henley

Todd Terje is probably one of the greatest modern re-edit masters.

Just found this group on SC too – https://soundcloud.com/groups/re-edits-not-remixes

track selection (as ever) is imperative. think about the lyrics or mood of a song to help you decide what to play next. bpm doesn’t matter so much as long you drop the next tune at the right moment.
cut to the next tune directly after a chorus (before the next verse starts). a simple baby scratch on the first kick works well in this instance.
another cool transition could be to loop the (typically 8-bar) break after the second chorus and mix in to the (looped) intro of the next track, cutting across with the x-fader. you could even cut the bass of the new track and let the vocals play over the looped break.
catch and scratch vocals with no beat underneath.
if playing a classic that everyone knows the words to and is singing along, stop the music on the last bar of the phrase, let the crowd sing and then drop your next beat.*
get into the flow, move your body and you should instinctively know what to do.

*this last one can be risky so use your judgement carefully as you are relying on the crowd to fill the silence. make sure its a banger (speaking from experience)!

you can get the demo version of traktor for free, just try it out for yourself. it can do everything that serato can, just does it differently. i often jump between softwares and find that the biggest challenge is getting to know the interface.

You’ll need an RCA – RCA cable to go from your S2 to the Rokits (red and white phono plugs) and to use your iphone, you’ll need an RCA to 3.5mm jack splitter cable (Google it). All need to be male to male.

A friend bought his decks on djfinancedirect, no complaints from him. DJKit are a pretty reputable retailer. I’d double check their finance rates against what other options you have first e.g. bank, credit card etc.

watch some walkthrough videos on youtube to get familiar with the equipment. also, practice on your mixtrack at home but turn your computer screen off to get used to mixing with no display

you have to stick at it, relax and don’t try to force progress. i’ve been djing for 10 years now and am still learning every day. it took me 5 years until i was comfortable enough to play in front of a crowd.
practice, practice and more practice is the key. you can read all the books and tutorials in the world, but nothing beats hands-on experience. nobody taught me anything, i learnt about beatmatching, cueing, phrasing all through trial and error (with a little basic understanding)… i figured out what sounded good/bad on my own. if it was good, i’d try it again and again. if it was bad, i’d try it again and then never again.
if you try to run before you can walk then you’ll fall. ask yourself, do you really want to do this? or do you just think you do. you can still love and have passion for music without being a dj. if you do want it, then be prepared for it to be very hard, but also have fun with it.

Terry makes a good point, how much music that a pool sends you will you actually use? Get on sites like beatport, whatpeopleplay and traxsource, browse their libraries and buy the individual tunes that you want. you’ll also hone your own sound, rather than relying on what someone else sends you.