How to Mix Like DJ EZ? (DJ Tips & Tricks)

If you don’t know DJ EZ, then you better get to know. DJ EZ is well known for his DJing techniques and skills. DJ EZ is well known for his Garage and House, he’s been a long standing DJ in the genre and has a wealth of DJing techniques up his sleeve.

How to Mix Like DJ EZ? Here are some of the techniques we will revisit today.

Drop Track with Cue Tapping
Cue Button & Pitch Shift
Chop & Cut Method
Cue Button Tapping to Drop in Acapella
Loop 1/2 Beat Use to Chop in as Sound Effects

Today we’re going to go through some of the top DJ tricks that DJ EZ himself uses to craft his well known and entertaining DJ sets.

Drop Track with Cue Tapping

Find the last beat of a track, which will be the 8th beat of the last bar of the phrase. (The last beat before the first beat of the drop kicks in)
Set the cue point (memory cue) on that 8th beat.
Use the cue point as percussion, using pitch shift for a bit of change in sound too
(When you want to drop the track in fully) Press the cue point and switch the cross fader to the track.

Cue Button & Pitch Shift

Set the cue point where you want it. Particularly good on a vocal hook or effect in the song.
Tap the cue point along to the existing track. Make the tapping sound rhythmic and in time with the existing track.
Move the pitch shift up and down to make a tune out of the cue point tapping sound.
Press play and drop the track in fully. (Switch the cross fader fully over). Make sure the pitch shift is at a reasonable tempo before dropping in the track.

Chop & Cut Method

Beat match the new track (preferably a song with vocals on it).
Turn down the high and mid frequencies (Or HPF dial), so only low frequencies of the existing track is being heard.
Use the channel fader to chop and cut in the sound of the new track being mixed in.
Cut in the track on the off-beat or on the beat. Play around with this for variation.
Switch the channel fader up on the drop or the breakdown of the new track in the mix. At the same time, drop down the channel fader of the new track.

Cue Button Tapping to Drop in Acapella

Line up an acapella track on the turntable that’s not currently playing any music.
Make sure the tempo of it is the same as the existing track that’s playing.
Set the cue point at the part of the acapella that you want to set.
Tap the cue point along with the existing track.
Drop in the acapella over the track by pressing play. (Make sure to get the phrasing lined up with the existing track playing).

Loop 1/2 Beat Use to Chop in as Sound Effects

This DJing technique requires simply activating the loop function, with 1/2 beat looping.
1/2 a beat is really fast looping, which is part of this DJ trick and transition.
As soon as the loop is activated, bring down the channel fader for that turntable.
Now unleash the up and down chopping of the channel fader to allow the sound of the looping to be played like a percussion instrument. Have fun with this. You can add FX such as Phaser or use the tempo shifter too for a change in pitch.
Once you’re ready to drop in the new track, spin back rewind the turntable that’s been looping, then switch the crossfader to the new turntable. Boom!

Watch below for a visual and audio example.

Final thoughts

If you’re up with your music scene and DJ sets online, then you may well be aware of the 24 hour DJ set that DJ EZ put together on the Defected YouTube Channel.

Check out the DJ set that lasted 24 hours below, split into three 8 hour chunks.

Feel free to donate too for the Mind charity which is for a really good cause too.

Watching all of these videos you are almost certain to pick up on a tonne of tips for getting better as a DJ.