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As DJ's displaced bands as the
primary form of club entertainment, two turntables and a mixer became necessary.
The flow between songs became important as DJ's strived to maintain musical
continuity. The jock would fade a new song in over the trailing edge of
the old song, often with catastrophic results. Since neither beats nor keys
were synchronized, the brief overlays could sound like train wrecks. This
technique is still common today with radio stations.
This style of mixing created a new variable (dimension) when it connected
two different songs for a short interval. This brief overlay created the
first dimension of mixing: a new sound created by the interaction of two
separate sources. This new sound was rarely musical (except by chance),
because it lacked the basic components of Western music: rhythm, harmony
and melody.
To avoid the "train wreck effect," some DJ's developed spot mixing techniques
which provided continuity between songs. Although spot mixing did not permit
any overlays, the rhythmic flow between songs could be maintained. Spot
mixing is still used today when uneven tempos or drastic speed changes do
not permit overlays.
HOME THEATER ANALOGY: Black and white TV created the first home theater
dimension: movement of gray forms on a screen.
