How do I DJ from streaming services?
AThere’s nothing that ruins a party like the gaps between music (apart from Guru’s ‘special punch’) but most of us have moved on from CDs, making the majority of CD mixers irrelevant, and we can’t all flex a vinyl collection significant enough to blast through a whole night’s tunes. So streaming’s the way: but that’s a pain, right? Nope, if anything, streaming services are far better suited to DJ shenanigans than physical media ever was.
There’s the catalogue, for one – if someone demands you mix the obscure French electro track you’re currently rocking into a slice of
black metal, you can (though shouldn’t) get your hands on their request in an instant. Digital chicanery means you can mess with the pitch, speed and makeup of a track without any of those pesky physical constraints. And there’s basically no need for a massive wallpaper table covered in expensive decks; you can do absolutely everything on your PC, Mac, or even an iPad.
GaGu’s software of choice is Algoriddim Djay Pro 2 (around $50) which lets you hook into a local music collection, your Spotify library, or iTunes, and wrangle up to four decks. You’re also given crucial information about your tunes, from the BPM to the pitch, and it can competently automix your tracks if you’re incapable. Pair it (or the industry standard Traktor Pro 3) with a DJ tool like Pioneer’s DDJ-400 or indeed any MIDI controller, and you’ve got the wheels of digital steel at your fingertips.
If anything, streaming services are far better suited to DJ shenanigans than physical media ever was