How to do a beat juggle
Trade beats between decks with hot cues before B takes over.
- Showstopper
- hard
- About 4 bars
When to use it
- Use it when both songs sit at a similar energy and when the next song brings more energy.
- A natural fit for hip-hop/R&B.
- DJs rarely use it in house/techno, melodic/trance and EDM/big room.
- Works when the tempos are up to about 8% apart, because the overlap is short.
- It's a showstopper: save it for peak time and don't use two in a row.
Step by step
- 1Set a hot cue on B's first beat.
- 2Tap B's cue on the beat while A's drums play.
- 3Trade the beat back and forth between decks.
- 4Let B run on the next phrase.
See it on a controller, and hear it with your own songs
Cueball picks the right technique for every pair of songs in your set and animates the knobs and faders in time with the music.
Build a set for freeGenres this works for
New to DJing? Start with how to DJ for beginners and the 6 basic transitions.
Similar techniques
- Hard cut on the phraseSnap from A to B exactly on a new phrase.
- Short blend on the downbeatA quick overlap so the keys never get time to clash.
- Quick cutStop A, start B. Bold and clean.
- SpinbackRewind A like a vinyl spin, then slam B in.
- Half-time switchDrop B so its beat sits at half (or double) A's speed.
- Vocal-over introStart B's vocal intro over A's fading instrumental.