All i gotta say is BORING!!! son, if you're getting into Djing just to make a quick buck then yea take they're advice. People dont really care about the mixing and scratching, but if it really is in your soul to mix, and flip this and that, and just become incredibly sick at this magnificent art, then learn from the get go how to mix instrumentals, acapellas, count bars, etc. what helps alot and saves time is if you learn how to calculate the BPMs of a track when you're putting together ur game plan for the night. . . . all im saying is observe, jought down notes, and learn. Go the extra mile.
idk thats just me. If you're not gonna go hard, then why even go at all. . .
no, i agree with you. but, by his post, i think it's pretty clear that he doesn't have a whole lot of practice in beatmatching
no one wants to hear boom...bap...boom..bapbap.boom.boom.bap.bap and no one wants to hear someone who can't scratch...scratch. simple as that.
if you can't mix well, be creative and find tracks that piece together well with little effort. hell, you have an fx processor...throw some echo or phase out. just experiment.
dead air = bad.
trainwrecks = bad.
scratching =/= necessary
by all means, it's absolutely important to -learn- to dj. and the op should make every effort to do so...however, he had a week's time before his gig.
i suggest finding whatever means possible to not have silence without things going off-beat.
beatmatching is fairly simple but it takes practice. there are plenty of guides out there. it's essential to mixing instrumentals and acapellas alike.
http://www.djforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31040
whenever you listen to music, count it. 1234, 1234, 1234, 1234...12345678, 12345678 however is comfortable...this helps understand where you'll want to mix tracks, etc. after 8's and 16's most commonly.
after you know where you want the track to be mixed, you have to sometimes adjust it's tempo prior to it being dropped so the tempo of both tracks is the same. when they are running at the same speed, you cue up the position you want the next record to start at and then drop it where you want it. you can let the first track ride in tempo or you can do a number of other things to create a fresh mix.
at your first gig...keep it simple. people will vibe and enjoy themselves. you will be confident and comfortable.