Is it possible to mix RnB and how would you do it?

[Jaytee]

Here are some examples of the RnB songs I would like to mix.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-VZfn7KqKE

Just to show a few.

How would I mix these?

Play the acapella part of one song in another?

Beatmatching is nearly impossible and some tunes have big differences and the beats are different as well.

[eggssell]

hey jaytee,

cant see the songs you want to do because of the great wall at work, but some notes on RnB (or Hip Hop for that matter) as opposed to dance,

because there may not be many empty phrases (i.e. where there is no lyrics or distinct melody) unless you want to use a loop function of your software/ or cd deck your usually left with a quick mix or cut mix. i read an awesome article referring to the "pop theory" of mixing which is needed for most non dance songs, because of the 16 bar verse-8bar chorus-16 bar verse... song structure. im trying to find it will post link when i do.

anywho, so i find mixing out of a chorus to a bridge works well. however it means you will only get the last verse of a song but the bridge is usually the peak.

if your quick enough (or again use the loop function) is to mix into the outro of a track (which may be all musical), then quickly load the same song on the other deck and mix into whereever you want.

beatmatching is always an option!! its just a matter of it sounds good or not, i.e. whether you end up with the chipmunks or satan. sometimes to mix into something with a massive beat change, scratch into the next song. Or use an echo effect to fade out the going out song and at the last sound of the echo, drop the next song.

now all of this is based on what ive read but also from dissecting other peoples mixes. they are rarities but if you can find dj moto's mixes from the 90's (not the club joint allstar ones w/ other people, they were not as good. just dj moto), to me that is the holy grail. also ztrip and dj radar live at future primitive is an awesome mix, more hip hop then r&B but the transition work will probably help. and finally peanut butter wolf's badmeaninggood mix which is more soul, but again the transitions will also apply to r&b. the latter two are available for free online (ill try to get links later).

i would mix the songs for you to show example but i dont think im ready yet...

[eggssell]

your usually left with a quick mix or cut mix

oh yeah when i say thats what your usually left with, it doesnt mean you have to make boring mixes. another trick is to just have mids on (maybe a little highs) and drop in a single line from the incoming track (maybe from the chorus or the start of a verse) a few times over the current track before dropping in the incoming track. or maybe drop in the major melody riff of a track a couple of times before dropping in the incoming track.

[Skank]

you can mix anything its just about using more advanced techniques you may have to scratch these songs together or loop and fiddle with the eq between tracks but it is possible

[eggssell]

found the phrasing article

http://www.djtechtools.com/2009/01/26/phrasing-the-perfect-mix/

while it doesnt say much more then what i said (plus the example is pretty ordinary), dont want to claim name to fame for things i got from this article.

not sure if you guys hit it but djtechtools is a cool site too

[NathanJames]

hiphop to a degree, is a different set of skills than mixing house, yeah the fundamentals are the same but the details are really different..

house music generally consists of the same 4/4 bass hit and should be slowly blended between intros & outros, creating a smooth blend..

hiphop requires quick mixing & cuts.. you generally need alot larger music collection to mix hiphop because as the OP quoted, songs vary ALOT in BPM.. so for every track to be beatmatchable, you need alot of tracks progressing in bpm to be able to properly sustain a decent mix set.. remember, your mixing, not just dropping tracks and doing fades.. the rules of beatmatching still apply when DJing hiphop..

[CBG]

i think RnB mixing is a lot of cut mixing. crossfading the shit out of everything, using special effects everywhere, scratching etc.