do battle DJs still exist anymore? kind of a masturbatory trend that seems to have died out years ago). anyway, a few years later I found a used copy of supa dupa duck breaks (which was my favorite back then) and it's become a party staple ever since. those on tempo scratch sentences can make nice little additions to a set.
i always stock this, mostly for blend purposes, always seems to mesh well with some tough vocals. not only are all of the cuts more of less classic, but they vary in BPMs, don't sound weird when you pitch them up and sound amazing on a good system (those kicks and snares...damn). "down by law" is a pretty sure fire party starter just on it's own. dude from blondie should have made more beats. A little irregular for a crate staple, but quite useful. this proto-new age is crammed full of beautiful, abstract open rhodes, but what really makes it useful is this: side a has 12 tracks, one for each astrological sign. each one these tracks corresponds to a different key: aries is C, Taurus is C#, Gemini is D, etc., so you have some open rhodes that you can layer on top of pretty much ANY song. the results are generally pretty cool. when I was a senior in high school I loaned all of my "battle" records to some freshman that was just learning to DJ. I was in some sort of transitional period (i think one of my tables broke so I only had one) and didn't really care and didn't mind helping the kid out. I tried to track him down before I left for college but he moved or something, and i didn't really care because unless you're just learning to scratch, or you're actually a battle DJ, battle records are pretty stupid (do battle DJs still exist anymore? kind of a masturbatory trend that seems to have died out years ago). anyway, a few years later I found a used copy of supa dupa duck breaks (which was my favorite back then) and it's become a party staple ever since. those on tempo scratch sentences can make nice little additions to a set.
Comments
But if I had to carry DJ tools around it'd be:
But I don't so it's probably Mighty Maestro's Nickel Bag of Breaks or Super Disco Brakes Vol. 2. One of them is usually in the crate.
CROOKLYN CLAN!
FATMAN SCOOP!
CROOKLYN CLAN!
FATMAN SCOOP!
CROOKLYN CLAN!
FATMAN SCOOP!
CROOKLYN CLAN!
FATMAN SCOOP!
CROOKLYN CLAN!
FATMAN SCOOP!
CROOKLYN CLAN!
FATMAN SCOOP!
CROOKLYN CLAN!
FATMAN SCOOP!
CROOKLYN CLAN!
FATMAN SCOOP!
CROOKLYN CLAN!
FATMAN SCOOP!
CROOKLYN CLAN!
FATMAN SCOOP!
CROOKLYN CLAN!
Mine's the vinyl graymarket reissue from about 2001, but so what. It's funky, raer, and latin - a veritable hat trick of DJ tool usefulness when playing for a mixed crowd of b-boys, trainspotters and mambo dance lesson devotees.
dead ringer...
some kid asked my boy if he could play records at an art gallery opening we were doing and showed up with this record. only this record.
Exactly.
Prince - Kiss (works for almost all club crowds)
Soho - Hot Music (B Boy Events)
Jimmy Castor - (B Boy Events)
I dropped Todd Rundgren at a fashion show last night and they absolutely loved it! Not a crate staple though.
Nirvana - Smells like Teen Spirit is a good one too.
Cosign.
Stop bitin my avatar dude.
what song? i play out nazz a lot, but never had luck with TR--although i love his records.
"Everybody standing and lighters in the air please."
I have the same. Thing is I've taken to leaving it out the bag as it seems to scare the dancefloor round these parts.. which track you playin?
I don't leave home without hey joyce, amen bro & hard headed woman. Anything on the sleng teng riddim goes down well. Some format stuff comes in handy. I always have a selection of the obvious guaranteed movers just in case.
Giving Up - Gladys Knight and The Pips
Take Me - Fabulous Souls
Heard it Through the Grapevine - Slits
Stone Thing - Alvin Cash
Who Don It - Lloyd Charmers
always...
good mood
a bit of hash
no expectations
so gully.
I've heard that a lot...
but only from people that live in NY.
not true.
That bassline is more serious than David Lynch after 4 bad acid trips.
I dropped "it takes two to tango" last weekend with positive results. that song is fucking amazing.
doubles of chic "good times" --> "rappers delight" (duh)
"mr. big stuff"
jackson 5 greatest hits
"build me up buttercup"
and, depending on the crowd, "you can call me al" --> van halen "jump" (same tempo and key, when the synth chords from "jump" drop motherfuckers at house party go nuts and something usually breaks)
for a while my secret floor filler for indie rocker types was the proclaimers "if i could walk 500 miles" on some "oh my god i totally forgot this song ruled" type shit.
what did you mean?
How so? Did you clear the floor with it or something? Probably not a room I want to be in...
I don't think that song is as well known outside of NYC. I've played it many a time down here in Tejas and never once got an exciting reaction from it. That ish just wasn't popular down here, so it isn't classic or memorable to my crowds. Maybe if I played to a house crowd, but it was not a hip hop crossover track 'round here.
And I have never heard any non-NYC DJ talk about it like is was untouchable...
The whole world is NOT NYC-centric!
As for being NYC-centric myself, all I can say is that if your crowd ain't feeling that record I feel sorry for them (and you), it's just THAT good. Love spinning it, love hearing it.