DnB mixing tips

Think he is more looking for suggestions on songs to beat match and mix together.

I loved DnB back in the day, I kind of found mixing it little challenge TBH because almost everything is at 170bpm and key is almost not needed because the beat is usually the predominant thing, the trick is cutting in on the breakdowns or key changes etc. Like DJing house, it's like trying to match a pair of socks when all your socks are black :)

I assume being on the NI forum you use Traktor, doesn't really matter but I use Serato and what I usually do to make a "mix" or practice a set list or something is first just crate flip through songs, usually while i'm just chilling out the back and tag things into a crate first, I may get 50 songs that I like. If you are unsure, check what some of the real popular tracks are and make sure to include some in your mix along with some not so mainstream ones as this will help people identify songs in your mix and take more notice of the fine work you are doing (or the poor job of butchering them)

Next I check to make sure each is correctly analysed and beat detected so any effects are correctly locked. I just randomly pick a track as a start and what I will do is order the playlist by the songs I start with and mix, usually add a comment to ID the order then start experimenting.

If the songs have a lot of melody, you want to be around the same key ideally if you plan to extend mix OR find the breakdown/transition parts in the song which you can usually do with the waveform overview, add a marker as a reminder then aim to do your mix there. Try to also keep to the formula of allowing those breakdown and build up areas too as you don't want to quick mix things and have a 30 minute block of solid energy, you will kill people who can't stop themselves.

If it doesn't work first time, start over and try again. If it works, lock those songs in as the order and continue. If it doesn't, try a different song.

Lastly, aim for good mixes and less technical flair. No one is impressed that you can mix on the dancefloor, being an enthusiast on both sides the worst thing you can listen to in a club is a DJ fumbling tricks trying to be impressive to your favourite track, but having a really solid and flowing mix with simple flair can be a great experience so keep the effects and tricks simple and don't layer things for too long.

It takes a decent amount of time to make a good session as it should and no amount of suggestions will replace the invested time needed. Anyone can simply beat match (cough, beat lock...) 2 songs and xfade them together, AI does that these days and DJs are dying the way records did, sometimes it sounds pretty good but what makes things sound great is when you listen for 15 minutes and dont really notice the transitions