In February I started working on a back to back DJ mix with my friend Max.
We began by making a mindmap of the kind of textural palette we wanted, listing out keywords such as ‘glassy’ and ‘glitch’. We then created a timeline together outlining the flow of the set, starting with more ambient, ‘alien’ textures and gradually progressing towards a heavier, deconstructed grime sound.
From there, we each spent time independently gathering tracks we thought might fit the vibe, adding them to a joint playlist. We met a few times to listen through everything together, jotting down potential blends and ideas for where each track might sit in the mix.
We then downloaded the songs onto two separate hard drives so we could work on things independently, sharing test mixes with each other and giving feedback on what was working and what wasn’t. After finalising the tracklist order, we each got to work on practicing transitions, experimenting until we’d found a flow that felt cohesive.
We ran through the full mix together a few times before the event, and when the night came around, the performance went smoothly!
This taught me a few lessons about collaboration. Firstly, establishing a shared vision early on (through tools like the mindmap and timeline) meant we were always working towards the same goal, even when we were working separately. Secondly, balancing independent and collaborative work kept things efficient; having our own space to experiment meant we came to each session with fresh ideas rather than getting stuck on the same issues together. Finally, it reinforced how important honest, constructive feedback is, being open about what wasn’t working, without it feeling personal, was what allowed us to keep refining the mix until it was something we were both proud of.
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