How to Mix Funk Music

Practice makes perfect whenever it comes to creating a good party mix, but the adage is especially true when it comes to making a funk music mix. Funk songs are a little difficult to blend together; however, complexity shouldn't discourage the DJ. If you have a good ear and keen coordination, you can be the hit of the party by creating the perfect full-length funk mix.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Funk music LPs and/or CDs
• Turntables
• Mixer
• Headphones

1. Find some good tracks on your funk LPs and/or CDs, and pick out the ones that have similar vibes or rhythms. After that, put your two leading choices on your turntables.

2. Start up one of the tracks and let it play.

3. Listen for a breakdown or drum fill in your first track, which will make for a good spot to bring in your second track.

4. Start the second track and monitor it using your headphones.

5. Adjust the pitch of both tracks accordingly using the pitch control on each respective turntable. Get the second track in the right place and ready to be brought in once you've found the best spot in the first track.

6. Bring the second track all the way in by moving the mixer's crossfade (which will take the first track completely out). Don't worry about beatmatching; just concentrate on making a smooth cut from one track to the next.

7. Repeat for every track in your mix.

Tips & Warnings

• When bringing in the second track, make sure to play with your mixer's EQ (equalizer), since you may have to take the vocals out or bring the bass in. You don't want your mix to sound like a garbled mess.
• Cutting from one track straight into the next is the easiest way to mix funk music. Beatmatching is possible, but it's very difficult, since most funk music does not rely on one constant drum rhythm like house music or hip-hop does. If you decide to beatmix, you'll have to study your chosen tracks very carefully and listen for spots where the beats will seamlessly blend together. Keep in mind that funk songs usually have live drummers, so the BPM (beats per minute) will probably fluctuate the longer the song goes on.

Resources

• DJ Tutor--How To Mix Old School Funk
• DJ Tutor--How To Mix Funk, Soul and Disco